My French friend Laurence loaned me some contemporary French music from her library, and I’ve been listening to it in the car this past week. I finally decided to go on line to see if I could find lyrics, only some of which (very little, in truth) I could make out. I found a few lyric sites, and to get an overview of the gist of them, I ran them through one of the on-line automatic translators (Alta Vista’s Babelfish was the particular one).
I’ve used these a few times; they often turn out hilarious, especially, as it turns out, for love songs. So I give you the Babelfish translation of Natasha Saint Pier’s Tu Trouveras:
As everyone I have my dfauts I always do not have the words which it is necessary But if you read between the lines You find in my songs All that I did not know to say you There are misprints Of “I love you” a little unmethodical Malgr my clumsy agreements You will find in my songs All that I do not have bone to say to you
{Refrain:} You will find… My wounds and my weaknesses Those which I acknowledge only half-word My false step my awkwardnesses And of the love more than it is not necessary of it I am afraid so much that you me leashes Knows that if I make some always too It is so that a little you me remainders You me remainders
I am going to have to use in a song the line, “there are misprints of ‘I love you,'” and the phrase “all that I do not have bone to say to you,” because, well, it would be the only song ever with those lyrics.
Tu Trouveras is actually a very nice song, and once I parse out the lyrics, I’m sure they will be also. And in defense of Babelfish, it does a passable job for something on automatic pilot.
Categories: France, Travel -- France