Not long ago I finished season 2 of a French cartoon called “Wakfu”. I originally discovered it when looking for artwork of characters I might be able to model with pipecleaners, and I sought to learn more about it because I studied French in high school and still retain interest in the country and culture even though I’ve forgotten most of the vocabulary by now.
It’s an animesque show, a genre I am very selective about. Some shows, like Teen Titans, allow anime influence to completely overtake them, resulting in a show with a lot of ugly lazy animation that turns me away, while other shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Wakfu know how to ration that influence and keep their characters on-model most of the time, so I can easily forgive the moments when the animation devolves into kindergarten doodles for the sake of exaggeration or expressing emotion. That Wakfu is animated with flash vectors probably helps it a lot; it’s gotta take more time and money to get the characters off-model that way, so it’s easier and more practical to keep them looking their best. Better yet, it has bonus episodes and specials animated by the likes of MADHOUSE and Studio Ghibli.
It’s an impressive cross-media franchise, such that I’m a little surprised that it hasn’t spread further into other countries. It’s a reconstruction of fantasy and adventure stories, with a tasty dash of video game influence thanks to the world originally spawning from a MMORPG. In-universe vernacular even includes “dungeons” scattered throughout the land in which live “bosses” that can be defeated or slain for all kinds of treasure.
The theme song in particular grabbed me. It’s an orchestral metal piece, emphasizing grandiose scale and full of abstract imagery to remind us of why we all love fantasies and legends in the first place. Naturally, I had to adapt it from French to English.
Thus, here it is! And this time, I want to provide some insight into what goes into this sort of writing. Straight translations from one language to another almost NEVER work because of differences in grammar, slang, cultural expressions, and so on. For example, the English expression “You’re a pain in the neck!” means nothing in French. Instead the French say, “You’re breaking my feet!” It can get especially difficult with songs as you try to match the rhymes and syllable counts in the language you’re translating from.
So this time, I am providing three versions of this song: the original French lyrics, their straight translation, and my English adaptation. By comparing them, you should get an idea not only of my person thought processes but of the challenges that go into these sorts of things.
Enjoy!
Sur Tes Pas (Theme of Wakfu)
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French Lyrics Entends-tu le chant des Héros résonner Enfant de lumière, Sois! J’entends la rumeur, Sois! A chaque héros son pouvoir, Sois! |
Literal Translation Do you hear the heroes’ song, resonating Child of light, Be! I hear a rumor, Be! To each hero, his power! Be! |
English Adaptation Do you hear the song of heroes resonate Little one of light You! I hear a rumor Be! To each hero, vitality Be! |
13 comments
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Izmar
February 4, 2014 at 2:00 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thank you for posting these lyrics and this review! We are currently holding a Kickstarter to produce an English dub for Wakfu’s seasons 1 and 2 in order to offer it for broadcasting on English networks or VOD streaming services. If you’re interested, it’s here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1836563008/wakfu-the-animated-series
The Creature Keeper
February 17, 2014 at 10:40 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I wish I had the money to contribute! Alas, I’ve been without a job for nearly a year now, and I’m still working on becoming a successful author. I’ll just have to buy the whole series when it comes out whenever I am able to.
Izmar
March 5, 2014 at 12:44 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Sorry to hear that, but good luck with your journey to becoming an author. =)
Junko
July 12, 2014 at 1:38 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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July 16, 2014 at 10:33 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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John
August 29, 2014 at 9:30 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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Anonymous
November 5, 2014 at 5:07 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Aww, the video isn’t up any more. I was looking forward to the english version of the song
Anonymous
November 14, 2014 at 11:00 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
thank you for those translations, however, i prefer the french version, it just sounds epic even if i cant understand a word they are saying
Saul
January 17, 2015 at 1:24 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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Ricku28
March 24, 2015 at 10:10 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hey, I love your adaptation, and I was wondering if you knew that some of your adaptation made it in for an episode in season 2 called The Voice Thief. It made me happy to hear it included.
The Creature Keeper
November 1, 2015 at 7:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thanks for the tip! I’ll look forward to seeing that.
Roci
October 16, 2015 at 12:50 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
How can I put this…politely..?
The English “Adaptation” is unnecessary.
Why is it that everyone who comes into contact with something not done by Americans has to become a mixture of Rachmaninoff and Tim Rice? It happens to Japanese Anime imports far too often as well.
The French lyrics are poetry, first of all.
The English adaptation lyrics talk down to the audience. Good translation sometimes requires the communication of ideas, idiomatic and otherwise, and not just “words that fit.” Too much of the imagery and idea behind the French lyrics get lost in your “adaptation.”
Just stick with the Fair job that you seem to have done with the English translation. It is better than the AWFUL theme song that was used on the crowd-funded English version of Wakfu. I can’t bring myself to listen to more than ten seconds or so of that mess, without a paper bag close at hand.
Just for the record, I grew up in a French speaking home, and have worked in Animation for several decades.
The Creature Keeper
November 1, 2015 at 7:33 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
That’s pretty nonsensical criticism, seeing as my adaptation sticks as close to the hard translation as is possible. As I explained at the start, translating anything is never a 1 to 1 affair either. The first step is obtaining a literal translation, then the second step is modifying that translation so it sounds fluent in the language you’re translating it too. Getting a literal translation and then stopping there would just result in a song that sounds severely autistic and more than a little confusing.
The official English version of the theme I find acceptable. It gets the job done. It didn’t need to be changed THAT much from the original French, I feel, but I guess it is more distinct that way. The line, “Watch… the legend unfold… as history foretold” I especially like, except for how the singers stretch the word “legend”. That part sounds quite amateurish indeed.