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    Zeca Baleiro

    Nega Neguinha → English translation

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Girl

Click to see the original lyrics (Portuguese)
Girl, girl, little girl
Girl, girl, little girl
Not even Zumbi1 would stop you from being mine
 
Oh mom, my mom, my dear mom
In the slave quarters, my room
I'm protected by Oxalá2
Queen Iansan2's anxiety
Girl, I am your man
Come and clap, girl
Let's make some drums in the kitchen
 
'If this girl were mine
I would teach her how to live
I'd give her beans with flour
All week long
For her to eat'
 
She comes from the capoeira3
On foot, a whole half
In Pelourinho4, my hair is stirred up
A mass, quimbanda5, poetry
Aruandê, arandá
I'll sing because
Singing is a letter of manumission6
 
'Women are like snakes
They have poison in their blood
They make a rich man turn into a poor man
They make the poor man shameless'
 
The former carnation now is a rose
The subject of your whims
Samba, at the lambada
The king of Congo is at the congada7
He already has a painful look in his face
Let me be your savior
Please want to be my Bahia
 
Zumbi is at the capoeira, at the jongo8
Zumbi is at the capoeira, at the jongo
Clap your hands, Zumbi, at the mess
Clap your hands, Zumbi, batmacumba9
 
  • 1. Zumbi dos Palmares, the last of the leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, a fugitive settlement in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil
  • 2. a. b. In the Yoruba religion: the Orisha (representation of God) associated to the creation of the world of the human race
  • 3. Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music
  • 4. Historic neighborhood located in the western zone of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
  • 5. An Afro-Brazilian religion practiced primarily in the urban city centers of Brazil. Quimbanda practices are typically associated with magic, rituals involving animal sacrifice and marginal locations, exus, and pomba gira spirits
  • 6. The act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves
  • 7. An afro-Brazilian celebration that recreates the coronation of the Congolese king
  • 8. A dance and musical genre of black communities from southeast Brazil
  • 9. A reference to the song 'Bat Macumba'
Original lyrics

Nega Neguinha

Click to see the original lyrics (Portuguese)

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Comments
GabriHylianGabriHylian    Mon, 01/06/2015 - 05:56

1, Shouldn't the song name as well as the first part be something like "Black girl", "My black girl" or "Little Black Girl"? "Nega" might be (in few places) used in relationships but still means "black girl", and the song is all about black culture/history so translating "Nega neguinha" as "Girl" seems so, so far from the original intent to me.

2. Also:
Girl, girl, little girl
Girl, girl, little girl
Not even Zumbi

Where's the translation for "impedia você de ser minha"?

Don JuanDon Juan
   Mon, 01/06/2015 - 20:06

1. I thought of using 'Black girl' or something like that, but I thought it could be some kind of racial slur. 'Neguinha' is indeed used in relationships, but 'my black girl' may convey a bad idea (specially outside Brazil). I know this wasn't a good choice of words in the translation, but I didn't think of a better way. This kind of song is always hard to translate, I spend like an hour trying to think of a good way of translating. We could use something like 'darling' here.

2. Thanks for reporting, I have added that line in the translation as well.

GabriHylianGabriHylian    Fri, 05/06/2015 - 21:52

I imagined that that was your reason, however, think with me, if the song was "Branca branquinha" you, almost certainly, wouldn't translate it to "girl", you see? You would choose something like "White girl" or "Blondie"(or else). Yes, I know it's harder with "Neguinha", but "black girl", would still be the most accurate translation. Well, I actually just stumbled upon this translation because I was seeking a good equivalent for "Blondie", here what I've found out (slangs), take a look:

https://twitter.com/ukslang2english/status/275685789671780352

http://pt.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lighty

http://pt.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lightie+and+Brownie

I won't use "Lighty" in the song I'm currently translating, mostly because it's an old song, older than this one, so I'm not quite sure if it could fit or would be the best here, I would still go with "Black girl", but I might use this term in a newer, informal song, since it seems to be understood in both UK and US.

PS:(Portuguese) Penso assim: Talvez o preconceito comece quando deixamos de traduzir "Neguinha / black girl" porque o único sentido que identificamos, ou o que prevalece, nessa palavra seja o que outros consideram ofensivo, ou ruim, mas provavelmente não iriamos pensar duas vezes ou mesmo se preocupar se fosse "Branquinha/White girl", vê? A verdade é que o mundo tem garotas brancas, negras, asiáticas, etc, se alguém ler e achar ofensivo é porquê só veem essas características por uma conotação... "Nigga girl" aí, realmente, poderia ser (bastante) ofensivo. (Espero que entenda minha visão aqui - eu mesmo costumava não falar certas palavras porque achava que eram ofensivas para certos grupos, mas depois com certas amizades desses grupos eu aprendi que excluí-las por uma só conotação é onde surge o ofensivo) =)

Don JuanDon Juan
   Sat, 06/06/2015 - 01:28

I got your point, and agree with you. Also, thanks for sharing that (I didn't know that slang). I'll edit my translation and put 'Lighty' in place of 'girl'. But I'll leave a comment explaining the meaning of that word, in case non-English speakers don't know it.

Quanto a questão do preconceito, também concordo. Apenas espero que você não tenha me achado preconceituoso devido as minhas palavras. Eu pessoalmente tento me manter neutro sempre que vejo alguma música com termos como 'branquinha/loirinha' ou 'pretinha/neguinha', pois temo fazer uma escolha infeliz de palavras e ser julgado por isso. Quando eu vejo 'nigger', eu penso umas 40 mil vezes antes de traduzir. Também passei por essa situação, assim como sofri por isso.

Thanks for the comment, moreover. ;)

GabriHylianGabriHylian    Sat, 06/06/2015 - 03:30

Eu sei e entendi porque você não quis (e prefere) não traduzir esses termos, eu entendo, sei que não é preconceituoso =) Fico um pouco assim antes de traduzir também! Como sempre continue o bom trabalho! Abraço!

Keep up the good work!

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