Song Translation Service!

Take your dancing to the next level with my new Arabic song translation service! 

Upon popular suggestion, I’ve finally decided to offer a song translation service. Now you can have ANY Arabic song translated & transliterated into fluent, native English for just $25 USD.  I provide accurate, precise translations, phonetic transliterations, and explanations of all idioms, terms, and cultural references that aren’t immediately intelligible to non-Arabic speakers. No more limited, awkward, online translations by translators who are limited in either English or Arabic.

Understanding the meaning of song lyrics will significantly improve the way you feel the music, and allow your audiences to feel connected to you. Song translation is also a great way to gain further insight into Middle Eastern culture.

For the record: I have four years of formal Arabic study under my belt: two years at Harvard University, 1year at Columbia University and the City University of New York, and about one year in Syria, Yemen, and Egypt combined. I have also been living in Cairo for three years and am now fluent in the Egyptian dialect.

Payment via Pay Pal or Venmo. To request a translation, contact me at lunaofcairo@gmail.com.  Looking forward to hearing from you!

Example translation: 

Si Abdo***

Mr. Abdo

*** “Si” is the local ‘baladi’ equivalent of mister.

Si Abdo!

Mr. Abdo!

Wa Oyoon Si Abdo

And Mr. Abdo’s eyes

Hosh an ayoonak Si Abdo, ah ya Si Abdo

Stop looking at me Mr. Abdo, oh Mr. Abdo

Da al hob garee wa ana mish adoo ah ya Si Abdo

Love is too strong for me, and I’m not up to it

(They both like each other, but the girl is afraid to start a relationship because of the complications that may arise.)

Si Abdo

Mr. Abdo

Si Abdo

Mr. Abdo

Si Abdo

Mr. Abdo

Si Abdo

Mr. Abdo

Aaloo il hawa luhu dawa

They said that love has a cure

Raga aloolee…

They came back to me and said…

GIRL: Ma Azunish!

I don’t think so!

Aloolee tamin, gaylee il-nawa fo il-nakhel, oolt

They told me, ‘wait, there’s a cure,’ that I can have an entire palm tree with dates cure me of love, but I said

(This doesn’t really make sense in English.  What it means is that finding a cure for love is like trying to tear down an entire palm tree with dates, or, a better example, trying to capture a star and bring it down to earth. Very difficult).

GIRL: Ma Azunish

I don’t think so!

Il-inkawa min il-hawa, yenam il leil

Whoever is in love, sleeps very well at night

GIRL: Ma Azunish!

I don’t think so!

Ana hadrab, wa hafashfish, wa hakasr, wa hadashdish

I’ll hit and crush and break things [to get rid of his love]

GIRL : Le le le, ma azunish!

No no no!  I don’t think so!

Il-wad zagh minee wa fak,

My lover ran away from me

Wa ana zanoo fi khant il-yak

But I was able to break her check mate (reference to a move in Backgammon similar to the check mate in chess.) 

Now the song starts using the metaphor of a Backgammon game to describe what’s happening in the game of love. This was really difficult to translate, as it’s extremely local, and normal Egyptians don’t speak like this.  It also makes very little sense if you have no clue about Backgammon. :D  I did my best not to translate literally.

Il-wad zagh minee wa fak,

My lover ran away from me

Wa ana maskoo fi khant il-yak

But I was able to break her check mate

Aal eh il haz idaloo

He said he got lucky

The song starts out with the singer speaking in the first person.  Then he shifts to singing in the third person.  It’s really typical of Arabic poetry, from the Quran to modern day shaabi music, for the author to shift between persons.  This is done for two reasons.  One, the rhyme scheme may call for it, and two, it’s more respectful for a man to address or speak about his lover in the masculine. 

Fakar yamil doyak

And he wants to try his luck (literally throw the dice and hope for the outcome he wants)

Il-wad zagh minee wa fak,

My lover ran away from me

Wa ana zanoo fi khant il-yak

But I was able to break her check mate

Harifa

Professional

Harifa

Professional

Ihna il-nas il-harifa

We’re the professionals (at backgammon, but really the game of love)

Il-do, Il-see

One, two (on the dice)

Il-do wa il-see w ail-gohar

One, two, and four (on the dice)

Asla ihna il-nas il-shutar

We’re professionals too

Fil-do wa il-see w ail-gohar

One, two, and four

Ihna il-nas il-shutar

We’re professionals too

Harifa

Professional

Harifa

Professional

Ihna il-ayal il-harifa

We’re the professionals

Awazilna ya-ayni fi heera

All those who are jealous of our love are confused  

Sabaha il-ashra bi-tareefa

And they’re a dime a dozen

Fatafeet il-sukar fatafeet

Sugar crystals, sugar crystals

Al-halu ya-halu itrabayt

I grew up on sweet things (he means good values)

Fatafeet il-sukar fatafeet

Sugar crystals, sugar crystals

Al-halu ya-halu itrabayt

I grew up on sweet things

Fatafeet il-sukar tagibni

I like sugar crystals

Wa inta ya-halu mudawibni

And you, my sweet, make me melt

Dawibni fi-hobik dawibni

Your love makes me melt

Wa fi albi rah abnilik bayt

And with the love in my heart I will build you a house

Hagir, Asee, Yehib wa yamil nasi

He leaves, he doesn’t ask about me, he loves and then forgets

Hagir, Asee, Yehib wa yamil nasi

He leaves, he doesn’t ask about me, he loves and then forgets

Ah minak ya muftari tabia fi albi tashtari

You’re treating me badly and playing with my emotions

Ah minak ya muftari tabia fi albi tashtari

You’re treating me badly and playing with my emotions

Ashtikeek li ahl il-hawa

I’ll complain to all the lovers

Aool da wayeh il dawa

I’ll say that you have the cure (for love)

Ashtikeek li ahl il-hawa

I’ll complain to all the lovers

Aool da wayeh il dawa

I’ll say that you have the cure (for love)

Yabia fi albi tashtari

You’re playing with my heart and emotions.

Yallah ya amar

Let’s go, beautiful

Rawah ya amar

Go home beautiful

Yallah ya amar

Let’s go, beautiful

Rawah ya amar

Go home beautiful

Ya Amar!.....