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!
Third, I am practical. If I stand to benefit from something that will not harm me, I will most likely do it. Such as dancing in this ti
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. 😀 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
Professtional
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 crystalss
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, oh pretty, 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!…..
Oh beautiful
