I was directed to try this forum by a user on another translation website because no one there could seem to agree on... well, anything really. I'm trying to get a translation for '(The) Feminnist Albatross' for a tattoo. I'm acquaintances with a Gaelige speaker and the translation he gave me was 'a halbatrais baineainnigh' with the caveat that he had never seen the word 'feminist' rendered into Irish, and that 'baineainnigh' was as near as he could construct. From what I've seen on that other forum (and wiktionary) 'feimineach/igh' is an accepted translation but I'm not sure how to conjugate the phrase (I am male, and this tattoo is meant to reference myself). Any feedback would be appreciated.

Many thanks

~Jaa

Do you actually want to SAY "I am male"? Because, like English, there's no way to do that in Irish other than just to say it.

As far as "The Feminist Albatross" goes"

An tAlbatras Feimineach

Wait for more input, please.

Redwolf

Hi welcome to the forum ,

The translation your friend gave you is incorrect in two ways, grammatically and contextually:

Firstly, grammatically:

It should be An tAlbatras Baineannach/ Baineann and means The Female Albatross

Your friend wanted to use "baineannaigh" but spelled it incorrectly as 'baineainnigh'. However, there is no need for the genitive here as the conditions required to impose the genitive are not present.

Secondly, Baineannach refers to the gender of the albatross and not feminist




, I second Redwolf's translation. As albatrosses are not native to Ireland we have no native word for them. There is an t-iolar dúbailte (literally: the double eagle...Focal.ie) but if you said that to someone who speaks Irish they'd probably look at you in the same way as if you said the double eagle to someone who speaks English .

Wait for a third to concur or some more input.

Cian

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No no, I just have almost no exposure to Irish as a language, I didn't know if my gender would be relevant when conjugating the adjective.


Thanks for your input.

I just noticed that you requested (CO) the Official Standard Caighdeán Oifigiúil and (SL) or Old Spelling Sean(a)-Litriú or in Old Spelling Sean(a)-Litriughadh. This refers to the pre-standardised spelling that came into existence in the !940s with the Official Standard. Unfortunately, these words are new loan words to the Irish Language and have no old spelling equivalents, nor do they contain sounds that can be represented with the Old Spelling system; Albatras would probably have been written as albtras pre-1940s. The translation given by Redwolf is in the Official Standard.

Cian

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Sorry about that. I meant to take that out of the title but forgot. Thanks again for the help.

(a final stupid question for you. 'Albatrais Feimineach' is still a complete thought, right? It just translates to 'Feminist Albatross' instead of 'The Feminist Albatross' is that correct?)

Not quite. It's Albatras Feimineach. "Albatrais" would be the genitive case...you can't use it this way.

Redwolf

Ah. Thank you.

Anyone else willing to chip in to get the 3rd vote of confidence?

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice

Assuming that you really do mean "feminist" ("someone who advocates women's rights"), I can confirm Redwolf's offerings:

An tAlbatras Feimineach "The Feminist Albatross"
Albatras Feimineach "Feminist Albatross"

Or if you meant instead "feminine" or "female" or "effeminate", then as Cian suggested:

An tAlbatras Baineann "The Female Albatross"
Albatras Baineann "Female Albatross"

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).