Hi,
My name is Iserlynn, 35 years old and i live in Holland. I've been trying to get a text translated from english into standard irish. I asked an irish friend and my aunt (she's Irish too) and that's when the trouble began They both came up with something totally different, and since i don't speak any irish (yet)....
The text is meant for a tattoo, so it's kind of important that i get it right the first time hahahaha
This is the sentence i would like to get translated: "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" and these are the translations i got so far..
1. Ná lig faitíos an buailte as a chur thú ón chluiche a imirt choíche.
2. Ná lig an eagla a scriosadh amach tú a choinneáil ó imirt an chluiche.
I hope someone can help me out here, it would mean a lot.
Btw..great site!!

Slán,
Iserlynn

Hi Iserlynn,

Firstly both sentences are slightly incorrect gramatically and for me seem like random sentences.

This I feel is a case of lost in translation. The problem I had was with the "striking out". "Striking out" is an English idiom. Idioms are notoriously difficult to translate word for word and thats what your aunt and friend attempted to do. When I read the translation by your aunt/ friend (2) I thought the metaphorical meaning was lost and it seems like a random and incorrect sentence. striking out was translated as "scrios amach". This "scrios amach" means to erase or rub out... similar to its use in law- striken from the record. I have never heard scrios amach being used in a sporting context- playing rounders or base ball etc..

"Scrios amach" i.e scrios amach an scríbhneoireacht - erase/ rub out the writing.

Scrios amach é sin/ scrios é sin amach= rub out/ erase that.

However, "scrios" without being followed by "amach" means to destroy.

In the 1st translation "strike out" is buail as... buail does mean to strike i.e to hit:

Bhuail sé an liathróid = he struck/ hit the ball

However, when you add "as", and although as means "out", to buail , it seems to me, utterly foreign and makes no sense at all.

It might however mean something to other here!

When we used to play rounders (game similar to base ball and cricket) in school in a Gaeltacht this is how we used to play:

Strike one: an chéad iarracht (céad iarracht, when translated directly means 1st attempt)
strike two: an tarna hiarracht (second attempt)
strike three/ your out: an tríú hiarracht/ thá tú imithe (third attempt or you're gone) we would say gone instead of out.

Other Gaeltachts might have a different vocabulary, but to my knowledge, there is no standard way of expressing this.

Maybe others know! Someone might even have an Irish idiom for expressing what you want.

Here is my attempt at it, but I am not hole heartfully confident, so wait for some more input from others:

The basic meaning I got from the sentence was something like don't let fear of failure stop you from expieriencing life

Ná lig eagla na teipe thú a choiméad ó (lán- )thaithí an tsaoil

Don't let fear of failure keep you from the (full) experience of life

or

but if you want to keep the game/ life metaphore:

Ná lig eagla na teipe thú a choimeád ó thaithí an chluiche

Don't let/ allow the fear of failure keep you from experiencing the game

or

Ná lig eagla na teipe thú a choimeád ó thaitneamh/ shult an chluiche
Don't let fear of failure keep you from enjoying the game

eagla = faitíos are both recognised in standard Irish as "fear"
coimeád/ coinneáil both recognised in standard Irish for "keep"

Hope this helped. Please wait for more input!

Cian.

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

I would go a step further and say it might be mistake to translate "let" as lig. In most cases, "let" is just a way of avoiding a third person order in English, but there is no reason to avoid the same in Irish.

Another attempt:

Ná coinníodh faitíos teipe ó imirt an chluiche thú. "Let not fear of failure keep you from playing the game."

Await correction or confirmation ...

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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).

I like that.

But I don't see anything wrong with using "lig".

Good explanation Cian.

"Strike out" is a baseball term so it wouldn't have a idiomatic meaning in Irish.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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I also like this one, but shouldn't cluiche be in the genitive case here- since its: the playing of the game"?

Ná coinníodh faitíos teipe ó imirt an chluiche thú?

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

Thanks! haha



Sorry my fault, I meant was there a possible seanfhocal with the same connotation as "don't let fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" rather than is there an Irish idiomatic term for "striking out".

Just out of pig iron, when ye played rounders in school what did ye use for strike one etc... or did ye just say strike one... etc?

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

I wasn't correcting you Cian. I was just explaining to Lynn that we don't play baseball in Ireland.


I never played rounders or seen it played.
They didn't even play hurling in my school.
The girls had a good basketball team. They won national competitions (I wasn't one of them )

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___________________________________________________________

It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
___________________________________________________________

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

GRMA, a Bhríd. It is always good to get the perspective of a native speaker.


Yes, thanks, a Chiain, you are right. Fixed above. (Teehee, for some strange reason I was thinking cluiche was feminine, but it isn't. )

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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).

Fáilte ar ais, a Chiain. Long time no see!

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