Help with a translation into Elvish

cimmerian_jedi's picture
Submitted by cimmerian_jedi on Tue, 2007-04-17 21:23.

Hello to all,
I have just joined this website and a fine site it is too.
I was wondering if someone here would be able to help me with a "hopefully" simple request.
I am hoping to get a tatoo of some quenya on my arm. I say Quenya, what I probably mean to say is some Tengwar.
I was wanting to translate the phrase "Not all who wander are lost."
Firstly, is is possible to translate this into Elvish and if so what would that be? Also how would I write it into Tengwar for use as a tatoo? Considering that this tatoo would be seen as a form of elvish inscription I figured that Quenya would be the correct language to use as apposed to Sindarin as it is the more formal language used for writings of poetry and lore etc.. Am I right in this thinking?
I hope someone can help me with this, I'm a little stumped myself. I shall be eternally grateful and will hapiily post the picture of the taoo when it gets done.
Cheers!
James (a Strider wannabe)


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translation requests
Submitted by oreramar on Wed, 2007-04-18 06:11.

Hello and welcome,

It seems to me that this is the first request of that kind here and I do not know what the policy of this Forum is. Therefore I speak only for myself: Personally I adhere to Elfling policy that requests that someone should first make an effort to learn and make himself an attempt at translation before he can get help.
But nevertheless I can give you a hint, in case nobody complies with your request here, you may ask Ambar Eldaron. They get plenty of this kind of requests there and are happy to help.

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my opinion
Submitted by Atwe on Wed, 2007-04-18 08:54.

Personally, I do not mind the odd request to translate something until we become flooded with such questions, for which I do not see much chance given the slightly advanced nature of this site (am I being pretentious?).
On the other hand I am quite uncomfortable with giving translation for tattoos, for two reasons:

  • I do not see the point of tattooing something in a language that the bearer does not even understand (no offence meant)
  • Given the shaky nature of our knowledge about Eldarin grammar and vocabulary I am not comfortable telling anybody to put something permanently on their skin when it may well turn out to be plain rubbish or ridiculous

    • .

    That said: this is one of the few Tolkienian poems/lines that have been translated to death across the net. Everybody wants this one translated. With a little search the OP could have got results.

    Today I would render this line into NeoQuenya as

    Lá ilye i ranyar mistar

    but tomorrow I may have a different idea, and I am sure other would put it differently, too...

    ---

    sí tere hyelle ar nullave cenilve

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Thanks
Submitted by cimmerian_jedi on Wed, 2007-04-18 20:22.

Thank you both for your help. I understand your apprehension in giving a translation for something as permenant as a tatoo. I guess you could have been quite evil is you wanted and given me something inaccurate. Good to know that Tolkien fancs are honest folk.
I'll get to searching myself on the net and hopefully a little more effort will go a long way.
Namarie,
James.

"Not all who wander are lost." JRR Tolkien

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That is the spirit. We all
Submitted by Atwe on Wed, 2007-04-18 21:19.

That is the spirit. We all began somewhere, a lot of us exactly with that poem.
It's like with wannabe guitar players: everybody learns The House of the Rising Sun first.
You are very welcome on this board, to ask and to discuss.

Cheers

---

sí tere hyelle ar nullave cenilve

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