Payphone / 阿妈的配方

Workshop Translation Challenge
1

recently in China, one of the most popular memes has been a slowed version of the Maroon 5 song Payphone, with the lyrics translated into Chinese. you can listen to it here (Douyin original) or here (YouTube reupload).

this translation challenge is a little bit different than normal! instead of translating this challenge, I challenge you to create a soramimi (misheard version) of the song's lyrics, using your or any other conlang. have fun!

here is a sample from the original English lyrics, though feel free to do more than this if you'd like!

I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
All of my change, I spent on you
Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for two?

here is a sample of the original Chinese mishearing (transcribed and translated by @kwy)

阿妈的配方 双眼涂口红
ā mā de pèi fāng / shuāng yǎn tú kǒu hóng
Mom's recipe / applying lipstick on both eyes
我老妈拆家 谁被偷牛
wǒ lǎo mā chāi jiā / shéi bèi tōu niú
My mom is demolishing the house / who had their ox stolen?
唯爱的铲屎缸 卑鄙又臭哄
wéi ài de chǎn shǐ gāng / bēi bì yòu chòu hōng
My only love, poop-scooping tank / is lowly and stinky
唯爱的贝子瑞没放土
wéi ài de bèi zǐ ruì méi fàng tǔ
My one lovely shell, Ray, is not put in with soil

4 Likes
2

Loratep version! it's not great, but I'm not great at this and the language isn't very fleshed out. one strange thing about this soramimi: it only has vowel harmony from one group, throughout the entire thing (vowel harmony only spreads by word)

awa deepfoo tawenom kotko
water 2SG-AUG-VOC desire-3SG cat-ACC
hey big you, the water wants a cat
alut malke anpetadom
autumn narrowness-DAT PROG-toe-3SG
autumn reaches out its toe towards narrowness
vel afdwatoovam, bebedod sjawaes
CONDP yearn-IMM.FUT-1SG, walk-3PL swim-NOM.PL
so I'll be yearning, swims walk
kweakdaod plyzumysfjyku
OPP-green-3PL AGT-more-mouse-IMM.PST-ACC
and turn those who acted more rodentlike magenta

3 Likes
3

I was going to try doing it in Ithkuil, but contrary to popular belief, it is surprisingly difficult to make grammatical words out of random phonemes.

Toaq:

A máda péı foq tua raı ıq tukoa hom

Ah, y'know? The number phone making a thing locker, shall we?

Alo maı chéq jáı coeq toq nhu

Each other loves the connected happy ones that are furniture, anyway

Ꝡeo há da taı sagaq béı bï zo roq

One is the you-know-what. THE succeeded in doing together, there was neither crying nor not crying

Heao da laq huı méı botuq

Something was done. The mountain which has its own (something) was a bad sound

4 Likes
4

Lol, I love this. Sidenote, when I saw the title, I was really confused because the “translations” didn’t match up.

1 Like
5

I'm not sure with the first line but here we go

toki pona

a mi te pi pona en to. ko o

Ah, I'm "of good and". My semisolid.

o lon ma sike pi Tonju

Please be on circular place called Tonju

wawa a tan ko pi pilin o lon

Power from semisolid of feeling should exist.

wawa tan pan mi. mi pu tu

Power from my bread. I interact with Toki Pona: The Language of Good twice.

3 Likes
6

My conlang is very new, and has very little vocabulary, so I'll just try the first clause.
Original: I'm at a payphone,
My conlang: /am e t̪o bo fon,/
Translation: Well a (imperative mood marker) at six
Also, I can do the same thing again.
Original: Well a (imperative mood marker) at six
My conlang: /wɛl e e to lɪd̪za/
Translation: Bright a a (imperative mood marker) pond (just in general a small body of water)
It's pretty new :sweat_smile:
Edit: Ok, I did it. Here it is:
Here's the full soranimi

I'm at a payphone, trying to call home
/am e t̪o bo fon, d̪ɾin dʊ xa al ʌ̃/
Well a (imperative mood marker) at six, if five no he or okay

All of my change, I spent it on you
/al o mʊ d͡ʒem, a fɛ ne ʌ̃ ju/
He or two right (direction), he (abilitive mood marker, I'd say 'can') child okay small

Where have the times gone? Baby it's all wrong
/weʃ ɣov dʊ ʃam fon, bo i ɪ sal ɮɒɹ̠ ŋa/
Five orange(color) five flowers six, at and his good he/she(general3rd person marker)

Where are the plans we made for two?
/weʃ al dʊ bæm ɣi ked̪ bo dʊ/
Five he five eight she stone(collective) at five

3 Likes