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Translation - Portuguese brazilian-English - Querer Não é Poder, E Poder Não e Querer, Então...

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Category Poetry - Love / Friendship

Title
Querer Não é Poder, E Poder Não e Querer, Então...
Text
Submitted by ellasevia
Source language: Portuguese brazilian

Querer Não é Poder,
E Poder Não e Querer,
Então Eu Vivo Querendo
Para Poder Ter Você.
Remarks about the translation
<edit by="goncin" date="2008-04-16">
Name removed.
</edit>

Title
Wanting is Not Being Able To
Translation
English

Translated by Mats Fondelius
Target language: English

Wanting is Not Being Able To,
And Being Able is No Longer Wanting,
So I Live Wanting
To Be Able To Have You.
Validated by IanMegill2 - 19 April 2008 09:57





Last messages

Author
Message

17 April 2008 17:09

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
How about:

Wishing To does not mean Being Able To
And Being Able To is not the same as Wishing To;
I Therefore Live Wishing
I Could Have You.

?

17 April 2008 06:02

lilian canale
Number of messages: 14972
Hi Ian,

It's almost that! The Portuguese text uses verbs in their "short" forms, unfortunately those verbs in English have a little longer spelling or are not usually used as present participles.for they would sound weird, like "wanting". However the shortest way to say that would be:

"Wishing is not being able
and being able is not wishing
so I live wishing
for being able to have you."

Weird, isn't it?

17 April 2008 06:42

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Each language has its own Quirks, and its own Beauty...

19 April 2008 05:12

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Hello goncin,
this has been Here for a while.
I think I clearly understand it,
but what do you think we should do about it?

CC: goncin

19 April 2008 11:27

Tantine
Number of messages: 2747
Hi Mats, Hi Ian, Hi Lilly

The text in Portuguese is very similar to the French saying "Vouloir n'est pas pouvoir..."

I agree with Lilly that the best thing to do is to retranslate the text, into coherent English, for example, by using the "...ing" form rather than the infinitive:

Wanting is not being able to
And being able is no longer wanting,
So I live, wanting
to be able to have you
.

I have also taken out all of the superfluous capital letters as they just add confusion to a text that is already difficult .

Hope this helps

Bises
Tantine

19 April 2008 09:54

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
Thanks, Tantine!
We'll go with your excellent version!
---
Form of the last version of the translation before my edits:

Want is Not to Can,
And to Can is Not to Want,
So I Live Wanting
To Have You.

19 April 2008 11:22

Tantine
Number of messages: 2747
Hi Mats

I forgot to add above that "to can" means to put into a can (tin). "can" is a transitive verb that cannot be used in its infinitive form which has become obsolete, except in Scots.

Bises
Tantine

19 April 2008 12:56

IanMegill2
Number of messages: 1671
So if you have many cans of preserves, you'll never be in want:
To Can is Not To Want!

Hee hee hee hoo hoo hoo...
;;
Well, I thought it was funny...

19 April 2008 14:46

Tantine
Number of messages: 2747
Absolutely Ian san

I really laughed out loud!!

21 April 2008 23:57

goncin
Number of messages: 3706
Thanks you both!

In fact, I tried myself to translate this into English, but that is so idiomatic in Portuguese... Tantine finally got it.