Star-spangled Banner en Espanol

[e_dog]

My only question:

how do you translate the word "spangled" into Spanish?

it's great to see the fascist right (i.e. "conservatives") all in a huff because someone has translated the national anthem into Spanish. as if it is a threat to their monolingual English-speaking complacently-ignorant existence. Their ought to be a version released in Arabic, one in Chinese, Italian, Russian, Vietnamese and every other damn language. Then people will see that, no matter what language it is presented in, the Star-Spangled Banner will still be a crappy song.

[bohonato]

Musically, The Star-Spangled Banner is the most difficult national athem to sing.

I don't see what the big deal is over translating it. I read the saw the following this morning. It pissed me off.

(Granted, this deals with immigration, not with songs, but I'm making a point.)

Dear President Bush

I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family, and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.

I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.

So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over. Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.

2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.

3. All government forms need to be printed in English.

4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.

5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.

6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flagpole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.

7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.

8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.

9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.

10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from
President Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.

11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my housetop, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.

12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.

13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy.

I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that President Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.

However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P.

Thank you so much for your kind help.


As you said, complacently-ignorant existence.

[Arcadia]

I only know the Jimmy Hendrix version, and some old U2's song has the music also. I'll google the lyrics, interesting to know what it is about.

let's see what S & S says: spangled is an adjective and it not appears in that way.
spang: adv. 1 (fam) completamente. 2. justamente, directamente, de frente
spangle: s. lentejuela, bricho??; adorno brillante / v.t adornar con lentejuelas/ v.i. brillar con lentejuelas; centellear, rutilar.

spangled would be something like brilliant, shiny, sparkling

[Arcadia]

it seems the USA anthem was about to defend a fort or a battle near a fort or something like this. Very guerrero and with god in the middle. And officialy adopted long time after it was written
Ours have kamikaze promises, glory, laureles, liberty shouts and chains breaking.
I read today that they are talking about to translate an estrofa of the german anthem to turkish.
I have a version from our anthem in quechua, but I don't know if this is exactly the point...

[Arcadia]

writer Ariel Dorfman about the spanish translation of the USA national anthem in today's contratapa of pagina/12:

http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/contr ... 05-10.html