So you're stumped on the inscrutable lyrics of your favorite foreign song? Whether the song is from Europe, Asia, Africa, or South America, the challenge is often much the same. Some songs have translations widely available by Internet and some don't. Here are some ways to track down lyrics for the foreign-language tunes you've begun to sing over and over in your head.
Instructions
- 1
Do a quick site check. Enter keywords for the song's actual title and lyrics in the search fields of fan sites and lyric sites to see if an English translation is readily available.
2Use specific websites catering to the language of the song you're looking for. Many specialized websites can help you with foreign lyrics such as, the Dan Balan site, which translates Eastern European songs. The Chinese-Tools site will help with songs in Chinese. Look up sites specific to your target language for help with lyrics translation.
3Look at song databases. Song collection sites like AllWords sometimes have foreign song translations available. Keep searching by the original title or translate the title into English for another Internet search.
4Write to the site of your band, music label or distributor. You can sometimes get amazing results by writing to band headquarters. Although your favorite foreign language band has likely long since stopped responding to fan mails themselves, whoever's handling their mail room may be able to supply you with lyrics or point you in the right direction.
5Try a little translation on your own. If you're at all skilled in the target language of the song you're looking at, you should be able to decipher at least some of it. Song lyrics are usually less complex than other kinds of foreign text. As the folks at Omniglot point out, translating foreign song lyrics is a good way to boost your translating skills.
