Unless you have been living under a rock, you must have heard hundreds of Christmas hits just as December 1st arrived. From Mariah Carey to Michael Buble, the Christmas discography is huge. No matter how old some songs are, most of them make it into the global charts every December (according to Spotify). This worldwide phenomenon occurs in spite of the language barrier, but how? Could these songs be more popular if they used translation services, or quite the opposite?
There are different answers for these questions, but no ultimate truth. As you can imagine, most of these have been translated or interpreted many times in different languages around the world but why didn’t they blow up like the original versions? One reason could be that they did not use any professional translation services or interpretation services. Translating song lyrics is nothing like translating a random 1-page document; it requires special attention to the general meaning or message of the song as well as its rhythm. Most of the existing translations for these songs have been done by amateurs and not by any professional translator. We can take website translation as an analogy; an amateur could do a great job, but professional website translation could deliver a cleaner result with greater attention to detail.
Let’s explore 5 hit Christmas songs and review what makes them popular:
1. Translation Services and “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
This classic cannot go unnoticed, as M. Carey could spent the rest of her life living on the royalties she’s made off of it since 2011. Ten years after the release of this song, it might be a good idea to give it a fresh breeze by properly translating it into several languages. Considering its corresponding music video is streamed millions of times every year. Video translation could be especially helpful to ensure that the meaning of the song is accurately conveyed to people around the world.
2. Translation Services For “Last Christmas” by Wham!
Since its release in 1984, Wham!’s song gets stuck into everyone’s head around holidays. Translating it would also require a lot of attention to the song’s unique rhythm, but if a professional translator were given the task he would certainly succeed in transforming the song into multiple languages without sacrificing the song’s fun mood or rhythm patterns.
3. “It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas” by Michael Buble and Translation Services
Since it first came out in 2011, Buble’s sweet melody continues to bless our ears every year. As opposed to the last two songs, this one may be more suited for translation as its rhythm is more constant than the others.
4. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
Although Williams’ song came out in 1963, it is still one of the most streamed songs on Christmas time. Properly translating this Christmas classic could a good thing but, given its long history, it might do a disservice to the song’s proud tradition.
5. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
Because the song came out in 1964, many translations have been done over the years. However, the original version always remains the one people listen too. Like Andy Williams’ song, it may also be a matter of tradition and not language.
At the end of the day, what makes these songs popular is the sense of nostalgia and spirit the music conveys rather than their lyrics. After all, music is the universal language.
For these and many other reasons, it would be interesting to see what they would become if they were professionally translated. Purchasing translation services and interpretation services for these songs would perhaps give them a sense of freshness and create more linguistic diversity in the Christmas hits of today. Such a context might even require contract translation for every individual involved to completely understand their role in such a project.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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