Pleased to meet you, Frodo... Reppuli?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

But the main point, and the advantage of this, lies in the fact that when it's an alien word for me, I can imagine anything I wish under it - only limited by what it sounds like.

Indeed. *thinks of a big, ugly, carnivorous monster called Stromovous*

Originally Posted by Volo

Тед Піскун/Ted Piskun - Ted Sandyman

Giving him that name robs him the last crubs of dignity, if you ask me... "Ted Piskun" sounds like someone outrageously pitiable. Maybe it's because "piskuinen" is a negative or pitying word to describe something little or tiny in Finnish.

And just to add...
The Fellowship of the Ring - Sormuksen ritarit (The Knights of the Ring)
The Two Towers - Kaksi tornia
The Return of The King - Kuninkaan paluu

[Volo]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Giving him that name robs him the last crubs of dignity, if you ask me... "Ted Piskun" sounds like someone outrageously pitiable. Maybe it's because "piskuinen" is a negative or pitying word to describe something little or tiny in Finnish.

Ha! That's because there are two very similar words in Ukrainian (or at least in Russian): pisok - sand and pishat' - to squek.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Volo

Ha! That's because there are two very similar words in Ukrainian (or at least in Russian): pisok - sand and pishat' - to squek.

And because there are a lots of words "borrowed" to Finnish from Russian...

[Macalaure]

Reading this thread, I can't help thinking of Tolkien when he said he's "translating" the Westron names into English because otherwise they would seem as alien as the Elvish names. The Finnish, Czech and Ukrainian names give me the same feeling as the few Westron names that we know.

Originally Posted by Legate

However, sadly, I am not capable to make the German words fit to Middle-Earth - given by the geographical and cultural circumstances, I just know it's German, so any further attempts to imagine a "German Middle-Earth" as some different world are lost

Of course, unfortunately, this effect gets lost quickly if one knows the other language.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

These are just so Finnish! I mean they sound like things or creatures from the past of Finnish mythology...

The translations may look like just slight diversions from English but they actually sound very ancient Finnish at the same time. Maybe Tolkien was once again picking these from the Finnish phonemes?

This reminds me of when I first read LotR in English, and was surprised to see that several Rohirric names (Riddermark, Erkenbrand, Elfhelm, Hornburg) were the same in the original as in the German translation. They fit in so perfectly with the translated names.

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Barrow-downs ~ Hügelgräberhöhen
- might look terrible but when pronounced is quite pleasant, awoking ideas of the Alps to me...

The problem with Barrow-downs is that there are no barrows in Germany, and because of that there only exists the more complicated "Hügelgrab", which means hill-grave.

Originally Posted by Lommy

but on the other hand the ones that have something to do with Elves don't sound very fitting.

True. Especially "Bruchtal" for "Rivendell" doesn't fit at all, in my opinion.


I'd like to see translated names in more languages!
Where are the local speakers of the Romance languages?

[Aganzir]

Nice thread, Lommy.

Czech - I had no idea it's that Entish language. The Ents' names sound just wonderful.
And now I can't wait until I get to read Lotr in German. I have a copy waiting in the shelf, but I haven't had time to read it yet. Schattenfell, Hexenkönig - they just sound so much better than Hallavaharja or Noitakuningas.

If I pretend having no clue what hukka means, and think about the word itself, it reminds me of some horrible Japanese thing that teenager girls are attracted to. Thanks a lot - I've lost one of the nicest words of the Finnish language.

I have a copy of Lotr in Swedish so I thought I might as well post something. I don't have time for more today, so here are only some names from the Fellowship of the ring. Hope I have time to post more later this week.

A rough guide to pronounciation: å is pronounced like a in the word all, ä as e in help (or as a in bad if ä is in front of r), ö as u in fur.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Sagan om ringen (the tale of the ring)
The Two Towers: Sagan om de två tornen (the tale of the two towers)
The Return of the King: Sagan om konungens återkomst (the tale of the return of the king)

Frodo Bagger (Frodo Baggins)
Nedomkull (Underhill)
Sam Gamgi (Sam Gamgee)
Merry Vinbock (Merry Brandybuck)
Hjortrongull (Goldberry)
Gamla pilträdsgubben (Old man willow
Barliman Smörblomma (Barliman Butterbur)
Vidstige (Strider)
Bill Ormbunke (Bill Ferny)

Baggershus (Bag End)
Hobsala (Hobbiton)
Fylke (The Shire)
Gamla skogen (The Old Forest)
Kummelbergen (the Barrow-Downs)
Kummelgast (the Barrow-Wight)
Stegrande ponnyn (The Prancing Pony)
Myggvattensträsken (Midgewater)
Väderklinten (Weathertop)
Vattnadal (Rivendell)

Dimmiga bergen (Misty Mountains)
Mörkmården (Mirkwood)
Västerness (Westernesse)
Midgård (Middle-earth)

[Kath]

Hjortrongull (Goldberry)

Poor Goldberry! That just doesn't sound as pretty in Swedish.

Kummelgast I like though.

[Thinlómien]

Really. It seems that the Swedish language makes everything sound silly. I mean, look at those names. If I didn't recognise them, I would never guess those names were from LotR - I would guess they were from some children's book. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find Snusmumriken (or whatever the name is) or Lilla My on the list.

(Hmmm... I did not mean to be rude, but you have to study Swedish here and I've only recently overcome my almost hysteric dislike of the language that lasted for years. *sigh* And when did you ever meet a Finn who didn't diss Sweden? )

Originally Posted by Macalaure

The problem with Barrow-downs is that there are no barrows in Germany, and because of that there only exists the more complicated "Hügelgrab", which means hill-grave.

I see. It still sounds funny... I'm glad the Finnish translator decided to use the simple word "hauta" which means grave or tomb. (We don't have a word for barrow in Finnish either...)

Originally Posted by Aganzir

And now I can't wait until I get to read Lotr in German. I have a copy waiting in the shelf, but I haven't had time to read it yet. Schattenfell, Hexenkönig - they just sound so much better than Hallavaharja or Noitakuningas.

Funny you should choose those examples, because they are one of the Finnish names I like the most, both having the exact feel of the persons whose names they are, whereas I found Hexenkönig both impressive and comical (I don't know if I like it or not) and Schattenfell sounds more like a place than a horse to me...

[Volo]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Really. It seems that the Swedish language makes everything sound silly. I mean, look at those names. If I didn't recognise them, I would never guess those names were from LotR - I would guess they were from some children's book. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find Snusmumriken (or whatever the name is) or Lilla My on the list.

Tove Jansson was the first thing I though of after reading the Swedish names.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Fun topic, Lommy, and the Finnish words look so interesting! I like hearing your language; it's so quick and lively.*

There is an old thread which has posts on various languages and their translations of names and the poems. Here it is: Translations You might enjoy comparing some of the languages listed there.

Mac already listed a good many of the German names; let me add only a couple that he missed and some that are different in the first translation :

Gaffer - Ohm (an old word for grandfather)
Barrow-wight - Grabunhold (literally, "grave monster")
tweens - Zwiens (zwanzig is twenty, so it's a combination of twenty and teen, just like the English original)
neekerbreekers - Zirperkirper (I like ths word better than the new translation that Mac listed - the noise crickets make is called "zirpen", so I think it's carried over well)
Rosie Cotton - Rosie Hüttinger (This is derived from the etymology of the word "cotton" - it does not have to do with the fiber, but with a hut = Hütte.)


*I have wonderful memories of a Finnish trio I met years ago, who sang "The Gospel Train" in Finnish. It went so fast and sounded really cute!