Tattoo translation: "A fighter never quits"

fieldywanb · **Joined:** Wed 13 Jun 2012 2:29 pm **Posts:** 4

so how confident are we in this translation? Confident enough to tattoo it on your body? Should I wait for a few more people to agree?

pennyrat · **Joined:** Tue 30 Aug 2011 1:50 am **Posts:** 122

fieldywanb wrote:

so how confident are we in this translation? Confident enough to tattoo it on your body? Should I wait for a few more people to agree?

There were quite a few different translation suggestions given. Perhaps you could tell us which one you plan on using, then we could focus on getting confirmations or corrections for that one.

Breandán · **Posted:** Mon 30 Jul 2012 10:46 am

I think what An Cionnfhaolach has given is grammatically correct but I can't see any "play" on the idiom. Wouldn't "a play on the idiom" use two different meanings of one or more words or link two different idioms through one or more common words? :dhera:

Perhaps An Cionnfhaolach can elucidate?

fieldywanb · **Joined:** Wed 13 Jun 2012 2:29 pm **Posts:** 4

Breandán wrote:

fieldywanb wrote:

I hate to be a pain in the butt but could you break down each translation for me word for word so if I do end up with this tattooed on me I'm not lost as to what each word actually means

No problem. That's what we like to do here - answer questions about Irish.

I see Lughaidh has already done his for you. Mine are:

Ní "Not"
éiríonn "rise"
an trodaí "the fighter"
as "out of it"
riamh. "(not) ever, never"

éiríonn ... as together make an idiom meaning "to quit, give up, relinquish".

Ní "Not"
éiríonn "rise"
leis an gcladhaire "with the quitter"
riamh. "(not) ever, never"

éiríonn ... le together make an idiom meaning "to succeed".

an cladhaire is "the ditcher; villain, rogue, trickster; spineless person, coward" but when you put le "with" in front of an the c in cladhaire is changed from a k sound to a g sound. In Irish, both the original word and the change are retained in the spelling, hence the gc combination in leis an gcladhaire.

I suppose this is the shortest and easiest to put on my body in the spot I'm looking to put it however I do know in English this is more of a saying than just words strung together, the sentences together in english do play off of eachother where as the literal translation into Irish seems to only share a few words and not work together as intended.

An Cionnfhaolach · **Joined:** Fri 09 Mar 2012 6:16 pm **Posts:** 1527

Breandán wrote:

I think what An Cionnfhaolach has given is grammatically correct but I can't see any "play" on the idiom. Wouldn't "a play on the idiom" use two different meanings of one or more words or link two different idioms through one or more common words? :dhera:

Perhaps An Cionnfhaolach can elucidate?

If its meaning is that incomprehensible I think something more direct like your example might work better.

Seasann an gaiscíoch an fód i gcónaí ach géilleann an cladhaire ón/ don ndúshlán

The hero stands his ground always whereas/ but the quitter yields to the challenge

Here I was using the sense that a hero, a man of honor, never backs down from a challenge (like a dual) but looser, a person of little honor always does.

Breandán · **Posted:** Mon 30 Jul 2012 6:07 pm

It's not that I don't understand the meaning, Cian - yours is good as a straight translation - it's just that I couldn't find any special "play" on words after you'd mentioned there being one. Usually a "play" on words would have some extra little hidden connection between the two halves.

Although perhaps a bit weak in effect, "Ní éiríonn an trodaí as riamh. Ní éiríonn leis an gcladhaire riamh. " was meant to play on éirigh as rud vs éiri le rud, if you see what I mean.

An Cionnfhaolach · **Joined:** Fri 09 Mar 2012 6:16 pm **Posts:** 1527

Breandán wrote:

It's not that I don't understand the meaning, Cian - yours is good as a straight translation - it's just that I couldn't find any special "play" on words after you'd mentioned there being one. Usually a "play" on words would have some extra little hidden connection between the two halves.

Although perhaps a bit weak in effect, "Ní éiríonn an trodaí as riamh. Ní éiríonn leis an gcladhaire riamh. " was meant to play on éirigh as rud vs éiri le rud, if you see what I mean.

Oh I do know that's why I said I think éirí works and why I think yours is better :good:

. Mine is more a play of "seas an fód" rather than a play between the two parts of the translation. My fault

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Tattoo translation: "A fighter never quits"

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