I originally had this post on irish gaelic translation forum and a member referred me here. I had a friend that did not return with us from our first deployment in Afghanistan. He was Irish and had something he used to always quaote from a song that I wanted to get tattooed to remember him by. I started trying to get this translated about a year ago and then got deployed again and was unable to pursue it any further until now.

He used to say:
"There's got to be a heaven, cause I've allready done my time in hell"

So far I have the following 2 translations for it and I was hoping to get some more opinions on the translationand the difference between the two i have:

"Ní foláir go bhfuil neamh ann, de bhrí go bhfuil mo phionós in Ifrinn istigh cheana féin"

and

"Ní foláir go bhfuil neamh ann óir go bhfuil mo chuid téarma caite agam in ifrinn"


Thank you so much any help you could provide

Hi and welcome. Most of the translators from IGTF are over here now. Neither of the translations you have is fully correct.

Some options for further discussion:

Ní foláir nó tá neamh ann mar tá mo sheal curtha isteach agam in ifreann cheana.

Ní foláir nó tá neamh ann mar tá mo sheal caite agam in ifreann cheana.

Ní foláir nó go bhfuil neamh ann mar tá mo sheal caite agam in ifreann cheana.

Caithfidh go bhfuil neamh ann...


There are numerous ways of saying 'There's got to be' / 'because' / 'done my time'.
Ifreann is the correct spelling.
It seems from the dictionary that you can say Ní foláir followed by an action, but Ní foláir nó followed by a description of a situation.

Is saying mar go bhfuil wrong?? That's what comes to my mind.

mar tá = mar go bhfuil (FGB)

I am looking for the most literal translation. What is the difference between the 4 translations above?

There isn't a gnat's whisker of a difference between them - and they're literal enough. I posted my own version several hours ago before scooby, but somehow it didn't get through:

Caithfidh go bhfuil neamh ann, mar tá mo sheal curtha isteach agam in ifreann cheana

Which would be identical to one of Scooby's. As he says, there are slight problems with the ones you've been given on IGTF.

(The version with caithfidh is probably more user-friendly in this context)

For a translation, I would vote the one given:
"Caithfidh go bhfuil neamh ann, mar tá mo sheal curtha isteach agam in ifreann cheana"


I was thinking of another way of thinking something like this:
"There's got to be a heaven, cause I've allready done my time in hell"
Caitheann na flaithis a bheith i ndán dom, mar tá mé tar éis mo sheal a chur isteach in ifreann cheana.

_________________
Bí cinnte de go nglacfaidh triúr le gach aistriúchán a thabharfar.
Be sure to get three in agreement with a translation given.

"Caithfidh go bhfuil neamh ann, mar tá mo sheal curtha isteach agam in ifreann cheana"

This looks good to me. I may be being pedantic in saying that I'd prefer this re-wording, though:

"Caithfidh go bhfuil neamh ann, mar tá mo sheal curtha isteach in ifreann agam cheana"

What do ye think?

I'd go a step further:

Caithfidh go bhfuil neamh ann, mar tá mo sheal in ifreann curtha isteach agam cheana

That is, keeping mo sheal in ifreann "my time in hell" together as a unit.

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

Looks good