Hey everyone,

just stumbled over these irish words

"nuair is gá dom fháil bhaile, is tú mo réalt eolais"

Found out what they mean, but how would I pronounce them correctly?

Thanks in advance...

It's not correct. Isn't that the phrase some singer got tattooed on him, that is supposed to mean "when I need to get home, you're my guiding star" or something like that? Folks have been laughing about it on Facebook for the past couple of weeks.


Redwolf

Right, it a tattoo of "some" singer... what s wrong with it?

It would take a while to explain exactly what is wrong with the grammar, but here is what it actually translates to:

When I need, a getting, a town, you are my Polaris.

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

Well, among other things, he's translated the very English idiom "get home" literally (as in "obtain a home" not as in "go home"). And what he has for "guiding star" translates roughly to "star of knowledge"...I think it's the official name of the north star.

My guess is it's either a Google "trashlate" job or something that was done by someone without enough Irish to know that you can't just translate idioms from one language word-for-word into another.

Redwolf

Crossed with An Lon Dubh

Seems like it doesn't make THAT much sense....
So that is one of the examples telling me not to mess with irish...

It's a graphic illustration as to why we recommend getting three people in agreement on a translation before doing anything permanent. Had he made a request here, we could have come up with a solid translation for him, though it may have needed some paraphrasing.

BTW, it's probably not Google trashlate, as it returns something different (though equally nonsensical): "Nuair is gá mé an baile a fháil, is tú mo réalta treorach."

The bottom line is, if you want to use a language you don't speak fluently for something you plan to have permanently inked on your body, start by finding people who really DO speak the language and wait for at least a few of them to agree on a translation...don't just ask a friend or relative (who may overstate his ability) and definitely don't try to do it yourself!

REdwolf

I know you did not request a translation, but I just had to do something with this:

Nuair is gá dom dul abhaile, is tú mo réaltóg eolais

or

Nuair is gá dom dul abhaile, is tú mo réalta eolais

...and I can organise a sound file later assuming there is agreement on the translation...

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