Hi all,

I am brand-new to Irish Gaelic, and am exploring options to redo my tattoo. It was originally done in Arabic as "survivor" but literally translated to "she who overcomes obstacles and adversaries." Given that I am primarily Irish-American, I'd like the language on the revamp to be Irish Gaelic; I don't know enough about my lineage to specify dialect.

Doing some online research, it seems that the Irish Gaelic words for survivor don't have the same connonations, and that "trodai" (my apologies for missing the appropriate accents) seems to be a closer fit. However, I've also learned that it's a masculine noun... and I am a woman. Is there a feminine version of the word, or is it equally applicable to both genders?

Also, if readers believe that another word would be more appropriate, I am happy to receive feedback. I am looking to try a Gaelic class in the fall to learn for myself, but they don't start until the fall.

Thank you for any and all advice you may have!

Laura

"Trodaí" means "fighter." I'll leave it to others as to whether it would work well for your purposes, though I don't see a problem with "marthanóir" (survivor) either.

Gender of nouns is purely grammatical...it has nothing to do with the sex of the individual (FWIW, an Irish word for "girl" is grammatically masculine, and the Irish word for "stallion" is grammatically feminine!).

One bit of advice...if you're looking for a class, look for one for "Irish" or "Irish Gaelic," not "Gaelic" by itself. When you see "Gaelic" by itself like that it refers to the language of Scotland, which is closely related to Irish, but different (think Spanish vs. Portuguese).

Wait for more input.

Redwolf

One thing that you'll notice when you start to learn Gaelic, is that it's a much more precise language than English. A word like trodaí definitely does not mean "survivor".

From Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla by Niall Ó Dónaill:
trodaí – 1. fighter, combatant 2. quarrelsome person, brawler

I think you mean to say "a person who has overcome adversity" or "a person who has overcome obstacles" – I don't know of a single word for that, but I'm sure that more knowledgeable people will be coming along soon to help you out with this.

Thank you Redwolf and WeeFalorieMan for your input. Trodai is definitely not survivor... but since the Arabic word had a significant connonation of fighter, I went with that initially.
My concern about marthanóir is that, as Wee pointed out, Gaelic is far more nuanced, and I thought marthanóir was more specific to survivorship and inheritance. If it is generalizable to my situation, then I'd love to have another option to consider.

And thank you for the pointers about classes. I'm lucky that the classes are Irish, not Scottish, but the dialects vary by instructor. I hope I can fit in the classes come Sept.

Don't worry about dialects. At the beginner's stage, it's a non-issue.

I'm not trying to be contrary, but I personally think it's better to stick with one dialect and learn it really well; then after you get more advanced, you can start adding things from different dialects to your passive vocabulary.

You'll find that there are sometimes big differences in the way words are pronounced in different dialects and there are also differences in verb endings, irregular forms, etc. For me, it's easier to learn one thing well, instead of bouncing around between dialects – especially when you're first starting out – just putting in my 2 cents

Not definitely. It could be either.

_________________
A language belongs to its native speakers, and when you speak it, you are a guest in their homes.
If you are not a good guest, you have no right to complain about receiving poor hospitality.

But when it comes to resources, it isn't "either." That's why I'm offering this caution. If you go to a store, or to Amazon, and order something like "Teach Yourself Gaelic" or a "Gaelic-English" dictionary, it's Scottish Gaelic you'll be getting, not Irish. If I were to see a "Gaelic" class offered here, and there was not some kind of qualification saying it's "Irish Gaelic," Scottish is what I would assume. In fact, teachers here typically only use the word "Gaelic" at all so they won't end up with a bunch of students hoping to learn Hiberno-English!

Redwolf

Getting back to the translation request ...

Looking for something that means "survivor" in the sense of "she who overcomes obstacles and adversaries" (what might be called a "battler" in Oz) without the troublemaking nuances of "fighter", perhaps:

gríobh "a tenacious fighter" (gríobh also means "talon" and "griffin")
GREE-oo /g´r´i:əw/ or GREE-uv /g´r´i:əw´/

In sean-chló: Gríoḃ

Await further input ...

_________________
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).

Brendan, thank you very much! That is just up my alley.Am I assuming correctly that sean-chló is Irish gaelic alphabet/font?