Spanish version of Star Spangled Banner on State Department website

[Gothmog]

I heard about this on the radio and it took me two minutes to find it. Here is a version of the Star Spangled Banner in Spanish from the US State Department website. http://usinfo.state.gov/esp/home/topics/us_society_values/national_symbols/anthem_spanish.html

Himno nacional - La Bandera de Estrellas

Amanece: ¿no veis, a la luz de la aurora,
Lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer?
Sus estrellas, sus barras flotaban ayer
En el fiero combate en señal de victoria,
Fulgor de cohetes, de bombas estruendo,
Por la noche decían: "!Se va defendiendo!"

Coro:
!Oh, decid! ¿Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada,
Sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?


En la costa lejana que apenas blanquea,
Donde yace nublada la hueste feroz
Sobre aquel precipicio que elévase atroz
¡Oh, decidme! ¿Qué es eso que en la brisa ondea?
Se oculta y flamea, en el alba luciendo,
Reflejada en la mar, donde va resplandeciendo

Coro:
!Aún allí desplegó su hermosura estrellada,
Sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada!

¡Oh así sea siempre, en lealtad defendamos
Nuestra tierra natal contra el torpe invasor!
A Dios quien nos dio paz, libertad y honor,
Nos mantuvo nación, con fervor bendigamos.
Nuestra causa es el bien, y por eso triunfamos.
Siempre fue nuestro lema "¡En Dios confiamos!"

Coro:
!Y desplegará su hermosura estrellada,
Sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada!

(Versión en español de Francis Haffkine Snow. Copyright 1919)

______________

It is okay to have this on the US State Department website but not okay for it to be played on the radio?

[uppityperson]

1. good find, thanks.

[populistdriven]

2. You should post that over at freeperville

[xultar]

3. First good thing Condi has done since she's been with BushCo.

[Xenotime]

4. That is a step in the right directions...

Now many more can sing the hymn of this land and bring some sanity back.

[central scrutinizer]

5. Why does the State Department hate America so much?

Any word said against our God-king is helping the terrorists.

[Julius Civitatus]

6. That popping sound you hear is the brains of Freepers unable to handle it

My, oh my, is this rich.

So translating the anthem to other languages is not just right, but encouraged by our very government. How can the wingnuts possibly live with this?

:rofl:

On the other hand, this is the biggest EVIDENCE that this whole Spanish anthem "scandal" has been a FAKE, ARTIFICIAL, MANUFACTURED PLOY by the Fox News and right-wing radio people. Remember, this is what Karl Rove wants the 2006 elections to focus on. Immigration is this year's gay marriage.

[klook]

7. Shhh...don't tell

Lamar Alexander.

[Rex_Goodheart]

8. It doesn't translate very well...

Where is "and the home of the brave?"

That's a big problem. It's hard to call it a Spanish rendition of our national anthem when it's not even true to the words of the original.

[msongs]

9. its a non issue actually. still I'd like to hear it in Chinese :-)

that would sound really different.

Msongs
www.msongs.com
batik & digital art
shirts and mugs

[troubleinwinter]

12. My great grandmother taught me to sing

'Silent Night' in German, and say "The tea is served." in a Swiss dialect.

A pal of mine is a Chinese translator. I could get him to translate it for you.

[Maestro]

10. Great stuff!

Anytime something can be made more comprehensible to the masses, in this case Spanish speaking Hispanics, it is a good thing. I bet heads over at Freeperville are exploding mightily!

[Nikki Stone 1]

11. But, have they dropped the key down a third?

Make the damned thing truly democratic so everyone has a shot at singing it.

[dark_highway]

13. I don't know..

My family immigrated here from Cuba in 1969. My first language is Spanish, and in my opinion i think this "anthem" is just PR stunt. There is no reason for it, i believe when you immigrate to a country it is reasonable to expect one to learn the language.

[Felinity]

14. Language is Important

Human beings organize their thoughts in words (and yes there is non-verbal thought, lots of artists I'm sure think non-verbally); and words are organized by the rules of grammar and syntax. Translation doesn't really work that effectively. Haven't you ever read an article that translates a given passage from one language to another, then back by another group of translators? And it was really funny how screwed up it was?

Vocabulary is only a facet of language; whether we describe a noun before or after the noun affects how we internally organize and perceive the world (and similarly with other grammatical rules). It is critical for a "melting pot" nation like ours to be unified by a single language. It is quite obvious that we are already polarized by issues and non-issues; wouldn't it be best to be able to at least discuss them in the same tongue?

A while back my garage sent a gentleman of Mexican extraction to give me a lift to pick up my car. His English was very limited and I speak no Spanish. I did find out a couple of things about him though. He had been living here for several years, and he was quite perturbed by people like me for not speaking Spanish! This is the type of attitude I fear from our unfortunate Mexican neighbors; the attitude that would bring someone to wave a Mexican flag in an effort to win favors from the Country they have entered illegally, albeit out of desperation.

Like many Americans in a falling wage market, I have from time to time taken a second job, reading and scoring exit essays of Texas High School students. Many are from ESL students. Many are successful, even though hindered by limited sophistication in language usage. But many are abject failures, a result of insufficient time (too recently come here) or ineffective educational strategy (a refusal to admit immersion is the better way to assimilate these students). And although I weep, literally, for many of their stories, I also think "how much of our $1800 annual tax bill to the Austin ISD is being diverted to the extraordinary educational needs of "illegally domiciled non-citizens?" Has it occurred to anyone how much it costs as a society to have every form and government service available in two languages? How did that happen, anyway?

So despite the fact that I am a dyed-in-the-wool liberal whose father was the first feminist I ever met, I say Language is Important. English is a difficult language but thanks to the Brits it is spoken all over the world. It is the international language of commerce. We, and the immigrants who come here are fortunate to have the opportunity to think and speak in this powerful and exquisite language. It is part of the American Mind; it is part of the American Soul.

So jest as you will, trivialize the attempt of a foreign culture to put our National Anthem into a language they prefer. I find it quite problematic. If these folks want to become Americans, let them commit to being able to function in our society without a translator or bi-lingual government employee. I'd rather commit my tax dollars to ESL cable channels or free English learning programs than burden our schools and our taxpayers with the costs--financial and societal--of a country divided by a communication barrier.

[newyawker99]

16. Hi Felinity!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[newyawker99]

15. Hi dark_highway!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[LaBanty]

17. "English, MF, do you speak it?"

Egg-zactly.

If I moved to another country, the least I can do is *try* to communicate in their language and immerse myself in the culture. To do less is simply disrespectful. Besides, it's just plain lazy. Be bilingual, trilingual - any kind of lingual - but learn the language of your host country.

Well, that, and I'm sick of being prompted for English or Spanish at the goddamned ATM machines.