<p>sorry, don't have any ideas about the song. UR translation is very good, except “quarter”、“desire”. 
1、Quarter may mean “角落”、“世界”、“地盘” in this song, so "In my quarter" means "在我的世界，我的地盘，我的心里". 
2、Desire is a very strong, and true feeling at present，but“愿望” in Chinese is just a hope for future, and isn't strong as desire in English. so "desire" means "渴望、强烈的欲望，强烈的愿望"
3、my translation for your reference:
If people bring an atturna* In my quarter|他哼着小情歌闯入我的世界。
A desire is born in me|炽热的心开始按耐不住，
I can no longer sleep|（使我）不再入眠。
I quietly open The door, making a little slit|忐忑地打开一丝心扉。
I see it's for Annuzza，And go back to crying|而他，只是路过。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T18:20:42.023Z
You are misunderstanding "quarter", I think. It has nothing to do with heart or world, it's simply a part of the town the subject lives in. I was pointed to zhuzhaiqu and it seems fine. I may be using the wrong English word.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T18:23:27.583Z
I'll study your suggestions in 3. later. As for 2., my impression is that "disìu" here may be just "curiosity". In any case, maybe yuanwang is not the best choice. I'll think about this later.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T18:29:01.510Z
I'm reading 忐忑地打开一丝心扉 as "I perturbedly open my heart". How does that translate "I quietly open the door, making a little slit"? Imagine this scene: it's the dead of night, and someone is singing a serenata in your road; you go to the door, open it just enough to look outside, taking care not to make any noise, and look out. Is that described well by 忐忑地打开一丝心扉? Doesn't seems to to me...
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T18:32:29.370Z
Also, who is this "he" in 他哼着小情歌闯入我的世界, "He's humming a love song into my world"? There is no explicitly mentioned "he" singing to a "me" in the song: just "someone", totally unknown, who turns out to be singing to one of the neighbors, Annuzza.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T18:34:52.960Z
I guess "Xin li zhang da de qixin / shi wo bu zai rumian" could be fine, though "Xin li zhang da le qixin / jiu bu zai neng shuijiao" is more literal.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T18:37:42.307Z
PS Here is zhuzhaiqu in characters: 住宅区. That is what I meant by "quarter", unless [Wiktionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85%E5%8D%80) explains it wrong.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-16T11:01:16.090Z
@MickG，in Chinese，we translate something in two ways. one is literal translation，which is translating something word-for-word. the other one is paraphrase, translating a sentence or a poem by meaning.
Arthur
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-16T11:10:57.083Z
Frankly, as a native Chinese speaker, I think ur literal Chinese is good, but i'm afraid that translate Chinese word-for-word is not properly. So, as a poem or a song, I prefer my translation.
My English is poor, no offense.
Arthur
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-15T16:44:46.173Z
2017-12-15T16:44:46.173Z
Arthur
<p><strong>Background</strong></p>

<p>I am making a Chinese singable version of <a href="http://www.academia.edu/11434020/Si_maritau_Rosa_%E1%BE%A0%CE%B4%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%A3%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%BA%E1%BD%B8%CE%BD_%E1%BC%99%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%E1%BD%B6_%E1%BC%91%CF%81%CE%BC%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%85%CE%B8%CE%AD%CE%BD" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a Sicilian song</a> called "Si maritau Rosa" (Rosa has gotten married). I have three questions about how to best render the last verse. Here are the lyrics of said verse:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Siđđu n'atturna pòrtunu | If people bring an <em>atturna</em>*<br>
  Nta lu quartèri miu, | In my quarter,<br>
  M'affaccia 'nu disiu, | A desire is born in me,<br>
  Nun pozzu cchiù durmì. | I can no longer sleep.<br>
  Alleggiu alleggiu apru | I quietly open<br>
  'A porta a vvaniđđuzza, | The door, making a little slit,<br>
  Vidu ca è p' Annuzza | I see it's for <em>Annuzza</em><br>
  E ttornu a llacrimà. | And go back to crying.<br></p>
</blockquote>

<p>The asterisk is on a part that will be explained in one of the questions.</p>

<p>Here is my current translation:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>如果在我四等分<br>
  有人来唱小夜曲,<br>
  心里长大了愿望<br>
  就不再能睡觉.<br>
  悄悄地将我的门<br>
  来打开得裂缝啊,<br>
  看是为了小婷婷<br>
  就回到流眼泪.<br></p>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>Question 1: 四等分 | quarter</strong></p>

<p>I found 四等分 via Google, I guess, and have just noticed it's under "verb", so how do I translate "quarter" in the sense of "part of a city" (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quarter" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sense 2.1 here</a>)?</p>

<p><strong>Question 2: <em>atturna</em></strong></p>

<p>One version of the song is the above, another one reads «Siddu a nutturna portunu», other versions have «Quannu» for «Siddu». I prefer "siddu" (if) to "quannu" (when), but that is just me. As for "a nutturna" vs. "n'atturna", I choose the latter because it uses an indefinite article (n') vs. the definite "a" of the former. Both seem to be a reference to <a href="http://www.siciliainfesta.com/feste/festa_dell_immacolata_concezione_a_siracusa.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the Siracusan festival of Our Lady the Immaculate Conception</a>, which starts with the band going around the roads playing cheerfully and waking everyone up. I thus interpret this "to bring an <em>atturna</em>" as a group of people with instruments going up and down a road playing love songs for someone living in that road. This needs confirmation, but it's going to be hard to find it.</p>

<p>Admitting the above interpretation is the correct one, what is the best way to render this in Chinese? Is there a similar Chinese custom I could refer to?</p>

<p><strong>Question 3: <em>vanidduzza</em></strong></p>

<p>This word is a diminutive of "vanedda", which is found online to mean either "slit" or "country road". The latter interpretation is what gave my very first traslation <code>我就悄悄来打开 / 小路上的那扇门</code>. I prefer the former, however, because:</p>

<ul>
<li>I prefer the furtivity of the slit rather than the specification of where the door goes;</li>
<li>Another version of the song has «Tegnu la porta aperta / La mettu a padiduzza» which suggests this is the meaning of "apru / a porta a vanidduzza";</li>
<li><a href="https://scn.wiktionary.org/wiki/chi%C3%B9diri_a_vanedda" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sicilian Wiktionary</a> has the expression "chiùdiri a vanedda", "close into a slit" (horrible translation but you get the picture), so if that exists, I'm betting that with "to close" it means the door is open and you almost-close it, only leaving a slit between it and the wall, whereas with "to open" (as in the song) the door is closed, and you open it a little.</li>
</ul>

<p>With that, how do I render this "apru / a porta a vvanidduzza" into Chinese? Is my above attempt OK?</p>

<p><strong>Extra</strong></p>

<p>Full lyrics and translation <a href="http://michelegorini.blogspot.it/2017/07/vinni-la-primmavera.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>, if anyone's curious about this song. Any comments are welcome. It should be noted that you can find wildly varying lyrics online (the "padiduzza" quote above is <a href="http://www.testimania.com/testi/testi_italian_folk_siciliano_78560/testi_other_136608/testo_si_maritau_rosa_1316830.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">from here</a> and is an example of the "wildly varying" part.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-27T20:37:55.587Z
如果我在家附近
听到有人唱情歌
我就再也睡不着
悄悄把门开道缝
看他是不是为Annuzza而来
然後转身哭泣
Nathan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-22T11:43:37.443Z
one suggestion for 1:住宅区
(四等分 very doubtful:  quartering
quarter; quadrate; quartering (4 equal parts))
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-22T13:00:48.777Z
@iBug the English translation of the part this question is about is side by side with the Sicilian original at the top of the question. As for the rest, it is outside the scope of the question, and I think Google plus my Chinese will be enough for you to understand the remaining verses and the chorus.
MickG
<translation><word-choice>
Translating the last verse of “Si maritau Rosa” into Chinese
# Translating the last verse of “Si maritau Rosa” into Chinese

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-22)

**Background**

I am making a Chinese singable version of [a Sicilian song](http://www.academia.edu/11434020/Si_maritau_Rosa_%E1%BE%A0%CE%B4%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%A3%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%BA%E1%BD%B8%CE%BD_%E1%BC%99%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%E1%BD%B6_%E1%BC%91%CF%81%CE%BC%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B5%CF%85%CE%B8%CE%AD%CE%BD) called "Si maritau Rosa" (Rosa has gotten married). I have three questions about how to best render the last verse. Here are the lyrics of said verse:

> Siđđu n'atturna pòrtunu | If people bring an *atturna*\*  
> Nta lu quartèri miu, | In my quarter,  
> M'affaccia 'nu disiu, | A desire is born in me,  
> Nun pozzu cchiù durmì. | I can no longer sleep.  
> Alleggiu alleggiu apru | I quietly open  
> 'A porta a vvaniđđuzza, | The door, making a little slit,  
> Vidu ca è p' Annuzza | I see it's for *Annuzza*  
> E ttornu a llacrimà. | And go back to crying.

The asterisk is on a part that will be explained in one of the questions.

Here is my current translation:

> 如果在我四等分  
> 有人来唱小夜曲,  
> 心里长大了愿望  
> 就不再能睡觉.  
> 悄悄地将我的门  
> 来打开得裂缝啊,  
> 看是为了小婷婷  
> 就回到流眼泪.

**Question 1: 四等分 | quarter**

I found 四等分 via Google, I guess, and have just noticed it's under "verb", so how do I translate "quarter" in the sense of "part of a city" ([sense 2.1 here](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quarter))?

**Question 2: *atturna***

One version of the song is the above, another one reads «Siddu a nutturna portunu», other versions have «Quannu» for «Siddu». I prefer "siddu" (if) to "quannu" (when), but that is just me. As for "a nutturna" vs. "n'atturna", I choose the latter because it uses an indefinite article (n') vs. the definite "a" of the former. Both seem to be a reference to [the Siracusan festival of Our Lady the Immaculate Conception](http://www.siciliainfesta.com/feste/festa_dell_immacolata_concezione_a_siracusa.htm), which starts with the band going around the roads playing cheerfully and waking everyone up. I thus interpret this "to bring an *atturna*" as a group of people with instruments going up and down a road playing love songs for someone living in that road. This needs confirmation, but it's going to be hard to find it.

Admitting the above interpretation is the correct one, what is the best way to render this in Chinese? Is there a similar Chinese custom I could refer to?

**Question 3: *vanidduzza***

This word is a diminutive of "vanedda", which is found online to mean either "slit" or "country road". The latter interpretation is what gave my very first traslation `我就悄悄来打开 / 小路上的那扇门`. I prefer the former, however, because:

* I prefer the furtivity of the slit rather than the specification of where the door goes;
* Another version of the song has «Tegnu la porta aperta / La mettu a padiduzza» which suggests this is the meaning of "apru / a porta a vanidduzza";
* [Sicilian Wiktionary](https://scn.wiktionary.org/wiki/chi%C3%B9diri_a_vanedda) has the expression "chiùdiri a vanedda", "close into a slit" (horrible translation but you get the picture), so if that exists, I'm betting that with "to close" it means the door is open and you almost-close it, only leaving a slit between it and the wall, whereas with "to open" (as in the song) the door is closed, and you open it a little.

With that, how do I render this "apru / a porta a vvanidduzza" into Chinese? Is my above attempt OK?

**Extra**

Full lyrics and translation [here](http://michelegorini.blogspot.it/2017/07/vinni-la-primmavera.html), if anyone's curious about this song. Any comments are welcome. It should be noted that you can find wildly varying lyrics online (the "padiduzza" quote above is [from here](http://www.testimania.com/testi/testi_italian_folk_siciliano_78560/testi_other_136608/testo_si_maritau_rosa_1316830.html) and is an example of the "wildly varying" part.

**Tags:** translation, word-choice
> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: one suggestion for 1:住宅区 (四等分 very doubtful:  quartering quarter; quadrate; quartering (4 equal parts))  
> **username_0**: @iBug the English translation of the part this question is about is side by side with the Sicilian original at the top of the question. As for the rest, it is outside the scope of the question, and I think Google plus my Chinese will be enough for you to understand the remaining verses and the chorus.  
> **username_1**: 如果我在家附近 听到有人唱情歌 我就再也睡不着 悄悄把门开道缝 看他是不是为Annuzza而来 然後转身哭泣  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-12-15. Score: -1

sorry, don't have any ideas about the song. UR translation is very good, except “quarter”、“desire”.
1、Quarter may mean “角落”、“世界”、“地盘” in this song, so "In my quarter" means "在我的世界，我的地盘，我的心里".
2、Desire is a very strong, and true feeling at present，but“愿望” in Chinese is just a hope for future, and isn't strong as desire in English. so "desire" means "渴望、强烈的欲望，强烈的愿望"
3、my translation for your reference:
If people bring an atturna\* In my quarter|他哼着小情歌闯入我的世界。
A desire is born in me|炽热的心开始按耐不住，
I can no longer sleep|（使我）不再入眠。
I quietly open The door, making a little slit|忐忑地打开一丝心扉。
I see it's for Annuzza，And go back to crying|而他，只是路过。

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: You are misunderstanding "quarter", I think. It has nothing to do with heart or world, it's simply a part of the town the subject lives in. I was pointed to zhuzhaiqu and it seems fine. I may be using the wrong English word.  
> **username_0**: I'll study your suggestions in 3. later. As for 2., my impression is that "disìu" here may be just "curiosity". In any case, maybe yuanwang is not the best choice. I'll think about this later.  
> **username_0**: I'm reading 忐忑地打开一丝心扉 as "I perturbedly open my heart". How does that translate "I quietly open the door, making a little slit"? Imagine this scene: it's the dead of night, and someone is singing a serenata in your road; you go to the door, open it just enough to look outside, taking care not to make any noise, and look out. Is that described well by 忐忑地打开一丝心扉? Doesn't seems to to me...  
> **username_0**: Also, who is this "he" in 他哼着小情歌闯入我的世界, "He's humming a love song into my world"? There is no explicitly mentioned "he" singing to a "me" in the song: just "someone", totally unknown, who turns out to be singing to one of the neighbors, Annuzza.  
> **username_0**: I guess "Xin li zhang da de qixin / shi wo bu zai rumian" could be fine, though "Xin li zhang da le qixin / jiu bu zai neng shuijiao" is more literal.  
> **username_0**: PS Here is zhuzhaiqu in characters: 住宅区. That is what I meant by "quarter", unless [Wiktionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%85%E5%8D%80) explains it wrong.  
> **username_3**: @MickG，in Chinese，we translate something in two ways. one is literal translation，which is translating something word-for-word. the other one is paraphrase, translating a sentence or a poem by meaning.  
> **username_3**: Frankly, as a native Chinese speaker, I think ur literal Chinese is good, but i'm afraid that translate Chinese word-for-word is not properly. So, as a poem or a song, I prefer my translation. My English is poor, no offense.  

---

