99 Red Balloons - It's all in the translation

99 Red Balloons was an English version of the song 99 Luftballons by the Neue Deutsche Welle (German New Wave) band Nena. The original English translation was done by Kevin McAlea and in my opinion he did a fantastic job. The role of a translator of poetry or lyrics is particularly awkward, since they can not possibly provide an exact translation of the source language song whilst retaining the song’s meter and rhyme.

McAlea did a great job of conveying the gist of the song and even getting very close to the original German in places. He did the job of a literary translator perfectly. In various places on the Web, I have read amateur criticisms of his translation on the basis that it wasn’t a translation of the German. A little bit of knowledge can be very dangerous!

My translation of the German below should clearly demonstrate to these critics that he did indeed do a great job. If you can make my version scan (and my version is, from what I’ve seen to date on the Web, the most accurate and respectful of the English idiom – well the British English idiom at least), then you are a miracle worker!

Note that McAlea moved some verse lines around the song to fit the context of the verses better. The lyrics in the original German are a little more subtle around the subject area of the song, but the meaning of the lyrics in the German are obvious to the German public, given German'y situation at the time of the likely theatre of war between the East and West. The English lyrics are therefore made a little more obvious to suit the song's market outside Germany.

Original German	My Translation	Kevin McAlea’s original translation
Hast du etwas Zeit für mich Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich Von 99 Luftballons Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Denkst du vielleicht grad' an mich Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich Von 99 Luftballons Und dass sowas von sowas kommt	If you have some time for me I'll sing a song for you About 99 balloons Floating towards the horizon If you're perhaps thinking of me I'll sing a song for you About 99 balloons And how one thing can lead to another	You and I in a little toy shop buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got Set them free at the break of dawn 'Til one by one, they were gone Back at base, bugs in the software Flash the message, "Something's out there" Floating in the summer sky 99 red balloons go by
99 Luftballons Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont Hielt man für UFOs aus dem All Darum schickte ein General Eine Fliegerstaffel hinterher Alarm zu geben, wenn es so wär Dabei war da am Horizont Nur 99 Luftballons	99 balloons Floating towards the horizon Were thought to be UFOs from outer space And so a general sent up a squadron to raise the alarm if this were true But on the horizon were just 99 balloons	99 red balloons floating in the summer sky Panic bells, it's red alert There's something here from somewhere else The war machine springs to life Opens up one eager eye Focusing it on the sky Where 99 red balloons go by
99 Düsenjäger Jeder war ein grosser Krieger Hielten sich fuer Captain Kirk Das gab ein großes Feuerwerk Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft Und fühlten sich gleich angemacht Dabei schoss man am Horizont Auf 99 Luftballons	99 jet fighters Each one a great warrior Considered themselves to be Captain Kirk There was a great firework display The neighbours didn't get what was happening And felt that they were being chatted up While 99 balloons were being shot at On the horizon	99 Decision Street, 99 ministers meet To worry, worry, super-scurry Call the troops out in a hurry This is what we've waited for This is it boys, this is war The president is on the line As 99 red balloons go by
99 Kriegsminister Streichholz und Benzinkanister Hielten sich für schlaue Leute Witterten schon fette Beute Riefen Krieg und wollten Macht Mann, wer hätte das gedacht Dass es einmal soweit kommt Wegen 99 Luftballons	99 war ministers Matchbox and petrol can Thought of themselves as clever people Sensed a large bounty Called for war and wanted power Man, who'd have thought that things could go so far Because of 99 balloons	99 Knights of the air ride super-high-tech jet fighters Everyone's a super hero Everyone's a Captain Kirk With orders to identify To clarify and classify Scramble in the summer sky As 99 red balloons go by
99 Jahre Krieg Liessen keinen Platz für Sieger Kriegsminister gibt’s nicht mehr Und auch keine Düsenflieger Heute zieh ich meine Runden Seh' die Welt in Trümmern liegen Hab' 'nen Luftballon gefunden Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen	99 years of war Left no place for victors There are no more war ministers nor any jet pilots Today I do my rounds See the world which lays in ruins I've found an air balloon Think of you and let it go	99 dreams I have had In every one a red balloon It's all over and I'm standin' pretty In this dust that was a city If I could find a souvenir Just to prove the world was here... And here is a red balloon I think of you and let it go

For the record, I am not a professional translator, but I graduated from Coventry University in 1994 with a First Class Degree in Modern Languages and worked for 18 months in a translation agency. I have translated technical documents, but have never attempted literary translation. If I ever did, I’d be proud to come up with lyrics as good as those in Kevin McAlea’s 99 Red Balloons. I don’t know if he did any of the other translations of Nena’s songs, but if he did, even more credit is due.

I was pleased to play drums and sing backing vocals for a band (Kill Clouseau) that covered 99 Red Balloons. We threw in the third verse from the original German, mainly because our vocalist, Mark, had been listening to the version by Goldfinger and fancied a go. He didn’t do badly, considering he doesn’t speak German and was trying to read the words phonetically.

As a footnote, congratulations have to go Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen (keyboard player) and the late, great Carlo Karges (guitarist) of Nena for writing such a great song in the first place. Nena, were, after all a band for the first few years of the 1980s and between them, they wrote some great songs.

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