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Glossary entry

Russian term or phrase:

Саибабака

English translation:

saibabow-wow/saibabowwow/saibowwow

Added to glossary by Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
Aug 27, 2019 11:12
4 yrs ago
Russian term

Саибабака

Russian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature children\'s animated series
I need some help with a very creative type of translation. It's the name of a fictional character (a dog) in a children's animated series.

The client's comments:

насчет Саибабаки. Это игра слов - имя образовано от САИ БАБА (неоиндуистский религиозный лидер и гуру. Почитается своими последователями как чудотворец, аватара, воплощение Бога в индуизме - фигура неоднозначная, подвергавшаяся множественным разоблачениям) и собаКА. Для этой игры слов нужно найти какое-то соответствие в английском. В качестве примера: "Героическое путешествие доблестного принца Ланселося" (The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe). Вообще, в наших сценариях еще будет встречаться игра слов: "слонения по мукам", "вегетаримясец" и т.д... Все, что будет нужно и непонятно, мы поясним, конечно же!

Главное, сохранить сатирическую составляющую. Как в приведённом мной примере: на английском Ivendoe (Ivenhoe + doe), а на русском Ланселось (Ланселот + лось) - изменили и имя рыцаря и вид животного☺ но смысл остался понятен.

I know this is a long shot in the dark as it's very difficult but any advice or suggestions are much appreciated.
Proposed translations (English)
5 +2 saibabow-wow/saibabowwow/saibowwow
3 saiwoof/saiarf/saiyip/saiyap
Change log

Sep 10, 2019 10:15: Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Created KOG entry

Discussion

Sarah McDowell (asker) Aug 29, 2019:
Thanks for these great ideas! Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I am not sure if the client is orienting this project towards the UK market or North American. I will ask them to find out this info.
Dylan Edwards Aug 29, 2019:
If I ask myself, what name of a guru has sunk into the popular imagination like a brand name, the obvious one (here in the UK at least) is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
So, if the asker wants to go in a different direction with this, something on the lines of 'Muttarishi...' might work.
beermatt Aug 28, 2019:
Don't... ...you all think that Dylan Edwards has already suggested a rather catchy basis to work on with "Sai Babark"?? --
If you expand on that a little and make it "Sai Babarker", I think you've got a more than acceptable solution!
Elena Doroshenko Aug 28, 2019:
For Americans, it's might be closer... Deepak Chopra + Oprah Winfrey = Dee-pup Oprah (two not religious, but well-known US guru)
Sarah McDowell (asker) Aug 27, 2019:
Thanks for the suggestions! The client said that this name of the dog doesn't have to include "Sai Baba". It can include the name of another guru instead. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hindu_gurus_and_sants
The main thing here is to retain the satirical component.

I can also use other words that are synoyms for the word "dog", for example: hound, canine, mutt, doggie, pooch, pup, puppy.

I've been racking my brain over this word for a while now. So any help would be very much appreciated.

I was thinking of "Saibahound" but I'm not sure that I like it.
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Aug 27, 2019:
The reader will have been familiarized with Sai Baba by the time his dog is introduced. Since S(aiba)baka is a jeu de mots in Russian, we are free to do the same in English. It is a children's animated series, so we are ought to aim at something age-appropriate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_Baba_of_Shirdi
Dylan Edwards Aug 27, 2019:
The reference to Sai Baba is relatively obscure, for me at least, although I've probably seen the name before.
'Sai' as a prefix to 'woof', 'bow wow' etc., didn't convey anything to me. It simply left me wondering whether to pronounce it 'say' or 'sigh'.

If we had something like Sai Babark or Sai Bababark, that would at least be closer to the sound of the name.

But judging by the example given, if Ланселось in Russian can become Ivendoe in English, the client isn't very strict about retaining the original names.

Proposed translations

+2
21 mins
Selected

saibabow-wow/saibabowwow/saibowwow

From bowwow
a child's word for dog
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bow-wow

Saibowwow might be enough to convey the meaning.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2019-08-27 16:15:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Bow Wow, Says the Dog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbbibwWXYYo
ccccccccccccccccccccc
bowwow
1 : the bark of a dog
also : DOG
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowwow
ccccccccccccccccccccc
a dog
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/bow-w...
cccccccccccccc
a dog. This word is used mainly by children or when speaking to children.
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/b...
cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
a. The bark of a dog.
b. Informal A dog.
https://www.yourdictionary.com/bow-wow

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2019-08-27 16:20:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

cccccccccc
English – woof, woof; ruff, ruff; arf, arf (large dogs and also the sound of sea lions); yap, yap; yip, yip (small dogs), bow wow

Bulgarian – bau-bau (бау-бау); jaff, jaff (джаф-джаф)
Catalan – bau, bau; bub, bub
Chinese, Cantonese – wow, wow (汪汪)
French – waouh, waouh; ouahn, ouahn; vaf, vaf; wouf, wouf; wouaf, wouaf; jappe jappe
Hindi – bow, bow
Italian – bau, bau
Polish – hau, hau
Russian – gav, gav (гав-гав); tyav, tyav (тяв-тяв, small dogs)

https://birdgei.com/2015/11/24/woof-woof-dog-barks-in-differ...
Peer comment(s):
agree Vladyslav Golovaty : saidawg, saidaug?
9 mins
Thank you, Vladyslav. Perhaps Ms. McDowell might like saidawg.
agree Michael Volia
2 hrs
Thank you, Michael. I am glad you appreciated the onomatopoeia.
neutral The Misha : As an American, I have no idea what "bowwow" is and never heard it used by anyone, child or adult alike. Dogs in the US don't do "bowwow". They do woof-woof.But maybe British or other dogs speak their own language:)/Except they don't,and that's the prblm
3 hrs
Bow-wow says the dog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbbibwWXYYo. It is a name for a dog or an onomatopoeia for its sound. It is what a child might call a dog.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
2 hrs

saiwoof/saiarf/saiyip/saiyap

Picking up a word easily associated with a canine, for example, its bark, would throw up different options, like Saiwoof, Saiarf, Saiyap or Saiyip, where arf, woof, yap and yip will be identified with barking and therefrom with a dog. Sai baba was a godman from India who had millions of disciples from across the globe. He claimed spiritual powers and the baba in his name represents a mark of respect. In India it is used when addressing somebody senior in age and even for father (an equivalent of Papa). This word is common in several countries of Central and South Asia. So, it could be done away with when christening a canine.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2019-08-27 13:16:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Christening a canine might not be proper. I would change that to when coining a name for a canine

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Note added at 22 hrs (2019-08-28 10:05:34 GMT)
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I proffer another variant, Oshokin, this one based on Osho the great Indian meditation Guru.
Something went wrong...
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