English to Scottish Gaelic Translation Help, Please.

May 28, 2009 5:34 AM

As it seems others have found, it's difficult to find/figure out a Scottish Gaelic translation on the intarwebs. I need a phrase translated and I've come up dry.

My sainted grandmother spoke Gaelic, but she passed away when I was three. My mom doesn't speak a word of it. I've looked through the questions linked above, but I can't find a source I feel comfortable relying on, and it seems that brautigan, who offered personal help with another question a bit over a year ago, has stopped frequenting the site. So, Mefites, I ask of you this simple translation task: can you please tell me how to say "beautiful storm" in Scottish Gaelic? Or, suggest a good analogue. Thank you.

posted by Medieval Maven to writing & language (5 comments total)

This seems to be a pretty good online dictionary (at least, it looks cricket to me -- I don't know enough Scottish to confirm if it's giving me accurate info, but I don't see why it wouldn't be).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:08 AM on May 28

This thing seems sort of primitive (by which I mean that the site design seems to have originated some time in 1993) but when I reverse-search it with Google I get these possibilities (mouseover for definitions):

àlainn storm

or

àluinn storm

or

ùr storm

I don't know if these are grammatically correct at all; they're just strings of words.
posted by koeselitz at 6:51 AM on May 28

If we're just taking potshots at this, then my guess is:

doineann bhrèagha

*But* it's probably horribly wrong and stupid, in ways that only a native speaker could describe. Even if you try to get the right words in the right order with the right declensions, you could still end up with a phrase that nobody would ever use normally.

Hopefully somebody will show up with that kind of knowledge, but if not, try this forum, or even this one as it's only a small phrase (different language but they probably know enough to do it).
posted by Sova at 7:36 AM on May 28

I would go with 'stòirm boidheach'. Though if you mean a lightning storm, 'gaillionn boidheach' is closer
posted by IanMorr at 4:48 PM on May 28

Thanks, guys, I've asked at one of those forums. It's a phrase that is being thought of as about my grandmother, so it's a little complex, I think.
posted by Medieval Maven at 5:40 PM on May 28