Translate some Icelandic text?

January 3, 2005 3:03 PM

I need help to translate some Icelandic text (fleiri inni).

The text is: Annað hjónaband. Rakst á þetta í músikbloggsörfi. Flott lag frá einhverjum Könum sem aldrei munu slá í gegn. When I try online sources, I get weird phrases like "aftershave lotion river" which tells me that there's probably some slang happening here that your more dour dictionaries can't handle. This is not going to entertain anyone but me, in all likelihood, so ÉG er hryggur in advance (if that's the way they say I'm sorry in Iceland, and not Your mother wears army boots, in which case, I'm sorry twice over.)

posted by melissa may to writing & language (6 comments total)

Unfortunately, Icelandic isn't one of my languages, and trying to decipher this via the online Ice-Eng dictionary didn't get me very far. I think "Annað hjónaband" is 'another marriage,' but that's about it. It's frustrating that there are a bunch of Google hits for "Rakst á þetta," including one that has it for a title, but I have no idea what it means. Hope someone can do better!
posted by languagehat at 4:58 PM on January 3, 2005

Icelandic is not of my languages either, my guess is:

Another wedlock (chick-band). Quoted number one in musicblogs slap(?). Good looking group from everday-lukewarm Könum whom never shall break through/be successful.

Though as a Swede I want to read "hjónaband" to mean "girl group" but that might be one of those false friendlies. (Höna = chicken)
Did you get it from this page (scroll down to Harvey Girls) btw?
posted by dabitch at 7:52 PM on January 3, 2005

Yes, that's where I saw it. I thought hjónaband might mean "married band." But our name and the particular song they linked could confuse anyone on that point, English-speaking or otherwise.

And "good looking group who will never be successful" is actually an elevation for us, since we already knew the latter, but not the former.

Thanks to you both for your help, languagehat and dabitch.
posted by melissa may at 8:33 PM on January 3, 2005

Hey Good looking... ;)
It probably is "married band" as the one a little further up, also referred to as a hjónaband is Susan and Terry Jacks.
posted by dabitch at 12:51 PM on January 4, 2005

Hey folks:

Got the translation from an Icelandic friend. Here it goes:

"Second marriage. Bumped into this while music blog surfing. Cool song from some Gringos (Kani is a short for ameriCAN and slightly derogatory) who are never going to make it big."
posted by lackutrol at 7:28 AM on January 5, 2005

No, what it really means is: You are stunning foxes beloved by Nordic peoples everywhere.

I got this translation straight from God.*

(*Who also said: This is what you get for ego surfing!)
posted by melissa may at 3:13 PM on January 5, 2005