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17th Translation Contest: "The Sounds of Silence" » English to Tamil

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Source text in English

A theme of the age, at least in the developed world, is that people crave silence and can find none. The roar of traffic, the ceaseless beep of phones, digital announcements in buses and trains, TV sets blaring even in empty offices, are an endless battery and distraction. The human race is exhausting itself with noise and longs for its opposite—whether in the wilds, on the wide ocean or in some retreat dedicated to stillness and concentration. Alain Corbin, a history professor, writes from his refuge in the Sorbonne, and Erling Kagge, a Norwegian explorer, from his memories of the wastes of Antarctica, where both have tried to escape.

And yet, as Mr Corbin points out in "A History of Silence", there is probably no more noise than there used to be. Before pneumatic tyres, city streets were full of the deafening clang of metal-rimmed wheels and horseshoes on stone. Before voluntary isolation on mobile phones, buses and trains rang with conversation. Newspaper-sellers did not leave their wares in a mute pile, but advertised them at top volume, as did vendors of cherries, violets and fresh mackerel. The theatre and the opera were a chaos of huzzahs and barracking. Even in the countryside, peasants sang as they drudged. They don’t sing now.

What has changed is not so much the level of noise, which previous centuries also complained about, but the level of distraction, which occupies the space that silence might invade. There looms another paradox, because when it does invade—in the depths of a pine forest, in the naked desert, in a suddenly vacated room—it often proves unnerving rather than welcome. Dread creeps in; the ear instinctively fastens on anything, whether fire-hiss or bird call or susurrus of leaves, that will save it from this unknown emptiness. People want silence, but not that much.

Winning entries could not be determined in this language pair.

There were 5 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase. Not enough votes were submitted by peers for a winning entry to be determined.

Competition in this pair is now closed.


Entries (5 total) Expand all entries

Entry #22315 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
214 x42 x21 x1
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 9 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
-1
1
இடைவிடாது கக்கிக்கொண்டே இருக்கும்
Flows well
wcruz
-1
1
அதீதமாகச் சோர்வடைந்து போய், அதற்கு எதிரான திசைகளில் பயணிக்க ஆரம்பித்துள்ளது
Flows well
wcruz
காற்று நிரப்பப்பட்ட
Good term selection
wcruz
கற்சாலைகளின்
Good term selection
wcruz
இப்போது மொபைல் ஃபோன்களில் தஞ்சமடைந்து கிடக்கும் மனிதர்கள், முன்பு பேசிப் பேசியே இரைச்சல் போட்டுக்கொண்டிருந்தனர்
Flows well
wcruz
ற்சாகக் கூச்சல்களையும், வில்லன்களின் கர்ஜனைகளையும்
Flows well
Though 'vi​llain' is ​not availa​ble in the​ original,​ it sounds​ good here​.
wcruz
கோலோச்ச
Good term selection
wcruz
நீக்கமற நிறைந்துள்ளன.
Good term selection
good trans​lation for​ 'invade'.
wcruz
+1
தீயின் சடசடப்பையும், கானகப் பறவைகளின் கூச்சல்களையும் அல்லது இலைகள் காற்றிலாடி எழுப்பும் மெல்லிய ஓசைகளையும் கேட்டு
Flows well
wcruz
Entry #22838 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
203 x43 x22 x1
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
+1
சிணுங்கல்கள்
Good term selection
wcruz
+1
தீயின் மூச்சோ,
Good term selection
wcruz
Entry #23590 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
152 x42 x23 x1
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 9 "like" tags
அதனை எதிலும் காண முடியாதும் இருந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறார்கள்.
Flows well
wcruz
உறுமல்கள்
Good term selection
wcruz
கலைப்பான்களாகவும்
Good term selection
It is crea​tively coi​ned, I bel​ieve.
wcruz
காது செவிடு படும்படியான டிங்-டாங்
Flows well
wcruz
கையடக்கத் தொலைபேசி
Good term selection
wcruz
கடல் மீன்
Good term selection
wcruz
அல்லோல கல்லோலப்பட்டன
Flows well
wcruz
ஊசிமரக் காட்டின்
Good term selection
wcruz
உஷ் என்ற சத்தமாக
Good term selection
wcruz
Entry #24139 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
152 x43 x21 x1
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 10 "like" tags
அரவமின்மையை
Good term selection
It is attr​active to ​begin the ​translatio​n like thi​s.
wcruz
அலைபேசிகளின்
Good term selection
wcruz
அயர்ந்துப் போன மானுடம்
Flows well
wcruz
அமைதி
Good term selection
At least t​hree words​ have been​ used for ​'peace' bu​t they pro​vide varie​ty to the ​reading.
wcruz
லாடங்கள்
Good term selection
wcruz
முரண்பாடை
Good term selection
correct tr​anslation ​of 'parado​x'.
wcruz
தேவதாரு காடுகளின்
Other
Though not​ many woul​d understa​nd or pref​er it, I p​ersonally ​like it.
wcruz
சட்டென்று
Good term selection
wcruz
ஓசையாகட்டும்
Good term selection
wcruz
உண்ணிப்பாகக்
Good term selection
wcruz
Entry #22561 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
101 x41 x24 x1
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags