Q: Dear 100 Hour Board,
My Question Here.I know a lot of people who don't like Frozen don't like how rebellious Elsa is in "Let it Go". They share lines from the song such as "I don't care what they're going to say" and "No right, no wrong, no rules for me".
In German though, the lines are different. They are, essentially "It's time, I am ready" and "The past is in the past" and things like that.
So what is Elsa like in that song in other languages?
- Zwerg Zwei
A:
Dear Ice Warrior,
Here are all of the languages, according to Wikipedia.
I've tried to get the main idea of each version using a combination of YouTube videos and Google Translate. I did the best I could, considering I don't know all of these languages. All translations are available in this Google Doc. I'll be updating it with better translations, and the playlist (which I may or may not keep up to date [it'll be easier if you guys e-mail me when you find one that's been blocked]) can be found here. If the video no longer exists, I'm really sorry—YouTube seems to be on top of blocking them from countries that they don't apply to, which is unfortunate. It appears that you asked this at just the right time. There's also a nearly complete video with all of the versions found here, if that works better (and hasn't been taken down).
Arabic - The title translates to "Let Out Your Secret" and the lyrics seem to convey the idea that she's giving up her past and is instead taking comfort in snow.
Brazilian Portuguese - Translated as "I'm Free," the lyrics emphasize the fact that she's no longer trapped by what she left behind.
Bulgarian - The lyrics in this one give the image of closing a chapter of one part of her life, demonstrated in the title "I'm Putting an End."
Cantonese - SO hard to hunt down the lyrics for this one. I ended up just turning to Google Translate. If any of our readers knows Cantonese and wants to send me a better translation, that'd be sweet. Wikipedia suggests "Ice Heart Lock" for the title, and the lyrics suggest the idea that her heart was essentially tortured by holding everything in, and now she can feel better.
Catalan - "It Wants to Fly" describes the power inside of her. So she lets her power fly, subsequently deciding that that means she's not going to be good.
Croatian - Elsa definitely is "letting everything go" in this version. Mostly her fears. Also, she never gets bored of the snow.
Danish - This one is more rebellious than the English version as she declares "Let it Happen." She even says, "Goodbye to duty's tyranny, I'm free!"
Dutch - Personally, I really like this version. It better explains the struggle that she had and showing that she's creating a new beginning for herself.
Estonian - "Let it Be" is the title that Wikipedia gives, but Google Translate seems to suggest "So Be It" as a better title. This is another one where if a reader knows Estonian, they should send me the lyrics. This one suggests that she is accepting the way she is and allowing herself to use her powers.
Finnish - Wikipedia and the translation both say that the title is "It's Left Behind." This one isn't rebellious, but more a change in how she does things. Instead of saying, "No right, no wrong, no rules for me," she says, "away old rules" which to me suggests that she has a new set of rules. However, she did say that the kind girl she was is no more, so...I'll leave it up to you to decide.
Flemish - "Let it Go" is the same title as in English and portrays her power as a storm that she's finally letting loose.
Greek - "And I Forget" is interesting because it's suggesting that she's trying to forget her past, which can lead to further issues (those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it kind of thing).
Hebrew - "To Let Go" is the English translation of the title. I like this version, because it seems like she's just letting go of the tension of holding her power in.
Hungarian - This song is less of a declaration, and more of a question. She's definitely wondering how life is going to be now that she's left a big part of her world behind. The title is translated as "Let There Be Snow."
Icelandic - "This is Enough" seems to suggest that she's just done with her past and is trying to move on.
Japanese - "As I Am" puts a lot of focus on her trying to become who she "truly is."
Korean - Since I only found the translation for the pop version, I'm going off of that. But from what I got, she believes she's getting stronger and that she is okay with being lonely. Wikipedia claims the translation is "Forget Everything."
Latvian - "Let it Snow" is a really cool version. I like the line that says, "Let the peace rule, which lives in me."
Lithuanian - "Let It Be" is again the title that Wikipedia gives, but based on the lyrics, it should be "It Doesn't Matter" instead. This version seems more rebellious than the English version.
Malaysian- "Set It Free" is a contrast to the Latvian version, as she sings, "The blowing breeze reflects the turbulence of my soul." She seems to want to set her power free to create a new version of herself.
Mandarin - "Let it Be" is really pretty much the same as the original, with the exception of the line "Let the perfection evaporate" which I think is cool.
Norwegian - "Let It Go" is unique in the line "I'm tired of all they think they have seen" which gives the idea that people's perceptions aren't always accurate, and those perceptions can hurt the one that is being misjudged.
Polish - "I Have This Power" is kind of funny because one of the phrases is "I'll inflame what smolders" which is just funny because she's a snow queen. (Yeah, I know you get the joke.) She also seems to blame other people for pushing her past the breaking point.
EU Portuguese - "It Has Already Passed" suggests that "the distance will smooth everything out."
Romanian - "It Happened" makes the analogy that "like from sleep [she's] woken up," as opposed to being angered. Unless she was a bear roused from hibernation. (I think they're actually not that angry. Whatever.)
Russian - "Let Go and Forget" seems to suggest that she was always the way she is now, and instead of holding onto the pain of that, she just needs to release it and forget about it.
Serbian - "It Ends Now" is unique because it says "my fear is now gone, so everything can make me laugh." I think a lot of times, we're too scared or too worried to let ourselves be happy, and I think Elsa realizes this as well.
Swedish - "Break Free" is different because she says "right or wrong, I'll decide." She's not saying that she doesn't have rules, but that she's going to make the choice for herself, rather than letting it be made for her.
Thai - In "Let it Go" on the other hand, she says, "break the boring rules, choose what to do as my heart wants" which, I guess is the same idea, but she's deciding already that she's going to break rules. She also says that "the good girl is worthless" which is definitely a rejection of the past.
Ukrainian - "Doesn't Matter" suggests that she had already given up, and what happened was just another thing that went wrong that in the end doesn't matter.
I couldn't get lyrics for Vietnamese ("Step Ahead"), Turkish ("Don't Mind It"), Taiwanese Mandarin ("Let Go"), Slovak ("I Let It Out"), or Slovene ("I Come To Life"), so I don't have interpretations of them.
Bonus, the Google Translate version, which tells us to "give up, give up!"
Honestly though, when you look at this many versions, they all start to blur together, so read them and make your own interpretations.
If you have any suggestions for alternate (better) translations, please send me an e-mail and I'll change it on the Google Doc.
And yes, I did listen to this song over forty times for the sake of this answer. You're welcome.
-Tally M.
Another note about the playlist: some of the videos have links in the description to the actual video. They're usually higher quality, and less likely to be taken down, so that's why I included them, even though you won't be able to listen to them straight though.
A:
Dear Zwerg,
I was too lazy to actually translate it myself, so I found this blog that did a pretty good translation of Elsa in French. I like the French lyrics better. They seem to describe the anguish that Elsa is going through a lot better.
-Concorde
A:
Dear Dwarf Two,
Thanks for asking this, our kids have been obsessed with Frozen, but I hadn't thought to look it up in Czech yet. I love to see how they translate lyrics too. Instead of just giving my opinion, I figured I'd just translate it since it's not a very long song anyway. The Czech is from this site, and the translation is my own, based on the subtitles in the YouTube video in the link, but changed in many places where I felt it was appropriate.
Original
Czech
Translation
The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation
And it looks like I’m the queen
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they know
Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on
My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back, the past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand In the light of day
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
Na vrcholcích v noci panuje sníh
Ani stopa po lidech
Samota královstvím
V nĕmž, královnou jsem vloček všech.
Už kvílí vítr a hřmí bouře v srdci mém
Zlobu vyšeptám v tichu mrazivém
Já byla v zámku vězněna
Skrývej city, buď skříňka zamčená
To táta chtěl, ty dny pryč jsou
Svět zná tvář mou
Najednou, najednou
Chci skončit s tou hloupou hrou
Najednou, najednou
Dveřmi prásknu za sebou
Já jsem svá
To chci dokázat všem
V bouři rozkvétám
A mráz v duši vítězí nad sluncem
Je zvláštní, jak z té dálky
Se všechno menším zdá
I ten strach, co ve mně vládnul
Je loutka bezmocná
Jen vyzkouším, jak mocná jsem
A k výšinám mě zvedne zem
V mé říši bez konce chci žít, klid mít
Najednou, najednou
Volná jsem, kráčím oblohou
Najednou, najednou
Mé slzy šperkem jsou
Já jsem svá
Jsem hráč i rváč.
V bouři rozkvétám
Moc má se vzduchem vznáší v proudu neznámém
A chladná duše září v krystalcích jak diadém
Všechny myšlenky se kříží, jedna smysl má
Je pasé minulost, když svítat začíná
Najednou, najednou
Úsvit dává mi sílu svou
Najednou, najednou
Už nejsem dívenkou
Já jsem svá, křídla má hlas můj
V bouři rozkvétám
Chci žít v zimě bez konce život svůj
The snow rules on the (mountain) peaks at night
Not a person's footprint anywhere
The loneliness of the kingdom
In which I am queen of all the snowflakes
The wind is howling and the storm is thundering in my heart
I'll whisper out my anger in the frosty silence
I was locked up in the castle
"Hide your feelings, be a locked box"
That's what dad wanted, those days are gone
The world knows my face
Suddenly, suddenly
I want to end this stupid game
Suddenly, suddenly
I'll slam the door behind myself
I am my own person
I want to show that to everyone
I'm blooming in the storm
And in my soul the frost wins over the sun
It's funny how from a distance
Everything seems smaller
Even the fear that once ruled me
Is a helpless puppet
I'll just try out how powerful I am
And the ground will raise me to heights
I want to live in my kingdom forever, have peace
Suddenly, suddenly
I am free, I'm walking through the sky
Suddenly, suddenly
My tears are jewels
I am my own person
I am a player and a fighter
I'm blooming in the storm
My power floats through the air in a strange flow
And my cold soul shines in the crystals like a diadem
My thoughts are scattered, only one makes sense
The past is over when dawn comes
Suddenly, suddenly
The dawn is giving me its power
Suddenly, suddenly
I'm not a little girl anymore
I am my own person, my voice has wings
I'm blooming in the storm
I want to live my own life in the endless winter
As you can see, the lyrics are remarkably similar, but I'd say quite a bit of the edge is taken off in Czech. Instead of "I don't care" and "No right, no wrong" you get "I am my own person" and "I want to have peace". I think overall I like the feeling of the Czech lyrics better, but I have a feeling I'm not going to get many people to sing along with me ("The accents glare on the words tonight, not a cognate to be seen...").
I also thought it was interesting that they found a three-syllable word (najednou) that rhymes with "let it go," so the song sounds roughly the same. Also, "The cold never bothered me anyway" is actually two different phrases in the Czech version. And finally, you might be interested in this, if/when it comes out.
-=Optimus Prime=-
A:
Dear ZZ Top,
Haha, well, I got halfway through translating a song from Spanish before realizing it was not the Spanish version of "Let it Go" from Frozen. Here's the real thing:
La nieve brilla esta noche aquí mas,
ni una huella queda ya.
Soy la reina en un reino,
de aislamiento y soledad.
El viento aulla y se cuela en mi interior,
lo quise contener, pero se escapó.
No deje que sepan de ti
que no entren, siempre me dijo a mi.
No has de sentir, no han de saber.
Ya que mas da!
Suéltalo! Suéltalo!
No lo puedo ya retener
Suéltalo! Suéltalo!
Ya no hay nada que temer.
Que mas da, ya se descubrió.
Déjalo escapar...
El frío a mi nunca me molestó.
Desde la distancia, que pequeño todo es.
El temor que me aferraba, no me va a hacer volver.
Soy libre y ahora intentaré sobrepasar los limites.
Ya no hay mas reglas para mi, por fin!
Suéltalo! Suéltalo!
Que el frío reine ya
Suéltalo! Suéltalo!
No volveré a llorar
Aquí estoy y aquí estaré.
Déjalo escapar...
En las entrañas de la tierra puedo entrar
Mi alma crece y hace espirales sin parar
Y un pensamiento en mi surgió y cristalizó.
Ya no regresaré, el pasado ya pasó!
Suéltalo! Suéltalo!
Subiré con el amanecer
Suéltalo! Suéltalo!
La farsa se acabó!
Que la luz salga otra vez!
Déjalo escapar...
El frío a mi nunca me molestó.
The snow shines here more tonight
until not a mark remains
I am the queen in a kingdom
of isolation and loneliness.
The wind howls and slips inside me
I wished to contain it but it escaped me.
They always told me don't let them know,
don't let them in (rough translation)
You do not have to feel, they do not need to know
Who cares now!
Let it go/set it free/drop it!
I don't have to retain it anymore
Let it go/set it free/drop it!
I don't have anything to fear now.
Who cares, it was discovered
Let it escape
The cold never bothered me
From the distance, how small everything is.
The fear that clung to me will not make me turn [back].
I am free and now I intend to exceed my limits
There are no more rules for me, finally! (rough translation)
Let it go/set it free/drop it!
That the cold now reigns. (not sure about this sentence...)
Let it go/set it free/drop it!
I will not turn to tears
I am here and I will [stay] here
Let it escape
I can enter the bowels of the earth
my soul grows and makes spirals without stopping (makes endless spirals)
And a thought emerged and crystalized inside me.
I will not return, what has passed has passed!
Let it go/set it free/drop it!
I will wake up with the dawn
Let it go/set it free/drop it!
The farce is over!
That the light goes out again!
Let it escape...
The cold never bothered me.
Seems to me like she's had difficulty suppressing a part of her person that could no longer be suppressed and is reveling in the freedom of discarding social pressure. Pretty benign. Though I don't quite understand the problem with the English version either...
- Hypatia, who hasn't spoken Spanish in years and apologizes in advance for her poor translation
A:
Dear Zwerg ~
This has nothing to do with language, but I wanted to take this opportunity to say that those lyrics are part of why I like the song. Dragon Baby is obsessed with the movie and music. It has proven time and again to give us learning opportunities. My favorite example was in the car, listening to this song when she asked me, "Mommy, why is there no right or wrong or rules for her?" So then we got to talk about why Elsa thought that was true, and more importantly, why it wasn't true. We talked about examples of how the things she did still affected others, even when she thought she couldn't hurt anyone anymore. And it gave us the chance to talk about how many of our rules (and commandments) apply even when no one is around. It was a great learning experience for her.
~ Dragon Lady
A:
Dear Zwerg,
Here is the Italian version. If you would like to listen to it in Italian, you can do so here.
<<All’alba sorgerò>>
La neve cade sopra di me
Copre tutto col suo oblio
In questo remoto regno
La regina sono io
Ormai la tempesta nel mio cuore irrompe già
Non la fermerà la mia volontà,
Ho conservato ogni bugia
Per il mondo la colpa è solo mia
Così non va non sentirò
Un altro no!
D’ora in poi lascerò
Che il cuore me guidi un po’
Scorderò quel che so, e da oggi cambierò
Resto qui; non andrò più via
Sono sola ormai
Da oggi il freddo è casa mia
A volte è un bene
Poter scappare un po’
Può sembrare un salto enorme
Ma io l’affronterò
Non è un diffetto è una virtù
E non la fermà mai più
Nessun ostacolo per me, perché
D’ora in poi troverò
La mia vera identità
E vivrò, si vivrò
Per sempre in libertà
Se è qui il posto mio
Io lo scoprirò
Il mio poter si diffonde intorno a me
Il ghiaccio aumenta e copre ogni cosa accanto a sé!
Un mio pensiero cristallizza la realtà
Il resto è storia ormai che passa e se ne va
Io lo so, si lo so
Come il sole tramonterò
Perché poi, perché poi,
All’alba sorgerò
Ecco qua la tempesta che non si fermerà
Da oggi il destino appartiene a me!
"At Dawn I Will Rise”
The snow that falls over me
Covers everything in its oblivion
In this remote kingdom
The queen is me
The storm is already breaking into my heart
My will won't hold it
I have kept every lie
To the world, the fault is mine
I can't go on this way, I won’t listen
Another no!
From now on I’ll let it go
My heart will guide me a little
I will forget what I know, and from today, I will change
I rest here; I won’t go away
Now I’m alone
From today the cold is my house
At times it is good
I can escape for a while
It seems to be a large jump
But I will face it
Its not a defect (lack), it’s a virtue
And I won’t stop it anymore
No obstacle for me, because
From now on I will find
My true identity
And I will live, yes I will live
Forever in freedom
If this is my place
I will find it out/discover it
My power spreads around me
The ice gathering and covering everything
My thoughts crystallize into reality
The rest is history that passes and goes away
I know it, yes I know it
Like the sun I will set
Because then, because then,
At dawn I will rise
Here is the storm that won’t stop
From today I control my destiny (or my destiny belongs to me)
I really like the last verse, especially the "come il sole tramonterò" (Like the sun I will set) and then "All’alba sorgerò" (at dawn I will rise), the imagery is lovely, and the Italian phrasing just sounds so good! Overall I like this version a lot more than the English one (which by this point I frankly find annoying). Rather than being rebellious it feels very liberating to me.
Sincerely,
The Soulful Ginger (who still hasn't seen this movie.)
A:
Dear Zwerg Zwei,
I found many good ASL versions of "Let it Go," the meanings of which vary greatly depending on the interpretation of the signer and what the song means to them. However, this is one I've seen on the most popular Deaf media websites. Here's my English interpretation of the signs—one of the lines I really couldn't decipher, but I hope I did the rest okay. The sign for "let it go" can mean disconnect, become unrelated to, become un-linked, or to break some kind of relationship/connection/sealing.
English
The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation
And it looks like I’m the queen
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they know
Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on
My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back, the past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand In the light of day
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway
American Sign Language
Snow falls glistening
There are no footprints
An area of nothingness
It appears I am alone
The wind blows the same as the struggle within me
I can't contain it, I've tried before
Can't trust them, can't tell them secrets
Replace the proper, the right, the "musts"
Don't hide feelings, to spread them is forbidden
Now they know!
Disconnect, disconnect
I must express myself
Disconnect, disconnect
[I'm not sure about this part]
I don't care
What their stories will say
Let the storm continue
The cold is alright with me
It's strange how a different perspective
Makes problems become solved
Lay aside the fear that controls me
Now I feel strong
Now see what I am capable of
Limits are unbounded, my goal is success
Right, wrong, it doesn't matter, I ignore rules, I am free
Disconnect, disconnect
Then connect with sky and wind
Disconnect, disconnect
I refuse to ever cry
I'm done with perfect
I'll stay this way from now on
Let the storm continue
What flows through me is everywhere and spreading
Feelings are strong inside my spirit
With all these thoughts I envision
Now I am changed, I lay aside what's finished
Disconnect, disconnect
In the future I'll succeed
Disconnect, disconnect
The perfect girl is completely gone
I show my true self, for everyone to go ahead and see
Let the storm continue
The cold is alright with me
Hmm. I think the ASL is actually more rebellious than the original.
As for my two cents about the song, I don't think "Let It Go," is so bad. I thought it was clear in the movie that the Elsa before the song and the Elsa during/right after the song represent two different, unhealthy extremes. I think it's a fun song that shows part of Elsa's progress. That's why at first I didn't understand what people had against it, but I can see now how there could be problems if people think that it's supposed to demonstrate some kind of ideal. I love how Dragon Lady discussed it with her daughter.
-Owlet
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