Bevacqua: Learning CHamoru effectively means learning flow, feeling
Michael Lujan Bevacqua
In my journey in learning the CHamoru language, translating songs into CHamoru has been a regular activity and one I encourage for those looking to push their learning.
But translating can be tricky, since moving from language to language is like moving from world to world. Sometimes things may seem similar, sometimes they will be very different. Learning a language effectively means learning not just its words, but also its flow and feeling.
I recall when I translated the pop song “Clocks” by Coldplay, which came out in 2002. I was working my way through the lyrics but was stuck in places because of the abstract imagery. The most frustrating part was translating the title, “Clocks.” It barely made sense that the song has this title in English, calling it “Reloh Siha” in CHamoru was even weirder.