Professional native human translation provider
Get a Free Quote now!

North America: 13616034782
International: 86-592-2963957

Request a Free Quote
To provide you with quality service, adhere to the principle of customer first.
  • You may attach one or more files up to 10MB per file in this form.

Translation of Musical Notes

November 30 , 2021

Translation of Musical Notes

by Target Language Translation Services

- November 30 2021

translating musical notes


We all know that there are many differences between terms that are commonly utilized by Spanish speakers and those used in English. Thanks to globalization and the vast amount of information we receive through music, movies, social networking and the exchange of information of all kinds, it’s plain to see that certain basic things are completely different in another language.

For instance, when it comes to naming musical notes or reading sheet music, it is vital to mention the difference in nomenclature between English and the more Latin-derived languages.

Of course, music theory is always the same in its essentials. Musical notes are simply vibrations in the air which can be measured. A note played in Seattle is the same note played in London, and the same played in Tokyo. It’s the terms we utilize that are different, and of course the way we combine them that sound pleasing to our ears. Just because the Indian scale used to create music sounds a bit discordant to Western ears upon first listen doesn’t mean the individual notes are different, after all.


Differences

One of the obvious differences between the English system of musical notation and the rest of the world is that the English utilizes an alphabet-based system for the notes: C D E F G A B. This stems from ancient Greece, which passed it on to ancient Rome, which passed it on to Britain, which passed it on to the rest of the English world.

In English the terms major and minor are derived directly from the Latin terms, which in Spanish are mayor and menor. The comparative list of notes is as follows:

Do  ________ C

Re  ________ D

Mi  ________ E

Fa  ________ F

Sol ________ G

La  ________ A

Si   ________ H


Of course, even then there are inconsistencies: In many parts of the world the ‘B’ note is actually written as ‘H’, and ‘B’ is reserved for what in America we called a B-flat. If you don’t know much about music, just know that as usual, even among English-speaking countries there are inconsistencies!

In non-English-speaking countries, they use the old DO-RE-MI system you might know from The Sound of Music: Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-L-Ti (in Spanish it’s often Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si). The notes are the same, but the words or symbols used to denote them are different.

When faced with a translation containing such material, it is very important for the translator to spend some time finding appropriate and accurate information. In this way, he or she can convey a more accurate message that the reader will more likely appreciate.



This article is reprinted from Trusted Translations and BLEND.

If there is a copyright, please inform us in time, we will delete it right the first time.

Sign Up For Newsletter

Please read on, stay posted, subscribe, and we welcome you to tell us what you think.

click here to leave a message

Leave A Message
If you need translation and want to know quotation and delivery time,pls leave a message here,we will reply asap!Thank you!

Home

Services

about

contact