# Gaelic translations?



## Ireth (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm thinking of using a Gaelic translation of "blood drinker" as the name for the vampires of my novel. Whether it's Scottish or Irish doesn't matter too much, though I'd prefer Scottish. So far I've found the word "sÃºmaire" as an Irish translation, but I've had little luck with its Scottish equivalent. Are there any fluent speakers of either language here who can help me figure this out?


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## Ivan (Apr 1, 2012)

According to this website: Vampires: Living Dead Vampire Vamp Nosferatu Vampires :Mythical Realm
Baobhan Sith is the traditional Scots term for a sort of vampire (specifically female).

Unfortunately I know very little of Gaelic so I cannot elaborate nor provide a direct translation.


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## Ireth (Apr 1, 2012)

Baobhan Sith won't work for my story at all, I'm afraid. They're a specific type of Fae, and my vampires are a completely different creature than any kind of Fae, though they do share some similarities. Also, as you said, Baobhan Sith are all female, and the majority of the vampires who come up in my story are male. I have a page in the Brainstorming and Planning section describing my vampire mythology if you want to have a look: http://mythicscribes.com/forums/brainstorming-planning/2839-ireths-take-vampires.html


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## Ravana (Apr 1, 2012)

The closest I can get you offhand is _fuil sumair_–literally, "blood" plus "drinker." Which is probably pretty close, as _sumaire_ (albeit with the extra "e") also means "leech," and _fuileachdach_ means "bloodthirsty." My guess, based on other words I'm seeing, is that if it were to be a compound, it would be written as a single word (_fuilsumair_), or possibly hyphenated. But that's just a guess: I don't know what the rules for compounding Scots words are.

I also find _fasgadair_ as a translation for "bloodsucker," but when put back through, it refers mainly to skuas–a species of bird that has nothing to do with blood. Since it also comes across as "profiteer," this is presumably a metaphor for behavior: skuas feed on trash and carrion, among other things. Which demonstrates the importance of running any translation both directions before making use of it.…

Keep in mind that this is modern Scots Gaelic; I don't have access to any 14th-century resources. (Well, not at home, at any rate.) I don't know what the changes in Scots Gaelic over the centuries look like, so if you're really after authenticity, you'd probably need to hit a university library with a specialization in the language. On the other hand, since the rest of your book isn't being written in 14th-century English, it may not matter as much. 

_Baobhan sidhe_ might have been used by the Scots for "vampire"–especially if they weren't otherwise familiar with vampires: for the most part, differentiation between numerous "species" of supernatural beings is a modern convention–but, since it's the term that gave rise to today's "banshee," it would possibly just cause confusion with your readers.


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## Ireth (Apr 1, 2012)

Ravana said:


> The closest I can get you offhand is _fuil sumair_—literally, "blood" plus "drinker." Which is probably pretty close, as _sumaire_ (albeit with the extra "e") also means "leech," and _fuileachdach_ means "bloodthirsty." My guess, based on other words I'm seeing, is that if it were to be a compound, it would be written as a single word (_fuilsumair_), or possibly hyphenated. But that's just a guess: I don't know what the rules for compounding Scots words are.
> 
> I also find _fasgadair_ as a translation for "bloodsucker," but when put back through, it refers mainly to skuas—a species of bird that has nothing to do with blood. Since it also comes across as "profiteer," this is presumably a metaphor for behavior: skuas feed on trash and carrion, among other things. Which demonstrates the importance of running any translation both directions before making use of it.…
> 
> Keep in mind that this is modern Scots Gaelic; I don't have access to any 14th-century resources. (Well, not at home, at any rate.) I don't know what the changes in Scots Gaelic over the centuries look like, so if you're really after authenticity, you'd probably need to hit a university library with a specialization in the language. On the other hand, since the rest of your book isn't being written in 14th-century English, it may not matter as much.



Thank you! This is *exactly* what I was asking for.  I've tried translating "blood-drinker" into Scots Gaelic myself and come up with "sumair fala", drinker of blood, which I think is more grammatically correct. But as always, anyone who actually KNOWS the language and isn't reliant on a dictionary -- *puppy eyes in Xanados' direction* -- is more than welcome to correct me.



Ravana said:


> _Baobhan sidhe_ might have been used by the Scots for "vampire"—especially if they weren't otherwise familiar with vampires: for the most part, differentiation between numerous "species" of supernatural beings is a modern convention—but, since it's the term that gave rise to today's "banshee," it would possibly just cause confusion with your readers.



Correct on the first, incorrect on the second. Baobhan Sidhe/Sith is the name of a vampiric specimen of the Fae, but it is not the term that "banshee" comes from. That would be Bean Sidhe.


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## Ravana (Apr 1, 2012)

Ireth said:


> But as always, anyone who actually KNOWS the language and isn't reliant on a dictionary is more than welcome to correct me.



Or me. I don't know it–I'm just very, very good at using dictionaries.  (And grammars, and similar resources.)

And you do appear to be correct here–_baobhan_ and _bean_ are unrelated, as far as I can tell from the modest resources at my disposal. (Though the only translation I'm finding on _baobhan_ is from the word for "elvish," _baobhanta_, which would make _baobhan sith/sidhe_ "elvish fairy"–kinda redundant. I have to suspect some historical distinction that got suppressed over time here.) At any rate, _bean_, meaning "woman" or "female" (among other things), would seem to be unrelated, at least on the surface. 

(Though I've seen stranger changes occur in a language's history. Look up the word "nice" some time, for a good example.…)


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## Ireth (Apr 1, 2012)

Yeaaah, languages are strange things. XD


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## smclaypool (Jun 12, 2019)

I am searching for help with the meaningful (not literal) translation of a phrase


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## CupofJoe (Jun 12, 2019)

What is the phrase?


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