Song translation - Blowin' in the Wind
I'm trying to translate the lyrics to a mix cd that I'm going to give my ESL students next week. The students are from Central America. I will be posting these fairly regularly for the next few days. Thank you so much to anyone who has the time to proofread the translation. I'm trying to translate them as word for word as possible but still make sense. I don't want to take a lot of creative liberties with the translation unless it's necessary to keep the same meaning. Thanks for your help.
Some of this translation I found online. I've also seen "Soplando en el Viento" but that sounds odd to me. What do you think? Is "Está en el Viento" the better way to translate the title?
Peter Paul And Mary Blowin’ In The Wind 1963 written by Bob Dylan (Está en el Viento)
How many roads must a man walk down ¿En cuántos caminos debe caminar un hombre
Before they call him a man? antes de que le consideren hombre?
How many seas must a white dove sail ¿Cuántos mares debe navegar una paloma blanca
Before she sleeps in the sand? antes de dormir en la arena ?
How many times must the cannon balls fly ¿Cuántas veces deben volar las balas de cañón
Before they're forever banned? antes de ser prohibidas para siempre?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind ¡La respuesta, mi amigo, está en el viento!
The answer is blowin' in the wind. La respuesta está en el viento.
How many years must a mountain exist ¿Cuántos años debe existir una montaña
Before it is washed to the sea? antes de ser llevada al mar?
How many years can some people exist ¿Cuántos años pueden existir algunas personas
Before they're allowed to be free? antes de que estén permitidos ser libre?
How many times can a man turn his head ¿ Cuántas veces debe voltear un hombre la cabeza
And pretend that he just doesn't see? y pretender que simplemente no ve?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many times must a man look up ¿Cuántas veces debe un hombre mirar hacia arriba
Before he can see the sky? antes de poder ver el cielo?
How many ears must one man have ¿Cuántos oídos debe tener un hombre
Before he can hear people cry? antes de poder oír llorar a la gente ?
How many deaths will it take ¿Cuántos muertos se llevara
'Till he knows that too many people have died? aún darse cuenta que demasiada gente ha muerto
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind. The answer is blowin' in the wind
3 Answers
¿En cuántos caminos debe caminar un hombre - ¿Por cuántos...
antes de ser llevada al mar? - Doesn't really have the same sense, I think. Dylan gives a sense of very long period of time by his use of "washed to the sea". I think that sense of time is lost by the greater immediacy of "llevar".
antes de que estén permitidos ser libre? - antes de que se les permita ser libres?
¿ Cuántas veces debe voltear - ¿Cuántas veces puede...
y pretender que simplemente no ve? - y fingir que simplemente no ve? (remember: pretend - pretender are false friends).
antes de poder oír llorar a la gente ? - This is a matter of personal interpretation, but I'd favor "gritar" here over "llorar". Your choice.
¿Cuántos muertos se llevara - cuántas muertes le hacen falta...
aún darse cuenta que demasiada gente ha muerto -para entender que demasiada...
Great job, Alba!
I found three decent translations written by real people. They all suggest a different option for the title,so you can take your pick. 
I think they are all pretty good.
I truly hope this is helpful but check out this link...
Blowin' in the Wind
