Leabhar-Clann/Childrens Book **Update 9/3**

An toil leat ceòl, bàrdachd no ealain sam bith eile? Am faca tu rudeigin inntinneach air an TBh? Innse dhuinn air / Do you like music, poetry or any other art form? Did you see anything interesting on the telly? Tell us about it
Wilsons-of-Oxford
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Leabhar-Clann/Childrens Book **Update 9/3**

Unread post by Wilsons-of-Oxford »

Tha mo màthair ag ràdh gum scrìobhainn mi leabhraichean-clann. Chuir mi romham a dèan oidhirp an-diugh.
My mother says I should write childrens' books. I decided to make an attempt today.

Tha e seo. Bhithinn mi a steach-mhalairt e beag air bheag anns a Gàidhlig.
This is it. I will import it little by little to Gaelic.

I want to eventually be able to send this to a publisher in Gaelic and English, however, nto growing up with Gaelic, I know that the way I phrase things aren't always how a native speaker would. If any of you can help me in revising my Gaelic when I add it, so that it reflects what a Gaelic child might be familiar with, I'd appreciate it a lot.

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An Albatras
The Albatross

Tha Aoibhe agus Moireach a' fuireach air eilean bheag anns a muir.
Aoibhe (Ava) and Moireach (Murray) live on a small island in the sea.

Tha an athair e iasgadair.
Their father is a fisherman. He fishes far to the north and sells his catch in the town across the bay.

Tha a' bàta-iasgaich aig an athair air acair ann geodha air eilean aca.
Their fathers fishing boat is at anchor in a cove on their island.

When father is home, Aoibhe and Moireach, pretend they are the Pirate Queen and her crew, raiding merchant ships to feed their people.

When he leaves to fish the children help him pack his stores.

Then, from the top of the house, they watch until the sails disappear on the horizon.

When father is away the children help their mother keep the house.

Buain iad mòine airson am teine.
They cut peat for the fire.

Càir iad am tugh. Nigh iad na h-uinneagan
They mend the thatch. They wash the windows.

When the work is done there's time to play.

They dance while mother sings and plays her fiddle.

They have fierce battles with swords made from sticks.

Every night, Aoibhe, Moireach, and their mother watch the stars and wait for father to return.

Days passed, but they did not see fathers sails.

Winter was coming and soon the sea would grow restless.

One day, while they watched from the rooftop, they spotted an Albatross.

It glided over the waves until it reached their island and settled onto the chimney.

“Dear Mr. Albatross,” enquired Aoibhe, “You came from the sea, have you seen our father?"

The Albatross lowered his head, it had not.

Aoibhe had an idea. "Please Mr. Albatross," she pleaded, "our father is lost at sea. Will you search for him?"

“He sailed North,” offered Moireach, “two fortnights past.”

The kind albatross swooped down to the sea and glided north.

He was soon out of sight, and Aoibhe and Moireach could only hope and wait.

The albatross flew for days and nights but did not see the fisherman.

The skies grew grey, mists hung over the sea, and ice was gathering below.

He flew deep into the realm of the northern spirit; the ice growing thicker and the seas colder below him.

Finally the albatross spied a sail. The small boat was surrounded by ice, its sails were worn and its lines were heavy with rime.

The albatross settled onto the tiller and woke the weary sailor.

Father was surprised to see the great bird; it seemed to bow to greet him.

"A storm forced me to the north and the lonely northern spirits do not want me to leave. I cannot find my way through the ice, but I must return to my family"

The albatross lifted into the air, circling up and up, looking for a path through the shifting ice.

At last the great bird spotted an opening.

Swooping down to the sea, the albatross circled the boat and led the fisherman away.

When at last the boat was through the ice the albatross and the fisherman sailed for home.

On the island, the familiar sails rose over the horizon. Aoibhe, Moireach, and their mother ran, skipped, and jumped down to the cove.

As their father stepped onto the beach, the family collapsed together into the sand.

They could not thank the albatross enough. They promised to always remember him and tell stories of his great journey.

Moireach helped his father carve a large albatross over the doors of their house.

Aoibhe painted the great albatross onto a flag and raised it on the mast of her fathers boat.

To this day, the albatross travel the seas and guide weary sailors to their homes.

The End


Wilsons-of-Oxford
Posts: 88
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Re: Leabhar-Clann/Childrens Book **Update 9/3**

Unread post by Wilsons-of-Oxford »

Tha Gàidhlig ann a-nis! Ciamar a dènamh mi?
faoileag
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Re: Leabhar-Clann/Childrens Book **Update 9/3**

Unread post by faoileag »

I think you might be asking a bit much of us on here! :lol:

Bear in mind that we are mainly learners ourselves, however advanced, not native-speakers, and will have learned our Gaelic as adults, i.e. adult-level Gaelic. What you really need is a native-speaker tr*nsl*t*r, who knows exactly how things come across, the idioms, the 'child-language' etc, AND the GOC conventions for spelling, punctuation etc (for publishing purposes). And normally you'd have to pay for that (and thereby keep such people in work :D ).

I assume that's not an option, so all that most of us could do is to pick up on the grammar mistakes etc. I'm sure we'd be happy to try that.

If you want just to try tr*nsl*t*ng sentences as an exercise and as a discussion opportunity for other board-users (like poor mouse and her Pride and Prejudice), that's fine, but I doubt that you'll end up with a publishable version. :spors:

Tha mi duilich, but it's best to be realistic.

Nice story too. :moladh:
Wilsons-of-Oxford
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2012 1:27 am
Language Level: Foghlamaiche [Beginner]
Location: Norfolk, VA USA
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Re: Leabhar-Clann/Childrens Book **Update 9/3**

Unread post by Wilsons-of-Oxford »

Tapadh leat, a Fhaoileag.

I'm intent of working with a Gàidhlig publisher at some point in the process. I'm mainly looking to try and have something sensible in Gàidhlig to take to them first. You are right it is a good exercise. There's a lot of grammar in here I don't understand here so any level of review is helping me as a learner. I'm surprised to hear we don't have many native speakers with all the Gàidhlig in the forum, I'd have sworn we had a bunch (and you were one of them) until you said otherwise :)
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