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2014 annual ProZ.com translation contest: "Celebrations" » English to Swahili

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Source text in English

Who cast that first fateful tomato that started the La Tomatina revolution? The reality is no one knows. Maybe it was an anti-Franco rebellion, or a carnival that got out of hand. According to the most popular version of the story, during the 1945 festival of Los Gigantes (a giant paper mâché puppet parade), locals were looking to stage a brawl to get some attention. They happened upon a vegetable cart nearby and started hurling ripe tomatoes. Innocent onlookers got involved until the scene escalated into a massive melee of flying fruit. The instigators had to repay the tomato vendors, but that didn't stop the recurrence of more tomato fights—and the birth of a new tradition.

Fearful of an unruly escalation, authorities enacted, relaxed, and then reinstated a series of bans in the 1950s. In 1951, locals who defied the law were imprisoned until public outcry called for their release. The most famous effrontery to the tomato bans happened in 1957 when proponents held a mock tomato funeral complete with a coffin and procession. After 1957, the local government decided to roll with the punches, set a few rules in place, and embraced the wacky tradition.

Though the tomatoes take center stage, a week of festivities lead up to the final showdown. It's a celebration of Buñol's patron saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand, with street parades, music, and fireworks in joyous Spanish fashion. To build up your strength for the impending brawl, an epic paella is served on the eve of the battle, showcasing an iconic Valencian dish of rice, seafood, saffron, and olive oil.

Today, this unfettered festival has some measure of order. Organizers have gone so far as to cultivate a special variety of unpalatable tomatoes just for the annual event. Festivities kick off around 10 a.m. when participants race to grab a ham fixed atop a greasy pole. Onlookers hose the scramblers with water while singing and dancing in the streets. When the church bell strikes noon, trucks packed with tomatoes roll into town, while chants of "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" reach a crescendo.

Then, with the firing of a water cannon, the main event begins. That's the green light for crushing and launching tomatoes in all-out attacks against fellow participants. Long distance tomato lobbers, point-blank assassins, and medium range hook shots. Whatever your technique, by the time it's over, you will look (and feel) quite different. Nearly an hour later, tomato-soaked bombers are left to play in a sea of squishy street salsa with little left resembling a tomato to be found. A second cannon shot signals the end of the battle.

Winning entries could not be determined in this language pair.

There were 15 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase, 4 of which were selected by peers to advance to the finals round. Not enough votes were submitted by peers for a winning entry to be determined.

Competition in this pair is now closed.


Entries (15 total; 4 finalists) Expand all entries

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Language variants:
Entry #15538 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
123 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.892.92 (13 ratings)2.85 (13 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
+2
1
Ni nani aliyetupa nyanya ya kwanza iliyoleta mapinduzi ya La Tomantina?
Flows well
Aritamba Bisansaba
Entry #18107 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
cirujoy
cirujoy
Kenya
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
123 x400
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.942.71 (7 ratings)3.17 (6 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 3 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
miaka ya elfu moja mia kenda na hamsini.
Flows well
Martin Wanjiru
ali
Flows well
Grace Marucha
-2
+1
2
nyanya huingia mjini hali nyimbo za “To-ma-te, to-ma-te” zikifika kilele.
Flows well
Grace Marucha
Entry #17323 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
61 x41 x20
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.943.00 (9 ratings)2.88 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 2 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
+2
2
yanya ya kwanza kabisa iliyoibua mapinduzi ya La Tomatina?
Flows well
Grace Marucha
1957
Flows well
Grace Marucha
Entry #18665 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
JuliK
JuliK
Tanzania
Finalist
Voting points1st2nd3rd
51 x401 x1
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.143.14 (7 ratings)3.14 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
Kwa kuhofia kuongezeka kwa fujo zisizozuilika
Flows well
Martin Wanjiru
-1
1
"Nya-nya, nya - nya" hufikia upeo.
Flows well
Grace Marucha


Non-finalist entries

The following entries were not selected by peers to advance to finals-round voting.

Entry #18892 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Jonah Ondieki
Jonah Ondieki
Stati Uniti
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.692.88 (8 ratings)2.50 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 9 "like" tags
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
Ni nani alikuwa wa kwanza kurusha nyanya zilizoanzisha mageuzi ya La Tomatina?
Flows well
It flows w​ell in ter​ms of word​s and tone​ like the ​source tex​t.
Grace Marucha
-1
1
(waridhe kubwa la vibonzo vilivyoundwa kutokana na karasi zilizoloweshwa maji
Good term selection
Grace Marucha
ji),
Flows well
Grace Marucha
1951
Other
This year ​is written​ in figure​s on the s​ource text​ and it sh​ould be re​tained lik​e that in ​the target​ text.
Grace Marucha
Mtakatifu Louis Bertrand, pamoja na mawaridhe ya barabarani, muziki, na fataki za mtindo wa furaha wa Kihispania.
Flows well
Grace Marucha
amaduni wa Valencia
Flows well
Grace Marucha
Kengele ya kanisa inapogonga saa sita adhuhuri, magari makubwa yaliyojaa nyanya huingia mjini, huku kelele "To-ma-te, to-ma-te!" zikifika kileleni.
Flows well
Grace Marucha
-1
1
tufyatua
Good term selection
Grace Marucha
washambuliaji walioloa
Good term selection
Grace Marucha
Entry #16730 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Tanzanian
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.612.50 (8 ratings)2.71 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #18028 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Tanzanian
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.472.64 (11 ratings)2.30 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #17017 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
ongaka
ongaka
Kenya
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.262.63 (8 ratings)1.88 (8 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
-1
+1
1
Kutoka na uoga wa visa hivi kuzidi
Flows well
Grace Marucha
Entry #16741 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Kenyan
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.232.36 (11 ratings)2.10 (10 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #19859 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Kenyan
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry2.222.33 (9 ratings)2.11 (9 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
1
ita vya nyanya-na kuzaliwa kwa desturi mpya.
Flows well
Grace Marucha
Katika mwaka wa 1951
Flows well
The first ​correct tr​anslation ​of this
Martin Wanjiru
Entry #21698 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry1.862.00 (7 ratings)1.71 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #18994 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Kenyan
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry1.661.88 (8 ratings)1.43 (7 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #18134 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
maryk
maryk
Kenya
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry1.351.50 (6 ratings)1.20 (5 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #17741 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry1.291.25 (4 ratings)1.33 (3 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #19021 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
IYOGA74
IYOGA74
Sudafrica
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry1.231.20 (5 ratings)1.25 (4 ratings)
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags