Tag Archives: Gàidhlig

Outlander Episode 205 – Untimely Resurrection – The Gàidhlig Bits I Could Decipher

Sorry for falling behind everyone, but the Gaelic has been few and far between at the French Court! I promise I will go back and do a catchup post for all the little words here and there in episodes 202-204, but in the meantime here is the answer to everyone’s burning question from Episode 205 regarding the Gaelic oath that Jamie says during the argument with Claire in the final scene.

25:23  Jamie handing Claire the spoon case

Seo – this

27:46 Jamie telling Claire he loves her, too. <sigh>

mo nighean donn – my brown-haired lass

46:38  Gaelic Oath

Donas dubh nan seachd sitigean – Black Devil of the seven middens

I’ve also received questions the last few weeks regarding a word that Jamie uses frequently that sounds like ‘shaw’.  In some cases, I translate it as seo/this or an seo/here. I made a comment on Twitter yesterday about Sam Heughan throwing that word in often. Sam responded and said he also uses Seadh or yes, as well. The two words can sound very similar (show vs shug) so you have to judge on context.

 

Outlander Episode 201 – Through a Glass, Darkly – The Gàidhlig Bits I Could Decipher

It’s over! It’s finally OVER! Droughtlander has ended and it appears that everyone has survived. Not a lot of Gaelic in this episode, but not surprising considering we didn’t even get to 1745 until over half an hour in, but there were a few nice phrases. Translations below as always.

 

Le Havre

39:21   Murtagh muttering under his breath

‘s mairg leam seo air fad! – I consider this crappy! (colloquial)

 

40:21  Jamie as he lies on the bed

Gasta! A bed that doesna move. – Great! A bed that doesna move

 

44:43  Jamie curses under his breath about what to tell Murtagh

Mac na galla! – Son of a bitch!

 

48:46 Jamie as he hands his shirt to Claire

Seo – Two ways to interpret this. Could be ‘here’ as he hands Claire the shirt or ‘this’ speaking to Jared referencing his back.

Updated 6/6/2015 – Outlander Episode 116 – To Ransom a Man’s Soul – The Gàidhlig Bits I Could Decipher

Great news! The Gaelic is back in a big way this episode. The bad news is that it was way more complicated than what I normally translate. I’m giving it my best shot though and will call in the big guns as needed.

After the rescue

8:22 Jamie to Claire

Leig leam falbh- Let me go die.

8:38 Jamie to Murtagh

Feumaidh tu stad a chur air mo chràdh! – You must put an end to my torment!

Murtagh to Jamie

Chan éist mi ri seo! – I won’t listen to this!

At the Abbey

27:02 Angus to Willie after the story about his uncle

Dùin do chraos! -shut your big mouth!

I know this is what everyone wants but I don’t have anywhere near all of this yet, just some pieces. I’m putting what I have here and if anyone else can pick out more words, please let me know.

UPDATED: Ok. I have this now. Thanks to those who submitted their possible translations (especially Laura and McInnis). I wanted to wait a bit and see if I could get confirmation, but here’s my best shot! Here is a back translation of perhaps one of the most moving passages of the entire show.

27:11 Jamie to Murtagh

 Ciamar as urrainn ​mo leigeil ris a’ chràdh seo​?​ – How ​can I be left to ​this pain?

Murtagh to Jamie

Nì sinn ar dìcheall do leigheas.​ – We shall do our utmost to heal you.

Jamie to Murtagh

Cha ghabh cuid de ​nithean​ leigheas – Some things ​don​’t ​take h​ealing​.

Mar as miann leam, cuir crìoch air seo a-nis. – As is my desire, put an end to this now.

Murtagh to Jamie

Chan ​fhu​ilinn mi ​’n c​òrr. – I’ll suffer no more of this.

Jamie to Murtagh

Chan fhaigh mi seachad air seo. – I won’t get ​past​ this.

An toir ​u orm aslachdainn? – Will you force me to beg?​

Murtagh to Jamie

Thug mi geall do d​’ mhàthair. – I gave a promise to your mother.

​Sìth air a h-anam​. –  Peace on her soul

Nach tig​eadh cron ort​. – That no harm would come to you.​

Jamie to Murtagh

Is anmoch an uair, a ghoistidh -late is the hour, oh godfather​.

Murtagh to Jamie

Agas Claire? – And Claire?

Am bitheadh i na banntrach, air a treigsinn? –  Would she just be a widow, forsaken?

Tha do cheann sa bhrochan. – Your head’s in the porridge (you’re not thinking straight).

Chan eil smaoin agad oirre ann. – You haven’t a single thought for her.

Jamie to Murtagh

Chan eil smaoin agam ann ach oirre-se. – I have​n’t a single​ thought ​of anything but her.

33:32 Willie to Jamie when he walks into Jamie’s room

A Fhrisealaich, bheil u dùisgte? – Fraser, are you awake?

On the beach

51:26  Angus to Murtagh

Air d’ ais, ana-chrìosdaidh -Be off with you, heathen!

On the Cristabel

55:43 Jamie to Claire when she tells him she’s pregnant

Gast’ air fad! – Absolutely brilliant.

With that we’ve reached the end of a marvelous season 1 for Outlander. I’m a bit sad to think that this is the end of the Gaelic episode recaps for the better part of a year. But, I think on #WorldOutlanderDay it is entirely appropriate to thank two people for the part they’ve played in making sure Gaelic language and culture were not given short shrift in the Outlander universe.

First, it was Diana Gabaldon’s brilliance and dedication to grounding her work in the real language and culture of the time period she chose that started a worldwide interest among people who had maybe not given it much thought before. The ultimate vision was hers and it is that vision given such great life in the TV series. However, in that Outlander TV world, it is Àdhamh Ó Broin who deserves our thanks and appreciation for working tirelessly to make sure that authenticity was brought to every scene where Gaelic was spoken.

It was his passion for his culture and history that led him to fight to get or keep every scrap of Gaelic dialogue he could and prevent anything from being a caricature . It was his care and dedication as a teacher that made sure that the actors he worked with were able to learn and perform their lines in such stupendous fashion and, I think in many cases, gain a real appreciation for language and culture they may not have had before. And lastly, it was his generosity as a person that led him to share his time and passion with the countless numbers of Outlander fans through social media. I know I would have probably given up in frustration at ever reaching any understanding of Gaelic without his tireless support and encouragement for a rank beginner. I hope no one will think I take too much on myself when I offer profound thanks on behalf of all of us Outlander fans. Congrats Àdhamh on a brilliant end of season 1 that fittingly includes perhaps the strongest Gaelic scene of the entire season. I know I can’t wait to see what season 2 has in store!

Slàn leat an-dràsta. (Goodbye for now)

P.S. I will keep updating this post as more translation for the scene between Jamie and Murtagh becomes available.

P.S.S. Full transcript now included!!

GreatScot! Travels, Tunes and Tales – 2nd Outlandish Adventure Day 9

ThTT

Well, hello again! You may have noticed but I took a day off. Kind of used Thursday as a bit of a rest day before gearing up for the last 10 days of the trip. I just drove up to Pitlochry for lunch with my friend Susan. She had just come off a long tour and was getting ready to head out again, but there was no way I was going to miss some time to chat and catch up, even if she is much in demand as a blue-badge tour guide for Eyes on Scotland and Outlander Tours!

After that, it was back to Glasgow for dinner with Maggie (and there might have been a glass or two of wine involved). Then it was just one more sleep until Ginger and Summer arrive and the mad rush of Outlander touring begins.

Friday morning, I packed up my stuff in preparation for our relocation north, and then it was FINALLY time to head to the airport. It was then that I discovered that a flight from Dublin is not considered an international flight. (I wonder how the Irish feel about that!) I quickly relocated from international arrivals to the Starbucks across from domestic arrivals. Seeing that no green tea was available, I bought some water and settled in to wait.

Remembering where I parked.
Waiting…waiting…waiting…

Once they arrived, we hopped in the car to head back into Glasgow for the night. However, it is bank holiday weekend in the UK and I have to say that the traffic on holiday weekend Friday in Glasgow has much in common with Atlanta. Eventually, thought, we passed the stalled car and things cleared up. At the hotel, the girls took a quick shower (OK. Summer insists hers was sexier than that, not that G and I were watching) and then it was time for dinner.

Based on my experience last time in Glasgow, I had booked us a table at Mother India in the West End. As last time, the food was fantastic. We started with vegetable pakora and then Ginger had a paneer dish, Summer had Chicken Tikka and I had lamb with leeks. (Yes, Mom. The lambs are still cute, but someone told me they are as large as their mothers by the time they are food.)

Ginger and I in the taxi
Lovely dinner companions
Vegetable parkora
Lamb with leeks

Dinner complete, we headed just down the street to our final event for the day. And when I say final, I mean I knew we would be there until tomorrow. An Gealbhan never ends early. As we approached the Argyll hotel, a familiar figure came into view. Many hugs and greetings with exchanged with Àdhamh Ó Broin, our host for the evening. He explained that things might be a bit more chaotic than usual as the Sutherlands Bar was without a bartender for the evening! Shock…horror….a Gaelic evening without whisky would be a tragedy. Luckily, Àdhamh is multi-talented and was able to man the bar until help arrived.

As a special treat, Àdhamh had arranged for a couple of special guests for the evening. So after kicking off with a song of his own, he introduced the lovely and talented Tara Rankin who favored us with some Gaelic songs a capella, as well as some Cape Breton tunes played on the piano. I’ve been friends with Tara (and the rest of her family) for many years and I took the opportunity to deliver a hug from her Mom as requested. Later in the evening, we were also treated to a talk on Scottish weaponry by a friend of Àdhamh’s, Allan Sutherland. I have some longer videos that I will edit and post when I get back home.

Tara Rankin and Àdhamh
Tara singing
I spy a Highlander among us!
Allan demonstrating weapons

We rounded out the night with some fabulous Gaelic stories. And no…I don’t think any of the Cape Breton ones had a happy ending. I think Tara was amused by how my face lit up every time I recognized a Gaelic word. It was twice as amusing to hear Tara and Àdhamh translate for each other. I’m pretty sure she picked up some new words.

Eventually though, it was time to call the night to an end. Our new friend Asifa gave us a lift back to the hotel so that we didn’t have to find a taxi in the West End after midnight and it was greatly appreciated. Back at the hotel, we all collapsed into bed to refresh ourselves for the next day’s adventure.

Slàn leat an-dràsta!

Great Scot! Outlandish Mutual Appreciation Society – 2nd Outlandish Adventure – Day 3

So…I woke up extra early this morning to watch a little TV. Everyone does that at 5 am, right? Luckily all the technology gods smiled on me and I was able to watch Outlander episode 115 – Wentworth with no problems. Hmm, maybe on second thought that wasn’t the best way to start the day. Going back to sleep afterwards wasn’t really an option either. Haven’t completely decided if that was due to the bright sunny skies or Black Jack Randall. Either way it looks like I’ll be facing the day on about 3 hours sleep. Oh well.

Since I was up (and hadn’t had a chance to stock up on any food), I headed out to Crieff bright and early…about 8 am. It was such a beautiful morning that I couldn’t keep from snapping a few pictures of Loch Faskally and the local pet pheasant.

DSCN0062 DSCN0060

I headed out towards Crieff and made it through at least two weather changes as I went through Sma’ Glen and by the time I arrive at the Hydro it was raining pretty good. My stomach reminded me that I hadn’t had breakfast yet, so I stopped into the Winter Garden cafe for a pot of tea and a slice of millionaire’s shortbread. So maybe that wasn’t the most nutritious choice, but it sure hit the spot and the view was lovely.

Winter Garden Cafe
Breakfast!
View from the cafe

After breakfast, the first item on the agenda for the UK Outlander Gathering was the morning Fayre where many vendors were set up to display and offer for sale goods based on or inspired by Outlander. There were also several areas set up with demonstrations and other goodies. More on that in a bit. The first person I had a chance to speak with was Gillebride MacMillan, otherwise known in the Outlander world as Gwyllin the Bard. I had the opportunity to meet Gillebride last October when I was last in Scotland. I screwed up my courage and greeted him a hearty ‘Ciamar a tha sibh?’ He responded that he was well and then told me that my accent was wonderful, whereupon all the other Gaelic I knew promptly left my head. Probably just as well, I mean why screw up a perfect record?

Next, I spoke with Mr. C. of Acanthus Pies who supplies the lovely meat pies to the Outlander production. We had a great time chatting and looking at the lovely pies he brought. After the Mr. C, I had a chance to talk with the lady who runs the Mary Meander Tours and Outlander Dinner experience in Linlithgow. I’m greatly looking forward to a chance to attend one of their dinners in a week or so with the Outlander Podcast girls and I expect many pics and stories will follow. Lastly, I also got an awesome hug and picture from Ronnie Goodwin who was looking mighty fine in his kilt. Ronnie, whom I had also met last fall, was one of Dougal’s Highland lads in Outlander and many of you may have caught a glimpse of him in the last episode – The Search.

Mr. C!
Lovely bannocks and pies
Gillebride MacMillan
Ronnie Goodwin

Now on to the different demonstrations going on. There were several different things going on demonstration-wise. First, there was an area set up with a wool waulking table and person teaching Gaelic waulking songs. I somehow neglected to get a picture of this though. 😦 I’m sure that was partly because I spent so much time looking at the Outlander Costume area. Terry Dresbach had sent several of her team members to demonstrate and talk about techniques that they used in created costumes for Outlander – including Liz Boulton who many of you likely know from Twitter. Liz talked and showed samples of several of the different embroidery techniques she used in creating costumes.

Liz Boulton talking about techniques
Some of the extra’s costumes
Waistcoat
Terry’s original sketch for Claire’s GatheringDress
Another Terry original
Detail of embroidery
More embroidery detail
Liz demoing the embroidery machine
More waistcoats
Yet more waistcoats

About this time, I noticed a bit of a stir near the entrance to the room we were in. I couldn’t believe who had walked in. None other than Ron Moore and Terry Dresbach, live and in the flesh. They very graciously spent the next couple of hours mingling with fans — talking, signing autographs and posing for photos. And no sooner did the shock of that wear off than I started noticing other familiar figures including Maril Davis (Co-Executive Producer), Ira Behr (Writer/Co-Producer), Toni Graphia (Writer/Co-Producer), Jon Gary Steele (Production Designer) and Michael O’Halleran (editor). All were speaking with fans and posing for pictures. I even spied a few of the Outlander Drivers as well — Kenny and Davey. I took the opportunity to speak and get a few pictures with most of them. It very much turned into a mutual appreciation society as they warmly expressed how much they appreciated all the support from Outlander Fans.

Maril Davis
Toni Graphia
Davey Stewart

I have to take a moment a talk just a bit about Terry. As many of you may know, I help admin Terry’s blog and it is something I am very happy to do. It was so wonderful though to finally get a chance to see Terry in person and collect on the big old hug I told her was the only payment I required. As you can see from the pictures below, it was well worth the wait. I was also able to hand off the 7 lbs of stone ground grits I had brought her from the US to her designated carrier (Ron 😉 ).

Yes, we were just a bit excited.
Couldn’t get enough

Eventually, most everyone had a chance to speak and get pictures and then everyone headed upstairs for a casual lunch.  After lunch, we trooped downstairs to hear talks about Jacobite history and some special presentations from Terry, Ron, Maril, Ira and Toni. It was all simply fascinating. Terry even brought some of the costumes for attendees to get an up close and personal look at.

Geillis’ ‘monkey jacket’
One of Claire’s dresses and woven cowl

Eventually though, the Outlander production people had to pack up and take their leave. I can say that I was thoroughly impressed not just by their willingness to come to the Gathering and share stories and experiences, but I was all very impressed by the Gathering attendees as well. Everyone one was most polite and mannerly and there was not mobbing or crowding. Everyone waited patiently for their turn for an autograph or picture. I saw Ron tweet after the event that it was the best fan event he had every been to and I have to agree. The UK Outlander Gathering attendees have done a superb job.

The last event on the day’s program was the formal dinner and Ceilidh. After a quick change of clothing for most attendees, everyone reconvened in the main meeting room to find that it had been completely transformed. Lighted candelabra adorned every table and the covered chairs had decorative plaid bows. The effect was simply stunning. Finding our seats via place cards, we enjoyed an excellent meal of Leek and Cheddar tart, Haggis stuffed chicken breast with potato and veg, and a dessert of creme brulee with shortbread cookies. Finally, hot tea and coffee service finished the meal (oh and there just happened to be some tablet on the tray as well).

Finally it was time to burn off some of the calories just consumed. Scottish band Skipinish took to the stage to play a mix of new and traditional tunes and call some Scottish Country Dances for the attendees. At this point though, my coach was most definitely about to turn into a pumpkin, so after a couple of songs, I said my goodbyes and hopped in the car for the trip back to Pitlochry. The trip was luckily uneventful except for an owl that swooped out in front of the car.

Tomorrow the plan is to head back to Glasgow for a few days of fun and mayhem. Stay tuned to see what trouble I can get way way into (and hopefully talk my way out of). 😉

Slàn leat an-dràsta!