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UP Beloved:
A Great Revelation
photo by gomi at flickr

The University of the Philippines (UP) was created on 18 June 1908 by Legislative Act 1870 with Murray Bartlett as the first President. I want to celebrate the birth of UP by pointing out and improving on a historical mediocrity concerning our UP Beloved.

Today, 2 June 2006, I was looking at somebody’s proposed program for the induction of officers of a UP Alumni Chapter in Manila and suddenly I noticed that the Tagalog translation of ‘UP Beloved’ has been all along lacking in content and ideas. It seems to me the work of an intelligent but lazy translator, or of one whose translation was done too fast it couldn’t be but careless.

Some people like to sing ‘UP Naming Mahal’ and I like to sing ‘UP Beloved.’ - I don't. After this, I would also like to sing ‘UP Naming Mahal.’ This is the old translation:

U.P. Naming Mahal
U.P. Naming Mahal
Pamantasang hirang
Ang tinig namin
Sana’y iyong dinggin
Malayong lupain
Amin mang marating
Di rin magbabago ang damdamin
Di rin magbabago ang damdamin.

Luntian at pula
Sagisag magpakailan man
Ating ipagdiwang
Bulwagan ng dangal
Humayo’t itanghal
Giting at tapang
Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan
Mabuhay ang pag-asa ng bayan.

Just reading it and you will say, why, it’s a pretty poem, and it is; it’s a nice song too. Now, if you compare it with the original (see below), you will appreciate it when I give it 2 stars (**) out of a possible five stars (*****).

I shall now use my RISC Rating judging a translation (see my blogsite http://indiosbravos.blogspot.com for more details on my RISC formula):

Rhyme. ‘UP Naming Mahal’ on the whole is Good.

Ideas. ‘UP Naming Mahal’ is Bad. There are at least 16 major ideas that the translation ignores and that are in the original: alma mater, united, joyful, loyal, sing, we, ever, be, echo, watchword, give out, password, songs, rare, sing, message. That’s unforgivable because the original song is very, very short. The original is exactly 75 words; 18 words omitted out of 75 means that the translation omits 24% of the words. Too many.

Style. ‘UP Naming Mahal’ is Good. You can’t really translate English style to Tagalog style without something missing in the translation.

Content. ‘UP Naming Mahal’ is Poor. These concepts or thoughts are not translated at all: ‘for thee united,’ ‘joyful voices,’ ‘echo the watchword,’ ‘give out the password,’ ‘sing forth the message.’ You can’t miss in a translation very important things such as these. And don't forget that if you choose to ignore ideas in the original, that's how much content you are not translating.

Other comments. ‘Di rin magbabago ang damdamin’ is a mistranslation of ‘Loyal thy sons we’ll ever be.’ In fact, it is an idea not found in the original. ‘Pamantasang hirang’ is quite inadequate a translation of ‘our alma mater dear.’ It does not translate 'alma mater.'

Now, here is the original UP anthem in English, from a poem by Tiogenes Velez:

U.P. Beloved
U.P. Beloved, thou Alma Mater dear
For thee united, our joyful voices hear
Far though we wander, o’er islands yonder
Loyal thy sons we’ll ever be
Loyal thy sons we’ll ever be.

Echo the watchword, the Red and Green forever.
Give out the password to the Hall of Brave sons rare.
Sing forth the message, ring out with courage
All hail, thou hope of our dear land
All hail, thou hope of our dear land.

And here is my own translation (2 June 2006):

UP Naming Mahal (Frank A Hilario '65)
UP Naming Mahal, Inang Diwang Hirang
Sa ‘yo’y kaisa, ang tinig masaya.
Saan mang marating, dako pa roon
Anak kaming laging tapat
Anak kaming laging tapat.

Bantay ulitin, pula’t lunti kailanman
Susi’y bigkasin sa Bulwagan ng Tapang
Ulat sambitin, giting awitin
Mabuhay, pag-asa ng bayan
Mabuhay, pag-asa ng bayan!

‘Bantay’ is poetic license for ‘bantay salita’ (watchword). ‘Susi’ is poetic license for ‘susing salita’ (password or keyword). I have to invent words. The trouble with Tagalog is that the vocabulary is limited as well as that the words that are there are too long even for simple ideas.

All in all, I daresay my translation is at least 95% close to the original in rhyme, ideas, style and content. Whether you accept it or not is beside the point – the point is that the old translation is not worthy of UP.

The Great Revelation: 'Ang tinig namin / Sana'y iyong dinggin.' That's supposed to translate 'For thee united, our joyful voices hear.' There is no expression of unity in those Tagalog lines, only a plea to be heard, that is, a plea for freedom of expression. Typical UP, not enough UP. This is an affront to Tiogenes Velez, who wrote the poem that became the lyrics of the song; this is an affront to the rest of us.

Now I have one good explanation as to why the Philippines is not united - Why, even in the University of the Philippines, the State University, which should set the example, which has given us many leaders of the country, we have been singing an anthem that completely ignores unity!