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33rd translation contest: "Back to the playground" » English to Swahili » Entry by Paul Septan


Source text in English

Translation by Paul Septan (#38125)

[...] “I have a proposal.” It leaned forward like my friend April does when she wants to tell a secret, even though none of her secrets are any good. Or even really secrets. “If you don’t tell anyone I am here, I can fix your eyes.”
“Get out of town!”
It blinked a couple of times. “That is what I am attempting to do.”
“What I mean is you can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“Well, no one else has been able to fix my eyes, besides with glasses.”
“I have certain abilities. You will see, provided…”
“…I don’t tell anyone about you?”
“That is the heart of it, that is the nub.”
“How do I know you won’t blind me? You could be like one of those telemarketers making promises but totally lying.”
It started waxing on, waxing off again. “I would not do such a thing to a creature who has done me no harm.”
“Meaning if I harmed you, you could make me go blind?”
“That’s on a need-to-know basis.”
“And if you fix my eyes, and I don’t tell anyone about you, you’ll leave our fields?”
“That’s the heart of it!” [...]
[...] "Nina pendekezo." Iliegemea mbele kama rafiki yangu April anapotaka kutoa siri, ingawa hakuna siri yake ulio nzuri. Au hata siri za kweli. "Ikiwa hautamwambia mtu yeyote kuwa niko hapa, naweza kurekebisha macho yako."
“Ondoka mjini!”
Ilipepesa mara kadhaa. "Hicho ndicho ninachojaribu kufanya."
"Ninachomaanisha ni kuwa huwezi kufanya hivyo!"
"Kwa nini nisiweze?"
"Kwa kweli, hakuna mtu mwingine ameweza kurekebisha macho yangu, isipokuwa na miwani."
"Nina uwezo kadhaa. Utaona, bora tu…”
"...Simwambii mtu yeyote kukuhusu?"
"Huo ndio moyo wake, ndio kilele."
“Nitajuaje kuwa hutanipofusha? Unaweza kuwa mmoja wa wauzaji wa simu wanaotoa ahadi lakini ni kudanganya kabisa.
Ilianza kutoa sauti, ikazima tena. "Siwezi fanya kitu kama hicho kwa kiumbe ambaye hajanidhuru."
"Ina maana nikikudhuru, unaweza kunifanya niwe kipofu?"
"Hiyo ni kwa msingi wa hitaji la kujua."
"Na ukinitengeneza macho yangu, na nisimwambie mtu yeyote kuhusu wewe, utaondoka kwenye mashamba yetu?"
"Huo ndio moyo wake!" [...]


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