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33rd translation contest: "Back to the playground" » English to Swahili » Entry by Elijah Koome


Source text in English

Translation by Elijah Koome (#38171)

[...] “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." Ilijiegemeza kunikaribia kama rafiki yangu April afanyavyo anapotaka kusema jambo la siri, ingawa hakuna siri zake ambazo ni nzuri kiasi hicho. Au hata siri kweli. "Ikiwa hutamwambia mtu yeyote kuwa niko hapa, naweza kutibu macho yako."

"Toka mjini!"

Ilipiga kope mara kadhaa. "Hilo ndilo ninajaribu kufanya."

"Ninachomaanisha ni kwamba huwezi kufanya hivyo!"

"Kwanini?"

"Kwa kweli, hakuna mtu mwingine aliyewahi kuweza kutibu macho yangu, isipokuwa kwa miwani."

"Nina uwezo fulani. Utaona, mradi tu..."

"...Sitamwambia mtu yeyote kukuhusu?"

"Hicho ndicho kiini chake, hiyo ndiyo hoja."

"Je, nitajuaje kuwa hutanifanya kipofu? Unaweza kuwa kama wale mawakala wa simu wanaotoa ahadi lakini wanadanganya kabisa."

Ilianza kujirudiarudia, kwa lengo la kufikia ustadi. "Siwezi kufanya kitu kama hicho kwa kiumbe ambaye hajafanya kitu kibaya kwangu."

"Unamaanisha ikiwa nitakudhuru, unaweza kunifanya niwe kipofu?"

"Hiyo ni kwa msingi wa kujua kwa ulazima."

"Na ikiwa utatibu macho yangu, na sitamwambia mtu yeyote kukuhusu, utaondoka kwenye mashamba yetu?"

"Hicho ndicho kiini chake!" [...]


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