“Mujer Latina” (Latin Woman) by Thalía, English translation

“Latin Woman” Lyrics Translation
Album: Amor a la Mexicana (Love to the Mexican Woman), 1997
Style: Salsa, pop, quick beat, energetic, joyful. This happy song comes from one of Thalía’s most popular albums. It’s good for dancing.
Country: Mexico
Listen: YouTube

Translation:

Chorus 1:
———————————————
Vengo, vengo, vengo de caña.
Vengo, vengo, vengo del son.
Tengo, tengo, tengo en el alma
Ritmo, ritmo, ritmo y sabor.

I come from, come from, come from sugar cane.
I come from, come from, come from son.
I have, have, have in my soul
Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm and flavor.
———————————————

[Musical break]

Chorus 2:
——————————
Vengo de raza y de palmera,
De campo y de labriego,
De caña y de madera.

I come from people and palm tree,
From field and farmworker,
From sugarcane and from wood.

Mi orgullo es ser latina,
De mar y cordillera,
Ardiente como el fuego,
Soy sangre de mi tierra.

My pride is being Latina,
From sea and mountain range,
Blazing like the fire,
I am the blood of my land.
——————————

Soy la hembra sandunguera
Caliente como un fogón,
Dulce cuando me enamoro
Y entrego mi corazón.

I am the female party animal,
Hot like a hearth,
Sweet when I fall in love
And surrender my heart.

Soy la hermana de la rumba,
De la gaita y del tambor,
Del fuego y la sabrosura
Que llevo en esta canción.
Y te digo~

I am the sister of the rumba,
Of the bagpipes and the drum, [*gaita = Spanish bagpipes]
Of the fire and the deliciousness
That I carry in this song.
And I tell you~

[Chorus 1: “Vengo, vengo, vengo de caña…”, x2]

Canto al aire y a la noche,
A la brisa y al amor,
A la sangre de mi tierra
Le llevo mi inspiración.

I sing to the air and to the night,
To the breeze and to love,
To the blood of my land
I carry my inspiration (to it).

Tengo miel, tengo pradera,
Tengo raza y luz del sol,
Corazón de aventurera
De fuego, tabaco y ron.
Y te digo~

I have honey, I have meadow,
I have people and sunlight,
Heart of an adventurer
Of fire, tobacco and rum.
And I tell you~

Sandunguera – soy sandunguera.
Sandunguera – soy parrandera.
Sandunguera – pura candela.
Sandunguera – si me tocas, te quemas.

Party girl – I am a party girl.
Party girl – I am a reveler.
Party girl – pure candle flame.
Party girl – if you touch me, you’ll burn yourself.

Sandunguera – vengo de caña.
Sandunguera – y de palmera.
Sandunguera- soy sandunguera.
Y estoy rebuena.

Party girl – I come from sugarcane.
Party girl – and from palm tree.
Party girl – I am a party girl.
And I am super fine.

[Chorus 1: “Vengo, vengo, vengo de caña…”]

[Chorus 2: “Vengo de raza y de palmera…”]

No me gustan las palabras
Que faltan a la verdad.
Llevo cantos en el alma
De amor a la libertad.

I do not like words
That lack in truthfulness.
I carry songs in my soul
Of love of liberty.

Y si entrego mis pasiones,
No hay barreras para amar,
Cuando son dos corazones
Que se quieren de verdad.
Y te digo~

And if I surrender my passions,
There are no barriers to love,
Where there are two hearts
That truly love each other.
And I tell you~

[Chorus 1: “Vengo, vengo, vengo de caña…“]

[Chorus 2: “Vengo de raza y de palmera…“]

Translation Notes:

Vengo, vengo, vengo del son.
I come from, come from, come from son

son = a music style that influenced salsa and other rhythm music

—

Vengo de raza y de palmera
I come from people and palm tree
I come from community and palm tree [alt.]

raza = lit. race, but the term has different connotations than “race” in English because the concept of race is different in Latin America and the specific word raza has a different usage history rooted in the 1920s and 1960s.

When people say mi raza in Spanish, they mean “my people” (related by culture and common history), not “my race” (related by genetics).

See: Gustavo Arellano’s column in the OC Weekly about this [2013: updated link because original url is a broken link]. It is opinionated, but gives history:

Viva la raza! will never be dropped, nor should it be. It ties anyone who says it back to the Chicano movement, where the term originated. (The earliest citation I could find was in a 1966 Los Angeles Times article that quoted legendary activist Bert Corona as exclaiming during a fundraising dinner in L.A. “Viva la causa, viva la raza, y viva la unidad” — “Long live the cause, long live la raza, and long live unity.”) The raza part connects the slogan to the idea of la raza cósmica — the Cosmic Race, the idea put forth by Vasconcelos of a day where humanity would trump the antiquated razas of the Enlightenment. The viva part is a direct descendant of the Grito de Dolores, the proclamation issued by Miguel Hidalgo ushering in Mexico’s War of Independence. It might seem strange to have non-Mexis shout “Viva la raza!” in this egalitarian society, but Mexicans don’t find it racist or exclusionary, because it isn’t.

—

Caliente como un fogón
Hot like a hearth
Hot like a kitchen firestove [alt.]

fogón = kitchen firestove, usually made of stone; fireplace + stove

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“Mujer Latina” by Thalia, song translation from Spanish to English