# Lingala: bolingo molema



## judec

Hi

This is not strictly a french vocabulary problem but comes up in a french translation I am doing.  It is probably a congolese word/expression.  Bolingo could refer to some kind of music, could be a person, is also a place in Congo.  But other than that I am not sure what it could be.  If anyone can help....

Many thanks in advance
Judec


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## Djayek

Hello, 
If it's written like that in the text, there is probably a reason and I wouldn't have translated it...


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## judec

Thanks for that.

I will probably have to do that but the whole thing would make more sense if I knew what they were referring to when they say la bolingo molema.

Judec


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## catay

This may not be very helpful, but I found this translation for bolingo from the language Lingala : 
Bolingo - love
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingala_language
And songs with the titles: _Bolingo_ and _Pasi-no-Molema_ on the Young Babuka Band/Sacrifice album:

http://www.virginmega.fr/artiste/young-babuka-band-191343,-1,page1.htm


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## mally pense

Why attempt to translate something that was left in Spanish in the original? The reason for leaving it in its native language in the first place is almost certainly as valid for your translation as it was for the original I would have thought.

I can understand your desire to discover the meaning though, and this might be relevant to how you translate the surrounding text. ***IF*** you wanted to post the context (as the forum guidelines suggest you do), someone (possibly even me) might be able to throw some light on it.


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## judec

Thankyou Catay  - I did find that after I posted my message.  The sentence in the letter is as follows:

"Si c'était la bolingo molema, là voîlà, il va me répondre rapidement"

If it were the "bolingo molema", there we are, he will reply quickly"

In answer to mally pense = it is definitely not Spanish but must come from an African language as Catay says.

Thanks to you all for the discussion.


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## mally pense

My apologies, I read "bilongo" instead of "bolingo"... in which case it would have been a reasonably well known Cuban tune, La negra Tomasa, with which I'm familiar, and which caught my eye (erroneously it appears) in the subject line.

Your context sentence doesn't give too much away. I'd ask what the previous sentence was, but I'm running out of steam.


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## Fritzli

*Disponible dans les librairies: 
*
Dictionnaire Français-Lingala et Lingala-Français 
Ashem Tem Kawata 
Karthala ; broché ; dictionnaire et encyclopédie; 37,05 € 

Parlons lingala Tobola lingala - Edition bilingue 
Edouard Etsio 
L'harmattan ; broché ; méthode de langue ; 18,81 € 

Dictionnaire sémantique illustré français-lingala - Coffret volumes 1 et 2 
A. Dzokanga 
Bisomoko ; coffret ; dictionnaire et encyclopédie ( 2 volumes ) ; 79,66 € 

Lingala Grammar and Dictionary: English-Lingala, Lingala-English 
Malcolm Guthrie 
Baptist Missionary Society (01 06 1988); € 13,95 

Glossary Of Business Terms: English-lingala, Lingala-english 
Budibunene Ngandu 
Aglob Pub (30 09 2004) $ 14.95 
ISBN 1594270341 

Lingala für Kongo und Republik Kongo Wort für Wort 
Rogerio Goma Mpasi 
Reise Know-How Verlag, Bielefeld (1992) € 7,90 
(lialemani / allemand) 

Aussprache-Trainer Lingala für Kongo-Reisende und Zaire-Reisende 1 Audio-CD 
Rogerio Goma Mpasi 
Reise Know-How Verlag Rump (2005) € 7,90

*Sur internet
*
fr.***wiktionary.***org/wiki/Catégorie:lingala (without / sans ***)
ln.***wikipedia.***org (without / sans ***)


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## judec

Thanks for all that fantastic information.  When I have a moment it will be great to do some more research.


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## shanonia

bolingo is love in lingala
and it is not molema..
it is motema, which is heart


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## Istriano

Bolingo was a song by La Bouche.


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## aherimatek

shanonia said:


> bolingo is love in lingala
> and it is not molema..
> it is motema, which is heart


"Motema Pe Molema" is the name of a Nollywood Film in Lingala, and I would venture to guess that this title translates to "Heart and Soul". Molema is soul, according to some online dictionaries, but is an alternate poetic version of motema, meaning heart, according to my Kawata Ashem Tem dictionary.


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