Post by killerzzz on Oct 18, 2009 3:35:19 GMT
Hey Canadians or other bilingual-country'd people, ever get a good laugh at how completely different a translation of something is from the original?
(actually, I guess anyone from a non-English speaking country who sees any American stuff would know this too)
Well I have. ;D
Besides titles of movies and the sides of cereal boxes, I recently came across a french movie in a bargain bin that had both the English and French versions of the plot on the back. And they are like two different movies!
So I decided to write both plots down, and share them here.
And now the original french text is:
Which roughly translates to (but I bet Fille could do a more accurate translation):
Mind you, that's pretty direct. I guess I could dramatize it with different words like "THEY have arrived..."
But my point is that the focus of both outlines are very different, the english one seeming halfhearted and corny. Anyhoo, anyone else know what I mean with this sort of thing?
Killerzzz
(actually, I guess anyone from a non-English speaking country who sees any American stuff would know this too)
Well I have. ;D
Besides titles of movies and the sides of cereal boxes, I recently came across a french movie in a bargain bin that had both the English and French versions of the plot on the back. And they are like two different movies!
So I decided to write both plots down, and share them here.
"Lucas and Clementine live in a big, isolated house, near a dark, menacing forest. As night closes in, strange noises can be heard outside. A flashlight blinds them. The shutters slam closed. The attack begins. Who are “they”? What do “they” want? Lucas and Clementine may never live to find out. Their house, their refuge, their sanctuary has become a death-trap."
And now the original french text is:
Lucas et Clémentine,couple trentenaire expatrié en Roumanie, habitent depuis peu dans une maison, en banlieu de Bucarest. Elle, professeur de Français, lui, achevant sa thèse, vivent un bonheur paisible... Pourtant, un soir, dans leur maison, tout va basculer... La puie battante fait rage à l’extérieur... Le téléphone retentit, des voix lointaines au bout du fil... incompréhensibles. Le couple n’est pas seul... Le cauchemar commence... ILS sont là...
Which roughly translates to (but I bet Fille could do a more accurate translation):
Lucas and Clementine, a couple in their thirties deported(?) to Romania, have lived for a while in a house, on the outskirts of Bucharest. She, a french teacher, (and) he, achieving his thesis, live a peaceful happiness... However, one night, in their house, everything will topple apart... The beating rain rages outside... The telephone rings, distant... incomprehensible voices on the line... The couple is not alone... The nightmare begins... THEY are there...
Mind you, that's pretty direct. I guess I could dramatize it with different words like "THEY have arrived..."
But my point is that the focus of both outlines are very different, the english one seeming halfhearted and corny. Anyhoo, anyone else know what I mean with this sort of thing?
Killerzzz
The mistakes made are too numerous to count, and many of them are hilarious! I don't have any specific ones right now... But I know that it often happens when the movies have subtitles, like: