Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2010 August 29

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August 29

Translation

When translating a film or TV show into another language, what happens if there is a scene in that film or TV show in which a character speaks that language in the English version? jc iindyysgvxc (my contributions) 08:36, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Depends on the country and its habits, but I'd say they just let it be - the audience understands it. A special case is when the foreign language is supposed to mean something, but in fact the characters on the screen are saying something completely different - this happens sometimes, especially with "minor" languages that are used just as an exotic backdrop. In cases like that, the translator simply translates the intended meaning (they get a dialogue list) and lets the audience stare at disbelief into a scene where a familiar language is spoken, and the subtitles say something completely else than the characters onscreen. I'm talking about subtitling here, of course. TomorrowTime (talk) 11:08, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Sometimes a different language is used. I'm afraid I can't remember my source - it was quite a long time ago that I heard this - but a TV show that had a brief section in German used a different language in that bit for the German dub...French, I think. I really wish I could remember the specifics, now... Vimescarrot (talk) 13:14, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Perhaps you're thinking of the Futurama episode (A Clone of My Own?) where the professor is demonstrating his translating machine which will only translate to a dead language - French, except in the French dub when the dead language is German. Astronaut (talk) 19:11, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

I believe that was it, yes. Well done that man. Have a biscuit. Vimescarrot (talk) 00:26, 30 August 2010 (UTC)

One example: True Blood is shown on Swedish TV with subtitles (like virtually all foreign language content not intended for small children). When Eric Northman switches to Swedish, there simply are no subtitles. It is not unusual to initially not understand a word, since you're expecting English. Luckily the mind seems to keep a replay buffer so you can parse it again with the expectation of hearing Swedish. /Coffeeshivers (talk) 14:20, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

In the Italian dubbing, local dialects are sometimes used. For example, a Gangster is usually dubbed with a thick Sicilian accent. In the original version of A Fish Called Wanda, Otto seduces Anna using Italian phrases, while in the Italian translation it's switched to Spanish (which can have a "sensual" sound to Italian ears, unlike, for example, German or Russian). Having a similar culture and language, Italian and Spanish are often used for this purpose: in the Spanish version of Scrubs, Carla is not from Latin America, but from Italy. Sometimes a language change is not enough and a more radical adaptation has to be done: in the Simpsons episode The Last of the Red Hat Mamas Lisa is learning to speak Italian, while in the Italian version she's studying Italian history (a switch to other languages wouldn't have worked, because of the several scenes set in Italy). In the following episode, The Italian Bob, jokes about Italian words are changed to jokes about Italian culture. In the German version of Malcolm in the middle, the two German characters (Otto and Gretchen) are transformed into Danes. Also, in the German dubbed version of American Dad!, the German fish Klaus speaks in a Saxon dialect, which is seen as a stereotype for East Germans in general. His behavior in the German version is similar to that of an ex-Stasi agent and he hints that he was attached to the Stasi agency, which serves as an alternative to the hints that he has Nazi sympathies in the English version. Also, Frau Farbissina, a fictional German character from the Austin Powers series, speaks with an Upper Saxon dialect in the German translation. Üter, from the Simpsons is localized as a student from Switzerland, and not form Germany. --151.51.145.104 (talk) 15:12, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Also, sometimes they simply put that in a different language. For example, sometimes on Scrubs one of the characters Elliot speaks German, and I believe in Germany they have her speak Swedish or such. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.126.191.109 (talk) 21:40, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

BBC Four have been showing the (excellent) Swedish version of Wallander with the Swedish dialogue subtitled in English. If characters speak other languages, that too is subtitled in English; unless they speak English, in which case so subtitles are shown. Astronaut (talk) 18:51, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

In bilingual kids shows, like Handy Manny or Dora the Explorer, they just swap the langauages; so when Dora speaks Spanish in the English version, she speaks English in the Spanish version. --Jayron32 05:18, 30 August 2010 (UTC)

In high school French class, we watched The Crepes of Wrath one day, with everything dubbed by French actors...except the parts that were already in French, which kept the American actors' terrible accents. Adam Bishop (talk) 15:28, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

This also occurred in the final scenes of the Life is Beautiful film. The film was done in Italian. One of the final scenes has an American soldier speaking in English to a young Italian child who only understands Italian. When they dubbed the film into English, I believe they had the soldier speak in Spanish (or some such). If they kept the soldier speaking in English, it would have destroyed the intent of the scene, whereby the confused and frightened child is not supposed to understand what the soldier is saying. (64.252.34.115 (talk) 01:42, 31 August 2010 (UTC))

When I saw the movie, the American on the tank at the end was speaking English. It's jarring enough after watching a whole film in Italian that it still works for English speakers. —D. Monack ^talk 03:35, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

MythBusters filming location

The other day I saw and episode of MythBusters that focused on MacGyver myths. The last couple of minutes of the episode had Adam and Jamie busting out of a locked structure and signalling a helicopter for rescue using a giant kite. I found a Youtube clip of the scene and I was wondering were it was filmed.

Americanfreedom (talk) 21:42, 29 August 2010 (UTC)