Google translation better than subtittles?

[Joss]

What does "Don't touch my nose!" means to you?

 

Well.. Just what it says, right?

 

However in Spain has very specific meanings other than the obvious.. Like "don't bother me" or "don't fuck with me" depending on the context.

 

It's what we call figures of speech, right?

 

Freeman says in chapter 1: "I'm so dead!" in relation to being late for work. And that's what it means in spanish if translated literally: I'm very much dead. Nothing more. Just means that you are very dead. That's all.

 

I think you can see the problem right there.. If translations are for those who have little or no knowledge of english and therefore people who never watched a FM/CP episode you can already forget about a new fan base among those if translations are made literally.

 

So.. What's the point of subbing if people are not going to understand what you are translating? Let alone remotely like it.

 

I defend that proper subbing should be able to convey the full meaning given to each sentence by using figures of speech and local slang when appropriate. Anything less than that and we are turning Ross's work into gibberish.

 

Spanish is the language of many nations and while we all can understand each other no two countries speak the same language 100%. When you travel to another country you need some adaptation to the local "variation" and very often ridiculously hilarious situations are prompted because of misunderstandings.

 

While you can manage to learn the variations in a few days the local slang is a different story.. You'll never get it all unless you live for many years in that place.

 

So when you are translating in spanish for the whole world you have a serious problem because no matter what you do, for the most part of the people, what you say will have little or no meaning. That can be ok sometimes, for instance in science because terms are standardized.

 

A very good example are cartoons. US made cartoons are very often translated by mexicans which is ok for mexicans but feel wrong for the vast majority of the spanish speaking world.

 

The way to minimize the damage is by using a very limited vocabulary and a reduced number of sentences which they know to be the most sterile and generally accepted in all countries. They just repeat the same lines time and again leaving the characters void of personality and their dialogs feel vane and meaningless.

 

If there is a sentence everyone no matter where are they from will understand right away is this: "You speak like a cartoon!". Meaning you are not making proper use of language, demonstrating very little knowledge of it, so what you are saying has no meaning of it's unclear.

 

I've been trying to defend this idea in the spanish subtitle subforum but got no support whatsoever. They insist in making a cartoon-like translation for the whole world and I really fear they make it to the official list of subtitles leaving Ross handicapped in the spanish speaking world.

 

I hope somebody else cares about this. Anyway I think this had to be said.

[Alyxx Thorne]

I agree completely. I did the same thing when I made my Norwegian subtitles. I tried not translating it literally, but give it a Norwegian feeling and character so that Norwegians can more easily relate to it.

[ProHypster]

Well I think the guys translating know enough english so that they can translate the emphasis properly.

 

Not many languages have the same phrase but every language has a similar phrase though.

 

Like in English "I'm so dead" would be translated into a russian phrase with similar meaning, like "Мне капец" (Literally "me/I'm fucked")

[Jek Jek Roo]

Okay I think the worst/hardest thing is to translate the barell joke... lot of people don't understand it.

[BTGBullseye]

I'm glad to see that someone else is doing this. I would too, but it's already in English, so I have no necessary jargon translation duties when I start doing the subtitles for all the videos... (I'm planning on going through all episodes of FM and CP first, then move on to the other videos where applicable)

[The Scoutman]

Okay I think the worst/hardest thing is to translate the barell joke... lot of people don't understand it.

I had to check it on Urban Dictionary the first time i heard it,but again,you can always change that for some other dirty joke

[ProHypster]

Okay I think the worst/hardest thing is to translate the barell joke... lot of people don't understand it.

I had to check it on Urban Dictionary the first time i heard it,but again,you can always change that for some other dirty joke

Do the barrel roll? Or "in the barrel"?

 

Both can be translated literraly, I don't see the problem...

The first is a reference from another source along with "We are sparta", "It's over 9000"

The second is an anecdote and

anecdotes can always be translated literally as long as they don't have any wording joke like the short joke with the nigger and the basketball where it goes: Why do niggers play basketball so well? They run and they shoot.. (It's a shitty joke i know)

[Nagisa]

Well, even though it wouldn't be so major in anime, when I watch subtitled anime they always put a note above the subtitle where there's something people in other countries wouldn't understand (beisdes the language itself, obviously! ).

[Axeldeath]

I don't know why but subtittles made me laugh :l