CHANGED in Translation

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

So I'm watching Full Metal Alchemist in JP and then English for listening comprehension and I'm noticing a fair amount of F-ups.

For example, in episode 9 Winry asks the shopkeeper to give her the oil for Ed free in JP but in English she asks him to add it to her tab. In the same episode, the inkeeper and son tell Ed that their inn is the best in Youswell and that wherever he goes it'll be the same price in JP, but in English they tell him it's the best and only one.

I've also spotted quite a few funny English/Spanish translations from the NYC MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority.)

[GaijinPunch]

I doubt they're fuck ups. Most likely they're there to accommodate something or other. Note that J->E are usually more accurate than E->J (I assume *->J, actually). You will never see 3 lines of text in a Japanese subtitled show. As such, the translation lacks a certain level of precision. It is somewhat irksome, but can be used to further fuel a desire to learn the language.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

I guess they couldn't find a quick way of saying ”これサービスして (kore sa-bisu shite. Give me this for free please” without making it sound awkward, but man, "add this to my tab" is a 180 degree reversal of meaning. I was hoping to check my comprehension with the English voices, however, with their conveniently changing the meaning of stuff, that idea is out the window . It also makes me feel like they would change some major plot point to accommodate for stuff.

[GaijinPunch]

It also makes me feel like they would change some major plot point to accommodate for stuff.

It's an anime right? No worries there.

[BIL]

Silent Hill 2 has a translation difference that I wondered about. In the English script (as with all SH games, the only voiced one), the protagonist's wife tells him in a letter: "You promised you'd take me there again someday, but you never did." Apparently the Japanese script goes "...again someday, but because of me [her illness], that wasn't possible." It's quite a different statement, in that story's context. "You promised, but my later circumstances made it impossible for you" vs "You neglected your promise to me."

I always wondered if the translator had taken a liberty there as he did in a few other places, but generally the English script seems to elaborate on JP statements, not fundamentally change them.

[Lordstar]

a lot of it has to do with the time frame on which the character moves his mouth. its not super vital to the story that the character gets the can of oil for free. I dont see a problem

[moozooh]

The "vitality" of everything in regards to the story is not up for discussion; mistranslation is a bad thing regardless, which is why people grow to be more picky about translations as they develop the taste and knowledge of the foreign culture. The best possible thing, of course, is to learn both the original language and culture context.

[Frederik]

There are a lot of mistranslations in the german dubbing of The Simpsons. I love the german voices, but some of the translations are pretty stupid, for instance in that episode where they show the Simpsons in the future and Lisa is at college, where she buys a soy sucker at a vending machine. The text on it reads "Now with gag surpressant". They translated it to something meaning "Now with joke surpressant" instead of "Now you won´t have to vomit".

These "WTF is that supposed to mean"-moments actually occur quite frequently, but then again I feel very smug when I can point out what the original meaning was by just hearing the german mistranslation (They translated Milhouse doing "WHAZZUP" with "What is going OOOON?", which was kinda cute actually.)

[Herr Schatten]

These "WTF is that supposed to mean"-moments actually occur quite frequently, but then again I feel very smug when I can point out what the original meaning was by just hearing the german mistranslation

Ha! So I'm not the only one.

[D]

Germany and the synchronisation dubbing. They do it because:
-few germans can read or something like that!
Everything they translate they do it with the same dude!
Are horror movies still frightful?

[Frederik]

Germany and the synchronisation dubbing. They do it because:
-few germans can read or something like that!
Everything they translate they do it with the same dude!
Are horror movies still frightful?

I´m pretty sure we do it because our market is actually big enough to warrant the cost.

The Simpsons is one of the few examples of dubbing done well. The german voice of Marge had a lot more character; I find her US voice pretty annoying.
It´s a bit weird, however, that Tom Hanks and Bill Murray share the same voice here, amongst other things. I enjoyed watching TV everytime I was in the Netherlands because of the lack of subtitling; maybe that contributes to learning English easier.

The worst case of what dubbing can do is Monty Phytons And The Search For The Holy Grail - in the german dubbing King Arthur throws out bad one-liners like there´s no tomorrow, while in the original he´s stonefaced and serious, which creates a completely different atmosphere considering his chaotic surroundings. Even worse is the voice-over in MTV shows (not that the crap on MTV has any quality to begin with), those are real low-grade sync voices and stuff like "It´s like, totally awesome and stuff" doesn´t really need to be translated anyways...

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

It also makes me feel like they would change some major plot point to accommodate for stuff.

It's an anime right? No worries there.

I really like FMA so it's an issue with me. I'm also doing listening comprehension and the English voices being inaccurate don't help.

[GaijinPunch]

Well, at some point the errors will actually provide some type of challenge. Simply reading and soaking in doesn't necessarily spark your brain. It's a lot of data to take in, but you'll get into a mode of thinking everything you read/see is the gospel.

But I stand by my previous statement. Japanese subtitles are far less accurate.