Grammar that makes you cringe

[ian]

Yet despite being dead, his recording output hasn't diminished. If anything he's been more productive.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Article about translated subtitles: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/oct/21/the-returned-spiral-the-killing-subtitle
Interesting that they seem to be translating and subtitling in one. We used to create subtitles first and then translate them. This had the disadvantage that you were subtitling something that was already a precis and often without context (Hollywood paranoia meaning translators weren't always allowed access to the video and audio) but did mean the translators only had to translate, the timing and simplification was done for them.

The technical side is not always quite as straightforward as they say. The number of characters and rows and their position on the screen depend on the font, which is chosen by the studio and/or broadcaster, and the purpose of the subs (whether for the hard of hearing, for instance). Also, whether you translate visuals.

As for translating names and words that are in other languages, that's a minefield. Our house policy was to completely ignore words in foreign languages. IMO this was wrong – if it wasn't meant to be understood or at least convey something, it wouldn't be there. So 'bonjour' is worth subbing IMO because it's well understood by most English speakers but not necessarily by others. Also, SDH would need to know that some foreign language was being spoken even if it was incomprehensible. But hey, policy is policy and it can't always make sense!

[T42]

Yet despite being dead, his recording output hasn't diminished. If anything he's been more productive.

He share an agent with Buddy Holly?

[Mr Larrington]

Thanks to the efforts of the sub-titlers I now know that the Scandiwegian word "Hallo" means "Hallo".  Or "Hello".

[Ian H]

Thanks to the efforts of the sub-titlers I now know that the Scandiwegian word "Hallo" means "Hallo".  Or "Hello".

Hullo!  I never knew that.

[hellymedic]

Having a cousin who is a Scandiwegian film director and getting to see many of her films, it seems they often don't bother subbing English speech and assume Danes understand enough Swedish (and vice versa) to switch seamlessly between various Scandiwegian tongues.

[Bledlow]

I recall watching Swedish programmes on Danish TV in the 1970s - with English subtitles.

One of my proudest moments back then was spotting a mistake in the Danish subtitles of a British sitcom.

[Cudzoziemiec]

You thought it was a mistake, the subtitlers might have thought it was the best compromise between conveying the meaning and fitting in with the technical demands of the medium! One of the advantages of dubbing is that it isn't restricted in the same way.

[T42]

Saw one recently where every time the word "fils" was said in French the word "wires" appeared in English, e.g. in a sentence such as "your wires got my daughter pregnant".

[Bledlow]

You thought it was a mistake, the subtitlers might have thought it was the best compromise between conveying the meaning and fitting in with the technical demands of the medium! One of the advantages of dubbing is that it isn't restricted in the same way.

Nope. Plain & simple mistranslation because the English was misunderstood. Danish doesn't do it the same, & I assume the translator hadn't encountered that particular Englishism. It's the sort of thing lessons probably wouldn't cover. Short phrase, accurate translation of which would have fitted into the subtitles very easily.

Q. "What's the time?"
A. "22".

I think you can work out what it should have been.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Saw one recently where every time the word "fils" was said in French the word "wires" appeared in English, e.g. in a sentence such as "your wires got my daughter pregnant".

I think that's gone beyond translation error or any linguistic issue into simply not paying any attention to what you're doing.

[Cudzoziemiec]

You thought it was a mistake, the subtitlers might have thought it was the best compromise between conveying the meaning and fitting in with the technical demands of the medium! One of the advantages of dubbing is that it isn't restricted in the same way.

Nope. Plain & simple mistranslation because the English was misunderstood. Danish doesn't do it the same, & I assume the translator hadn't encountered that particular Englishism. It's the sort of thing lessons probably wouldn't cover. Short phrase, accurate translation of which would have fitted into the subtitles very easily.

Q. "What's the time?"
A. "22".

I think you can work out what it should have been.

Ah. At first I though you meant that was a mistake in translating subs from Danish to English, in which case I can see at least two ways it could have occurred (translator proficient in English but unfamiliar with usage beyond railway timetables, or studio/TV channel being tight – some of them are unbelievably so) but in either case, it sounds odd but doesn't change the meaning. But I've realised you mean from English to Danish, which is actually quite a funny mistake (and also probably a result of unfamiliarity with usage as distinct from language). 

[Bledlow]

Yes, I'm sure that was it: unfamiliarity with that particular usage.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Could be unfamiliarity with "twenty to" or even with not using the 24-hr clock, but actually lack of context could also be a factor. It would probably be obvious, if you had the video, if it's not 10pm, but not if the translator's not given that visual context. Again, the initial mistake could be nothing to do with the translator but a mishearing (or misunderstanding) by someone creating English subtitles. It all depends on the process used, but someone involved being unfamiliar with that usage does seem a likelihood.

[jsabine]

But surely it's not just unfamiliarity with the usage "twenty-to;" it also implies unfamiliarity with any time-related usage. I've *never* heard an English-speaker say "twenty two" when they mean 10pm. They might say "twenty two hundred" or "twenty two hundred hours," they might have said "twenty two fifteen" if it was quarter of an hour later.

[Cudzoziemiec]

That reminds me of a conversation I overheard in Montreal. What I overheard was in English between two Anglophone Canadians but was reporting a misunderstanding one of them had had with a Francophone – whether that was in French or English, I'm not sure, but a meeting had been arranged for "seven", which the Anglophone assumed meant 7 p.m., whereas the Francophone, being used to thinking in 24-hour clock, had meant 7 a.m.

[T42]

And the confusing German habit of saying "half seven" when they mean six-thirty.

Working in Germany, I got so used to this that the English meaning now seems strange; so I no longer use it.

[Ian H]

You have reminded me of the French fellow who, asked the time (in English), replied (in English) "two to two".  He paused, then said, "it sounds strange does it not, 'two to two'".   One of those odd idiosyncrasies of English usage.

[The French Tandem]

Saw one recently where every time the word "fils" was said in French the word "wires" appeared in English, e.g. in a sentence such as "your wires got my daughter pregnant".

The joys of translation are endless! I once bought a shirt that was made in Turkey. The shirt was properly labeled, in french, "Fabriqué en Dinde".

[jsabine]

And the confusing German habit of saying "half seven" when they mean six-thirty.

Aye - the need to establish whether there's a silent 'before' or a silent 'after' in the phrase ...

[Bledlow]

And the confusing German habit of saying "half seven" when they mean six-thirty.

Not only German. Norse, too.

[T42]

Saw one recently where every time the word "fils" was said in French the word "wires" appeared in English, e.g. in a sentence such as "your wires got my daughter pregnant".

The joys of translation are endless! I once bought a shirt that was made in Turkey. The shirt was properly labeled, in french, "Fabriqué en Dinde".

Magnificent!

Back when my wife was starting her translation business she was sent an already-translated restaurant menu to proof-read.  For "escalope de volaille" the translator had put "fowl collop".

[hellymedic]

[OT] Chicken schnitzel, as I described David's Pollo Milanese to our Romanian cleaning lady yesterday.

[T42]

Thought Chicken Schnitzel was that place in Mexico with the pyramids.

[Andrij]

Thought Chicken Schnitzel was that place in Mexico with the pyramids.

You're thinking of Chicken Pizza.