BS: Best subtitle goof!

Subject: Best subtitle goof!
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 07:19 PM

Spwaned of the worst film you ever loved thread, I'd love to hear of any goofs and gaffs that people remember reading in badly translated subtitlage.

My favorite:

Many moons ago, I used to regularly attend the Wednesday night Kung-Fu film showings at the "American Theater" in downtown D.C.

One of the reasons we loved going there is that they did not show the dubbed versions. In one film, there was a scene where all the good guys are holed up in a building, and all the bad guys show up to get 'em. The bad guy was supposed to say "Come on out of there, or we'll come on in there and get you."

It read: "Common out of there, or we'll common in there and get you."

Perhaps they did not intend comedy, but we came for the laughs none the less.

And, of course, the flowing robes Kung-Fu from which "Crouching Wire, Hidden Harness" was spawned.

And Jackie...goes without saying.

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Helen
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 07:36 PM

I remember seeing a foreign language movie on our Oz tv channel, SBS-TV, which targets multicultural and non-mainstream interests.

In one movie, I think it was Scandinavian, one of the main characters said the "F" word loudly and emphatically. The subtitle read "Shit!". There was no mistaking the naughty "F" word, but even though the word could be said on tv it couldn't be written, so a lower level swear word was substituted.

There used to be a series on the same channel which was about the Roman Empire, sword-&-sandals type, possibly made in the 60's or even earlier. The subtitles were comically re-written. It was hilarious.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 07:54 PM

That reminds me of a neat little edit in "Galaxy Quest". Sigourney Weaver and Tim Allen have come to the chompy crushy things, and Tim tells her they have to go through. You can hear Sigourney say "Well, SCREW THAT!""

But her lips don't read as "screw". Heh! :D

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 24 Apr 02 - 02:15 PM

Years ago I saw Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" in Paris - subtitled in French, with the sound in American english.

At the end of the film the monster and the Madeline Kahn character end up as soulmates. She's in the process of housebreaking him and says, while pointing at a laundry hamper, "and honey, put your poo poo undies (soiled underwear) in here" which was was really funny (in context)to my wife and I, so we burst out laughing. But there were NO accompanying subtitles in French, and a theater full of French people stared at us like we had lost our minds!

I often wonder, now, when I watch a film subtitled in English, just what gems we are missing.

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Apr 02 - 03:18 PM

One of the funniest movies I ever saw was Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon on DVD - dubbed into English AND with English subtitles, and ne'er the twain did meet! It was a howl. I gather the subtitles approximate the meaning and the dubbing approximates the movements...

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: bill kennedy
Date: 24 Apr 02 - 03:25 PM

how about in 'My Life as a Dog' when the Uncle is pounding in the Lusthaus saying 'Ingemar, apen de dor.' and the subtitle reads 'Ingemar, open the door.'

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Apr 02 - 04:44 PM

The scene was in France, at a small movie theater that showed American movies with sub- titles for the locals. The movie was some WW II black & white B-movie....shells were falling, dust was billowing. In a ditch beside a road crouched two GIs, trying to keep their heads from being blown off as they wonder what to do.......they hear strange noises in the distance, and cautiously, one peeks up and peers down the road, straining to see what is happening.

Suddenly, his face lights up, and he turns to his comrade happily and stands up and points down the road and shouts, "Tanks!"

and on the screen the sub-title says.."Merci!"

*told to me by the lady who saw it...she says she was the ONLY one in the theater laughing out loud*

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Fibula Mattock
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 09:00 AM

I was in France about 7 or so years ago, in July. The top news story was about rioting on the Ormeau Road in Belfast. Me and my fellow Norn Iron travellers were huddled around the TV watching the news in French. The French reporters were interviewing local residents who were mightily disgruntled to say the least. One of them unleashed a torrent of abuse at the camera, along the lines of "f**k*ng b*st*rds, f*ck*ng trappin us in our f*ckin homes, the f*ck*rs". Needless to say it was translated as something along the lines of "unfortunately we have been unable to leave our houses today". It diminshed the impact a little.

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Trevor
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:00 PM

In the version of 'Shaft' released in Spain, with Spanish sub-titles, the line where the character says '..you can kiss my black ass...' had a subtitle which translated as '...you can kiss my black donkey..'!

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: donal
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:10 PM

Another good French transaltion - I was watching a Clint Eastwood in a film in Paris, Clint walks up to the bar and says - "a shot of red eye please" the subtitle comes up as "Dubonnet, s'il vous plait" !!

Life gets lost in tranlation,

Donal

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: donal
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:11 PM

Another good French transaltion - I was watching a Clint Eastwood in a film in Paris, Clint walks up to the bar and says - "a shot of red eye please" the subtitle comes up as "Dubonnet, s'il vous plait" !!

Life gets lost in tranlation,

Donal

Subject: RE: BS: Best subtitle goof!
From: Watson
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 12:12 PM

It can be fun watching TV with the Teletext subtitles switched on.
I think it was in the series Ballykissangel that a character called Padraig had his name rendered as "pork".