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Bad foreign language quotes in novels | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| Doitsujin Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5319 days ago 1256 posts - 2363 votes  Speaks: German*, English | Message 1 of 11 10 January 2015 at 9:45am | IP Logged | ||
I recently read David Ignatius' very bad novel "The Director" (in English) and encountered the following German dialog:
Every one of these short three sentences violates German syntax rules! Also Arabic language quotes in Middle-East thrillers hardly ever make sense. Sometimes even the names are wrong. For example, many Arabic names are composed of 'Abd (= servant of) and one of the 99 Names of Allah, e.g. 'Abdulkarīm. (The A of the article of Al-Karīm is dropped and replaced with a U.) Since many authors are not aware of this fact, they often use Abdul as the first name, which Arabs never do. And if they happen to get the name right, they often pick an unsuitable one. For example in Nelson DeMille's book "The Panther," the main villain is said to have the Arabic name al-Numair. However, al-Numair is the diminutive form of panther. (He should have used the non-diminutive form al-Namīr instead.) What are your pet peeves when it comes to foreign language references in novels and movies? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6908 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 2 of 11 10 January 2015 at 6:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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Any translated work where language is a major issue and the work is somehow translated; like when the main characters are French (but the book or movie is in English), and all of sudden it occurs that none of them knows English (or suddenly has to interpret into English).
I mean, it's one thing if the common shared language between elves and hobbits (and dwarves and orcs and so on) "appears as" English, but when characters in historical movies (taking place in the real world!) aren't supposed to speak English to each other (even know it), but still do... that makes me cringe every time. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| eyðimörk Triglot Senior Member France goo.gl/aT4FY7 Joined 4098 days ago 490 posts - 1158 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French Studies: Breton, Italian | Message 3 of 11 10 January 2015 at 7:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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When all of the non-anglophone* characters in a film speak English, because it's a film for an English audience, but they all speak English with an accent or changed rhythm and sometimes throw in random words from the language we're supposed to imagine that they're speaking. I suppose it's supposed to somehow set the mood, but it just comes off as bad story-telling.**
* or whatever language the film is in. ** unless it's a comical feature, see Allo 'Allo! 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6581 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 4 of 11 10 January 2015 at 8:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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When I'm watching a dubbed movie or TV series, and they are switching to another language, and the other language is dubbed just the same, the only difference being that suddenly there's English subtitles.
5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Doitsujin Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5319 days ago 1256 posts - 2363 votes Speaks: German*, English | Message 5 of 11 10 January 2015 at 9:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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Another thing that I've always found a bit weird is that German soldiers in WW2 movies speak flawless English, but address their superiors using German forms, e.g. Jawohl Herr Kommandant or the Kommandant will see you now.
IMHO, the threat Vee haff VAYS of making hyu tok! is also overrated. :-) 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6908 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 6 of 11 11 January 2015 at 7:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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I don't have a problem with another "working language" even if the story is from another time and place (the Bible, WW2, Scandinavia, outer space) - if I had, I wouldn't read any translations.
It's when say, musketeers eavesdrop on a group, and happily identify them as French (although everyone has been speaking English for the entire movie...), when Antonio Banderas's character in the 13th warrior learns Norse and the result is that all are now speaking English to him! Well, basically what Ari wrote. When the working language continues to be the same language even if the supposed language changes. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| kanewai Triglot Senior Member United States justpaste.it/kanewai Joined 4888 days ago 1386 posts - 3054 votes Speaks: English*, French, Marshallese Studies: Italian, Spanish | Message 7 of 11 12 January 2015 at 7:48am | IP Logged | ||
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I've been reading Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini, and using the English translation as a
back up, and the dialogue in the English just sounds wrong. It's too stilted, a bit too pseudo-posh London boarding school. For example, take this piece from the young narrator talking on the phone to Micòl, his unrequited love: "Ahimè!" sospirai. "Comunque, che cosa vuoi dire? Non capisco." Rideva in silenzio, lo sentivo benissimo. English version: "Alas!" I sighed. "Anyway, what are you getting at? I don't understand." She was silently laughing; I could feel that very well. Technically this might be a correct translation, but no young person in my lifetime has ever exclaimed, or sighed, "alas!" And while this is a minor point, I keep finding these awkward errors in tone throughout most of the books in translation that I read. Edited by kanewai on 12 January 2015 at 7:48am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| chiara-sai Triglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 3707 days ago 54 posts - 146 votes Speaks: Italian*, EnglishC2, French Studies: German, Japanese | Message 8 of 11 12 January 2015 at 8:49am | IP Logged | ||
But ‘ahimè’ is also quite outdated in Italian. Also if I’m not mistaken the book is about a rich family living in the first half of the 20th century, so I would expect the posh and archaic language to be appropriate. 5 persons have voted this message useful |
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