Lost in French Translation, Part 10: War Stories

POSTED BY: fortinm
UPDATED: Friday, February 1, 2008 05:25
VIEWED: 4131
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FORTINM

Friday, January 25, 2008 2:40 AM

This review is part of a series of articles analysing the translation work for the French dubbed Firefly series and movie(s). It is intended for anyone who would like to know a little better how a French audience would perceive Joss’ wonderful creation.

Introduction to this series: http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&t=31382
Previous review (Ariel): http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&t=32220
Next review (Trash): http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=4&t=32543

The various excerpts analyses are formatted like this:
In bold is the original line.
In italic is the French translation replacing the original lines.
In bold and italic is my English translation of the French lines.
In regular text is my personal comment on the translation work for the excerpt.

General comments
For the first time, I was tempted to give this episode the lowest rating. Many of the scenes are changed to the point of making them confusing or unconvincing. There were so many that I didn't report all of them here. However, the translation does get somewhat better in the second half of the show, saving it from the most shameful of rating.

Translation score: 2/5
Chinese score: 0/7

Chosen Excerpts

BOOK and SIMON
- A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned.
- Now you're quoting the Captain.
- Un gouvernement, c'est beaucoup de personnes et ça peut venir de n'importe qui.
- Non. Pas d'après le commandant.
- A government is made from a lot of people and it can come from anybody.
- No. Not according to the captain.
This is quite a cryptic sentence. What can come from anybody? What they did to River or the government? The fact that Mal would not agree doesn't help to understand this scene.

MAL
I love the pitter-patter of tiny feet in huge combat boots. Shut up!
Excuse-moi, une petite parenthèse le temps de faire le silence. La ferme!
Excuse me, a small parenthesis while I bring some silence. Shut up!
Funnyless!

MAL
Don't worry. I won't start any swordfights. I'm over that phase.
Je ne regarderai pas par le trou de la serrure. J'ai passé l'âge de faire ça.
I won't look through the keyhole. I'm too old for this.
It's a pity to having removed this reference to Shindig.

KAYLEE and INARA
- She took my apple.
- Jayne bought a crate of them.
- ...
- Va en reprendre une autre. Il y en a plein.
- ...
- Go get another one. There are plenty of them.
Yep. That's right. They removed Kaylee's line. So, the viewer has no idea what Inara is talking about. Until Kaylee finally wins back her apple.

ZOE and WASH
- These really are the genuine article. I could get used to being rich.
- It's Jayne being so generous with his cut that confuses and frightens me.
- It does kind of freeze the blood.
- Il y en a qui ont fait fortune avec ça. Ça aurait pu être toi.
- Je me suis toujours demandé pourquoi tu éprouvais le besoin de les couper.
- Ça ne saigne pas, t'inquiète pas.
- Some people made a fortune with this. It could have been you.
- I always wondered why you felt the urge to cut them.
- It doesn't bleed, don't worry.
I think the translators wanted to pay tribute to Eugene Ionesco here! I just ain't seeing the why.

ZOE
You know what a Griswald is? (...) About the size of a battery. It responds to pressure. (...) Captain said, "Wait." But they were so hungry.
Vous connaissez l'histoire des fruits avariés? (...) Fonctionne sur pile solaire, réagit à la pression. (...) C'est efficace. T'as pas le temps de voir.
Have you ever heard the rotting fruits story? (...) Works on solar battery, reacts to pressure. (...) It's effective. You don't see it coming.

WASH
So, when you said that you didn't get a chance to tell the captain my idea... What you actually meant… was that you told him my idea, he reje

ASARIAN

Friday, January 25, 2008 5:39 AM

Great job again, Michel! :) It's very late for me here, so I'll just comment on this one thing for now:

Quote:
Originally posted by fortinm:

NISKA
(Some Russian (?) words.)
Fais le nécessaire. Tu vois ce que je veux dire.
Do what is necessary. You know what I mean.
Replacing every Chinese line with French words wasn't enough. They had to replace this one also! By the way, anybody knows what he's really saying?

Browncoats.com lists it as Czech:

Day yim zato plahteck mahsah. ~ "They have enough for a slice." [Give them a slice of meat for it.]

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

MOBBEX

Friday, February 1, 2008 5:25 AM

These translations are horrible, definitely one of the lamest jobs I've come across. Thank god I only listen to T.V. shows in their original versions, this kind of crap can seriously mess you up for life