This article was first published in: Shenzhen Renaissance (WeChat public account ID: sz_wyfx)
Before complaining, let’s talk about the advantages: As a person, the wind blowing from the Pacific Ocean is full of five thousand years of culture. In this province, Taiwanese people often come up with wonderful translations of movie titles. The one I admire the most is "A Pear Blossom Pressing Begonias".
The allusion comes from a poem by Su Shi teasing his friend Zhang Xian. Mr. Zhang married a concubine who was sixty years younger than himself and proudly showed off to Su Shi, so Su Shi responded: "Eighteen. The bride is eighty-year-old, with pale hair and red makeup. The mandarin ducks spend the night in pairs, and a pear tree covers the begonias." (So beautiful)
One of the interesting translations of Taiwanese movies: Come and guess me.
However, such wonderful names seem to be just acquired by chance. More Taiwanese movie titles are translated as if they are just playing, casually calling you like guessing lantern riddles. Don't think you can tell what this movie is going to be about just from the name.
For example, this year's Oscar winner "LA LA LAND" is translated as "La La Land" in mainland China, "Stars in Dreams" in Hong Kong translation, and "La Lai More Love You" in Taiwanese translation.
Of the three names, although the one from mainland China is quite average, it is considered the best. " The two words "星声" have the same pronunciation in Cantonese, which can be regarded as restoring the meaning of "LALA", and the "dream person" behind it is also on point.
But what about the Taiwanese translation? What is this? "The More I Love You" is a homophone, but the name BUT can be used in any love musical, right? You started so casually, how did the publishing company get approved?
Also a hot movie this year, "Hacksaw Ridge" is the mainland translation, in Taiwan it is called "Iron Hero", and in Hong Kong it is directly called "Hacksaw Ridge".
Tell me, when you saw "Iron Hero", did you feel that "Iron Man" was a fanfic?
Come on guys, take a look at this Taiwanese "Iron Hero" poster. Doesn't it say "The latest masterpiece from the director of "A Better Tomorrow"!" I want to remind you that this "A Better Tomorrow" is not the "A Better Tomorrow" that we know as John Woo -
The "A Better Tomorrow" in Taiwanese film history is this one, with the full name: "Mel Gibbert" "Xun's true nature as a hero".
I never expected this! Isn't this Mel Gibson's "Braveheart"!
Let’s take another case of “open the door for whatever the hell you want”, "Exciting 1995" and "Exciting 1998", do you think they are the first and second episodes of the same series?
However, I guessed wrong!
"Exciting 1995" is actually our mainland translation of "The Shawshank Redemption"! The Hong Kong translation is called "Dark Moon Flying High". And "1998" is our mainland translation of "Return to Eden". It is said that the Taiwanese distributor followed "1995" just because this movie also had a prison plot, and made a sequel that no one else could have done.
The reason why they all like to call it "Exciting XXOO" is because Taiwan introduced a Paul Newman movie "The Sting" before. Our mainland translated it as "Liar in Liar", while the Taiwanese translation It's called "Thrills", and the reason why "Shawshank Redemption" was named "Thrills 1995" by Taiwan ER is because it feels like "Thrills" is about high-intellectual revenge~~~~ so these three films were forced to be released in Taiwan Fang made up a trilogy.
Awesome, my bay!
The second shortcoming of Taiwanese movie translations: You are so refreshing
Compared with the straightforwardness and simplicity of mainland China and the simplicity and roughness of Hong Kong, most of Taiwan’s movie translations have a freshness in mind. However, they often focus on emotions and lose accuracy.
For example, "Malèna" has the best mainland translation - "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily", but the Hong Kong translation is still simple and crude. "Malèna", the Taiwanese translation is "True Love Is With Me", EXCUSE ME? A local drama at eight o'clock?
Another example is the Spanish black comedy "Relatos salvajes", and the mainland translation of "Wild Stories" is still the best. The Hong Kong translation of "Undirected" is also good, it has a bit of a CULT film flavor. The Taiwanese translation is: "The Craziest Little Things in Life" ~~~ Are the entire cast and crew all Virgos?
Sometimes I get so excited that I just don’t speak well, and my name is clearly concise and concise, but I have to make it difficult to pronounce it.
"The Lost Dream of the Covered Bridge" → Taiwanese translation of "The Bridge of Madison".
"Fifty Shades of Grey" → Taiwanese translation of "Fifty Shades of Grey".
"Carol" → Taiwanese translation of "Because I Love You".
"Slumdog Millionaire" → Taiwanese translation of "Slumdog Millionaire".
"American Beauty" → Taiwanese translation of "American Heart Rose".
"The King's Speech" → Taiwanese translation of "The Voice of the King: The Time to Declare War".
"Days on the Clouds" → Taiwanese translation of "Love and Desire on the Clouds".
"One Day" → Taiwanese translation of "True Love Picks a Day" (I really can't name it).
In fact, the Hong Kong people who can translate the mainland name "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" into "Smith vs. Smith's Wife" are pretty cool in terms of freshness.
For example, for "Girl with a Pearl Earring", the mainland and Taiwan have unified the name, while the Hong Kong translation is "Painting".
Another example is "Les Misérables". Mainland China and Taiwan are reunited, and Hong Kong is named "Tears of the Lone Star". What a visual sense!
There is also "The Sound of Music", the Taiwanese translation of "Truth, Goodness and Beauty" (a public welfare film?), and the Hong Kong version is the best: "The Sound of Music is Everywhere".
"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter", the Hong Kong version is also wonderful: "Where can I find the soul in the world".
"Leon the Killer", the Taiwan version of "Killing Order" (too much to deal with), the Hong Kong version is amazing: "This Killer Is Not Too Cold".
In terms of simplicity and crudeness, Taiwanese people are sometimes no less generous than Hong Kong people. For example, the Taiwan version of "Farewell My Concubine" actually has a subtitle: The bitch is ruthless, the actor is meaningless.
However, the English translation of "Farewell, My Concubine" is even more bizarre: "Farewell, My Concubine".
In fact, there are many Taiwanese movie translations that are similar to the "I guess I guess I guess" series, such as:
"Inception" → Lu's translation of "Theft" "Dream Space" → Hong Kong translation of "Sneaking into the Murderous Room" and Taiwan translation of "Full Start" (What are you doing?).
"No Country for Old Men" → Chinese translation of "No Country for Old Men" → Hong Kong translation of "The Mysterious Case of 2 Million Deaths" (I can't be partial to this shit) → Taiwanese translation of "Don't Approach the Dangerous Road" 》(Ghost movie?).
"The Hurt Locker" → Chinese translation of "The Hurt Locker" → Hong Kong translation of "The Hurt Locker" (the Ambition series is also a HK specialty) → Taiwan translation of "Countdown to Crisis" (confused face).
"Crash" → Lu translation "Crash" → Hong Kong translation "Crash" → Taiwan translation "Shock Effect" (I don’t want to comment).
"Million Dollar Baby" → Chinese translation of "Million Dollar Baby" → Taiwan translation of "Dengfengzhiba" (make a baby).
Translation emphasizes "faithfulness and elegance". Although the translations of most mainland movies are too faithful and elegance, the translations of some Taiwanese movies are too dark and vague, and they do not want the audience to be familiar with them. The title of the film refers to the impulse to buy tickets, is it a trend of frigidity?
The third flaw in the translation of Taiwanese movies: Gods, Ghosts, Your Family
Taiwanese people like "Gods and Ghosts", and all movies must have "Gods and Ghosts", but most of the Gods and Ghosts are simply My sister, God and Ghost, has nothing to do with GOD and GHOST. For example, "The Revenant", they insisted on translating it into "Ghost Hunter".
According to incomplete statistics, the following films all belong to the "Family of Gods and Ghosts" that have been forcibly bound by Taiwanese translations -
And the Taiwanese's "Family of Gods and Ghosts" is so touching. Without revealing the mind of the person who named it, you said that this name is for fantasy and supernatural themes, but even the American version of "Infernal Affairs" has been translated into "Infernal Affairs". I don't understand this!
To be honest, does the Taiwan publisher have a group of Xiao Li black fans? Three of his works, "Inception," "The Revenant" and the American version of "Infernal Affairs," have been translators one after another. How annoying!
Similar to the "Gods and Ghosts" series, Taiwanese people also have movie translations for the "Special Persons and Special Names" series. For example, Schwarzenegger's is the "Devil Series".
But sometimes, the movies of Stallone and Steve Seagal are also titled "Devil" series by Taiwanese people, probably because they are both muscular men! In the picture below, Schwarzenegger's "Devil" series is mixed with Stallone's "The Devil" and Steve Seagal's "The Devil".
However, this is not a Taiwan patent. Mainland China also has its own dedicated film titles. For example, Jason Statham's "Death" series, "Death", "Death", and Liam Neeson's "Rescue" series.
Some time ago, I heard that a Taiwanese TV station complained about the "tacky" translation of the Autobots' names in China's "Transformers", so someone made a comparison chart: Let's compare!
Thanks to them for having the nerve to complain, are the "Otter Eight" really more fashionable than the "Autobots"? "Ironless Iron Bull" dares to say that he is more fashionable than "Optimus Prime"? My bumblebees all laughed.
In terms of naming, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and the three places are obviously the same.
Taiwanese people like "Gods and Ghosts", mainlanders like "Mobilization", and Hong Kong people like "Pursuit".
In recent years, there have been many "tea egg" incidents. Taiwan said that the mainland translated Tom Cruise's "TOP GUN" into "What a Big Gun", but we in turn said that we clearly It’s called “Top Gun,” but your Taiwanese province is the one that produces “What a Big Gun.”
Poor Tom, he still doesn’t know that he has transformed into the male protagonist of an island country action movie in this mutual complaint.
Finally, I know someone is going to mention this, so I will do it myself——
Sadly, the translations of Hong Kong and Taiwan movies will make a joke, but the movies we introduce even have the same content. What a joke. For example, "Wolverine 3" had 14 minutes deleted and had to be classified in theaters.
I have nothing to say.