As you may already know, words can get lost in translation, whether in movies, books or even meetings that require conference interpreting. Even though most translators and interpreters try to deliver the best work they can, we cannot help but notice that some translation mistakes are interesting and really funny if we compare them to the original text. Movie titles can often be mistranslated; one can only wonder what some translators are thinking while working on these titles. We could assume they used machine translation instead of professional translation services.
Translation mistakes can happen for different reasons. However, they most commonly occur when studios fail to take into account the cultural dimensions of their target markets. Since movie titles are essential to drawing the attention potential viewers, they must be adapted to every culture and language using video localization services. The point of these changes in translations is to target a specific audience or demographic in order to generate the biggest profit possible.
However, another explanation for bad translation could also remain the type of translation used. Some productions do not have the budget to hire professional international translation services, so many resort to automated translation tools that do not account for linguistic nuance.
Below we listed 5 examples of movie titles for you to see how some box office movies have a very different title in language
1. The Producers movie’s title was translated in a questionable way:
This movie title is translated to ‘Per favore, non toccate le vecchiette’ which means ‘Please, Don’t Touch The Old Women’. We can do nothing but wonder what happened there.
2. Home Alone could have used French translation services:
It was translated to ‘Maman, j’ai raté l’avion’ which is ‘Mum, I Missed The Plane’ in English. In this title, nothing seems unethical unlike the Italian title for The Producers, but it could be an attempt to be catchy to a French-speaker. In fact, if it was just translated literally, it might have sounded more awkward.
3. Step Up’s French title took an unexpected twist without translation services
They literally translated it to ‘Sexy Dance’, no more no less than these two words. Another time, it may speak more to a French-speaker rather than just translating literally (it would not be that allusive to the movie).
4. Dragnet has a funny translation in German.
It was translated to ‘Schlappe bullen beißen nicht’ which is ‘Lazy Cops Don’t Bite’ in English.
5. Professional translation services could have helped Top Gun:
For the Israeli version of the film, the title translated to ‘Love in The Skies’ in English.
These three examples of movie titles translation show how much of a struggle it can be to translate just a small phrase. Now, imagine what it like to translate a whole movie whether with subtitles or by dubbing it. Video translation is difficult; that’s why a production company should always invest in good translation services.
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