It is hard enough to translate words from one language to another.
But to actually get the cultural context in the right way adds another layer of complication to the mix. Which makes one wonder if a lot of global conflict could have been avoided by just the right words.
Hollywood is well aware of this problem and in an effort to reach a larger global audience for their films and the attached merchandise, they often would need to tweak local words. So much so that often times things do get lost in translation.
So The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert thought it might be a good idea to show examples of films and products that is translated differently in cultures outside of the United States.
He started things off by talking about the recently opened Disneyland theme park in Shanghai. And then he pointed out the films that were translated like Dumbo which was changed to “Little Flying Elephant”, which seems accurate, but then there is Frozen which was translated to “Enchanted Destiny of Snow’”
If you think that’s strange, there is the Bibbidi Bobbiddi Boutique in the amusement park which was translated to “Colorful Magical Fanciful Transformation”.
And so he decided to create this new segment on his show, “Lost Cultural Translations”. Of course he is kidding in most of these, or at least we hope he is.
He then churned out a few things like how Chuck E. Cheese is translated in Russia to “Commandant Vermin’s Musical Pizza Hell”.
English speaking countries were not spared. In England where the language originates, he cited Reece’s pieces as being changed to Runson’s tidbits.
And then for Canada, he decided to reveal what would be the title of the upcoming D.C. film in that great nation which is “Mopey Avengers Go To Hot Topic”; sounds about right.
What do you think?
For more cultural translations watch the video below:
Author
