Strange, I swear just an hour or so ago, I randomly thought about that movie and was struggling to think of the name. Haven't watched it in like 15 years...
jotsti · 0 points · Posted at 06:19:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Dutch his middle name is Vilijn, meaning evil/mean (akin to villain). The word is not commonly used, so most kids won't catch the meaning.
llama_ · 1 points · Posted at 03:26:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
At first I thought cause of Reger which sounds like Rager, which is I guess kind of like danger. And danger isn't good so, yeah, I guess it's not a stretch to call it evil.
Then I saw EVILDO
Megmca · 1 points · Posted at 04:43:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 12:21:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am kind of surprised, in a good way, that a language with as low of a population as Faroese even gets a translation.
From the looks of it, Basque is the next smallest and is like 10 times more people.
Jed118 · 1 points · Posted at 12:33:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In French it's Je Suis Voldemort (Tom Elvis Jedusor) and in Polish it's left as is, perhaps owing to that language's tendency to throw Z's at everything and practically omit vowels.
It was fun to read half the series in French and the other half in Polish. I didn't read a single one in English, so I'm assuming I'm missing out on Rowling's word play.
For Asian languages, at least in Korean, it's just sounded out (na nun ro-du-bo-du-mo-tu - That's as close as I can get it without using Hanja) - It's very likely impossible to make an anagram of it due to the fact that every Korean letter must end in a vowel sound.
That's mainly because you can say different kanji (essentially Chinese characters) the same, but the actual characters themselves mean something different.
When I was a teen (let's say 18) I had been sexting with this girl I was into, and in one text I referred to it as "textual intercourse". I thought I was being clever. She never responded to me after that.
A black man on a train once asked me out on a date. He then asked of I was a lesbian I was so offended because I found this to be an INSULT I'm heterosexual no less Thankyou and told him to piss Off...It was on my way to work about lunchtime I worked from 2 to 6. Needless to say I wasn't in a great frame of mind to serve customers at the florists
I thought for a moment I might be missing some (probably shitty racist homophobic) pun here, but when I checked the post history.. it was confirmed to be every bit the nonsensical verbal diarrhea it appears.
paolog · 3 points · Posted at 07:41:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I read to the end to see what the guy's ethnicity had to do with it. Nothing. The only conclusion I can draw is that it's meant to leave us with the idea that this is how black men treat women.
Oh, and some indirect homophobia as well, just in time for Pride weekend. Care to explain what's so offensive about being asked if you're a lesbian?
s none of your fucking business U dont ask a woman out to dinner and then when she says ok you ask if shes a fuck8ng lesbian conclusion he was an arsehole black white ore whatever rack of crap dont b
A disrespectful prick in a packed train when people are sitting and listening TO everything its not encouraging to humans
Listen creepoid dont tell me what to do OR like you talk to your workmates or neighbours this aggressively and your likelihood of being sacked or HOME less IS a certain.
By the way do you watch the news or read the newspapers if so stop with the inanity am I understood or do you want a gold medal for being an annoying pest
your likelihood of being sacked or HOME less IS a certain.
That sort of thing?
paolog · 1 points · Posted at 17:08:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're right, it's none of anyone's business. But you did say that you found it an insult because you're "heterosexual, no less". That suggests to me you think there's something wrong with being a lesbian, and that's the point of view I was challenging.
So a random dude asked you out, you refused, and then he assumed that it was because you were a lesbian? Yeah, that sounds like a very shitty/insulting situation all around. Was there something about my comment that made you think of it?
Listen shithead dont be nasty I dont know you but your asking very personal questions my comments are mine Not a springboard for your privates process in how OTHERS live their lives Dont neglect to read my last comments and re read Carl Jung
I'm convinced that you are a troll, but sure I'll check out Carl Jung
Edit: It seems like he was a pioneer in psychoanalysis, but much of his work is no longer considered credible by modern clinical psychologists. What about my comment made you think of him?
A doctor was SO rude to me once before an operation whilst I was on the operating table because I'd smoked a cigarette minute beforehand. He apologized immediately but I think looking backwards that he was just like you are a little Prick with a needle
Iniwid · 2 points · Posted at 08:19:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, these are words that sound the same. Too much aural intercourse.
Why? So you can use it to coordinate your gay agenda?
rnoyfb · 2 points · Posted at 03:15:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm... I like one of the protest signs I saw better:
GAY AGENDA:
Monday: Be GAY
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Be GAY
Thursday: Be GAY
Friday: Be SUPER GAY!!
Saturday: Be SUPER GAY!!
Sunday: March for our rights
Male dogs will hump anything if they're not neutered; they're all pansexual, so count that one as done. Brunch is the best meal of the day. I wouldn't say everyone should have the same taste in music that I have so leave Beyoncé and Britney alone. I know it's the carbs in bread that make me like it and I hate myself for that lol. Well-trimmed eyebrows are fantastic and sandal/sock violators are fucking horrible people. A Golden Girls reboot is an amazing idea that I'm sure could only be fucked up.
No but gays shouldnt get the tax benefits of married couples since they arent producing children which is the point of said benefits. Creating the next generation. Unless of course they adopt and become parents.
The curious thing, that's so annoying, about poofter bashing online is that a hundred years ago your life would have been finished, in jail or ostracized from ypur family and workmates.Now all you have to worry about is what you'll wear at your same-sex marriage to your handmaidens
spec_a · -1 points · Posted at 02:20:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What???? Not only homosexuals but homophones too??? Quick, we need to build a double wall with a moat!
Homophobia is on the endangered list we used TO feel the same about second hand funiture which is so fashionable in retro boutiques for poofters and dykes.
Firstly, that's not how life works. Secondly, if you don't want to be thought of as gross come up with better 'jokes.' Thirdly, if you want to be thought of as anything more than a petulant teenager, defend your 'joke' with some pride and dignity because its obvious you don't stand behind it.
My joke touches on modern hot topics, I thought it was funny, and I'm proud that I was able to use one single word - that's not even a real word and was obviously used in a joking context - to upset so many people. Heck, if you look at the post history of the person who was originally offended, you'll see that they also used faggot in a joking sense in a post.
Look at the context. Someone was upset that I used the word faggot in a clear joke. Their response was to take time out of their day to inform me that I was gross. I was curious who they were and if I would find anything gross about them, so I investigated a little. As it turns out, they are in fact a gross person by my standards and by their own. I'm gross to them, they're gross to me, neither of our lives are affected by that. The world keeps turning and it's a fading memory by lunchtime for both of us.
Then you come along, strip a couple of posts of context, reduce them to what offends you and criticize them on that, and then tell me that I'm the immature one in all of this. Frankly, you strike me as the type of person who would proudly talk about your period while surrounded by other people, but would tell me I'm gross for talking in depth about the shit I took this morning. And that's a gross person.
Except, as far as I know, all 3 "buffalos" are pronounced exactly the same. These words aren't. Some you say with a rising, falling, flat, or falling and then rising tone.
I've always thought of it as "Buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo; Buffalo buffalo buffalo." Which I think is what you said, but after a certain point it's all just buffalo in my head.
They aren't said the same, the accent is in different places. There are lots of these noun verb pairs: reject, project, produce, combat. The nouns all have the accent in the first syllable, the verbs have it in the second.
Yup, except that in Chinese, reading the poem makes a lot more sense and doesn't need to be explained like buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo. Since the characters show the meaning of the word instead of its pronunciation.
Well, a Chinese person who's never heard of the poem before would probably still need it explained, but should be able to follow it somewhat after explaination or with subtitles.
The poem was written in Classical Chinese with the intent to be read aloud in Mandarin like in this video. Classical Chinese and Mandarin share characters, but the pronunciations of many, many characters have merged and split over time to where stuff written in Classical Chinese doesn't make sense when read aloud in Mandarin.
The story is what is written on paper when read in Classical Chinese, but when it is read aloud in Mandarin, it only has the single "shi" syllable with 4 contrasting tones and is just a nonsensical tongue twister of sorts. To just hear it, it would be incomprehensible to a Mandarin speaker even after being explained.
Other Chinese dialects maintained more distinct syllables for these characters, so this poem makes a lot more sense when read aloud, but it would also not just be the 4 variations of "shi" that you hear in the video and the joke would not be very jokey at all.
in Chinese, reading the poem makes a lot more sense [...] since the characters show the meaning of the word instead of its pronunciation. (emphasis added)
It's more like Polish polish. That's the only example I can think of where the form of the character affects pronunciation. Though that's not fully accurate because no one reads "Polish the brass!" as having to do with Poland.
That's Chinese though and he's talking about Japanese. That poem works because of the tonal nature of Chinese, not because Kanji can be pronounced multiple ways in Japanese.
I'm also a fan of the Japanese one, where legend says Ono no Takamura was challenged to make sense of a written passage that was simply、子子子子子子子子子子子子. He then determined the passage said, "The child of a cat is a kitten, and the child of a lion is a cub," since the pronunciation of the kanji can be each of the syllables in cat, lion, and child.
I don't know if it's because I'm likely mostly tone deaf, but I just don't think I could ever fully pick up a tonal language successfully. Do countries with a tonal language as their primary language not have instances of tone deaf people?
There are tones in English, it's just used differently. A speaker can convey different emotions and meanings such as bored, surprised, ironic, and questioning etc by varying emphasis and pitches on the same word. If you are truly tone deaf then you wouldn't be able to pick up sarcasm when someone saying you are doing "great" when they meant the opposite, or asking you if something is correct vs telling you something is correct when they say "right". According to wiki, only 4% of population suffer from true tone deafness.
The tone in tonal language is also not absolute but relative. It's not like if you say the same word in C# instead of C in Chinese others won't understand you, otherwise a person born with a lower pitched voice would have to speak in falsetto all the time and that would be hilarious.
Out of all the Tonal language I know, Mandarin is probably the easiest since there are only 4 tones, of which 3 is gliding and only 1 is flat, so you don't have the situation of flat high pitch vs flat low pitch like C# vs C example above. if you can distinguish gliding pitch such as between a sound that starts high and end low vs the opposite. Then you are already more than halfway there.
I can't comment on listening to Chinese, but listening to foreigners speaking Chinese I think one of the real difficulty for them is they have trouble stay consistent with their tones, probably because they are used to be very expressive with their tones to convey different emotions. This is not just an issue with western speakers however. Even within China people speaking different dialects have different accents when they speak mandarin. Fortunately for everybody, Chinese is heavily contextual, so even if you butcher the tones badly, if you speak a sentence verbosely enough, people can figure out what you mean based on the phrases in relation to each other. It has to be if you think about it. English has way more complex syllable structures than Chinese, conversely there are way more homophones in Chinese than English (see the lion poem someone linked above).
This reminds me of a study done on an African tribe. The tribe differentiates different shades of green as different colors in their language and because of that, they can distinguish them more readily than the rest of us who just simply call all those greens green. It's an interesting case of the language we use impacts how our brain perceives the world. If you are brought up to treat different tones as variation of the same thing vs different things entirely, then you will have difficulty distinguish them when the need arises. It's not necessarily having to do with tone deafness.
I wonder if trained musicians find tonal languages easier to pick up.
They're not all the same characters, though. There are some Chinese characters that were never adopted in Japanese, and some Chinese characters adopted in Japanese that fell out of use in Chinese.
[deleted] · 19 points · Posted at 02:22:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All Chinese characters are kanji. They're automatically adopted into Japanese.. whether or not they're commonly used is a different story. There's nothing stopping a writer of Japanese using some random obscure Chinese character (and they frequently do).
True, but that's like saying every combination of characters in the English alphabet is a word. It's true in a sense, but I think most people wouldn't say "xkcd" is a word. If the character can't be found in a Japanese dictionary, I would say it's either not a Japanese word, or it's a newly coined Japanese word.
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:39:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think it's a fair comparison. We're talking about the creation of a word vs the usage of a character representing an idea that already exists in the language. For example if I use the character 狗 which is the common word for dog in Chinese, but extremely uncommon in Japanese, and write it with the furigana いぬ to represent the word.
There are some characters which map to ideas that have no direct single-character/word translation in Japanese, and likewise it's possible to "invent" kanji (i.e. a character that doesn't exist in Chinese composed of Chinese radicals).
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 02:52:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There are some characters which map to ideas that have no direct single-character/word translation in Japanese,
Any examples there?
There are Japanese kanji dictionaries with upwards of 20,000 characters. Arguably most of those wouldn't be considered "Japanese" by some of the criteria set out originally. The fact is that 漢字 just refers to "Chinese characters", there's no distinction between the languages. 龜 is a 漢字 just like 龟 is a 漢字 just like 亀 is a 漢字.
rmch99 · 1 points · Posted at 02:12:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I believe Japanese actually has 3 sets of characters. One is borrowed from Chinese, one is purely Japanese, and one, while invented by the Japanese, is used to represent English words. I might not be 100% accurate on that all, it's secondhand knowledge, but I do know that they have at least the Chinese and Japanese separate sets.
[deleted] · 7 points · Posted at 02:24:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Technically they're all based on the same characters. The two other sets you mention are based on cursive written versions of Chinese characters, and historically the one that is used to represent loan words (not just English words), is also used to represent many other things within Japanese, and was not developed for the purpose of transcribing loan words originally.
rmch99 · -1 points · Posted at 02:26:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I see, cool information! Regardless, definitely not "the same Chinese characters" though.
E: Why the downvotes? We were referring to different things, I was referring to Japanese characters in general, as in Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana, of which only Kanji are the same as Chinese, and he was referring only to Kanji, so it was just some miscommunication.
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:34:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm of the opinion that they're the same. The word hanzi and kanji are the same word that means '(Han) Chinese character' (漢字). There's no distinction there for whether it is referring to a Japanese or Chinese concept in either language. There are Japanese made Chinese characters, and Japanese-specific meanings and stroke-orders for some characters, but they are still part of the same overall set. To me it's like saying that the French and English writing system don't use the same Latin alphabet because there are a few differences.
rmch99 · 2 points · Posted at 02:37:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sorry, Kanji and Hanzi are the same, with Kanji referring to the characters taken form Chinese, but Japanese also has Katakana and Hiragana, which, as far as I know, are not directly in Chinese as well, though they may have origins rooted in Chinese.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:41:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah okay, I misunderstood that. You're right.
rmch99 · 1 points · Posted at 02:52:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, they differ. Kanji started out the same as Chinese because they were borrowed from Chinese, but that was a long-ass time ago; they've drifted apart significantly over time.
From Wikipedia: "After centuries of development, there is a notable number of kanji used in modern Japanese which have different meaning from hanzi used in modern Chinese. Such differences are the result of:
-the use of characters created in Japan,
-characters that have been given different meanings in Japanese, and
-post-World War II simplifications (shinjitai) of the character."
Katakana+Hiragana did also develop from Chinese, but have essentially no similarity to modern Chinese (Being syllabaries). Kanji still have a noticeable similarity to (Traditional) Chinese that makes them often, though not always, legible to those fluent in the other system.
"A notable number" does not equate to "significantly". Up until the second world war (so not, as you said, a "long-ass time ago") and the push for Shinjitai and Jiantizi, Kanji and Hanzi were written exactly the same, and even then the changes are very small (anyone fluent in Traditional/Simplified Chinese has no problem reading the other, and Shinjitai modified even less on Traditional Chinese characters than Simplified Chinese did).
Kanji still have a noticeable similarity to (Traditional) Chinese that makes them often, though not always, legible to those fluent in the other system.
What? Are you fluent in either? I'm fluent in Chinese (simplified at that) and Japanese Kanji is 100% legible (in that I know the word in Chinese and can deduce its meaning). Kanji usually has additional/different meanings over the word in Chinese so it's not like it's perfect but to claim they're significantly different is just incorrect. Here's more information on the matter, and some really interesting discussion on the mutually intelligibility of Hanzi and Kanji here by people fluent in either/both. It's a complicated issue and you'd need to have a deep understanding of one of these languages at least, or a background in linguistics to understand the full story.
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 02:09:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, he's correct. The Japanese characters developed differently after being adopted. Especially after WWII, when the shinjitai (simplified characters) were developed.
There's still some overlap, of course -- there are even some shinjitai that appear among the simplified Chinese characters, because both simplifications, though independent, used a similar system of replacing complex character components with ones that use fewer strokes. But this is coincidental. Mostly, the more complicated characters are different, and there are some characters popular in one language that have fallen out of use in the other.
The simplest characters do have a good amount of overlap though.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:14:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not true at all. It is true that Chinese speakers can often recognise some of the kanji used by Japanese speakers, but it is a severe misconception to claim that they are the same. First of all, which standard are we talking about? Traditional Chinese characters or simplified chinese characters? Somebody who was born in China or Taiwan will be able to recognise both but if you're a learner of Mandarin, you might have a bit of trouble learning to recognise the other variety. Additionally, Japanese kanji, stems from more traditional Chinese writing and underwent its own various simplifications, leading to different strokes that differ from either form of modern Chinese writing. Ignoring this, Japanese use of Chinese characters has been in the language for centuries now; there have been changes and the addition or subtraction of meanings that weren't found in Chinese for example. I wish I could read any kanji and know what it means; unfortunately, I'm limited to my Mandarin.
What? China and Taiwan have different writing systems and mandarin is neither of them. Are you sure you speak Chinese?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 04:17:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol. Somebody does not have reading comprehension. And no, mandarin is not a writing system. Chinese characters are the writing system, with traditional and simplified forming two written standards. Unless you wish to tell me now that 门門 are really the exact same thing.
Kind of like how you obviously can't read chinese or kanji
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 20:08:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol. Except I can. Also, I find this funny coming from a guy who thought that Mandarin was a writing system.
If you think that a Chinese speaker can understand Japanese just by reading Kanji, you're severely, severely mistaken. Japanese kanji underwent their own style of simplification, and have their own changes. It doesn't mean that there aren't cognates and there aren't similarities, in fact, they're very similar. but anybody who asserts that Hanzi and Kanji are the same thing clearly has no idea what they're talking about.
Kanji is Chinese hanzi characters adapted to Japanese. Thus why he said essentially Chinese. The Japanese just took hanzi and modified it for their use.
Yeah, but that's just a name given by each. The two languages use the same characters. Most of them even mean the same thing. They just say the words entirely differently.
It's similar to how a lot of languages use the Roman alphabet, but we don't say things the same at all. Like French and Spanish.
Hánzi is what the Chinese call them while in Japan they call them kanji. Koreans call them something different too tho but I don't remember what. They're referring to the same thing and can usually just be called kanji I think
But if you're using hirigana, katakana or even romanji, can't you create anagrams? They're phonetic. I don't see why anagrams would be impossible in those languages unless you're using Kanji or whatever the Vietnamese equivalent is.
I'm actually sure of the specifics, since I can't actually speak Japanese, haha. I'm curious to what the Vietnamese translation was, because Vietnamese does not use characters.
Homophones are when two words are said the same and spelled differently. I think you meant homonym. Or potentially you meant a sexually atypical phone, in which case you got me :0
So many characters with the same pronunciation....written so very differently and with different meaning. Daunting, is a good way to describe learning Chinese.
Two names with the same kanji can have different readings as well. There's sometimes no way to know how to pronounce a name from the kanji alone. Many Japanese forms have two sets of name fields, one for kanji and the other for the katakana reading.
Yep. For example, here's an order form on nike.com. The first two fields are family name (姓) and given name (名), but then the next two are for the furigana versions.
That's mainly because you can say different kanji (essentially Chinese characters) the same, but the actual characters themselves mean something different.
It's 2017 and we're STILL using that oppressive word?
xRehab · 390 points · Posted at 02:03:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah that is a little disappointing. Japanese writers love word play so they could have easily done something along the lines of double readings.
ex - A character from a japanese novel is named 忍野 忍 which is read Oshino Shinobu. Not only is it a palindrome but the first and last kanji is literally written using the kanji for heart, below the kanji for blade; or Heart-Under-Blade which is Shinobu's true name.
Asian wordplay is on a completely different level than ours. And to all of those reading this who understand the reference, yes I'm still extremely salty.
I'm a freelance translator, between Chinese and English. While I understand what you meant by 忍 (because it's the same character and meaning in Chinese), I don't think "I am Voldemort" anagram can be simply solved by character play. In your example, the combined character of 刃 and 心 is not close to 忍 phonetically or by meaning. So while there may be play with such things, it has to be very specific type of play. Chinese and Japanese names, unlike English, have meanings within the characters themselves. This works well in translations in some ways, like Voldemort's phonetic translation in Chinese literally means "earth-dominating伏地 demon魔". But this also make this name extremely unique. They're so easy to spot that you can't simply insert them into Tom Marvolo Riddle's name without giving away any secrets before the grand reveal.
The coolest translation trick I've seen, between Chinese and a western language, is from a children's book by Astrid Lindgren from Sweden. The books calls for a code language that breaks down words so others can't understand it when you speak to your buddies in front of others. It's done by inserting extra vowels and consonants into words. It's clear enough in Swedish (I read the English translation, which is also straight forward. E.g. bag becomes bagag). The first translation I saw (by a prominent translator btw) just went through the whole mess phonetically and used footnote to explain what each sentence meant. But another translation I read, actually inserted 2 meaningless Chinese character in between each characters. It not only aligned with the design of the secrete language, but also made it readable in Chinese, because you just need to read every 3rd character.
I get a feeling if given time, I imagine the Chinese translator could have done a better job at the anagram. Maybe use words with similar sounds and homophones? (Same sounds would be too obvious). Or some other brilliant method that not only link the two phrases but also disguise one enough not to disclose anything prematurely. But I got a feeling they were just rushing to get it done as quickly as possible. There were many blaring mistake made in the Chinese HP books and this was probably least of their concerns.
The worst one is somewhat well known. Sirius Black's name. When his name first appeared in book 1, it was about the motorcycle borrowed from "young Sirius Black". And the translator made it into "little Sirius Black" which wasn't ideal because it gave the impression of SB Junior ("little" or "small" in front of a name is typically how "Junior" in a name is translated in Chinese), but it wasn't a big deal because Sirius was translated as the name of the star (sky wolf star) so the name didn't look like a typical English name anyway.
The problem became what it was in book 3 when he was officially introduced, still as "little sky wolf star", and continued on through all the rest of the books. I believe many young readers thought his first name was "little sky wolf star" until they searched on the internet and found no such thing.
I believe it was caused by not keeping a good name list. Somehow Sirius = little sky wolf star. But a mistake like that should be super easy to spot. I can't imagine what went through the translators' heads when they just took it without question.
And Dumbledore's name is funny too. I don't know how, but both Taiwanese and Chinese translations separated "b" and "le" sounds for no reason. The name became "den-boo-lee-duo" which not only made it unnecessarily long (young Chinese readers may not be used to names longer than 3 characters) but again confused people when the movie came out.
Sorry I could only remember name ones. It's been a while since I read the Chinese copy.
I know this is old, but I have a question. What is the problem with readers thinking his first name was Little Sky Wolf Star, apart from the "junior" thing you explained earlier? Or was that it?
The thing with translation is that if you only read/watch in one language translation mistakes are not likely noticeable. But in this case, for anyone that reads names a little carefully, it's only natural to question why someone would be named "little sky wolf star" -- it obvious is not phonetic translation of an English name. And while "sky wolf star" is the name of an actual star, but why is he the "small" version of it? The books gave no explanation for that. Nobody else in his family is named this way.
That being said, I think most Chinese readers did just assume his name is "little sky wolf star" even though it's very long and very awkward as a name, and use it in all fan discussions just like any other.
Yeah, it seems like it would be really hard to come up with something not blatantly obvious. You can't just name him "Eye Yam Vowel D. Mortey" and call it clever.
Well, Chinese has its unique challenges but one thing about Chinese names is that they can be any characters in the language. So "eye yam vowel" may sound weird in some languages, they could be a perfectly fine Chinese name.
But I think I know what you mean, if we are to preserve the name Tom Riddle it'd be almost impossible. Tom is such a common English name that even little kids knows it in Chinese, and Riddle has a meaning which directly related to his name (riddle -- anagram).
I like how many languages played on the middle name (I imagine all the extra letters go there) -- unless I'm wrong and those are actual names. Then that's seriously brilliant work (well, more brilliant work). :)
Instead of rearranging the characters, could you rearrange the radicals to create a different set of characters (not necessarily the same number) which would be used in some order for his alias?
That's a cool idea. I honestly think if given enough time and effort, anything can be translated well. Maybe not aligned in perfection in every way, but good enough to convey the core message.
Yes! That's the one! I didn't think anyone'd know it because the English copy is so hard to find. That series is my favourite Lindgren books. Coincidentally when I first read HP I felt the three main characters were poor copies of Bill Bergson and his friends. HP obviously is set up in a much more complex world and the story arcs are 100 times longer. With the exception of book 1, I feel that all the core plots focus so much on HP himself that everyone else, including his best friends, are just there to cause conflict on a hero's journey.
That's what I'm thinking, the double meaning in the traditional sense (same kanji, different reading) would be immediately obvious because the two names would be written the same way.
May if Tom Riddle's name were kana or something of an alternate reading, but even then that would probably stand out. I don't speak Japanese so I trust the editors for the book knew more than me.
Ah, so is this why some anime characters have names that seem out of place in English? I always thought they might have given them English names for some aesthetic reason and it just didn't work as well in English, but I guess it could be because their names in Japanese have an alternate meaning.
The one that comes to mind is in TRIGUN where the main antagonist's name is Knives Millions, which is a little sinister in English but seems out of place. Another bad guy is named Legato as well, which seems equally 'random'.
No, Knives Millions' name was "Mirionzu Naibuzu" in Japanese. Most anime/manga characters with names that are English words are just that way in the original Japanese. Vash was "Vasshu za Sutanpiido".
Translators will never translate a Kanji name into what the individual characters mean, because that would be stupid. I don't mean to say you're stupid for thinking that they might have, but anyone who knows anything about Japanese translation would know not to do it so they would have to be stupid to actually do that.
English translators end up doing weird things though. Like in Eureka 7 having her name still sounded out e-u-re-ka instead of just eureka comes to mind, and part of why I never understood some people's appeal to it. Admittedly the Japanese could have use the name ユーリカ if they wanted it pronounced like an English word, so it's more I just don't agree with how it was translated to English. Course there's other odd things due to possible censorship, like in DBZ using the name Hercule instead of Mr. Satan like it would be from the Japanese.
Yeah when it comes to japanese names its always a good rule to follow the closest, if not, the exact way how the names sound
Dont care what the name means in each language because it would be weird if a fan in another language calls a character in a totally different sounding name than the native language would sound like
Imagine all these fans attend a fan meet and they all sound so different despite calling out to the same character
I can't give any examples off the top of my head, but there are a lot of characters in anime who have unusual names which may have a meaning that is related to their character (or they use unusual kanji with the same reading, but a different meaning than what would ordinarily be used for that name).
They're honestly mostly just silly and weird sounding because they're from comic books aimed at children. They try to make them sound cool to their readers. Most of the meaningful names aren't any more deep or subtle than "Remus Lupin" being a guy who turns out to be a werewolf.
In Sailor Moon the main character is named Serena. Her cat is named Luna which basically means moon from Latin roots. There's another cat named Artemis, from the Greek goddess of the moon. In the Japanese version her name is Usagi Tsukino. Usagi means rabbit, because while in the west people see a face/man on the moon, they see a rabbit. Tsukino means of the moon. All the other characters name are related to their powers. The guy who saves them is named Mamoru, which means to protect.
Even in that show there are a lot of things like this. I watched this show obsessively growing up to even realize this.
[deleted] · -21 points · Posted at 02:52:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No anime is just fucking cartoons there’s no secret meaning
Honestly, one of Holo or Megumin should've won. I voted Megumin but then Holo got upset the next round because of backlash. The seeding really screwed em over.
My absolutely favourite wordplay from the Monogatari Series is 苛虎（kako）, Tsubasa's white tiger. Its pun and meaning is fourfold, and takes a bit of classical Chinese knowledge to understand:
Its literally meaning is "Harsh/Unrelenting Tiger", hence its Tiger figure.
It's a homophone with 火虎（kako）, which means "fire tiger", alluding to its ability to set things on fire.
It's also a homophone with 過去（kako）, which means "the past": Her past lifes literally came to haunt her, burning her house and family down.
The final layer was mentioned in the show by Tsubasa herself, but the meaning is probably lost on the Western audience and perhaps some Japanese who didn't pay attention in kanbun classes. 苛虎 is in fact a reference to "苛政猛於虎也“. The story was from the pre-Qin era Confucian classic 禮記.
Confucius one day came across a woman mourning a family member who got eaten by by Tigers in the deep mountains. Seeing her to be in great pain, he let ZiGong, his student, to ask her how did it come to this, she told him most of her family members died to Tigers. Baffled, Confucius asked why don't she just move back to where cities and people live. She told him the policies are too harsh for her to make a living anyways, she'd rather take her chances out here, even with the Tigers roaming around. Confucius exclaimed in grief, that the Harsh Policies and tyranny are more vicious than the Tigers.
This is exactly Tsubasa's story: her parents don't care for her, there isn't even a family for her to go back to. She'd rather be living in a crumbling unfinished building and face the specters of the world than going back. Hence the reference.
When I first saw that, I have to give it to Nishio Ishin, I was thoroughly impressed.
Glad you can appreciate it. I'm pretty sure Nishio literally wrote this novel series just to indulge in his own puns 😂 . Of course, granted they're good puns.
That's really neat. It seems that the homophones only work in Japanese tho, because as a Chinese reader (Mandarin at least), all of these words sound very different.
Yes, the puns only work in Japanese, it's a Japanese light novel after all. I should know, I'm Chinese myself. It's a big plus being Chinese reading and watching monogatari series, Nishio and the director Shinbo uses quaint references and character plays with the graphics and style choices all the time, quite a few unexpected surprises came out of it.
Incidentally, your observation also ties into the main topic of this post. Since the CJKV languages were all under the Sinosphere, their writing systems were greatly influenced by classical Chinese, which consisted of logographic units called Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja/Hanchu that have their own meanings and isn't bound to inherent pronunciations at all. China had this to unify a very big empire that had people speaking a family of Sinitic languages with wildly different variations, and it later applied to Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Hence the crazy amount of different pronunciations present in different languages meaning essentially the same thing, and have very different homophones within them. Since the Voldemort gimmick was facilitated by swapping alphabets, which are "sound units", it would be impossible for CJKV languages that doesn't have them to do the same.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 02:55:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, yes that's wordplay, but it's not exactly complicated. The author literally just explained the kanji in her name in English. I don't see how that's any deeper than, for example, some character named "Crimson" wearing red clothing and using fire powers.
They translated other wordplay across, like the Mirror of Erised (みぞの鏡), but I guess because none of the character names were changed they didn't have a great number of options - otherwise they could have created names that work with the puzzle.
I remember trying to translate Mirror of Erised in my head into Chinese when I was reading that part. In Chinese, desire (欲望）in reverse is 望欲，literally means "seeing desire". It was really cool because it fits the idea of a mirror so neatly but also totally useless because it'd give the whole plot away.
Sorry, just thought that was cool even though it doesn't contribute to your dialogue in any way.
samsg1 · 2 points · Posted at 05:30:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sailor Moon's character is 月野 うさぎ or 'tsukino usagi' meaning rabbit of the moon. Her family name is literally 'of the moon' when read out loud. I always liked that :)
Japanese>English translator here. While it's possible that a native Japanese speaker might come up with some wordplay that I can't, I find it extremely unlikely that any form of "I am" could be incorporated into a feasible name in Japanese, and furthermore, a kanji pun would require Voldemort to have a Japanese name that would stick out like a sore thumb against the Very British setting of the book. (Futhermore, "Voldemort" had already been transliterated into Japanese for the previous book, so you couldn't replace it with kanji anyway.)
Besides, English education is mandatory (if ineffective) in Japan so a very basic sentence such as "I am X" would be understood by practically everyone old enough to read the book without adult help.
tl;dr: I think the route the official translator took was the best choice in this situation.
They wanted to preserve the English names, which immediately rules out any sort of double readings because it would therefore be written in katakana. The books take place in Britain, so a Japanese name would have been out of place.
I don't get it, would you mind explaining? Of course I can see the characters are the same. How would you read it and form the words? Is oshino heart and then shinobu underblade?
Not OP and late answer but w/e. "忍野 忍" is the characters name ("Oshino Shinobu"), written with these two kanji: 忍 and 野. Now the first kanji, 忍, if you look closely, is 心 under 刃. If you look at the meaning of these two it's literally "heart" written under "blade", "heart under blade" , and the character calls herself like that in the show.
But then again, i feel they are comfortable with english word play... i think majority of japaense know "i am ..." Also, characters name in English sounds more fitting for an english-themed novel. At least I am comfortable with that (am korean). If a white dude had japanese-sounding name (or korean sounding name) i would be very taken back.
I had that at first, but '어' is quite often used with 'r' so wasn't sure. For 'lord' though 로 does seem better. I'll change em to that~ Guess this is a good example of going with your first impression; I shouldn't have second guessed it.
[deleted] · 14 points · Posted at 02:35:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
interesting that they didnt try to use the word "Thiên Tử" or "Tử Thiên" for tom riddle's name in Vietnamese. its an actual name and the name itself can either mean "son of god" or "god of death", which works in this case
amusha · 8 points · Posted at 04:20:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would not say that it isn't "proper". Most of the times, there's no consensus on what should be the "right" way to translate. We translators/interpreters have to make compromises everyday.
A while ago, a new Vietnamese translation of The Lord of the Rings which closely followed Tolkien's translation guideline was published. Names that have meaning like Baggins was translated into the Vietnamese name as well. The reaction? The fans were fucking livid. They saw the previous translations of the book and loved the "foreign" feel of the world. Turning them into Vietnamese diminished that enjoyment of many people.
In Czech they call him Pytlík (bag or sack, translated). I guess I understand the thought behind translating because it makes him sound kind of ordinary/not threatening, where the name Baggins might have different connotations in different languages. But I think a good footnote here or there can explain those subtleties in translation pretty well, rather than just translating the name.
amusha · 3 points · Posted at 07:33:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah there are different approaches. In the case of TLOTR, however, the author has a guideline of how he wants it to be translated. Being a linguist, he wanted the English version to be meant as a translation of the Elvis original version and other translated versions to be seen as imitating that as well.
A really creative approach but sometimes people don't take it kindly to to be told the way you are enjoying the book is wrong.
I doubt it would have worked in Korean either. Korean is a syllable based language, and the syllables required to make that name wouldn't remotely have the meaning of that sentence in Korean no matter how you rearranged it.
squigs · 2 points · Posted at 08:55:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'd have thought Japanese would have allowed something that suitably approximated. A website tells me his name was written in katakana "ヴォルデモート" (Vorudemōto). Can't that be rearranged into something? It's not like it needs to be a real English name. Just English sounding.
It's too short to arrange into anything that sounds remotely decent. The main difficulty is that there are only two characters which can make a single consonant sound: ru and to (which can be R/L and T), and that severely limits how you can end a name. Additionally, o is the only single vowel, so there's no way to disguise the v. It'd have to be vo every time. (It's possible that the v can be used by itself; I'm not that experienced.) And then you've got that dash which means nothing on its own, and I'm not sure what to do with it. The best thing I can come up with is Tomo Devoru, which sounds like something out of D.N.Angel. It's so bad.
But that comic at least demonstrates why the official translation is fine. The character names Dark/ダーク and Krad/クラッド don't use the same kana, but they do use the same letters. Japanese readers should have been super used to this kind of thing by the time Harry Potter was released.
The Japanese have already been using English wordplay in fiction for decades though, so I can't imagine readers even noticed that it was a translation difficulty.
I wondered for a long time how they had managed to do it in Japanese. Then one day I was at a Japanese person's house and they had the books there. I opened Chamber of Secrets and eagerly flicked through to the end to find it and solve the mystery once and for all, and was disappointed to find that they'd just use the English.
Technically, an orange is like a big mandarin. Mandarins are one of the four ancestor citruses (along with citrons, pomelos, and papedas) from which all other citrus are genetically derived. Oranges are mandarin/pomelo crossbreeds.
Did you know that orange is the only word that can represent a food, a color, and a harmful chemical agent used against the Vietnamese people in the Vietnam War at the same time? Wow!
Please reply with a word that rhymes with orange to unsubscribe to Orange Facts!
Did you know that the name of fruit came before the name of the colour? It's the same reason you'll see the names of Raspberry or Asparagus in Caryola colours, but it's unknown why Orange was the only fruit name to remain in the common vernacular.
Buffalo buffalo, while Buffalo buffolo Buffolo buffolo buffolo had had "had," had had "had had." "Had had" had had a better impact on Buffalo buffalo Bufallo buffalo buffolo.
It wouldn't make sense though: it basically means "The buffalo from Buffalo that the Buffalo from buffalo annoy also annoy buffalo from Buffalo that the buffalo from Buffalo annoy. "
So punctuation is inaccurate. But I feel ya. If it were grammatically correct to have punctuation I would want it to be there because it's quite a string of silly words. It also helps if you hear it spoken with inflections
I know what the sentence means but if you just used it casually in conversation without the pauses that punctuation can give you, it becomes difficult to track the meaning as it's spoken.
That's kind of the point of a lot of them though, and why punctuation can be so important. James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a greater effect on the teacher is tough to understand or say properly unless you actually use all of the punctuation. James, while John had had "had," had had "had had;" "had had" had had a greater effect on the teacher. I imagine the Mandarin would be tough to follow if someone just spoke it in a similar vein even though it's super easy to read.
As an aside, I'm betting odd combinations of words such as "had had" must be weird for people learning English the first time they encounter it.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:07:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
signaficantly less impressive, the mandarin shi story makes sense if u can read it, the buffalo story makes no sense other than the most technical term
it makes sense in the sense that if you break it down appart and study it slowly u'll eventually realize it more one word at a time constantly repeating it. the Shi story you'll get it the first time you read it where as the buffalo quote just lookes like the same word repeating
I think Brainfuck (which itself is an extension of P") has them all beat if we include programming languages. It has 8 commands so it's not like it's all one symbol or pronunciation, but you can extend it essentially into anything you want even if it's super inefficient. If you are familiar with the language it's still a brainfuck but possible to follow if you work it out. A simple "Hello World!" program can simply be written as:
You don't need the Mandarin poem to be explained, it makes sense. "Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo" needs an actual explanation for most readers.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 20:04:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bull. The shi poem about a poet eating lions is written in classical Chinese, which was purely a literary (written) language and has grammatical constructs and vocabulary that are archaic or even unused in modern writing. No Mandarin speaker nowadays would understand it in writing without some guessing (and, of course, no Mandarin speaker ever would have been able to understand it intuitively upon hearing it read aloud, as intended; it was written to highlight that phasing hanzi out in favor of a traditional alphabet would make distinguishing between written homonyms nigh on impossible). As such, I think it's about on the same level as the buffalo poem, but far more impressive simply because the poet was able to squeeze that much more meaning out of shi1 through shi4.
[deleted] · 6 points · Posted at 02:33:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
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[deleted] · 12 points · Posted at 03:07:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well now I fully admit I'm just being contrarian, but I think the upper limit is 11:
This exhausts every possible positioning within the existing sentences framework of each of buffalo's three meanings, so that the only way to extend it further is by inserting "Buffalo bison bully" between any existing pairing of "bison" and "bully" ad infinitum. IMO it becomes cheating at this point because it creates an entirely new group of bison, whereas the previous extensions served only to provide information about existing buffalo (and it's gibberish for most people at 5 anyways, so that probably shouldn't be the defining metric).
Edit: just to clarify that paragraph, the base sentence is as follows:
buffalo buffalo buffalo.
Bison bully bison.
To which we add their birthplace to make it a tad more confusing:
That's when you start talking about (Mark) Ruffalo's Buffalo buffalo buffalo.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 04:05:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
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[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 04:11:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah... I already said the shi poem was superior. I'm not even talking about the shi poem now - the only purpose of that entire comment was to show why 11 "buffalo"s is the reasonable limit for the buffalo sentence in English
RhynoD · 3 points · Posted at 03:36:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
RhynoD · 1 points · Posted at 12:56:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Buffalo is a place, an animal, and a verb meaning to bully.
Animals from New York (Buffalo buffalo) that other animals from New York bully (Buffalo buffalo buffalo) go on to bully more animals from New York (buffalo Buffalo buffalo).
To be fair, that story wasn't written in Mandarin, it was written in Literary Chinese, and it reads just fine. Also, it was written to point out how ridiculous it was to still be using Literary Chinese as the written language for a people who spoke something so different from it.
[deleted] · 76 points · Posted at 02:23:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's not true. The reason Yuen Ren Chao wrote the poem was to argue against the romanisation of classical Chinese. Also, by the time that poem came into existence, literary Chinese had fallen into disuse in almost every occasion but the most formal; even before it, literary Chinese was only used for formal documents. We still had modern vernacular Chinese to use as the common written language. Additionally, while the story doesn't read well in Mandarin, it reads better in other languages (such as Taihu Wu.)
Hmm, I didn't realize it was written in 1930, I thought it was earlier, around 1910.
Also the information on the poem available on the web is hot garbage.
It's not surprising it reads more logically in other Chinese languages - Mandarin has a much higher degree of homophones than most of the others, and it was intended to be homophonic in Mandarin. It's interesting that it's not really written in Mandarin - it's unintelligible - but that the conceit of the poem only works in the context of Mandarin.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 02:53:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh agreed. There are a lot of myths surrounding the poem. However, the most common claim is that Yuan Ren Chao was against the romanisation of Chinese, which is untrue; he created a romanisation scheme for modern Chinese after all. Yours was a different claim but it wouldn't make sense given the time period.
Exactly, though that particular example is more of a tongue twister.
Chinese has a ton of word play, being a tonal, analytic language. It would certainly be conceivable to come up with homophones for "I AM LORD VOLDEMORT" or "wo shi fu di mo" in any order and combination of tones to make a Chinese pseudo anagram.
However, on the flip side, are Chinese dialects. At this point, it may be better to call them languages, as related to each other as French and Spanish are. But unlike French and Spanish, Chinese is written in such a way that pronunciation can shift without the writing shifting at all. If Latin had a similarly pictorial system of writing, it could very well be that eau in French and agua in Spanish would be written as something like 水. Both "Latin dialects" would read their character and understand it's meaning, but they'd pronounce it very differently. This happens with the dialects of Chinese. So wordplay may not work as nicely as it would for a strictly Mandarin-speaking audience.
That's Classical Chinese- in standard mandarin (putonghua) that poem has a lot of different syllables
30-xv · 581 points · Posted at 23:01:10 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
I hate foot notes since I was reading the first tome of Dragon Ball, and like in every joke and world-play they put footnotes to explain it because it doesn't work from Japanese to French or English to French.
I don't think the other reply is correct. The translator originally subbed the dialogue as "All according to keikaku" with the TL note and it turned into a meme. It wasn't an inside joke, just a bad translation.
The translation got mocked because it demonstrated a problem with subs at the time preferring Japanese words over English ones to a ridiculous extent.
EDIT: It started as a meme. Sorry for the false info!
Mahou · 60 points · Posted at 02:02:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't watch much anime, but I have seen examples of this. I studied Japanese some years ago and I find I kinda like the forced vocabulary lesson when I encounter it.
I assume they're students too, trying to pick out what's important and not, and sometimes get excited over a certain word, thinking it carries more importance than someone who hasn't studied any of it and doesn't care (ie, most people).
From what I've seen most anime fansubs do a really good job though.
I believe that keeping the honorifics has worked out very well on the large scale, and they often make good choices when it comes what to translate and what to keep. Things like names of people and places or very fantasy universe-specific terms get translated way too often in official versions and end up sounding silly in my opinion.
As a German the most terrible example I know is an English/German one though. Warcraft translated is absolutely horrible. Names like "Frostmourne" or "Doomhammer" do not well in translation. Sure they look like they should be translated because they have clear translatable meanings, but they were also created with a certain flow or sound in mind. Translations like "Frostgram" or "Schicksalshammer" just sound terrible (and lose critical connotation - "Doom" is bad fate/demise/ruin, but "Schicksal" just means fate/destiny/fortune). Sometimes less translation works out for the better.
"Dattebayo" is essentially just emphasis. You'll sometimes see it as "believe it" which is dumb to put in every time Naruto said it. When we subbed, we just ignored it.
It doesn't mean nothing, not exactly. In Naruto's case, it's a tagline/saying that's used when he strongly means what he's saying. Like in all languages, there are sometimes things that don't translate exactly, or have no real translation into English because they are concepts, not just individual words.
Keep in mind, I'm not a translator, but an editor. Japanese can be especially complicated. I've had lines come through where the tl basically said "Yeah, all the actual parts of the sentence that mean anything are missing, but this is what they're saying." It's a rough equivalent to removing nouns and verbs from an English sentence. There's still something there, but it doesn't really say anything.
When it came to Naruto, and he used dattebayo in a line, we generally ignored it, aside from maybe choosing words to add a little more strength/emphasis to what he was saying. The context and the line delivery usually gave it the punch it needed without us adding anything in. (e.g. "I'll bring Sasuke back, believe it!" We might have flavored it by adding "definitely" or "I swear I'll bring Sasuke back!")
I am trying to think of that ever happened (in the anime; we didn't do manga) and can't think of any instances. On its own, it doesn't have much meaning. But, if it did, we would have looked at the context. What is the conversation about? What is the intent of the answer? Then we would have just used something in English that fit the length of the line and made sense in context.
"dattebayo" by itself means absolutely nothing; it modifies the feeling of the sentence that it's attached to. So what that text bubble would contain would basically be entirely up to the translator and what fits the sentence's meaning the best, which is how we got "Believe it!" in the anime.
But does it have a literal meaning? (even if it's one that doesn't sound right in english?)
Aretii · 16 points · Posted at 03:00:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Let me quote a really good stackexchange answer:
Dattebayo (だってばよ) is not really proper Japanese, but you can sort of see how it would come about linguistically as a sentence-ending phrase. It's very impolite, somewhat childish, and basically just combines different ways of putting emphasis on the statement in a not terribly meaningful way.
First, the da (だ) is a standard way to end a sentence (copula) in Japanese. Depending on the construction of the sentence, some sentences will end with da while others end with a dictionary form verb. It should be emphasized that using this would not be considered polite. The polite version of da is desu (です). Wikipedia has some more information on copula verbs and verb conjugations in Japanese.
Next, tteba (ってば) is sort of a set expression/phrase which adds emphasis. This is a shortened (and hence less polite) version of tteieba (っていえば). It can be attached to a noun, in which case it would be translated roughly as "speaking of" in many contexts. In other contexts it could be interpreted (somewhat rudely) as "I'm talking to you" or "listen to me". You might use it with a person's name to attract their attention in this way. It's roughly equivalent to ttara (ったら) but this latter one is more commonly used by females. Wikipedia calls it a "strong emphasis marker" which is probably about as close as you can get to an accurate English description.
Naruto adds it to the da above. Datteba is something you might hear occasionally in other contexts. To me, this more often sounds frustrated than emphatic, but it could be used either way.
Finally, the yo (よ) is a sentence-ending particle. It can be appended to the end of a sentence when the speaker is informing the listener of something or making an assertion. It might be translated in some contexts as "you see" or "you know". It's not necessarily impolite but it could be used in impolite speech. Wikipedia has some other contexts where this could be used.
Putting all these together gives dattebayo. It's meaningless and not entirely grammatical, but it puts a lot of emphasis on what he is saying. One might compare it qualitatively in English to using multiple superlatives, e.g. "I'm the most bestest ninja ever" in terms of how it would come across. It isn't actually equivalent to this, but Japanese speakers hearing it would get a similar impression in terms of the manner of speech.
I'll note that while dattebayo is most definitely invented for this character, it's somewhat equivalent to dazo (だぞ). Dazo is not childish-sounding (compared to dattebayo), and is mostly used by men. However, it is still quite impolite, all things considered, and puts a strong emphasis on a statement. There's also the more forceful daze (だぜ), but dazo has somewhat of a more positive tone.
Basically: Japanese has a number of auxiliary words that don't really correspond to what we think of as parts of speech in English, but rather mark your sentence in different ways, some formal/polite, some informal/immature (metadata, basically). Rolling your own is possible and comprehensible, but weird.
Da, te, ba, yo are extra sounds added at the end of a sentence to add emphasis.
They don't have 1 single meaning connected to them as it depends on what you said before. You also have particles like 'ne', which is not part of Naruto's motto but also gives emphasis.
Imagine it as a silly personal made-up word from a kid who wants to give maximum emphasis to what he just said.
This explains it about as well as can be done. None of the individual elements have a real English translation. [In very simple terms] "da" is the copula), -tte is a way of saying that the words before are to be taken as part of a quotation, the "ba" part makes you sound annoyed, concerned or shitty, and the "yo" makes it emphatic. -tteba alone would make a sentence sound like "hey, I said" and the yo turns the whole thing into just a kid being cocky.
It might be easier to think of the last two parts like tone of voice or inflection rather than actual words.
The one we heard most often was "believe it." Whether or not that's accurate is up for debate because there's no real literal translation. Nearly any phrase used for emphasis would be appropriate to use.
To give more context to the long reply you got, "daze" is used in Pokemon for the Japanese equivalent of "gotta catch 'em all": "Pokemon, getto daze!" It means "[I'm gonna/You gotta/I just did] get the Pokemon!" with a strong, determined nuance.
Whoever came up with "Gotta catch 'em all" did a great job. It captures not only the meaning but also the connotation of the original Japanese so damn well. Definitely surprising given how generally awful translations were back then.
A good example is Trump. He uses "belive me" and "big league" ("bigly") in the same manner. It's just automatic filler, like "y'know." or whatever.
Zeig9 · 3 points · Posted at 03:14:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I only took a couple semesters of Japanese so this might be a poor explanation, but here goes:
Japanese has several sentence ending particles like か(ka), ね(ne), and よ(yo), that modify what's being said. Here's a sample sentence:
おいしいです。 Oishii(delicious) desu(to be). It is delicious.
If you end the sentence with か, it's a question. Ex: おいしいですか。 Oishii desu ka? Is it delicious?
If you end the sentence with ね, it's like asking for agreement from the listener. Ex: おいしいですね。 Oishii desu ne. It's delicious, isn't it?
If you end the sentence with よ, it's a more emphatic assertion to the listener. Ex: おいしいですよ。 Oishii desu yo. It's delicious you know.
There are more that are less common, but you get the picture.
Dattebayo (だってばよ） is essentially several of those sentence ending particles, all which add emphasis, mashed together. It's supposed to sound really childish and impolite. No one actually talks like that. The closest you might hear would be something like だよ (dayo), だ being the casual form of です, and よ being used like above.
To me those particles make sense as a language feature, but isn't it weird how long dattebayo is? Or are there other particles of similar length?
Zeig9 · 1 points · Posted at 03:34:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dattebayo being weird is kind of the point. It's supposed to sound really childish and improper. Someone else compared it to saying something like "most bestest greatest ever!" and I think that's a good comparison.
The "datte" can be analogous to starting with "I'm telling you," and the "BA" adds some flavor, and the "yo " means you're stating a fact that you're confident about
The best example for an english equivalent would be the "...ya know".
For example:
That was a very silly movie ya know. There was no point in having the protagonist die for her, ya know?
The words there are totally useless. It does convey an idea but are more of a speech crutch than other thing. Like some black people throw "yo" around their sentences for no good reason.
wadss · 2 points · Posted at 05:24:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
it happens regularly in english too. its like how politicians LOVE to start their sentences with "listen" in attempt to grab your attention, its like that.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:00:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Many languages have fluff words or phrases that work in that way.
In German, "dattebayo" got translated to "echt jetzt", which could be translated to "for real". You probably know someone that uses this way too often.
The french people have the word "Alors", that just seems to be stuffed into sentences as well. It's by no means uncommon, but in the original "Naruto" anime, maybe in the manga but I never read that, many important-ish characters have some phrase they utter quite often, like Shikamaru's "How Annoying". It's just that Naruto's phrase seems to have no proper meaning beyond fluff.
It's a verbal tic that has no specific translation.
-tteba is basically emphasis or insistence, in a somewhat childish manner. -yo is also emphasis, in a very blatant (and therefore often brusque by Japanese standards) manner. Macho characters often use -yo a lot.
So -ttebayo is a lot of emphasis, while also being a verbal tic. A similar tic Westerners might be familiar with is the cartoonish gangster who uses "See?" at the end of every sentence, though it's not quite the same. It's more assertive than that.
"Believe it" is probably as good a translation as any, in fact.
This. It's like an accent - it gives him a very distinct speaking style that is non-standard and a little bit stupid, which helps emphasize the disconnect between his character and the people around him.
These sorts of things are lost in the subs/dubs in the same way that English accents are used to highlight differences in class or background.
Pretty much, although it's an artificial construct. You wouldn't find people actually talking that way.
It's been pretty common in anime for a while to give characters a unique particle-like ending for their sentences. Sometimes they're things you might actually hear (although not every sentence) such as -nano, which is roughly "definitely," or -noda, which is roughly "y'know."
Other times, it's just to be cute, like having a female character use -nyo or -pyo or any number of variations of nonsense syllable tics. Occasionally it's to be funny; I think it was Hellsing that had a character who was a Bruce Willis parody who ended sentences with -wirisu.
I mean it really depends on whether or not the translator is being super literal with the translates, or just using google translate. When I was taking a Japanese language class in high school they mentioned how most of the literal translations were kind of off when it comes to English so you really have to pay attention to context and vocab.
[deleted] · 103 points · Posted at 02:31:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
English has registers, we just generally skew casual:
President of the United States
Mr. President
The Hon. Donald J. Trump
Mr. Trump
Donald Trump
Donald
Don
Donny
Shithead
[deleted] · 10 points · Posted at 03:25:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Exactly. In casual conversation we refer to our PM (Canada) as "Trudeau", meanwhile, if you watch any kind of shit in parliament, it's usually "Right Honourable Justin Trudeau" or "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau" when the speaker is referring to JT.
[deleted] · 10 points · Posted at 03:30:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't really mind if they keep honorifics and that stuff now... although it can get a little confusing like reading a new epic fantasy series except isntead of 15 names and 15 characters you have 15 names and like 5 characters....
Not while feeling natural when talking with a Peer. If you translate them calling their class mate Mr. Uchiha > Mr. Sasuke > Sasuke like they kinda are, is weird. There are even other honorifics meaning different things
It's easily done in English with full name, first name, nickname, and diminutive, all convey a different level of familiarity. But you must change the characters names or get very creative. Both don't sit well with audiences.
An introduction between two youth peers would use full names, but because they are assumed to be of the same status they will immediately assume to address one another by first name. "Michael?" "Please call me Mike." Conveys the same mechanics of relationship as dropping "~san" it's just done differently in English.
Giving a pet name "sweetie" "babe" or a diminutive "Mikey" further conveys intimacy.
If the character relationship evolving is fundamental to the plot, it's translatable with some effort. But if it is weekly an element of the story and the story can still be told without it, I think dropping it, or providing a translator note is fine.
Yeah I am definitely in the group that drops the thing all together in translation. Makes it awkward and I don't really watch many shows where it matters ( like slice of life's ).
I do think that in subtitles it's better to just include honorifics, to me doesn't seem important to localize in subs. It also reduces any need for TL notes,
I mean, maybe it's due to the strong German influence in America, but calling someone by their first name rather than last is/used to be a similar social dynamic.
[deleted] · 6 points · Posted at 03:12:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then they can write in that it IS his nickname and the use of the first name implies a closeness. Or, if it's a sport or other team thing, it's not uncommon for American kids to refer to each other by their last names. Using a first name would imply a closeness outside of the team. Gotta be creative.
Sports is a good one! I can't help but think last names are used because last names are often on the uniforms or because the coach usually uses last names because that's what comes first on the roster (usually).
But still a good example! And one where kids might actually refer to one another using their last names even. So you met my criteria. :P
This is actually super common in the military. Most people of equal-ish rank refer to each other by their last name. People only really ever use first names if they are both friends and in private or after-work actively trying to be 'non-military'.
I mean, maybe it's due to the strong German influence in America
It's because when America moved from the UK we felt that Mr. and Mrs. was really classist, and so everyone should be a Mister and a Missus (sounded cooler). Those terms use to be only for Gentlemen and Ladys, which we actual titles you'd receive for certain actions. Turns out a lot of people like that after a lot of the Revolutions that happened and it became more normal. Everyone should be equal.
It now makes honorifics a very alien concept for English.
In the past I think this was an issue, but at this point most people are familiar enough with Japanese honorifics that I believe leaving the honorifics in the translation are the right call. With some of the weirder ones like "dono" and "ya", it might be worth an initial explanation, but trying to translate them just ends up worse off. Leaving out a "sama" can lose a lot of meaning, but you can't exactly translate it either.
I guess it's ultimately situational.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:26:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wouldn't say so. I learned "-san" and "-sama" when playing Shenmue (they kept the honorifics in the translation) and learned by the context of it when they're appropriate and what they roughly mean, even though they were never explained in the game.
I can almost guarantee your understanding of "-san" is not accurate. But probably "good enough" though. "-sama" on the other hand is pretty straight forward and I could see people learning that one pretty accurately through context.
And yet i doubt most of the memers could actually tell you what sempai means. I wonder what they'd think if they got a job in Japan and their coworkers insisted they be called sempai, considering it's been turned into this "cutesy anime girl" thing.
Nicknames are their own level of familiarity in Japanese though.
小室さん ー＞葉子さんー＞葉子ー＞葉子ちゃんー＞ ココ (honestly 葉子 doesn't need a nickname, so let's pretend she's lazy and loves to sign her artwork as ココ due to how easy it is to write, so her close friends call her that) --> ココちゃん～
You missed the ココちゃん after ココ which would be the same nickname "MJ" but a level more intimate.
Another poster brought up the argument of "another nickname" and used a mother's nickname for their child as an endearing nickname being similar, which I suppose is as close as English will get. So you'd get something like "MJ (my) baby, what's happening?"
Reminds me of Digimon Tamers which is even worse. The main character Takato calls Juri Katou, the girl he likes "Katou-san" all the time, even in the last episode where he's rescuing her from the Lovecraftian final boss. In the West, you'd never use such polite wording to talk to a close friend, classmate and part of your social circle you're also having a crush on. How the hell do you sub that? Bad fansubs either keep the honorific wording, or worse, go through the by-the-1st-year-book motions and call her "Ms Katou"... I just went "fuck it, I'll localize it" and did the same as the dub: I subbed every instance as "Juri".
I don't think it's bad to leave the honorifics in if you're subbing for a weeb audience that is somewhat familiar with Japanese culture and so the suffixes make intuitive sense.
A good translation of War and Peace will show this kind of code switching as well- note who refers to the characters by their European versus Russian names, and when.
I mean I totally understand, Japanese is a really interesting language and has a lot of unique quirks to it that make it a fun challenge to learn. I get that are instances where there are no literal translations for certain things, like you said 'さん' is used to show that you're being polite when talking to someone, or the conversions of 'る' (the casual form) to ます (the polite form). That kind of thing used to catch me all the time when taking tests and I'd have to re read a sentence to make sure I had read it right as our teacher would just drop in the casual versions of stuff that we'd never really gone over to try to trip us up.
Translating subtle things, references, and jokes is extremely difficult unless the target language happens to have a very similar phrase.
皆の嫌い月の名前は何ですか？ (What is the name of the moon nobody likes?)
嘘月 (A liar.)
Or even a basic time pun:
猫「今ニャニャ時です」と言う
I love Japanese wordplay, it's just a shame it's so bloody difficult to translate! You usually need to give up and go with a similar saying or similar-in-style joke.
TL;DR - I'm the guy littering TL Notes throughout the subs. I'm sorry.
And sometimes the people who make dubs are politically motivated and fuck up the whole story just to not translate certain things. Especially prevalent with 90's Anime removing sexual references and a recent bout with throwing in weird references to gamergate or the patriarchy. Most egregarious is probably Sailor moon since they had to basically remove the entire last season in the Toonami release because there was no way to write around the lesbian relationship.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 03:40:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think it was more the transgender transformations for Stars. They worked around Michiru and Haruka's relationship by making them cousins (because that totally made their relationship seem way more normal), so clearly they were willing to get creative to avoid referencing lesbians, but it's kinda hard to change some dialogue or cut a few scenes to avoid showing crucial characters turning from men into women.
they ruined dragon maid with this crap, i notice it happens more with fanservice or moe characters... i wonder if its the writers or the VAs that make dumb changes like that.
I vehemently disagree that most people pick up on honorifics changing or being dropped unless they have some degree of familiarity with the language.
They might understand 田中先生 as "Teacher Tanaka" just fine but going from 名前さん to 名前 wouldn't even be noticed, especially if the subtitles just puts "名前" without the honorific each time, but even if the subtitles kept it as "Name-honorific" the lack of an honorific would probably go unnoticed by most viewers.
They might have an idea of how ~さん, ～くん, ~ちゃん, ~せんせい, and maybe even ~さま are used but it's a vague notion at best.
Of course you need some familiarity with the language. I'm saying that it's not hard to pick up on when you're in the process of familiarizing yourself with the language. Even if you never look it up, context should clue you in eventually.
Hmm ... why not just make up a nick name then? Isn't that what English speaking people do? Translation is hard sometimes, but I have never had trouble with names. This is one thing that many languages have in common (formal names, first/last names, nick names).
But how would that be a problem? You can create as many nick names in English too, can't you? Look at how many names Dudley Dursley gets called. It may not be as common, the translator just needs to make it understandable. For example, the many nicknames of Dudley, if I was to translate it into Chinese, would just be phonetic word play on Dudley (all looking similar enough to the original translation of Dudley) then when his mom is especially happy, add a few typical Chinese characters used for babies. They may or may not sound like Duddydums or Dudleykins but I don't think any reader would mind.
Vio_ · 2 points · Posted at 04:26:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For example, a friendship becoming closer can be depicted by dropping an honorific, or switching from using someone's family name to their surname.
That's actually not true. English even a few decades had big changes from using formal and titles for people between social classes and friends to using first names or "Christian" names. Using first names was a very telling sign of closeness. One of my favorite small stories on this was between Michael Ventris and a friend of his for multiple years. After Ventris deciphered linear B, his friend wrote him a lovely letter congratulating him and ending it with "Since we have been friends together for so long, perhaps it is now time to use our Christian names."
Not a single person has illustrated this among kids or teens always adult --> adult or person --> person of authority/prestige which is my point. It exists, but only once you enter into a certain context and level of professionalism (even between professionals who are friends/coworkers), which is what your example is of.
I'd call my new boss "Mr. Boss" until I was close enough to him to call him "Jerry". I call my grandmother's friend (a close family friend) "Mrs. {LastName}" still, but that goes back to the dynamic thing: she's not my peer.
Now find me an example of a 12 year old who uses a friend's last name and doesn't only use titles when referring to adults. That's my point, kids don't do that level of formality in English among their peers.
Uh, you can totally do the "switching from using someone's family name to their name" bit in english, people do it all the time to show precisely how close people have become.
Yeah, I used it for my friends' parents and maybe a new boss. {Title} {Last Name} is common for people a generation before you and positions of authority and nobody fucking else.
I've never heard it used among peers. None of my coworkers refer to each other as Mr/Mrs even if they're unfamiliar with one another and from different departments. If anything it's used as a joke like "Mr. {First Name} {Nickname} {Last Name}"
I'd love to hear other people's experiences in school because across 20~ different states I've never heard of peers talking to each other like that.
While I agree that the writing and story are one of the worst things to grace the series, there are a lot of things that Treehouse shouldn't have done, that they did anyway.
It's kinda hard to agree that the localization was terrible if there are no examples. Not saying you're right or wrong, just that every time someone yells "TREEHOUSE RUINED FATES!!!" they never seem to give a good example.
I think in that case I'd have them start calling her by her full first name, then switch to a nickname. Even if I had to make a full name up. The first episode she'd say "My name's Yoko" to the main character, but I'd translate her friends calling her Yoki or Yoqiita or whatever nickname structure based on the language I was translating to. When the character switched from Yoko-san to Yoko, Is have him switch from Yoko to Yoquita.
When the character switched from Yoko-san to Yoko, Is have him switch from Yoko to Yoquita.
Now what happens when they switch from Yoko to Koko as a nickname? Do you give a new nickname from "Yoquita" since you skipped a step to provide her a nickname?
Now what happens when they switch from "Koko" to "Koko-chan"? Do you create yet another nickname?
Is going nickname->nickname->nickname going to be more or less confusing to your target audience?
Unfortunately fansubs are mostly dead now. Now we get licensed subs littered with name order reversal, extremely liberal translations, and healthy doses of Americanization. I've been watching a ridiculous amount of anime for about a decade now, and I can easily say this is the worst time ever for quality translations.
I think something like 20% of the licensed subs I watch are somewhere between okay and great. The rest range from garbage to cancer, with Amazon raising the standards on just how awful subs can be. It sucks.
It's like one shitty company 30 years ago committed some atrocities in their subs (reversed name order is as idiotic as it gets, as is translating nicknames, etc.), and they all keep the garbage streak alive because people have grown to expect it.
Imagine how amazing anime would be today if that first company hadn't been utter shit. Darkest fucking timeline, man.
Edit: "Oh shit! A guy who has standards for anime! Let's downvote him and call him names!"
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:34:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a valid argument in some cases. In Japan, referring to one by their first name indicates a close relationship. Some shows use this as a way to demonstrate the dynamic between certain characters. For instance, someone might begin referring to another using their first name instead of their family name to show respect or cross the line from stranger to friend. If subs ignore this, you lose this added layer of storytelling.
No, I think the other poster is referring to "first name last name" rather than "last name first name". As in, the English subtitles have "Haruhi Suzumiya" rather than "Suzumiya Haruhi".
Most words in anime are completely different from their English translations. Hearing a bunch of random Japanese words and reading completely different English words isn't jarring in any way. Names aren't like that. Jim and Jones will always be subtitled as Jim and Jones (ignoring the most cancerous of translators who actually translate character names, like in Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! which I watched recently).
When you hear "Jim Jones" and read "Jones Jim," it's jarring. There's a disconnect there that, at least for me, kills my immersion and pulls me out of the show. It's the same effect as when a character says something like "nice play" and it's translated into "great catch," because, you know, translators gotta translate. Can't let those English words just stay in English, right?
Aside from that, it serves no good purpose. The argument for reversing name order (avoiding potential confusion) is horrible. Their nightmare scenario where someone becomes confused by a character saying "Saitou Itaru" instead of "Itaru Saitou" never happens. The reverse, people getting confused because names are obviously being reversed, is an actual thing. Name order reversal is idiocy done originally for a terrible reason, and now for the even more terrible reason of tradition.
madsci · 3 points · Posted at 03:08:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I have the name reversal problem in email. I deal with suppliers and customers in Asia all the time, and I often don't know if they've already reversed their name order for my sake. If they give 'Li' first I can be pretty sure they didn't, and if they say their name is Doris I know they've picked a Western name (or are actually a septuagenarian expat from the Midwest) but beyond that I never know.
Depends on what groups. There's also groups notorious for translating everything into English (honorifics, itadakimasu, etc), which usually has the same effect as excessive Japanese.
k5josh · 124 points · Posted at 02:18:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's exactly what I was thinking of! Crunchyroll has pretty bad encoding nowadays but at least they don't (usually) fuck up too badly with the subs. Asenshi did an amazing job with LWA though, substantially better than the official subs in less time too.
I'm sorry, but having watched all 3 seasons of Haikyuu subbed by Crunchyroll, I have to say that their subs leave a lot to be desired. The main problem is that they write the subs without considering what is actually heard by the viewers. As a result, there's often a disconnection between what you actually hear and what is written on the subtitles, making scenes feel awkward.
It took me until very very recently while watching yugioh the abridged series again that in the 4kids dub of YuGiOh they totally made up the shadow realm. That in the original anime they just said that the characters are dead.
I can't say I have watched too much Yu Gi Oh, but that is honestly the first time I have heard of that. Just another ridiculous thing 4Kids has done I guess.
Though to be honest, death by Children's Card Games is ridiculous enough to have made me not second guess that people go to the shadow realm instead of dying.
It was something to do with the fact they couldn't show death or whatever, so they said their spirits were sent to another dimension.
Honestly though, as much as I loved it at the time, yugioh was fucking ridiculous. But that's part of why it's so good, it's a crazy ass concept that is played totally, 100% serious and straight. And it's also part of why I love the abridged series.
Yea, the abridged series was amazing, I haven't kept up with it in recent years, though I did manage to meet Little Kuriboh over this last weekend so I might start it back up again after finishing the current anime series I am on.
IIRC didn't 4Kids also edit out guns in Yu Gi Oh, replacing them with just pointing?
I'm normally okay with honorifics because they convey a lot of information about relationships in 1 word, but things can get pretty crazy, I think Girls N panzer is a top offender.
[deleted] · 13 points · Posted at 02:37:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This was annoying in Grimgar. They tried to localise the honorifics and it bit them in the ass later in the show, showing that they were obviously translating each episode individually rather than the whole show.
2 of the characters develop a relationship and it becomes a big scene when one of the characters does not use any honorific, like usual. Other characters directly remark on it and they handle it terrible. They try to play it off like a person giving the other person a pet-name, but it makes no sense at all.
Not to mention when things like accents matter. Or when a character's personality is directly tied to the way they speak. Another example from the same show was that one character speaks in third person, in a kind of childish way, she's supposed to be a little annoying. None of this is conveyed in the translation at all and /r/anime decided she was great when it was airing.
What happened in Girls Und Panzer? I don't recall anything particularly egregious but I could just be mis-remembering.
i can't recall which sub, but they have an everliving hardon for german words, I can't recall any examples, but not translating things for no reason because german word or some stuff, so you get this random language in a normal sentence.
At least they spread that out so the themed schools reflect the country they represent. Eg: Darjeeling's idioms, Kei's (shitty) English, Nonna and Klara's conversations in Russian, Mika giving orders in Finnish, etc. so since the Miho was originally from the German themed school it makes sense that she uses German words.
What's really bad is how many different ways the name of the sport gets translated. Sensha-do, tankery, Panzerfahren, etc.
k5josh · 1 points · Posted at 04:23:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't forget Tankwondo.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:16:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah that's dumb, but over-localisation is dumber. If the setting is Japan, and they're Japanese, and they're speaking Japanese with Japanese social cues, the important and untranslateable cultural differences should remain in.
People can learn the cultural differences and quirks.
It should be noted that I've upvoted every single person who's disagreed with me here, as far as I know.
That said.
In 7th grade, I took an SAT test without preparing for it at all, it was spur-of-the-moment, I knew about it about an hour ahead of time and didn't do any research or anything. I scored higher on it than the average person using it to apply for college in my area.
An IQ test has shown me to be in the 99.9th percentile for IQ. This is the highest result the test I was given reaches; anything further and they'd consider it to be within the margin of error for that test.
My mother's boyfriend of 8 years is an aerospace engineer who graduated Virginia Tech. At the age of 15, I understand physics better than him, and I owe very little of it to him, as he would rarely give me a decent explanation of anything, just tell me that my ideas were wrong and become aggravated with me for not quite understanding thermodynamics. He's not particularly successful as an engineer, but I've met lots of other engineers who aren't as good as me at physics, so I'm guessing that's not just a result of him being bad at it.
I'm also pretty good at engineering. I don't have a degree, and other than physics I don't have a better understanding of any aspect of engineering than any actual engineer, but I have lots of ingenuity for inventing new things. For example, I independently invented regenerative brakes before finding out what they were, and I was only seven or eight years old when I started inventing wireless electricity solutions (my first idea being to use a powerful infrared laser to transmit energy; admittedly not the best plan).
I have independently thought of basically every branch of philosophy I've come across. Every question of existentialism which I've seen discussed in SMBC or xkcd or Reddit or anywhere else, the thoughts haven't been new to me. Philosophy has pretty much gotten trivial for me; I've considered taking a philosophy course just to see how easy it is.
Psychology, I actually understand better than people with degrees. Unlike engineering, there's no aspect of psychology which I don't have a very good understanding of. I can debunk many of even Sigmund Freud's theories.
I'm a good enough writer that I'm writing a book and so far everybody who's read any of it has said it was really good and plausible to expect to have published. And that's not just, like, me and family members, that counts strangers on the Internet. I've heard zero negative appraisal of it so far; people have critiqued it, but not insulted it.
I don't know if that will suffice as evidence that I'm intelligent. I'm done with it, though, because I'd rather defend my maturity, since it's what you've spent the most time attacking. The following are some examples of my morals and ethical code.
I believe firmly that everybody deserves a future. If we were to capture Hitler at the end of WWII, I would be against executing him. In fact, if we had any way of rehabilitating him and knowing that he wasn't just faking it, I'd even support the concept of letting him go free. This is essentially because I think that whoever you are in the present is a separate entity from who you were in the past and who you are in the future, and while your present self should take responsibility for your past self's actions, it shouldn't be punished for them simply for the sake of punishment, especially if the present self regrets the actions of the past self and feels genuine guilt about them.
I don't believe in judgement of people based on their personal choices as long as those personal choices aren't harming others. I don't have any issue with any type of sexuality whatsoever (short of physically acting out necrophilia, pedophilia, or other acts which have a harmful affect on others - but I don't care what a person's fantasies consist of, as long as they recognize the difference between reality and fiction and can separate them). I don't have any issue with anybody over what type of music they listen to, or clothes they wear, etc. I know that's not really an impressive moral, but it's unfortunately rare; a great many people, especially those my age, are judgmental about these things.
I love everyone, even people I hate. I wish my worst enemies good fortune and happiness. Rick Perry is a vile, piece of shit human being, deserving of zero respect, but I wish for him to change for the better and live the best life possible. I wish this for everyone.
I'm pretty much a pacifist. I've taken a broken nose without fighting back or seeking retribution, because the guy stopped punching after that. The only time I'll fight back is if 1) the person attacking me shows no signs of stopping and 2) if I don't attack, I'll come out worse than the other person will if I do. In other words, if fighting someone is going to end up being more harmful to them than just letting them go will be to me, I don't fight back. I've therefore never had a reason to fight back against anyone in anything serious, because my ability to take pain has so far made it so that I'm never in a situation where I'll be worse off after a fight. If I'm not going to get any hospitalizing injuries, I really don't care.
The only exception is if someone is going after my life. Even then, I'll do the minimum amount of harm to them that I possibly can in protecting myself. If someone points a gun at me and I can get out of it without harming them, I'd prefer to do that over killing them.
I consider myself a feminist. I don't believe in enforced or uniform gender roles; they may happen naturally, but they should never be coerced into happening unnaturally. As in, the societal pressure for gender roles should really go, even if it'll turn out that the majority of relationships continue operating the same way of their own accord. I treat women with the same outlook I treat men, and never participate in the old Reddit "women are crazy" circlejerk, because there are multiple women out there and each have different personalities just like there are multiple men out there and each with different personalities. I don't think you do much of anything except scare off the awesome women out there by going on and on about the ones who aren't awesome.
That doesn't mean I look for places to victimize women, I just don't believe it's fair to make generalizations such as the one about women acting like everything's OK when it's really not (and that's a particularly harsh example, because all humans do that).
I'm kind of tired of citing these examples and I'm guessing you're getting tired of reading them, if you've even made it this far. In closing, the people who know me in real life all respect me, as do a great many people in the Reddit brony community, where I spend most of my time and where I'm pretty known for being helpful around the community. A lot of people in my segment of the community are depressed or going through hard times, and I spend a lot of time giving advice and support to people there. Yesterday someone quoted a case of me doing this in a post asking everyone what their favorite motivational/inspirational quote was, and that comment was second to the top, so I guess other people agreed (though, granted, it was a pretty low-traffic post, only about a dozen competing comments).
And, uh, I'm a pretty good moderator.
All that, and I think your behavior in this thread was totally assholish. So what do you think, now that you at least slightly know me?
I was watching one, can't remember which right now but the subs bugged the hell out of me because the MC was making an eroge visual novel and he kept just saying eroge, but the subs said "erotic video game".
I guess I want them to know we have some weeb japanese knowledge, and not do literal everything.
If you've ever studied another language, you'll find there are some words that don't translate well into English.
Using Japanese as an example, sensei is usually a honorific for teacher. However, it can also be used as a sign of respect for industry professionals (calling manga artists -sensei). This doesn't translate well directly into English, so most people prefer sensei since it retains the full meaning while being common enough even casual fans understand it's meaning.
I feel like the problem there is that the line regarding where to stop is too blurry. I personally believe that translated works should be converted as much as possible into the target language while maintaining as much of the original meaning and feeling in that language. admittedly, this is a lot harder, but when it works I think it works better.
It rather sucks if you're semi-literate. Literal translations are great -- you can piece together new words if you understand the majority of the sentence. If they add their own interpretation it's useless as a learning device.
Game localization is all over the place in this regard. Even between different games in the same franchise.
I think the line is fuzzy. Translation is an art, and part of that art is looking at every situation and weighing reader knowledge against potential lost meaning. It's not something you can say "This is the line"
Personally I would prefer that even arigatou or hai get translated, as those have direct translations that don't lose meaning. The only time I would advocate keeping the original language is when there isn't a good direct translation. It's different between person to person though.
That's the thing I hate about lot of japanese translations, they go as far as to translate things and then leave things like the title Japanese so your left with tsuki isekai or whatever crap name that's left untranslated. Worst thing is people use the translated and untranslated name interchangeably so you naturally get confused unless you remember both naming conventions.
It gets even more convoluted when the character's name has a hidden meaning to it that's should be obvious to a native speaker, but near impossible to translate to english.
For example, would you translate 東方不敗 to Toho Fuhai or Undefeated of the East? If you keep it as Undefeated of the East, is there enough available character space to fit that in the sub all the time?
It's especially bad when they get rereleased with new translations. I've seen people talking about Dragonball Z and left wondering who the heck Vegetto and Kururin are.
To be fair it can help you learn the language. Also sometimes the Japanese words have multiple connotations for different characters despite using the same word. Helps draw a parallel, but there are so many fan translations that over do it.
Sometimes the Japanese words are required for the joke.
There is an episode in 'One Piece' where the King Wapol says "Do I look like a Kaba".
The joke here is that he meant to say "Do I look like a Baka". Where Baka means "idiot" and Kaba means "hippopotamus".
I've always heard that this is just a joke someone made once and it was never actually in any sub. Fansubs can get bad, but this is a bit too blatant to be believed.
Then again, I've never scoured the Death Note fansubs for evidence one way or the other.
It became a meme in the fansub community which originated in a pretentious fansub group's decision to leave the japanese word "nakama" (comrade) untranslated as according to them the "full meaning of this beatiful expression of friendship cannot be conveyed by filthy enlgish words"... so they just left "nakama" and explained it in a TL note, escalating this meme to a point where some troll subbers just left 50% of the japanese words untranslated with TL notes added.
Because fan translators tend to think that if a Japanese word has no English word carrying the exact same connotation, they are better leaving it untranslated to better "preserve the original meaning". In this case, they were essentially trying to convey that even though "keikaku" can be translated to "plan" to give the same general meaning, it would lose some amount of connotational significance translated as such.
This isn't even an example of that, though. "Keikaku" isn't like "senpai" or "yoroshiku" (or my personal enemy, "kodawaru"), which can be difficult to translate. There is no deep connotation in "keikaku," it's just straight-up "plan."
Which is silly, because that happens a lot, and the translator's job is to convey that meaning in the target language as best they can. Use of loan words in translation should be very rare, and limited to cases where there was no more elegant solution to the issue.
I actually think a good example where there are two valid camps of thoughts on loanwords is Japanese honorifics: I prefer for honorifics to be dropped in English translations, and cases where their use becomes particularly relevant handled on a case-by-case basis. However, I can definitely see the merit of just keeping all instances of honorific usage completely unchanged in a translation since there is no one-size-fits-all solution otherwise.
I prefer honorifics to be kept. I'm just some random white dude with no background in Japanese whatsoever, and once I started watching anime with subs, I got curious enough to google the meaning behind honorifics.
In my opinion, something like that which can't be properly translated should be left in to still allow viewers who understand to get that deeper meaning from it. If someone doesn't understand and it really bothers them they can just open a new tab and find the answer in minutes. Whoever wants that deeper understanding will be willing to put in the very small effort to gain it.
Your position is great in theory, but it ignores the reality that there are thousands of languages in the world. It's easy enough to research a small part of Japanese in order to fully enjoy a story, but what about when you start reading Italian, French, Korean, and Russian stories and have to start from square one with each of them?
I think it's far more elegant to find a way to communicate the underlying ideas in the target language, than to preserve unnecessary loanwords from the source languages. Sure, you lose nuances like the tu/vous distinction of French, or honorifics in Japan, but you gain the clarity and flow that the original audience enjoys when reading the original work.
Holy hell yes. I'm immediately turned off by anime or manga I'm reading/watching translated and are filled with Sempai, Sensei, and full Japanese phrases. I know some meaning is lost but if I cared enough about the FULL meaning I'd learn Japanese. I don't know what's worse though, honorifics or seeing/hearing "big brother" all the damn time.
Also hearing bastard a lot as the sole insult. It's big in Japanese but better when they use something else or keep it varied.
I got totally used to reading honorifics from Japanese works, and then I read something Chinese or Korean and have to go through the same trouble all over again. I've seen some even translate other languages honorifics into Japanese ones so you only have to learn them once!
Honestly? This was from a speedsubber group that didn't have an editor. An editor would've fixed this no problem (used to edit back in the day), this was just out there since it was literally shat out.
In this case, they were essentially trying to convey that even though "keikaku" can be translated to "plan" to give the same general meaning, it would lose some amount of connotational significance translated as such.
But if somebody doesn't understand Japanese then they already don't know the connotation.... so it is already lost...
In Death Note, "plan" is said A LOT. The plot involves a killer with a supernatural weapon and a detective trying to find out his identity. They both have plans to learn about, to lure and to foil each other. The series could just as well be called "Plan". You hear "keikaku" over and over, often before and after really satisfying plot events. So I think that's part of it.
No there isn't, that is just a bit of a joke based on what happens in fan subbing.
Some things don't really have English equivalents in Japanese, so often fan subbers will leave it in Japanese transliteration rather than finding a way around it, generally assuming that their audience knows what they are talking about or adding a footnote denoting the difference when it is more obscure. The most common example would be Japanese honorifics attached to the end of names, such as -san, -sama, -chan, or -kun, which often does have dialogue/plot significance. Some of these are more easily translated, such as "-sama" being a rough translation to "Lord" (though once again, it isn't too good of a one, for example you would refer to customers in your store as sama while in the west, you wouldn't call your customers "Lord") or -san being translated to Mr. or Ms., but things like -kun can't be translated really well. Or even things like "senpai," which means upperclassman, but you would never refer to someone as upperclassman in the west. Even things like changing honorifics in communication between people are big events signifying a change in relationship, but that simply has no translation in English.
Official subtitles will often find a way around these things, it isn't too difficult and in any case, can be completely replaced or omitted altogether, but fan subbers often have a more dedicated weaboo audience which already knows many of these nuances/words, so they will leave it in Japanese transliteration. However, it has somewhat gotten to the point where common phrases that are easily translated are left in Japanese since most of their audience knows them, things like "Itadakimasu," which basically translates to "Let's Eat," said right before a meal begins. These aren't really difficult nuances and generally picked up to a newbie within watching one or two series and maybe a few googles, but ye.
Of course, sometimes they don't know when to stop. Which is when you get things like that picture. Though honestly, I think that was crafted to be a meme of this fact. I have seen similar things out in the wild however.
I literally just watched this episode for the first time.
Neat!
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:01:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is that death note? I just finished it, the ending was pretty disappointing, the first time I watched it it was all pretty good, until I realized how bad the ending was on the second watch through.
It is, I'm getting close to the end, so hopefully I'm not too disappointed. I kind of go through phases of being into anime and not, it hasn't let me down so far.
But I read a lot of Stephen King as a kid, so I'm used to terrible endings.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:11:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know a lot of people feel that the second season was unnecessary and awful. I didn't think it was too bad, just different from the first season. I tend to enjoy everything I watch whether it is bad or not, but the ending of this one just annoyed me a bit.
Hmm, well, I'll keep an eye out. I'm similar, I kind of feel blind when it comes to deciding whether any season is "netter" than another. I do have the benefit of not knowing the seasons, I've been binge watching since last night, so it's all been a continuous run for me.
Huh. I happen to know this one. Yeah it was a pun.
So the book is Journey to the West. Journey to the West is about a party of three demigods (the monkey, pigsy, and the sandy) guilty of various crimes redeeming themselves by serving a Chinese Buddhist monk Tripitaka in retrieving Buddhist scriptures from the Buddha in India. Here is where they tried to cross a river while it was frozen solid, only to lose their boss monk when they were half-way across and the ice suddenly turned back to water.
So the pun was played on Tripitaka's secular surname Chen; It is homophone with the Chinese verb "sink". Here Pigsy played the pun by saying now his boss' firstname becomes "to the bottom".
So the pun was played on Tripitaka's secular surname Chen; It is homophone with the Chinese verb "sink". Here Pigsy played the pun by saying now his boss' firstname becomes "to the bottom".
Oh, so it's like when your cat wrecks up your lounge room, and it's a CAT-astrophe!
Glad you liked! It was actually one of my favorite jokes in the book. Apparently Pigsy was quite proud of it too, as he retold the same joke to their landlords on the next page.
It might not sound too clever in English, as there seem to be many similarly constructed puns in English. But most Chinese puns work a little bit differently, so this one kinds of stands out. Fascination with this kind of puns probably has to do with my later fascination with English puns in general.
Alas, no. I actually make it a rule to not try my luck on reddit because most of my puns are atrocious, and reddit is not going to hold back at letting me know.
As an ESL speaker this is actually hard for me, as I lacked the education of teenage socialization to learn my etiquette properly. Socially I think I'm about as suave as a 12 year old.
Dittro · 2 points · Posted at 15:40:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep, close! 陈 (chen)，which is a chinese surname, or 'Tan' in English, sounds like 沉(chen)，which means to sink. 沉到底 over there means to literally sink to the bottom.
Now I feel bad for having taken your time for nothing. The translation of the poem is pretty well known, it's in fact in the video description. I wondered if it still preserves the meaning when read out loud, but now I checked the Wikipedia article and it says the poem is written in Classical Chinese but is to be read in modern Mandarin, so I guess I have my answer.
Huh. I never seriously considered the question. The Chinese version of the role is a typical boss role in a Chinese story: timid, unrealistic moral codes, and prone to premature assignment of blame. This works with a male role, if you cast a woman to a butt-of-the-joke role it feels kinda yucky, like you are conforming to some stinky old prejudice. So the Chinese rendition can never be a woman, not that we gave it much thought anyways.
Of course, Chinese rendition isn't some gold standard, and I understand that the Japanese rendition was critically acclaimed. I just don't know enough of it to make any assessment.
The monk in the book was always male, there wasn't any mystery.
When Japanese team did their rendition they took some liberties to fit their market, including casting the monk with a woman, that stuck with the markets they had a huge success. But in other parts of the world there wasn't any contention to begin with.
The literal translation would be "West Travel Record", referring to the notations/recordings written by the original monk who travelled to the West (India) to pick up some Buddhist scriptures.
On the one hand, it is a really slow book. The first...third, at least, is the backstory of the backstory as to why the journey is undertaken, and why Tripitaka is selected to undertake it, as well as the litany of Monkey's sins.
On the other hand, if you're like me and picked it up because you wanted to see this thing that has had so much influence on so many stories, a lot of what feels like "tired" tropes we have to remember, Monkey did many of them first (or, y'know, is the earliest work utilizing those tropes and stock characters), in the same vein of the "Seinfeld did it first" trope for comedy.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:39:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
9kz7 · 2 points · Posted at 02:48:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You need to watch (and possibly read) Yakitate Japan. Nearly every single joke is a pun, including the name itself, and at least in the translation I watched, half of the subtitles were explanations for the joke.
Yakitate!! Japan is amazing and the first Japanese food anime I'd watched. Crunchyroll has all 69 episodes, if that's your cup of tea. I've never seen their translation, though, so I don't know how good it is.
One of the characters has bread so good it leads to time-travel shenanigans.
The most extreme is Joshiraku, which was deemed as "untranslatable" by most sub groups. Only one brave guy chose to take it on (and did a great job, all things considered, but you NEED the notes on his blog for every episode to get some of the jokes).
Then never read Year Zero by Rob Reid. The main character is a lawyer, dealing with an intergalactic music law crisis, and so Reid decided that a lot of exposition and should be given via footnotes. Still my favorite book, though.
House of Leaves too. Its a horror book about a guy who found manuscript for a film analysis about a film that has some disturbing and other worldly implications.
The book itself is the manuscript complete with scholarly that footnotes you would expect from a film analysis. In addition to that, our protagonist also writes his own footnotes as he reads through the manuscript and slowly goes mad. Some of these footnotes go on for pages. It is the structurally weirdest book I've ever read.
House of Leaves...It is the structurally weirdest book I've ever read.
Understatement of the year. You should have seen the looks I was getting reading it in an airport, flipping back and forth and turning it upside down. It was really creative.
I avoided mentioning that because seeing those pages for the first time is pretty magical. But yeah House of Leaves is what happens when a book tries to eat itself.
Holy crap, someone who's actually read the damn thing! It's been ages since I got the book and you're the first person I've interacted with who's read it.
Yeah, the premise was kind of interesting. The whole reality tv show plot line was pretty interesting. And I liked the way they resolved the major plot line.
Also the whole Bill Gates and Steve Jobs thing was kind of funny.
Agreed. It's quite unique in its portrayal of super-advanced, extraterrestrial life. Most writers (of books, comics, films, television, you name it) tend to go for the classic "everyone has a space ship and everything is totally different to human cultures" route. Reid, however, made it easy for himself and the reader by creating an intergalactic alien civilization literally based on human (specifically American) culture, with a few enhancements in technology, and actually gave a valid and entertaining reason why this actually happened the way it did. He turned something typically associated with lazy sci-fi writing into something brilliant, simply based on the premise of his fictional universe.
Elijr · -9 points · Posted at 02:07:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey, you're getting a lot of downvotes, but you're not wrong. We're not jerking it or anything, but god am I geeking out (dunno about the other guy, though; I'd rather not speak for other people).
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 22:43:54 on July 13, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's a simple way of remembering which book a certain part of a story belongs to: if it involves a spaceship, it's definitely Hitchhiker's, because Year Zero contains no spaceships.
Honestly, I would just say reread it. Very good book.
And Jonathan Strange&Mr. Norrell. Great book but I found myself just skipping the footnotes until I finished the book, then reading only the footnotes, and then reading large chunks of the book again. Footnotes should not contain within themselves entire other novels.
Its hilarious when you watch a fansub and they've got a slide at the beginning of the serious explaining things like the relationships of korean culture and their significance, but the slide is only put up for like two seconds and they never provide footnotes again to remind you, instead they expect you burn it into your memory like an algebra test.
I've done fansub and paid-sub before. Sometimes it does get very tricky. You try not to use the screen too much because the viewers focus should be on the scene not your text. You have to keep the lines short, precise yet easy to read (meaning, the words have to carry the most straightforward meaning, not fancy twisted word play). It's very hard to convey perfect meaning when you're translating real-time speech.
And of course, if you ever need to do a "footnote" in subs, you have to put it on top of the screen which I suspect nobody would read (if they do they'd probably panic when they notice it and have to pause). No matter how slow the speech is, you'll never have enough time to let the viewer read both sub and the footnote. Always a headache.
I also recommend the hitchhiker's trilogy by Douglas Adams for some hilarious footnotes.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:12:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bartimaeus Trilogy all day.
[deleted] · 23 points · Posted at 01:01:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's actually amazing for a student of the language. I love it, personally, because so much of Japanese humor depends on getting the context of a pun. I wouldn't have half the idiomatic language skill I have now if not for those footnotes put in place by nerdy fansubbers.
If you read/watch enough you learn about these through footnotes or subtitles and in about instance should get the joke. They end up reusing them so why be against them? You could enjoy then more in the future.
Honestly, I get shitty if there aren't footnotes. I think it comes from my childhood, where your only access to manga were these really insulated scanlating communities that usually operated on Mirc. ( !list anyone?)
Anime as a concept was pretty brand spankin' new to most people, and there was a lot of shit people didn't get about it at first. Editor's notes and silly things like that helped during a time when the internet wasn't the resource for information it is today.
I once read a Japanese comic book (totally can't remember the name now), the author loved footnotes. Every page has a minimum of 5 footnotes. Because the story is futuristic and kind of just makes you jump right into the the middle of a conflict, everything, big or small, has to be explained. I actually liked those footnotes because they became part of the story.
But yeah, as a translator, I personally try to avoid using translator's footnote as much as possible. You should always try to use clever tricks to equalize the two words from two languages (the possibility is endless. There're so many little things I still think over and over long after I hand in my work because that's the fun part of the job). And if that's not possible, I would try to insert an extra line or half a line to explain the word within the context of the book. It's just more natural that way.
I feel that translation is to bridge not only two languages, but two cultures too. If you provide enough helping hands for the readers to navigate in a strange culture/world, that would be perfect. Because the readers get to do the exploration. Translator's footnotes pull people right out of that world, by basically going "forget it, it's just too different from your world".
In general, the Chinese really like their footnotes. We realize that so much gets lost in the (linguistic and cultural) translation between Europe/America to China that no one really bothers with "preserving" the original "feel" of the novel. And you get this weird thing where the translators develop their own fanbase (because of the difficulty of creating an artistic Chinese translation), where people will read a book because of who translated it instead of who wrote the original.
I have a Taiwanese copy of Twilight that is annotated up the wazoo like it's an anthropology textbook--in which they explain every little nuance of American culture.
If I remember correctly, there's one about the SATs that runs half-a-page.
As for Americana, this is arguably the most intriguing category of the three [subjects footnoted by the translators]. The subjects boggle the mind: References to and definitions of “cheerios” (the breakfast cereal) and “pop-tarts” (each measuring 7.6 x 14cm); “slumber party” (apparently only for girls); the Confederacy and General William Tecumseh Sherman; Xerox and the New Deal; and “John Brown’s Body”.
To be fair to them I do t know what the fuck an SAT is either.
I know it's a test of some kind but that's about as far as it goes. American media tends to assume you know what it is already
[deleted] · 11 points · Posted at 02:40:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm from Scotland. We don't have A levels here - we sit Highers in our last year of high school.
I'm not sure it works the same as SATs or anything, since what highers you need to pass or get a certain grade on depend on what you want to study.
Some courses don't even require any at all if you're a mature student or have other relevant experience or qualifications
The SAT and ACT are tests that every high school student in the U.S. can take (any time and as many times as they want, not required but highly recommended) about math, writing, and reading. There are also SAT subject tests about specific subjects (like math, French, biology). They are very long (excluding some short snack breaks), expensive, and take up a significant portion of your day. Your score on these tests can make or break a college application.
Many people study for months for these tests, and there are many tutoring centers specializing in preparing for them.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:10:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a really good explanation - thanks very much!
But that really sucks you have to pay to sit the test, isn't really cheap either :/ I could maybe understand having to pay if you want to resit or something but yeah I can totally get why people would argue it's a barrier to education - not everyone can afford that much even once, let alone multiple times
Yeah, getting a perfect on the critical reading is really not very difficult. Were it not a timed test pretty much everyone would be able to do it. The writing portion is very subjective though, and the math can include anything from algebra through physics. I think quadratic equations were the biggest section when I took it, but that stuff changes each year
No, the nearest European equivalent is part of the secondary curriculum (in American terms, part of high school).
In the USA, the SAT & ACT have nothing to do with your school performance. They are separate things. If I take a SAT subject test in Chemistry and do poorly on it, that is unrelated to my grade in my Chemistry class at school.
A-levels are more like your high school transcripts. Because national governments have greater control over schools in other countries, those governments can mandate that secondary education include certain assessments with a high degree of uniformity.
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 04:24:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually it isn't ONLY ever taken by high school students. It mostly is but there are other people taking it. I remember my sister taking it in Jr. High as part of some gifted student type program. It didn't count but she got a score. I was an SAT tutor and our company encouraged us to take it with our students once in a while as a show of support and to refresh our memory on what taking the real test was like. Also, if you graduated high school but never went to college or junior college after you can still take it for college admissions.
As far as I'm aware (never looked it up only see it in passing) it's a combination test of reading comprehension, writing, and math that gives a maximum combined score of 2400 and is used to show proficiency when applying for university.
I guess it's another separate test to the end of year subject tests.
In NZ and I guess many other countries like Australia Canada UK etc (I might be wrong) we use our end of year subject test scores to calculate a combined score for entry to university, and you need a minimum number of English and math credits, the rest is filled with your scores from other subjects like accounting / economics/ history etc.
There might be exceptions (big country, 50 states), but most of the US doesn't do "end of year subject tests".
A given course may or may not have a "final", which is a particularly large, comprehensive test usually prepared by the course's teacher, but that's just going to be part of your grade (A/B/C/D/F) for the course - no university is ever going to see your score on it. And you have finals every year or every semester or every quarter depending on the length of the course, not just in your final year. Universities see your course grades, which might be partially or, in rare cases, entirely dependent on how you do on the final, but they don't see your grades on finals specifically.
The SAT is essentially what you describe. It's also optional and not an official part of the public/mandatory/government-run school system - a private company creates it and administers it, and you actually pay to take it (though there are waivers). What you describe is the main SAT, but there are also subject SATs, and some universities require those too (though you can usually take whichever subject tests you want - since most undergraduate programs in the US don't require you to pick a major before applying, they just want you to show that you learned something). Not every university requires the SAT, but many do. Some require the ACT instead (a similar test that's supposed to be more focused on specific things you learned and less on general math and reading skills), and some universities take either one.
In general, the SAT only really matters if you get an extreme score. Some schools have minimums (de jure or de facto) that you have to meet before they'll consider the rest of your application. A near-perfect score definitely counts in your favor, but otherwise it's just a way of weeding out applications that don't meet the minimum before they spend more time looking at the rest of the application. Mostly they're going to look at transcripts (the grades in all of your courses in all of high school), letters of recommendation, and essays/writing samples.
Many US universities also require a minimum number of credits in various subjects like you describe, though credits are relatively independent of how well you actually did in a class - you don't have to pass a test for them, they just describe which courses you took. So you might have the required credits, but straight Cs, which would make it very hard to get into most colleges.
Huh, that's interesting about the SAT I didn't know it was a private company! I've heard the ACT mentioned but much less so then the SAT.
In our universities yeah, you only get a final grade for the paper, the combination of all of your internal examinations/assessments and the final. Likewise, no one sees your score for any individual exam except for yourself and the university, your transcript just shows the overall grade you got.
It's a private company, but it's pretty deeply entrenched in the education system anyway (the education-industrial complex!). Teachers talk about it and help prepare students for it, and it's usually administered on school grounds during the weekend.
The ACT is definitely less popular, both among universities and among students (for the universities that take either one).
Though, at least when I was applying to university, there was definitely a movement away from the SAT and toward the ACT, and a smaller movement among universities to just stop bothering with either one. I'm not sure if that shift is still progressing or if it was just a sort of fad.
Ahh I see. So it's kind of like credits you get for passing exams or courses?
I know here in Scotland every subject has an SCQF level depending on how difficult it is (plus there's credit points which are related to how long it takes to complete a qualification, so if you have to drop out for whatever reason you still have some credit for time studied)
So when you apply for a course/job/whatever - you can easily see what level someone studied at without the course names being confusing.
.... I've probably explained that poorly but it's 4am and I've forgotten how to words
I think the SAT is separate entirely to their subjects/classes.
We don't have scqf, we just label ours e.g.:
Econ 101 or Econ 121 etc, the first number represents the level, so 1 is first year of undergraduate, 2 is second, etc so forth.
You'll also get things like Econ 221.25 which is a sort of a specialisation of a certain angle of the 221 paper
And we get points based on the difficulty of the paper, that you retain on record if you have to abandon study for whatever reason.
It's basically a standardized test that highschool students take that covers a decent amount of what you learn in school. Colleges will look at your score when you apply, and it affects what colleges you can get into and what scholarships you can get.
The SAT and ACT don't really determine what courses you'll take in college, they are just a benchmark for colleges to decide whether to accept you. Most universities have a minimum score they accept, though other factors can bypass this. When you start college you usually take placement tests to see which level of a certain subject you belong in, though there are tests you can take in high school that will let you skip entry level courses, such as AP (advanced placement) tests.
troioi · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Seems like it would kinda suck for people who did poorly in highschool though.
I mean not really. I got shit grades in high school but scored well enough on the SATs. It's not really based on high school curricula per se since curriculum varies based on region since it's determined by each state's government. Kids study for the SATs outside of school, e.g. prep courses, workbooks, though stuff you learned throughout your schooling years obviously helps . Or they can just wing it like I did.
As others said, the SAT doesn't directly determine what classes you take. It's also perfectly OK to retake the SAT/ACT if you do poorly and give the best score on your application, but you will have to pay again to take the test (my school payed for the first time you took it, I'd assume most other schools do the same). It only costs like $50, so it's pretty accessible.
alose · 2 points · Posted at 02:55:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
SAT is an elective test taken in High School used as part of the acceptance into college. The SAT has two sections: Math, and "Verbal" ( or English Language ).
The two sections are scored 200-800 in a multiple answer format (A,B,C,D,E) You gain points for answering questions correctly, and lose partila points for answering questions wrong. The theory is that if you completely guess then the wrong answers will eliminate the answers guessed correctly. Each section is timed, so is often of benefit to skip particularly hard questions and come back later if time allows. If you can eliminate one or more potential answers, it becomes beneficial to guess.
From what I know from American movies, American high schoolers use it as their measurement of worth as a person, and anyone older never mentions it ever
In the UK, you sit exams during your secondary education that universities will look at to see if you can be admitted. The form of these exams is dictated by the government.
Back in the day, American universities required applicants to take entrance exams to see if they were good enough to be admitted. Each university ran its own exam. This could be a pain in the ass for students who wanted to apply to multiple universities, and for universities who wanted to attract a lot of students from far afield (which would require administering the exam in a lot of different locations). So a consortium got together and decided to agree on a standard entrance exam they would use collectively. Applicants could sit it and use their results to apply to any of those schools in the consortium. A single entrance exam turned out to be such a good idea that a bunch of other schools ended up accepting SAT results as well.
Somewhere along the way, someone decided to start up an alternative entrance exam as a competitor to the SAT. This is called the ACT.
Today, American students who plan to attend university take the SAT or the ACT and use their scores in their applications.
The SAT and the system of government-directed secondary qualifications that exists in the UK are two different solutions to similar problems.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 04:24:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See, why would a Taiwanese person ever have trouble understanding SAT? Their own university entrance exam is one of the most competitive tests in the world. One word. They could have just used one word and every reader would understand it immediately.
Not that I don't sympathize the poor vampires that have to go through SAT year after year.
As a Chinese translator, I hate translator's footnotes with a passion. I just wrote like three long paragraphs in above thread explaining why I think translator's footnote pushes the readers out of the culture they're trying to learn about. I always thought a good translator should show the readers that while this story happens in a very different world than yours, but it's also not so different that you'd need a dictionary to understand it. We want to build a human connection to a story that happens half way across the world. I feel that footnotes really take you out of that context.
Then again, I imagine the footnotes could be the only interesting thing about Twilight so maybe that's why there were so many of them.
Interestingly, there are movie subtitle translators that do this too. Every now and then I'll download Chinese subs for a movie that are annotated as fuck - like every time a new object appears onscreen there's a paragraph next to it explaining its history and significance (in the context of the film) in Chinese.
Kinda cool if you feel like geeking out but it's pretty annoying if you're just trying to enjoy the movie and don't need the absurd details and backstories.
definitely not. most characters in Chinese are so unique that even if they were upside down you could tell so. I do wonder why the translators didn't try to do something with the total amount of strokes though
The title is misleading. Definitely not all language, Malay translation for one doesn't follow this rule. At least this is true for translated version that doesn't change any character name.
That seems very... blunt? Like the book is completely breaking the fourth wall. Surely Rowling could have rewritten the passage somehow to make it translatable for those editions.
Yeah it's pretty popular and well known there. I was living there in 2007 when the last book came out and it wasn't as crazy as I'm sure things were in the UK or US, but it was a thing, lots of people knew about it, etc.
Oy, I remember there were Chinese bootlegs of the 5th book before it was even written. Some shit with gold turtles and Harry turning into a goblin or something.
Absolutely, Harry Potter - or 哈利波特 - is a household name in China. When my Chinese gf visites the UK she insisted on visiting 'Harry Potter world'. It's bigger than Star Wars.
In the original, “Tom Marvolo Riddle” was an anagram of “I am Lord Voldemort”. But the Swedish “Jag är Lord Voldemort” of course includes the letter ‘ä’, which would not occur in an English-sounding name. I solved it by giving him the surname Dolder (not wholly un-English sounding, and with a hint of mystery) and adding an extra forename, so I had Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder = Ego Sum Lord Voldemort.
I mean... I guess they could have just done "jag ar" and it would likely have been fine. But pretty cool nonetheless. I also wonder if they could have done "jag heter Voldemort" but... that doesn't sound right in the context.
It doesn't work like that, no. The strokes aren't like letters, and while MAYBE you could take all the individual strokes used to write "Tom Riddle" and re-assemble them into something approaching "Voldemort", but it wouldn't seem cool or interesting in Chinese, and tbh nobody would even notice unless you made it very clear that's what you did. It's just not a thing.
Well to be fair they had that stuff too. I'm just saying they also had the real books. Go to the upscale bookstore and you'd find the real ones, go to the sketchier bookstores (or online) to find the sketchier stuff.
Online novels are also a much bigger thing in China than they've ever been in the US, and I'm sure there were/are plenty of Harry Potter ones
In Spanish, his name became "Tom Sorvolo Ryddle," which translates into "Soy Lord Voldemort." In French, his name is "Tom Elvis Jedusor," which becomes "Je suis Voldemort." In Dutch, his name is "Marten Asmodom Vilijn" which is an anagram for "Mijn naam is Voldemort". In Turkish the name is "Tom Marvoldo Riddle" which makes up "Adim Lord Voldemort". In Brazilian Portuguese the name is "Tom Servolo Riddle" which makes up "Eis Lord Voldemort". In Danish, his name is "Romeo G. Detlev Jr." which makes up "Jeg er Voldemort". In Italian his name is "Tom Orvoloson Riddle", which makes up "Son io Lord Voldemort."
jotsti · 3 points · Posted at 06:31:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"
I really don't think my douchey old college screen name will ever be brought up, unless it's someone complaining about a pretentious guy they knew ten years ago.
Selection bias brother. You don't see the times when an appropriate username misses a conversation in time, or at all and therefore doesn't post an appropriate reply.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 06:06:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Survivor bias, you don't notice the 99999 perfectly named accounts that miss their opportunities. I've been asked if I get notifications about clit discussions, but I just stumble upon them.
That's what I was assuming. There's no other explanation unless that happens to be his real name somehow, and that's like one in a million chance there.
You both are calculating the chance of finding "Romeo G. Detlev Jr." under the assumption that exactly one real person of that name exists in Denmark and that the person with the account is Danish, while you add the additional assumption that the person is male.
How this has anything to do with the odds that there is an actual person of that name exists in Denmark, and that the person posting is also him, is beyond me.
Hey, my assumption was that he's/she's just a Danish speaking fan of HP, but others started tossing out other potential reasons so I just ran with it. Lol.
They'd be better assuming that there is a chance that it's an actual Danish name, but they are still calculating wrong. It should be 2.7 million Danish males over the world population. So 2,700,000/3,500,000,000. Then multiply it out by the likelihood of that name occurring in Danish males which would be like 1 in 2.7 million, if he even exists in the first place.
Read the danish book. Denmark doesn't get dubbed movies
Thotaz · 2 points · Posted at 09:36:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know if the entire series got dubbed, but I know for a fact that the first 2 movies were dubbed. Most movies targeted at children are dubbed, so I don't know why you think we don't get dubbed movies.
As another guy who replied to me pointed out the firsts two movies were actually dubbed but most Tv shows and smaller productions than Harry Potter aren't.
More like red the Danish books, the Danish do not dup I believe so if the poser just watched the films he would probably pay more attention to names being said in English.
idk, i might know the french version? doesnt tell me anything but i know an horror movie where they said a name in front of the mirror a couple times and th person appeared
But anyway thanks, i didnt understand the subname until now
I don't think you quite get the point of the sub. It's a reference to the movie where you say his name (3 times) and he appears. Same deal with Reddit names (except only said once).
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 06:11:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm watching through it again right now. Here, enjoy the moment with me, pal.
Ben just quit the accounting job as soon as he got it for the second time. He made a joke, "Formulas are my formula for mula," which is just terrible, but the accounting guy sure loved it. The next one is about... as of writing this, I gotta hit the next episode button (watching on SockShare, never used it before this show but it's been working very well). Oh, it's the one where Leslie and Ben meet the guy from the Eagleton Parks Department that Leslie thinks is evil, but he turns out to be a super cool dude. Or... something. I guess I gotta watch it again.
Anywho, thanks for letting me kill those couple minutes, enjoy watching again if you do decide to. Stay cool, hot one out there today.
[deleted] · 12 points · Posted at 03:49:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'll only say this one more time, keep the accounting crap at the door
You know, I always thought it was a little silly J.K. took a page out of comic books and made the villain's secret real name be "Mr. Riddle". But I gotta say, "Romeo Jr" really takes the cake!
Better than what you did no? ie shadow editing your pointless comment. You act like a misunderstood victim when I simply offered a clarification. You're the one who misunderstood when you got super defensive.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 06:37:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So? It is still soy Lord in the language we are speaking.
See that's where you misunderstood that I said anything to the contrary and was attacking your comment or something. There's nothing sarcastic or joking in that comment. You're being defensive. Case closed.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 06:49:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I didn't misunderstand a thing, dude. Obviously everyone knows that 'soy' in that context doesn't mean the same as it does in English, yet for some reason you clearly thought I was being serious, felt the need to point out the obvious translation difference, to which I sarcastically wrote a dumbed down reply, that you again, took seriously.
So yep, I edited out the snarky response that apparently went over your head.
So 1- You say joke was that you wrote something dumb. That's it. But actually you wrote a justification of your initial comment. You wrote a defensive justification. Justifications aren't jokes.
And 2-
yet for some reason you clearly thought I was being serious, felt the need to point out the obvious translation difference
That's the part that you misunderstood since like I said I didn't really care one way or another about your remark but just wanted to inform people who might not know what "soy" means. So you actually proved that you misunderstood but won't admit it.
Basically I've got proof that you're 100% on everything you say. :)
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 08:24:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Those of us who had already read The Books of Magic (about a young wizard named Timothy Hunter who is sent off to wizard boarding school) think she took a lot out of comic books, actually.
kaaz54 · 327 points · Posted at 01:41:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's also revealed that the G stands for "Gåde" which translates directly to "riddle". So that sadly kind of kills the joke.
[deleted] · 205 points · Posted at 02:13:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not really. I speak Dutch and my German sucks, so I barely understand anything. Some words are similar, but 70-80% of the languages is different. Like you have "huis", meaning "house", which is "Haus" in German, you also have "tuin", meaning "garden", which is "Garten", pretty easy, but then you have "trein", meaning "train", which is "Zug" or "ziek", meaning "sick", which is "krank". So you can't really say we understand each others spoilers most of the time.
The Scandinavian languages (North Germanic) didn't evolve from Low German, they split off, much, much earlier and are therefore more like cousins, not offspring. Proto-Germanic divided into West, East and North Germanic. The West Germanic languages are German, Dutch, English. So they aren't that closely related, except for some grammatical concepts and vocabulary, but a big part of that was adopted later, if they are very similar. This split happened roughly 100 BC.
Not sure, because we don't use "krank" but English does ("cranky"), but they pretty much are alike in terms of similarness(sp?), I guess. Dutch and English, on the other hand, are more similar, you word stealing yankees/limeys. But then again, we do use primarily English words for most IT related things...
Fun fact, yankees actually comes from dutch people calling Americans Jan-Kees (way back in the day obviously).
uk_uk · 1 points · Posted at 03:05:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
nope
[deleted] · 74 points · Posted at 02:26:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I had thought that was just a lucky coincidence, though, since they hadn't planned that twist at the start of ANH. Wasn't he just named for the similarity to "Invader"?
Do you ever reckon the writers did it accidentally on purpose?! Like they had the name and then it clicked to someone subconsciously and was like EUREKA!
Is it that difficult to spell out "A New Hope" honestly. I'm all for acronyms when they are actually useful and not confusing to 95% of the populace. Jesus.
I remember when people were still trying to figure out who RAB was, the Dutch translation was posted online and in turn was translated to RAZ. Helped the world figure out a lot of things.
To those not familiar, "Black" translates to "Zwart", hence the abbreviation. It really wasn't that hard to figure out an important name in the books (I mean it had to be important, right, else why use a mysterious abbreviation?) that went from a "B" to a "Z".
Basically, a reading of some insane-but-real court case transcripts. Those transcripts were also later voiced by the voice actors of Rick and Morty, and then fan animated into this masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTWdP5DMdsM
Dunno if your sense of humor is anything like mine, but the absurdity of imagining all of that happening in a real court, with a real judge, always gets me.
Dane here. While it's not a common name (Have actually never seen Detlev in real life) It didn't really struck me as odd when I first read it. Totally didn't see it coming.
floede · 2 points · Posted at 08:23:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is actually a little annoying if you switch between language versions - like for instance watching the movies with my son.
I keep forgetting that Tom and Romeo is the same person. Tom is not a uncommon name in danish, so they could have tried to keep that, but I guess Romeo Detlev was easier.
This is funny. In Norwegian his name is Tom Dredolo Venster, anagram of Voldemort den store (Voldemort the great). I think that's grammatically correct in Danish too. I really prefer the Norwegian one. The Norwegian translator is absolutely brilliant though.
Aaaaaaand in the red corner... weighing in at 185 lbs, fighting out of Scranton, OH... The Scranton Scrambler... Rrrrrrrromeoooooo G Detleeeeeev Juuuunyahhhhhhhh!!!!
In Icelandic, his name is Trevor Delgome, which becomes "(Ég)Eg er Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"), but his middle name is not used for the anagram and stays as Marvolo. In Finnish his name is "Tom Lomen Valedro", anagram is "Ma(ä) olen Voldemort", "I am Voldemort". In Dutch, his name is "Marten Asmodom Vilijn", an anagram of "Mijn naam is Voldemort", or "My name is Voldemort". In Norwegian, his name is Tom Dredolo Venster, an anagram of "Voldemort den store", which means "Voldemort the Great". In Swedish, his name is "Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder", an anagram of "Ego sum Lord Voldemort", where "ego sum" is Latin, not Swedish, for "I am". In Danish, his name is "Romeo G. Detlev Jr.", which becomes "Jeg er Voldemort" meaning "I am Voldemort". Here, the "G" stands for "Gåde" which means "Riddle" thus incorporating the original surname. Mostly, this is used when referring to Voldemort's real name (Romeo Gåde / Rom Riddle). In Ukrainian, his name is "Tom Yarvolod Redl", an anagram of "Ya Lord Voldemort", or "I'm Lord Voldemort".
In Hungarian, Voldemort's name becomes "Tom Rowle Denem", which is an anagram of "Nevem Voldemort", with the "w" in the name becoming two "v"s. This caused an unfortunate name collision with the character Thorfinn Rowle, who first appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but who is not related to Voldemort. Because of this collision, in the Hungarian translation his family name was altered to Rovel of Thorfinn. The Arabic version avoids the issue entirely by having Riddle directly write out "I am Lord Voldemort" (أنا لورد فولدمورت), without any anagram at all.
Meh, the example I chose wasn't the best, but it was happening all over the rest of the thread. Basically when you say something and someone turns up with an absurdly relevant username. See r/tombstoning for real world examples
That would be the exact translation, but I assume they went with "Tom Riddle ...ist Lord Voldemort" because Vorlost actually sounds like a German name. Making an anagram of "ich bin Lord Voldemort" would be quite difficult as you end up with 7 consonants and just 3 vowels after taking out "Tom Riddle". So it would've most likely been implausible to use such a name.
Maybe it doesn't have the same connotation in that language? Speaking of which why is this so hard to believe in English? Trevor's a fine name I guess.
Wake up Sheeple! Steve Buscemi did 9/11. Who was on scene on 9/11? Stever Buscemi! Who had the most to gain from people finding out he's a volunteer firefighter? Steve Buscemi! Every thread leads back to one man, STEVE BUSCEMI!!
I think we find the headline interesting because we know it would be a fun and challenging puzzle for the translator. But reading a completed crossword is boring as shit.
We swedes really made it hard for them by having our own characters.. "I am" would be "Jag är"..
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 06:25:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Names with ä in them usually don't sound so threatening... But they have the same problem in Finish (M(in)ä olen = I am).
When I saw the Swedish one thought I thought that "Of course Swedish one switched it to latin." But then I saw your comment that thought. "Yeah. It's quite clever and sort of fits into the world."
Indeed, however "jag är" would be alot more relatable for swedes, not sure most would understand how clever the name is without looking it up, which kind of removes the fun part of it being a riddle for alot of viewers, in the long run though it seems ergo is alot more fitting.
I suspect the reson not to use a name with ä in it is not that is does sound threatening but that it would stand out when it would not match the other names of the wizards of the book.
If I am not mistaken other proper names are not translated/changed in the books to Swedish. Som nickname are translated, Epithet and descriptive "names" like The Fat Lady are also changed since it is important to understand them for the story.
Bolaf · 4 points · Posted at 11:42:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the person who thought of "ergo sum" can't be praised enough, it even seems like something voldemort would use
Kash42 · 2 points · Posted at 12:17:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's even more clever than that. Dolder is pronounced the same as Dålder, which would be something like "One who is made hidden". I don't know if that was intentional, but it made me really suspicious of the character when I was 12 atleast.
The ending -er in Dålder kind of makes you it harder to realize it is close to Dåld (hidden) except for maybe in some swedish dialects. If it is intentional though it is very clever and fitting indeed!
In Slovak it is Tom Marvoloso Riddle which is anagram for " A som i lord Voldemort". Which means I am also lord Voldemort. But even though I am from slovakia I only read it in English. In fact it was my first book I read in English. Not that anyone cares but there...
You would think just doing the "Ego sum" translation would work universally, since most of the Hogwarts universe uses off-Latin as a second language anyway. On the other hand, Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder is not a particularly attractive name either...
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 16:50:34 on July 10, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sounds great in Swedish though. Difficult to imagine in other languages!
eric67 · 2 points · Posted at 03:11:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That... Finnish one kind of sucks. You have to change a letter from 'ä' to 'a'? That's not an anagram. Also, 'mä' is a colloquial form of 'minä' (I in finnish), makes it sound a bit casual for the purpose. Like he's saying "I'm totally Sauron, dude".
They could have just worked back from "Olen Voldemort". Grammatically correct, and steps around tricky letters and colloquialisms.
The linked Wikia article talks about that. 'Ma' is an archaic form of 'minä', it makes it sound like an old poem. It definitely doesn't sound as casual as 'mä'.
The Dutch translation of the Harry Potter books is one of the best I've ever encountered. Reading your post makes me realize there's also a pun in the Dutch name of Voldemort: Marten Vilijn. Vilijn sounds a lot like 'villian'. 'Marten' originates from 'Martinus' which originatef from Mars, the Greek God of war.
The Arabic version avoids the issue entirely by having Riddle directly write out "I am Lord Voldemort" (أنا لورد فولدمورت), without any anagram at all.
Wait.. How does that work? Isn't the book supposed to be that no one knows it's him? And then in arabic his name literally says "I'm Voldemort"?
In Icelandic, his name is Trevor Delgome, which becomes "(Ég)Eg er Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"), but his middle name is not used for the anagram and stays as Marvolo.
TIL something as an Icelander - only read the original English versions.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:16:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I realized that his name isn't actually Valedro when the movies came in out, the shock.
The translator has made brilliant work with names in the Finnish edition. They are Finnicized while preserving their original feel.
Some of them were obviously easy to translate like Sirius Black>Sirius Musta but some were more complicated.. Like Horatius Slughorn>Horatius Kuhnusarvio which sounds weird and Filius Flitwick>Filius Lipetit which makes zero sense but still feels.. Right.
In Polish it stayed the same. However, we got a "chapter" at the end of each book (a kind of behind-the-scenes look) that contained the translator's reasoning for the stuff that was changed and explanations of words that weren't, which I loved reading.
I think generally the Polish audience prefers names to not be translated. There was this Lord of the Rings translation that took it to the extreme (and I think it was the first one - so it was either read it as it is or learn English) and it got people so burnt they still despise that. lol
If the original used the Latin version in the Swedish version, it would be a lot easier for all the other languages.
sickre · 1 points · Posted at 14:12:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Arabs not smart enough for riddles?
"The total number of books translated into Arabic in the last 1,000 years is fewer than those translated into Spanish in one year."
"Greece — with a population of fewer than 11 million — translates five times as many books from abroad into Greek annually as the 22 Arab countries combined, with a total population of more than 300 million, translate into Arabic."
Can I point out that as ridiculous as the middle name sounds, they managed to find a last name (Jedusor) that means "the game of fate" literally (jeu du sort).
So it's even more badass.
DTGG · 5 points · Posted at 10:46:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah but I don't know anybody in France that pronounces it like that, we all say "jéduzor" which has a total different meaning.
I always read it "Jeu du sort" in my head as a kid but I will admit the pronunciation is unclear. It just sounded logical to me that it's another "contraction" like "Vol de mort"
DTGG · 2 points · Posted at 11:22:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think in the movies they say "jéduzor", don't they? That's probably why most people say it like that.
As a kid I never trusted people who talked about Elvis Presley for that reason. Also if I might add, Tom's grandfather was still called "Marvolo Riddle," and they made "Elvis" his second name, which I thought was cool.
Edit: Marvolo Jedusor, his name in French is Marvolo Elvis Jedusor of course
Worth noting the French used "Jedusor" as the surname, which is pronouced similarly to "Jeu du sort", which itself means "Fate's game" or "Unexpected turn of event".
Worth noting that Voldemort is already a bastardization of French and means "Flight from death" which is fitting since that's what he's most afraid of.
Yeah there's a number of character and spell names that pull from French. Draco Malfoy (mal foi: bad faith, evil belief) is Drago Malefoy in the French version, though I don't know why the change was made.
It already sounds latin as French is a latin language. But in pure latin, you will never see "oy". Whereas in old french "Male Paix" meant " dissatisfaction" and Foy was faith. Fusing both would mean "Wrong faith"
I mean, we're talking about English speakers making something latinesque so it's going to tend towards older spanish or french usually as derivatives of vulgar latins.... also you meant French is a Romance language I think.
Onomastics is something well known in literature, and it is one of them there. Using old French was just a bonus because the cliché of the old aristocratic family is pretty well incremented there.
Yep. She does draw on some other languages on occasion - Dumbledore is apparently Old English for bumblebee, Alohomora comes from Hawaiian 'aloha' (goodbye) and Latin 'mora' (delay) - but primarily Latin and then French secondarily.
[deleted] · -3 points · Posted at 11:51:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because of the French. Seriously, they love their language. God forbid they don't frenchisize the shit out of everything. BTW, don't look up French Snape.
God forbid a language other than English tries to make things easily understandable by non-English-speaking people!
[deleted] · -3 points · Posted at 13:02:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't get it. Nobody is against the use of the word "email", except the French (administrative bodies, not people).
But alright, you do your thing, "professeur Rogue".
We're not against the word "email". The Academy tried to implement a French version of it but no one uses it (apart from admin like you said, but that's not the common language that you hear everyday). In the end, the people decide what is used in the common language and we decided that "email" is the way to go, not "courriel", same for "skateboard", "okay", "weekend" and countless other English words that have permeated the common language. Same goes for yours btw, "genre", "déjà vu", "apéritif" or "c'est la vie", those are all French.
But the issue here is storytelling. No point in keeping the original Tom Marvolo Riddle name in French since the play on words would be lost in translation so they had to change his name. Same goes for Hogwarts (probably impossible to even pronounce at first glance for most French people tbh), Deatheaters and so on. You can't break the viewer's experience by throwing foreign words that they don't understand or can't pronounce at them.
And yes, I do get it. I'm French. Almost everything I watch is in English and I have a Translation degree.
As for Snape being translated into Rogue, I don't really know tbh.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 15:30:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's funny because I didn't specify which names I thought were mis-translated by the French Harry Potter version except Snape/Rogue... I have no problem whatsoever with Voldemort's name, Hogwarts, and Deatheaters getting translated. -->I agree
As for Snape being translated into Rogue, I don't really know tbh.
That's the example I meant, together with la DGLFLF and their stupid Frenchicisms, which you agree are stupid.
Germany doesn't have a "délégation génerale à la langue allemande", neither does England or any other country that I'm aware of.
Oh so we agree on pretty much everything then. I just assumed you had a general issue with what the thread was talking about since you said:
Because of the French. Seriously, they love their language. God forbid they don't frenchisize the shit out of everything.
You can probably find an explanation for Snape/Rogue, though. I've read about it and people seem to refer to an old French word for arrogant, which could make sense I guess.
I'm torn on the matter because on the other hand, you have shit like Chewbacca being translated to Chictaba in the original Star Wars ("chiquer" means to chew, and "tabac" is tobacco) which is terrible. Luke's name was also translated in the end credits of the theatrical release, I believe (to Luc Courleciel). But that was in the 70's/80's, you should see old animes dubbed in French, some were hilariously bad. Dubbing and localization has improved since then.
I don't think it's fair to criticize the DGLFLF's Frenchicisms (what a mouthful) because most of them are never really used (since they're trying to replace words that have become part of our daily vocabulary). And that is only a small part of their job. They're here to preserve the language as a whole, and I think that this is an important matter since language and culture are intertwined. There are other associations that protect their own national languages. Things like the RAE in Spain for example.
Btw, if you're wondering, I didn't downvote you.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 17:03:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
J'avais toujours pensé que c'était à cause du manque de connaissance d'anglais chez les français. Mon père était guide touristique pour les chinois à Paris et m'a dit que dans les années 80/90, certaines auberges refusaient l'entrée aux non-francophones. Petite anecdote mais en général on sait que le système scolaire fr est nul pour les langues étrangères.
Peut-être que ça est une raison pour le choix étrange de nouveaux noms dans les films. Même chez nous en Allemagne Skywalker reste Skywalker.
Le manque de connaissance de l'anglais joue un rôle. Mais comme tu l'as dit plus haut, les Français aiment leur langue. Tous les films sont doublés, la télévision est en français. Il faut que tout soit accessible sans difficulté de compréhension. Il faut qu'on ait l'impression que l'acteur parle français.
Et pour revenir à Skywalker, il s'appelle comme ça ici aussi, bien sûr. Les traductions étranges ne sont que dans le premier film de 1977. Une autre époque !
Et oui, l'éducation nationale a des progrès à faire du point de vue des langues étrangère. Beaucoup de théorie (apprendre les verbes irréguliers par coeur) et peu de pratique. Et très peu d'oral.
Ton français est parfait, au passage !
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 18:19:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thx, douze ans plus tard et 40,000€ de moins dans la poche, on peut s'attendre à pouvoir parler un p'tit peu la langue :) (école fr à l'étranger). Mais bof j'ai quand même perdu l'habitude et pour le messages "officiels" je demande tjs à mes potes francophones. D'ailleurs - sans vouloir frimer - notre école est assez forte en ce qui concerne l'enseignement de langues vivantes :d
Il faut qu'on ait l'impression que l'acteur parle français.
Et c'est raté 99% du temps avec des tournures de phrases pas naturelles et un overlay du doublage en mode "voix off".
J'ai jamais compris cette obssession du doublage en france. C'est moche et ça te vole la moitié du jeu de l'acteur.
Je fais mes études sur ce domaine, crois-moi que la clarté, le respect du texte et les mouvements labiaux rendent la tâche ardue. Quand des doublages sont ratés, c'est pas à dessein. C'est juste que c'est un travail très complexe. Je pense très sincèrement que tu exagères avec tes 99% et doublage "voix off". Nos adaptations sont en général de bonne qualité. Et je dis ça en tant que fan inconditionnel de la version originale qui ne regarde presque plus aucun média en version doublée sauf pour mes recherches.
Et si tu te demandes pourquoi le doublage existe, c'est simplement que des gens ne comprennent rien à l'anglais. Y a pas a tortiller du cul. J'ai des amis qui refusent de voir les films et séries en VO simplement parce que se concentrer sur les sous-titres représente un effort constant qui les empêche de profiter du film. C'est pas tant une fierté nationale qu'un manque de connaissances en la matière. Comme dit ailleurs dans le thread, la France est un pays qui, historiquement, a toujours préféré le doublage au sous-titrage (contrairement aux pays scandinaves par exemple) et tout le monde est d'accord sur le fait que l'enseignement des langues étrangères n'est pas d'une excellente qualité.
Alors oui, ça créé un cercle vicieux et les gens qui ne sont pas a l'aise avec l'anglais regardent des films en VF. Oui, on perd le jeu de l'acteur et oui, des fois, il y a des ratés monumentaux. Tu as le droit de ne pas aimer le doublage et ses principes, rien à dire là dessus. Mais on engage pas des geeks comme moi pour passer 20 heures à traduire 5 minutes de film juste parce que ça fait travailler les Français (au passage, si tu travailles pas sur tous les Marvel, ça rapporte pas gros). Beaucoup de gens ont besoin du doublage, y a rien de plus à comprendre.
Ah et puis, tu peux quand même reconnaître qu'on a des trucs pas mal : les Disney, les voix de Stallone, Bruce Willis, des comédiens de doublage comme Alain Dorval ou Richard Darbois. On a plein de films avec de belles voix et des textes travaillés !
Et puis y a des bouses aussi, certes. Mais en général, je trouve que les bouses le sont aussi en partie parce que le film en lui-même n'est pas ouf.
It's a link to a fanfic that supposed what the series would have been like had Petunia married a scientist instead of Dursley. Because of this Harry is far more rationalist, and after he gets over the "you shouldn't be able to do that!" period of dealing with magic he starts applying the scientific method to it and starts doing shit wizards never even considered because they were too busy casting spells to prevent their spells being stolen, resulting in very little knowledge getting passed on appropriately. Instead Harry starts advancing the development of spells for the first time in a while.
Like killing Dementors with the True Patronus.
[deleted] · 17 points · Posted at 02:33:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which as a sidenote, just further highlights the importance of a good translator. A good translator can turn the book into a great success, or an utter failure.
The Harry Potter French translator is pretty good. There are even some plays on word that aren't in the original; the Sorting Hat is named a Choixpeau from choix (choice) + chapeau (hat).
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 05:37:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ye. I don't know if I'd say it's better than the original but it's definitely an excellent translation.
I'm fairly certain Hodor is named Hodor in every languages. The twist came in far too late for translators to do something about it.
One thing that could work is instead of saying " Hold the door " they'd say " Ne les laisse pas dehors " which translate to " Don't let them outside " which would kinda work in the situation Hodor was put in.
DTGG · 1 points · Posted at 10:50:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Incidentally the translation of these books (ASOIAF) is known to be pretty bad in France because they use some really archaic words for some stupid reason. As a French guy I literally have a harder time reading them in French than in English.
Ok I'm dumb. As a Frenchman I've always thought Jedusor meant "Spell-game" because of homonyms...
Btw I thought in every language the translators made a point to have 1) an anagram between the two names and 2) a pun magic related in his original name (because of Riddle in English and Jedusor in French). But it doesn't seem to be the case ? Like in other languages they just took the anagram and said screw that for the pun?
Not exactly magic related, but the surname Vilijn in the Dutch version is a homophone of the word vilein, which means something like evil. Compare the English villain. So I guess there is at least something of a pun there?
Yu-Gi-Oh. Yugi means "Game" in Japanese. So Yugi Moto's name is Game. Oh or -ou, as a suffix, means king. So the name of the show is "King of Games" in Japanese. And the main character's name is Game.
I feel like that should've been conveyed in some way in the English version because of how funny it is to me.
That game took me a lot of trial and error when I was little, but managed to overcome the rules and played really good at it! I still have it somewhere...
It's called Duel Monsters. You play Yu-Gi-Oh, yes, but both in the show, and in the Konami Official Card Game, it's basically Duel Monsters.
I mean, it's "real" name is effectively "The Konami Official Card Game, Yu-Gi-Oh".
Fun Fact: The Asian card game and the Western card game are two different beasts. The cards are entirely different between the two in terms of effects and how the rules are.
To know which someone is talking about, it is TCG vs OCG.
The Trading Card Game is the Western version. The Official Card Game is the Asian version. No clue on how or why that naming came about, but Konami is not the most competent business when it comes to games. They do well in terms of $$$, but not so well in terms of looking professional to their customers.
That's why I'd say the "real" name is the OCG. It's what people who play it will refer to it as in Asian countries. But again, in the anime, they call it Duel Monsters in both Japanese and English.
It's the same, but in the manga, Yugi is not only a boss at Duel Monsters, but he can beat anyone at any game: be it Uno, Monopoly, Metal Slug or Table Hockey. He's basically unbeatable as long as it's a game.
To be fair, you could name a Japanese kid Yugi. "Game" is a silly way to write it, but Yugi still sounds like a name. I can't think of a reasonable English equivalent. Though it'd be funny to call him Sport, making his alter ego Dark Sport.
On the other hand, they really should have called his rival Seth.
Another fun fact about names in Yu-Gi-Oh. Joey's name in Japanese is Jounouchi. If you take the first part of his and Yugi's names, you get the Japanese word yuujou, 友情, which means friendship.
Hmm, in the Finnish translations, it's Jounouchi. It'd feel weird to hear him called "Joni" (which would be the equivalent of Joey in Finnish I suppose)
Satoshi, with no given last name AFAIK. He's named after the series creator. His rival, Shigeru, i.e Gary, is named after Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario (among other series.)
Well that's his Italian birth name, but it's worth noting that most official and academic writing of the time would be in Latin, so the Latin form "Christophorus Columbus" would be typical in documents of the time.
And in Spain, on whose behalf he conducted the voyages, he was referred to in Spanish as Cristóbal Colón. I am not sure if ships' logs and letters to the crown were in Spanish (Castilian) or Latin, but if the former he would have used this name.
Columbus also spoke Porutugese and had some dealings with Portuguese authorities. If this translates to written documents (again, they may have used Latin), the Portuguese form would have been used but I don't know the exact spelling. (There's also a mostly debunked theory that Columbus was actually born in Portugal and not Genoa but that's another discussion entirely...)
[deleted] · 30 points · Posted at 05:28:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
the portuguese form is Cristovão Colombo
[deleted] · 124 points · Posted at 05:50:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's close, but according to my research in Portuguese he was called Romeo G. Detlev, Jr.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 12:09:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The weirdest thing about this is that he had relatives in a lot of places, and their family names were translated along the way. So his descendants are called Columbo, Colombo, Colom... And this contributed to the different allegations of his real place of origin.
Zeikos · 4 points · Posted at 08:06:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cristoforo Colombo is the italian version., no h in his name.
Like for Jesus Christ the italian version is Gesù Cristo.
It does. The Bible was originally translated into Greek where Yeshua becomes Iesous. Iesous then becomes Latinised to Iesus or Jesus in modern spelling.
Technically, the first one was Latinised and the second was Greekified.
I like the story behind Yeshua becoming Jesus. The Greeks have no "sh" sound, so Yeshua became Yesua, and then the final a was changed to a Greek masculine s, Yesus.
But if I'm reading a book about some German in WW2, I understand that the book has to be translated or written in English for me to understand, but it would be kinda weird if his name was Kevin Smith.
He's asking why the name itself is translated. Like if you were reading a Spanish book about president Roosevelt, you would not expect his name to be translated to a Spanish name.
tyros · 10 points · Posted at 02:39:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To make the anagram work. If they left the name as Tom Riddle, the anagram won't work in the translated language.
Normally, (good) translations don't translate the name, just spell it in the language it's being translated to.
Well there's also the fact that a lot of other characters had their names changed in localized versions. It's so that children who read the books get the same vibe from the name. So for example in Finnish Snape becomes Kalkaros, Hogwarts becomes Tylypahka.
A few spells also get translated in the Danish version. The cruciatus, for example, is translated to doloroso. I'm not sure who and how that particular translation helps, but it was the only specific one I could think of
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:39:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Depends. Some names would absolutely be translated. Other names would maybe be left as they were. There really isn't a convention.
For example, if you're reading a book about the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, you almost always see his name as Charles. Despite the fact that he was the ruler of the Spanish Empire and of the HRE so if you were to see a more likely translation of his name, you would expect to see Carlos or Karl.
If you were reading a book about the last tsar of Russia, you would most likely see Tsar Nicholas, rather than Nikolai. If you were reading about Ferdinand of Aragon, the famous Aragonese King, you would see Ferdinand in almost every situation, despite the better translations either being Spanish (Ferdinando,) Aragonese (Ferrando,) or Catalan (Ferran.) His wife "Isabella of Castile" should be written as "Ysbael" if we're following old Spanish conventions or "Isabel" if we're following modern ones. Point is, we translate names of historical figures in particular all the time.
There's no convention to when it's done or not done. Common names are often translated, like Alexander and Nicholas, but other names that are just as common like "John" and "Phillip" are instead left in their original languages (Ivan in Russian for John,) (Felipe in Spanish for Phillip. You also have Peter being left as Pedro in Portuguese, despite being translated in Peter the Great.)
As you can see, I'm just trying to highlight that there's no rhyme or reason to why we perform a translation of a name sometimes.
The most enduring royal respelling is probably going to be Charlemagne, which is a modern French name for a king who ruled before French existed. He was a Frankish king, whose vernacular would've been fairly Germanic- properly in his native tongue he should be something closer to Karl der Grosse, and Latinized into Karoli Magni.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 06:25:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh yeah. Can't believe I forgot that one. William of Normandy is another huge one though.
At least with Finnish, most of the names in the franchise had a meaning behind them. That feel can't translate to Finnish audience if you keep the names intact. (also, I kept finding problems to pronounce some of them since Finnish rly is nothing like English)
The translator has made absolutely brilliant work though. (the same kind of process was done with LotR Shire names which makes more sense since English wasn't a Canon language in LotR, Westron was just "translated into English" by Tolkien which made the foreign names pretty mandatory).
I liked the Finnish version Tom Lomen Valedro since while it does not sound exactly English it doesn't sound Finnish it feels it still could a name a British person could have if you are a kid so it does not stand out when later used in the series. And Valedro icludes vale which means lie in Finnish so that's kind of nice couple meaning. Lomen does not quite work in the 6th book were it's mentioned it sounds a name a circus person might have (since the original is Marvolo) but it's minor and I don't think many translations have that part work.
Don't forget, Harry Potter was originally written for kids, and was often bedtime reading or classroom reading. In translations, names were changed to be familiar and pronounceable for speakers of the language. Novels for adults are more likely to stay true to the original. It's a debate among translators to lean towards source or target language.
I suppose overseas publishers didn't expect the international popularity of the books/films when their first translations were published.
Pretty sure Hermione was changed in some languages for the first edition, then changed back when the movies came out, but citation needed on that one.
In French everybody has a French name, pretty much. Neville Longbottom becomes Neville Londubat. Rowena Ravenclaw is Rowena Serdaigle. Heck, the dementors are called détraqueurs, and the Deatheaters are, of course, Mangemorts.
Edit: also Hogwarts is Poudlard.
Mangemorts sounds pretty cool. Poudlard is super not cool. Sounds like a weird scandanavian dish consisting of some sort of fish liquid and boiled eyeballs. Though I guess Hogwarts isn't cool, either. I guess I've heard and said it enough that I don't think about what the word is.
Yeah, I think it's a matter of habit! As a kid I thought "Poudlard" sounded cute (also you gotta keep in mind the "d" is silent, it's pronounced Poo-dlar"). The first time I heard "Hogwarts," I thought it sounded stylish, but the Hog and the Warts suddenly appeared and made me realize that Poudlard was really "Pou" (lice) and "Lard", which took me a long time to recover from xD
Harry Potter is classified as a children's book series. The translations need to preserve as much of the "magic" as possible, while not relying on any foreign language proficiency on the part of the reader.
In the case of Tom Riddle, a major "magical" point is that his name is an anagram of "I am Lord Voldemort". So it is preferable to change his name to end up with one in the target language, so readers can enjoy the same "aha" moment.
Translations are always a trade-off between faithfulness to the original text and to the author's intended impact on the reader.
VitQ · 1 points · Posted at 12:06:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also, why would canonically English man Tom Riddle have foreign language names?
That's the reason they didn't touch it in Polish translation I reckon. Mhm.
Hello, I'm the inevitable annoying person that has to point out that wherefore means "why" in that context, even though you knew that perfectly well and were just using the wordplay to create a humorous turn of phrase!
Yep, but just out of curiosity: "eis" is not the 'to be' verb. It's something like "here is Voldemort". And it's also archaic, but at the end of the day, I think it fits.
I grew up in Brazil but have lived in the US all my adult life, and looking back I'm still amazed at some of the translations for stuff. Disney movie dubbing was (is?) spectacular, even the songs. Like the songs in The Prince of Egypt, the Lion King, worked great. Also I can't fathom how much work it was to translate the Hobbit and TLOTR with all the poetry and songs while keeping it sounding ancient and beautiful.
Totally agree. After I learned to speak English I never could watch anything dubbed in Portuguese again (except for some classics), but Brazilian Portuguese dubbing is considered one of the best voice-overs of the world. Most Brazilian dubbing studios do a great effort on preserving original meanings with an amazing lip-syncing.
I'm sure that similar things are true for other translations, but in the Dutch one (Marten Asmodom Vilijn) 'Asmodom' is a clear reference to Asmodeus, the king of demons, while 'vilijn' is pronounced the same as the old-fashioned Dutch word 'vilein', meaning 'villainous' or 'malevolent'.
Basically, the translation dropped the undertones of mystery of the original name and replaced them with undertones of malevolence instead. An interesting choice, but especially because of the 'Vilijn' portion I did catch on early as a kid that this person was bad news.
However, at the same time I didn't realize that it was Voldemort himself until the reveal because the obvious 'vol' part in 'Marvolo' wasn't there in this translation. So a win and a loss I guess?
Or heck, the Danish one, which actually keeps the Riddle part with "Romeo G.(åde) Detlev Jr." (Sure, I disagree with the choice to have the Jr. in there, since Jr. isn't actually used in Danish, but eh.)
In the not to distant future, Voldemort regrets turning that gumball machine into an extra horcrux.
A broken shell of the wizard he once was, and imprisoned in his feeble robot body, Voldemort spends his days watching cheesy movies with his pet muggle Joel.
That sounds like a bad "lazy Mexican" joke you'd see in a very forwarded email.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 05:34:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not in earlier editions
This is from a 4th edition copy of chamber of secrets and I can tell you that I'm thankful they kept it like this. The Dark Lord cannot be named sorvolo! That's just dumb!
Exbo4 · 2 points · Posted at 03:59:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ctrl+F "greek"
0/0 results
In greek, the translator did an awful job conveying the little things here and there. Spells for example were translated as the literal work plus an occasional "ous" at the end. "Expecto patronum" became "I summon the protector" (in greek words obviously). Didn't understand why they did it, especially since a few were kept as original ("wingardium leviosa" stayed the same and it worked fine). Keeping them in Latin would have been the better choice to convey the feeling an English speaking reader gets since it already sounds archaic and foreign.
Tom Riddle's name was a tough nut to crack and the translator is not so much at fault for this instance however. For one, we don't have silent sounds to hide an "e" for Voldemort in "Riddle" and the "I" in "Riddle" is impossible to hide in a word that translates to "I", or "lord". You can hide it in "am" (είμαι) but now you've created a second "m" (μ) and even worse a second "i" (ι). ARGH! Morvol would have to be butchered down to a seemingly random keyboard smash for the anagram to work.
The translator wrote:
Αντον Μόρβολ Χερτ -> Άρχων Βόλντεμορτ
Pronounced as
Anton Morvol Hurt -> [AR-hon] (lit. "Lord" in greek) Voldemort
Positives:
"Anton Hurt" sounds really English to us.
"Hurt" is neat because it conveys a "bad guy" aura
"Morvol" is very similar to "Marvolo"
Negatives:
Look carefully. There is an ο which becomes ω. Both are pronounced as o, but it's a glaring spelling mistake.
I played around in notepad a bit and came up with this:
Τομ Δόρβολος Ρεντλ -> λόρδος Βόλντεμορτ
Pronounced as
Tom Dorvolos Reddle -> Lordos (lit. "Lord" in greek) Voldemort
With "d" in lordos and Dorvolos to be pronounced and written as "th" in "this" (δ)
Dunno if it's better that the final translation but it's definitely closer to the original, and has no spelling errors. And I (subjectively I'll admit) really like the menacing (in greek) sound of "Dorvolos"
I've seen other suggestions in articles by translators that were pretty mad at the "bad job" the official translator did, such as
Τομ Ιβαμόε Ριντλ (Tom Ivamoe Riddle) = Είμαι ο Βόλντεμορτ (I am Voldemort)
Soy Lord Voldemort. I know what that means, but my sleep deprived brain immediately went to Voldemort standing atop a throne of tofu with hipster milk in his hand.
I need to become legendary and have this many sayings about me. Like "The French call him Huge Bear which is an anagram for 'Massively Powerful'. And yet the Spanish refer to him as "The Unconquered" which is an anagram for 'Fearless One'."
This bit weirdly made me realise how it's easier than it sounds to make these up, especially when you're working with made up names. For example, for Spanish they just had to change the i, a and m to an s, o and y which is really easy when you think about it.
Not that it's not impressive that they did so many. It's just easier than it sounds, I think.
I can already tell they didn't spend that much effort on it. Just by first glance, a few can be vastly improved by just moving a single letter, something the translator could have certainly noticed too if just more than a few minutes were spend on it.
The Harry Potter series has been extremely well translated in French. For instance, Tom Elvis Jedusor. Jedusor sounds like "jeu du sort" which sounds similar to "riddle" in French. I'm always super impressed at how the translator was able to make some puns work.
oyvho · 1 points · Posted at 09:38:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Norway he's named Tom Dredolo Venster which makes Voldemort den Store - Voldemort the great.
huh, the dutch should've gone with Tom Vonimmijn Raadsel, which uses Tom like the original, and the dutch word for riddle: raadsel, and still is an anagram for Mijn naam is Voldemort (my name is voldemort)
Edit: The Original by Katie Rose and Dan Abromowitz.
Ivaras · 1201 points · Posted at 04:55:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It is a little known fact that Voldemort, despising and despised by his maternal grandfather for his half-blood status, began his endeavors in the dark arts using an anagram of only his first and last name. Unfortunately, Dildemort invited whispered jokes to do with the misuse of wands and broomsticks, and the Dark Lord had to not only revisit his choice of moniker, but forbid his followers from speaking his name on penalty of death.
I'm really proud of the Swedish translation. Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder, which becomes Ego Sum Lord Voldemort. Also, the surname Dolder has "Dold" in it, which means hidden.
Honestly the Ukrainian did a much better job than the Russian translation here, which for some reason decided to have Voldemort's name in the rest of the entire series be altered to Volan-De-Mort to fit this
decided to have Voldemort's name in the rest of the entire series be altered to Volan-De-Mort to fit this
I don't think they named him like that for that Tom Marvolo Riddle transition, seeing how Volan-de-Mort first appears in Book 1, and I doubt the translators knew about the upcoming twist before the book 2 was written. Can be wrong though.
But it feels like just a (pretty unnesessary, IMO) adaptation, complete with the Master and Margarita reference for futher eeriness.
zumun · 1 points · Posted at 22:30:24 on September 26, 2017 · (Permalink)
Funny thing is, Yarvolod sounds like it could be an actual Ukrainian name, which added some degree of immersion to the story.
Yep, it's a portmanteau of Yaroslav and any of the many names that end in 'volod' (e.g. Vsevolod, or even begin with 'volod', such as 'Volodimir', aka Vladimir) which is an archaic proto-Slavic (but still used) word meaning to lord over something or someone. It's really beautiful how it works, I would say I prefer it to the English name even, speaking as someone who speaks Russian but read the novels in English.
Yaroslav the Wise was a very famous Kievan Rus ruler, and many of them had 'Volod' in their names too. Sounds cool too -- just unique enough to sound cool, but with enough historicity and not too fake-sounding or tryhard like the English name came off to me as (imo).
Yarvolod, such a common name, huh? I guess that's cool, us English speaking countries got a ridiculously silly and off the wall name. Like who would name their kid Tom?
calgil · 1 points · Posted at 12:14:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But he's not Ukrainian. Doesn't it kind of break immersion for an English character to have a Ukrainian name for no reason when nobody else does?
Well, Ukrainian translators did a really good job of not just translating the book but also making some of its moments more relatable to Ukrainian kids. I mean, some names in the books are obscure as it is, so why not make them recognizable?
Also, Yarvolod sounding like a very archaic name added immersion in the 6th book when Marvolo Gaunt, a member of a very old bloodline, was introduced.
I took Latin in school and it always amazed me how they could make words that rhyme in Latin also rhyme in English, regardless of their translation. It's a special skill for sure.
There is a famous poem by Mattia Butturini that can either be read as Latin or as Italian. The poem makes sense and is grammatically correct in both languages, it begins:
It's kind of hard to say which language is the closest to Latin in absolute terms because it depends on the characteristics you're looking at. Sardinian is very archaic in many respects, for example it's the only Romance language that has kept the 'k' sound in front of 'e' and 'i': Latin centum (hundred) became kentu in Sardinian, whereas in Italian it's cento pronounced with a tsh-sound, in Spanish it's ciento with a th-sound. However, if we're talking about other areas, other languages will stand out as more archaic. Romanian for example is the only Romance language that has kept some of the Latin cases.
Arent there many different ways of pronouncing Latin though? I know for a fact the latin i learnt at school was pronounced very different to other people ive met who learnt at different schools. eg "coelis", as in the Lords Prayer "pater noster, qui est in coelis" - i was taught is pronounced like cee-lis, whereas my mother always told me it was co-eh-liss.
Id imagine Sardinia is a small enough place to have a finite number of dialects etc, but Latin is probably very different case to this.
Ecclesiastical Latin is pronounced differently than classical latin iir. But really its hard to say for sure since we have no examples of spoken classical latin, just written. Just like written formal English differes from the English spoken by speakers.
Yeah, there are different ways of pronouncing Latin, it's different from country to country actually. But thanks to a lot of evidence and historical linguistics, it's pretty easy to reconstruct the Latin pronunciation used in Classical times and at least in academia, this reconstructed pronunciation is pretty much the standard (unless we're talking about Late or Medieval Latin).
We don't actually know whether it's really "k" instead of "tsh", it's just speculation based on how the speech was carried down through the Catholic church and the vulgar liturgy. Considering how common "tsh" (or "tch") is in former Roman provinces, it appears to be something of an error to assume "k". "Modern" Latin is rife with these kinds of assumptions.
It's not speculation, there's a lot of evidence that at least in Republican times and during the early Empire, 'c' was always pronounced 'k', it softened only later. You'll find no Classical scholar who disagrees with that. You can find a lot of the evidence on the internet, if you're curious, one example would be that Cicero wrote his name in Greek with a Kappa (Κικέρων). That's the general practice of Greek writers when they write Latin names with 'c' in it. Caesar is Καίσαρ for example.
Oh and the Catholic Church doesn't pronounce it as 'k', they never have.
It comes from the Bulgarian Kesar, which was shortened to Tsar for Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria. The Russians didn't start using it until centuries later.
They probably didn't do that in ancient times, but in modern Greek "ch" in foreign names is approximated with tau and sigma. For example Chernobyl becomes Τσερνόμπιλ.
Yeah thanks for clarifying the details. The elegant beauty of Cunningham's law in action. In hindsight I should have demanded sources so I wouldn't need to search but this is probably good enough.
[deleted] · 11 points · Posted at 02:41:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Read that as "Sandarin" at first and could've sworn that was related to Elvish somehow, not Latin. Really confusing for a minute.
Their grammar is very similar to Latin, I know this as someone who had a BA in that field of history. But their pronunciation is awful, as someone who has a cousin who is a native Romanian speaker (Moldovan citizen however). It's awful on a purely human level because it sounds silly and awful in terms of being Latin.
For fuck's sake, their language is so bad that the most important part of any language -- their swearing, their oaths, their cursing, cussing, foul words, whatever you wanna call it -- it's Russian (for Moldovans, Romanians do use their own words mostly). If you wanna know a bad language, it's one that's so bad that some people who speak it natively prefer to use a foreign language to express themselves in a manner which is the closest and most direct to the soul, the shit you yell out when something heavy falls on your fingers. It's more honest and pure than love, it comes reflexively like an instinct.
It didn't use to be that way, Romanian had a lot of loanwords from Bulgarian actually, with about 20% of the vocabulary being of Bulgarian origin, but purged nearly most of them in the 19th century and replaced them with French and Italian loanwords.
That's complete and utter bullshit. No language is 'bad' or 'awful'. How can their pronunciation be awful when they speak their mother tongue? Romanian is not Latin, so saying that it's some kind of silly dialect of Latin doesn't make any sense. By this logic, you could complain that English speakers are horrible at pronouncing Old English and that the language is so awful that they felt the need to borrow large parts of their vocabulary from Latin/French. And I'd really like some sources on your claim that Romanian speakers prefer to speak other languages because their native tongue is 'so bad'.
It's entirely subjective of course, but Romanian sounds silly and 'uncool', some of it's sounds just sound plain unpleasant. Just like German sounds really cool to most ears.
Sources? Ask any Moldovan. I'm not making this up, I've lived in Chisinau and Briceni for some time with my relatives. Keep in mind I said this of Moldovans, not Romanians. Moldovans also speak Romanian, but they have enough contact with Russian culture to be aware of other choices, unlike a Romanian who doesn't know a 'parallel' language -- by that I mean a language that has official status within a country but is not the majority language.
It's entirely subjective of course, but Romanian sounds silly and 'uncool', some of it's sounds just sound plain unpleasant.
Yeah, but as you say: that's subjective. Why even bring it up? It's obvious that it's an issue with your taste and not an issue with the Romanian language. I don't like the sound of tonal languages like Chinese or Vietnamese for example. But that's just my subjective reaction to it, most likely because I'm not used to these kinds of languages and their sounds are unusual to my ears. I would never claim that these languages are silly or that they sound awful.
Just like German sounds really cool to most ears.
Really? I'm German and most people seem to think that the language sounds harsh and ugly.
Sources? Ask any Moldovan. I'm not making this up, I've lived in Chisinau and Briceni for some time with my relatives. Keep in mind I said this of Moldovans, not Romanians. Moldovans also speak Romanian, but they have enough contact with Russian culture to be aware of other choices, unlike a Romanian who doesn't know a 'parallel' language -- by that I mean a language that has official status within a country but is not the majority language.
I really doubt that most Moldovans would say that their own language is silly and awful. And from what I've read, most people actually speak Romanian most of the time. But since many people there are bilingual, of course they will also speak Russian in certain situations. That's the case in many countries, it doesn't mean that people hate their native language. And even if it were true that most Moldovans find Romanian awful and silly, that still doesn't prove anything. Things like that are often political and, again, completely subjective. There's nothing about the Romanian language that's inherently silly or uncool.
None of this is. There’s no such thing as the closest language to “X”, there’s no objective measure of how similar or different a language is to something.
Actually, Latin poets didn't use rhyme. Since Latin is a heavily inflected language with flexible word-order (especially in poetry), rhyming is not really difficult to achieve, you can just put the words wherever you want. They focused much more on meter (based on vowel-length instead of stress).
Every time the origin of Martin Luther comes up, and someone mentions the Catholic phrase of the time "When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.", I always just want to ask the room, "and that rhymed in German, right? Somehow? We just lucked out on this?"
AP246 · 2 points · Posted at 07:40:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair, that word order is a little awkward, and 'springs' is just one of many words that could fit there, for example.
I mean, it certainly helps that English is partially derived from Latin directly, and by a degree of separation through French, and some words/phrases are just straight up Latin.
Obviously, it is still a special skill, but Latin is one of the easier languages to do the "same word, same rhyme" thing with English.
Can someone explain to me why they needed to translate his anagram in Latin? It's a dead language.
I'm not shitting on Latin or the study of Latin. I actually believe reading original works in Latin is very important to preserve the original source and tone the work was written in.
However why translate a modern work of fiction into a dead language?
To get children and teenagers who learn Latin to read something they're probably more interested in than Cicero? Also, there are just some Latin enthusiasts who like to write stuff in Latin and keep it at least somewhat alive. There's also an Ancient Greek translation of Harry Potter.
That makes sense, if it is actively circulated and used for regular reading. I was just unsure how many people that studied Latin read modern works in latin. Thanks!
don't know why you got downvoted. as far as keeping the ancient authenticity of Latin goes, I don't think that's all to important personally but I could be wrong.
What's the problem here? Two minutes is, after all, brief.
jthill · 201 points · Posted at 01:32:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then there's this, from The Cyberiad, when Trurl's (? I think
it was his) mechanical poet is being put to the test:
“Have it compose a poem- a poem about a haircut! But lofty, tragic, timeless, full of love, treachery, retribution, quiet heroism in the face of certain doom! Six lines, cleverly rhymed, and every word beginning with the letter S!!”
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 11:40:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Writing something new that captures the spirit of the original is a form of translation. The goal of translation is to evoke the same things in the mind of the reader as the original, despite the language barrier.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 06:20:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thanks for reminding me, i so have to read S.L's stuff.
jthill · 10 points · Posted at 06:27:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Cyberiad's like Dr. Seuss for grownups, every bit as seemingly light, with a love of life and wordplay and odd little stories with an odd grip. In fact, I think Thing One and Thing Two are the larval stage of Trurl and the other one whose name I forget, K something.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 07:14:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thanks. I heard someone reading out a couple of the stories on youtube. To me they almost seemed like a sci fi Roald Dahl.
The thing with "co dzień" is that until ~1970 it was perfectly fine to write "codzień", so that was a single word, when Lem wrote it (1965). Oh, and it means "every day".
Zydhor · 12 points · Posted at 09:12:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nearly all of the names were translated in Slovenian versions of the books. I think it is a great decision by the translator to do so, because the original English names are incredibly clever and their cleverness would be completely lost on the reader who doesn't speak English.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 13:32:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Were the Slovenian names comparably clever? If so, I agree.
The Slovenian translations are intentionally misspelled as well, so they keep their magical, foreign quality (daring raven should be: "drzna vrana", not Drznavraan). That being said, I think "Mrlakenstein" (darkness - stein) isn't the most effective and I wish the translator kept the original, it just sounds better.
P.S. The same translator (Branko Gradišnik) also did LOTR, which got a lot of criticism for doing the same kind of thing with names. His LOTR translation is generally regarded as non canonical by the fans.
My french isnt great but I think voldemort means "flight of death" in French or "wings of death" in English. They should have just left it French for everyone except France because its a cool thing to realize that it has a foreign translation
Zydhor · 3 points · Posted at 17:23:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some were good, some... not as good. Probably still better for people who do not speak English.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 07:57:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
lol lacking knowledge never stopped any redditors from pontificating on subjects they have zero expertise in. What's surprising is you said "sorry" for it. Lol here have an upvote for honesty.
trosh · 1 points · Posted at 09:13:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's not even pronounced the same way, but "Jéduzor". To me that sounds closer to "jet du sort" which would mean a jest of malice or something (so still good), but the z sound kind of breaks it
I remember that in the 4th book, there was a chapter about an even called the "jeux du sorts" (I read the french version) which sounds just like "jedusor".
The problem in the Brazilian translation is that while in Chambers of Secrets they translate his name to Tom Servolo Riddle (Eis Lord Voldemort), in Half-Blood Prince they apparently forgot and they called him Marvolo.
The worst part is that it's the same publisher and the same translator.
As a translator myself I think that Lya Wyler's job translating the HP books to pt-br was very good, but I agree with you: sometimes there are some questionable continuity mistakes.
To be honest, the one thing that really bothers me about her translation is that she translated the houses' names, but not the last names of the founders of the houses. She translated the first name of Godric Gryffindor to Godrico, why not translate the last name fo Grifinória as well?
I actually like the translation of the names, but that bugs me...
the one thing that really bothers me about her translation is that she translated the houses' names, but not the last names of the founders of the houses.
Also... I don't get it why.
But every time I see illogical translations it is either from a person who has no knowledge or care about the source material (Thing I doubt it's Lya Wyler case), or some high up demanding something be done like that.
Like someone saying she can't change any last name (I don't thing any last name was changed in the Pt-BR version)... and not accepting any exception.
I don't know... But I agree Lya Wyler did a great job.
In Turkish, the foundation's name is E.R.İ.T. ("Ev Cini Refahını İlerletme Topluluğu" which stands for "The Society for Prosecution of House Elves' Ease"). In Turkish, "erit" means "melt".
In Georgian the foundation's name is ედამ (EDAM) (ელფთა დამოუკიდებლობის აღდგენის ორგანიზაცია). If you change დ(D) to ლ(L), you'll get the Georgian word for squint-eyed.
In Hungarian, the foundation's name is M.A.J.O.M. ("Manók Alkotmányos Jogaiért Országos Mozgalom" which stands for "National Movement for the Constitutional Rights of Elves"). In Hungarian "majom" means "monkey".
In French, the foundation's name is S.A.L.E. ("Société d'Aide à la Libération des Elfes" which stands for "The Society for Helping the Release of the Elves"). In French, "sale" means "dirty".
In Brazilian Portuguese, the foundation's name is F.A.L.E. ("Fundação de Apoio à Libertação dos Elfos" which stands for "Foundation to Support the Liberation of the Elves"). The word "fale" means "say".
In European Portuguese, the foundation's name is B.A.B.E. ("Brigada de Apoio ao Bem-estar dos Elfos" which stands for "Brigade to Support the Welfare of Elves"). The word "babe" means "drool".
In Spanish, the foundation's name is P.E.D.D.O. ("Plataforma Élfica de Defensa de los Derechos Obreros", which stands for "Elvish Platform for the Defence of the Worker Rights"). "PEDDO" is a namesake word for "pedo", which means "a fart".
In Catalan, the foundation's name is P.E.T. ("Prou d'Elfs Tiranitzats", which stands for "Enough of Enslaved Elves"). "Pet" means "a fart", like in Spanish.
In Faroese the foundation's name is V.A.M.L ("Virði alt minnivirt lív" which stands for "Respect all inferior life") "Vaml" means "nausea" in Faroese.
In Swedish, the foundation's name is F.I.S.A ("Föreningen för Ideellt Stöd åt Alferna"). Just like the Spanish and Catalan names, "fisa" means "to fart".
In Norwegian, the foundation's name is H.I.K.K. ("Husnissenes Internasjonale Kampkoalisjon"), which in English is the same as "hiccup".
In German, the foundation's name is B.ELFE.R ("Bund für Elfenrechte" or "Alliance for the Rights of Elves"). The word "Belfer" doesn't exist in German, but it sounds similar to "Helfer" which means "someone who helps".
In Dutch, the foundations's name is S.H.I.T. ("Stichting Huiself voor Inburgering en Tolerantie", which stands for "House-Elf Foundation for Civic Integration & Tolerance"). The meaning should be clear.
In Finnish, the foundation's name is S.Y.L.K.Y. (Samat Yhteiset Lait Kotitontuillekkin -Yhdistys - Same Common Rights for House-Elves -Association) "Sylky" means "a spit" or "spit".
In Icelandic, the foundation's name is S.Á.R. ("Samtök um Álfaréttindi" or "Society of Elf Rights") "Sár" means "wound".
In Greek, the foundation's name is Μ.Υ.Ξ.Α. ("Μέτωπο Υπέρ Ξωτικών Αναξιοπαθούντων") "ΜΥΞΑ" means "snot".
In Czech, the foundation's name is S.P.O.Ž.Ú.S. ("Společnost pro Podporu Občanské a Životní Úrovně Skřítků" or "Movement for Better Social and Life Rights of Elves"). Word Spožús don't have any meaning in this language, it just sounds funny.
In Slovak, the foundation's name is S.O.P.L.O.Š. ("Spoločnosť pre ochranu práv a legálne oslobodenie škriatkov"). "Soploš" may mean "the one who produces snot".
In Croatian, the foundation's name is Z.B.LJ.U.V. ("Zajednica za boljitak ugnjetavanih vilenjaka" which is "The Society for the Benefit of Oppressed Elves"). "Zbljuv" could be translated (as the shortened version of "izbljuvak") as "vomit".
In Italian, the foundation name is C.R.E.P.A. ("Comitato per la Riabilitazione degli Elfi Poveri e Abbruttiti", changed in later versions to "Comitato per la Riabilitazione degli Elfi Proletari e Alienati"). "Crepa" is the third person singular simple present (or the second person singular imperative) of the verb "crepare", a gergal version of the verb "morire" (to die).
In Latvian, the foundation name is V.E.M.T. ("Vergojošo elfu maznodrošinātās tiesības"), which stands for "vomit" in English.
In Lithuanian, the foundation's name is E.G.G.D. ("Elfų Gerovės Gynimo Draugija").
In Romanian, the foundation's name is S.P.A.S. ("Societatea Pentru Apărarea Spiridușilor" - "Society For Protecting Elves").
In Slovenian, the foundation's name is B.R.U.H.V. ("Bratovščina razsvetljevalcev ubogih hišnih vilincev"). Bruh is the stem of the word "bruhati", which means "to vomit".
In Bulgarian, the foundation's name is S.M.R.A.D. ("Сдружение на магьосници за равноправие и авторитет на духчетата", which stands for "Association of wizards for equality and authority of house-elves"). The word "smrad" means "stink".
In Polish, the foundation's name is W.E.S.Z. ("Walka o Emancypację Skrzatów Zniewolonych"). "The struggle/battle for the Emancipation of Enslaved Elves". "Wesz" means "louse" in English.
In Danish, the foundation's name is F.A.R ("Foreningen for Alfers Rettigheder", - "The Society for Elves' Rights"). "Far" means "dad" in Danish.
In Hebrew, the foundation's name is אלרגי"ה ("אגודה למען רווחת גמדוני הבית"). "Association for the welfare of the house-elves." The word "אלרגיה" means "allergy".
In Russian, the foundation's name is ГАВНЭ (G.A.V.N.E.), "Civic Association for the Restoration of the Indepence of Elves", which resembles the word with the same meaning as the Dutch version.
In Serbian, the foundation's name is У.Б.Љ.У.В. ( "Удружење Бораца за Људска Права Угрожених Вилењака" - "Association of Fighters for a Human Rights of Vulnerable Elves"), "Uбљув" (similar to "Zbljuv") could be translated (as the shortened version of "избљувак") as "vomit".
In Thailand, the foundation's name is ส.ร.ร.ส.อ.
In Ukrainian, the foundation's name is ССЕЧА ("Спілка Сприяння Ельфам-Чорноробам Англії") which sounds like "сеча" that means "urine".
Don't they make a joke about the fact that SPEW means vomit? I guess with a joke title it's easier to translate their confusion over the name as well as the name itself.
Eazyyy · 2 points · Posted at 08:57:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A few of them mean spit, there's 2 vomit, 2 shit, a few farts, urine and snot.
In Czech, the foundation's name is S.P.O.Ž.Ú.S. ("Společnost pro Podporu Občanské a Životní Úrovně Skřítků" or "Movement for Better Social and Life Rights of Elves"). Word Spožús don't have any meaning in this language, it just sounds funny.
Indeed. As a native French speaker, might just be because I was a kid but the only thing that struck me in his name was "mort" (because it means death), never bothered too much about the theft/flight part until I saw people talking about it online.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:56:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, that is exactly what he was trying to accomplish
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:40:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It actually has even more meanings than that, like a machine used in theatre to lower people down onto the stage, or the word "swarm", or "flock", or the act of falconry being used for hunting. Although, these all seem to borrow from its use as the word "flight". Source
She appologized because (french) people might be offended that the evil character's name is in french. How in the hell does that relate to french canadian?
Ibrey · 20 points · Posted at 02:39:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think it's a name, it sounds french for sure because it's formed by french words but I had never heard "Voldemort" as a whole before the HP serie.
The word "lord" is in our dictionary as it is. Using a suitable title which has roots in our own language would make it sound like Voldemort was an Ottoman noble.
The best part is that in French his middle name is Elvis
Ghi102 · 3 points · Posted at 11:34:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When reading the books in their french translation, I liked the name Elvis as a middle name. It makes Voldemort almost more human, a regular ass middle name.
In chinese his name translates to "number one lucky snake man"
xavis · 197 points · Posted at 02:18:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thsi suddenly makes me want a backstroke of the west type dub for the harry potter movies. that nice dramatic reveal in the chamber will suddenly becomes hilarious instead.
[deleted] · 202 points · Posted at 02:38:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm the Indonesian seems wrong.
The name is: TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
But the anagram is: AKULAH LORD VOLDEMORT
At first I thought it was cool that it was the same as English but then realized there are missing letters like H. But overall this is amazing!
nefrmt · 16 points · Posted at 04:32:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I shall tell you that it doesn't even give a fuck about making an anagram, because it's literally impossible.
WazWaz · 15 points · Posted at 03:31:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why? Can't they always just smoosh whatever letters remain into a stupid-sounding middle name, just as JK did with "Marvolo"? Only the first and last need to sound reasonable.
To your edit: Yeah, it's a well-known object. Called "De Vises Sten" in my language (The Stone of the Wise), so that's what the first HP book is called.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 12:45:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It has nothing to do with philosophy and everything to do with how obscure a reference the Philosopher's Stone is to a country as large and culturally diverse as the United States. I can understand Scholastic's decision. "Philosopher" doesn't sound as magical as "Sorcerer" but the reference to an obscure branch of ancient European science is lost. And I guess in a pre-Google, pre-Wikipedia age it's a cost-effective loss. It's just a MacGuffin. They didn't realize how BIG Harry Potter would be and how could they?
But nowadays, there's no real excuse I can think of that stops future editions of Book I to be titled The Philosopher's Stone.
I remember reading about Harry and Ron putting on jumpers as an American and being like "what the... MOMMM??? why are Harry and Ron wearing dresses?" Apparently in the later versions they translated it.
I love it. Very smart idea. Especially with some spells and jinxed that (I think?) reference latin.
[deleted] · 17 points · Posted at 04:02:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
One day, Tom Marvolo Riddle was writing out his full name, like he always did, when he rearranged the letters and, crossing them out one by one, realized they spelled out 'I am Lord Voldemort'.
Huh, he thought. I like that. That could come in handy some day.
Vox did a good video on this. Not only did the anagram need to be translated, but there was also other play on words (i.e Diagon Alley) that had to be translated too.
Yeah so many words and names were translated. I read the first 5 books in Dutch because I was a kid, but when the 6th came out my English had gotten good enough to read HP so I read it in English 3 months before the Dutch version was released. I constantly had to figure out what places or who people were based on context because the names were different.
Diagon alley for example was De Wegisweg; weg means both road and gone.
rigers · 20 points · Posted at 02:27:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Albanian they translated 'Lord Voldemort' to 'Lord Fluronvdekja' which translates to 'Lord Death-flow'. They messed it up in the first book and couldn't really do anything about it in the 2nd book. They simply pretended that Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram of 'Unë jam Fluronvdekja' (I am Voldemort); but we knew...
In the book I have it is just I AM LORD VOLDEMORT, no translation no footnote. But I guess english is so prevalent in Poland that if kid is old enough to read this book it is old enough to understand basic english. And there are also a few words from the translator at the end of the book explaining some choices, which were very interesting to me as a kid.
There are a few points where the Polish translator has made some strange choices.
I couldn't really work out why they thought Zgredek was an appropriate name translation for Dobby - the appendix at the end had some weird explanation about old women that made no sense to me.
I always hated that little twist. So cheesy and clumsy.
cydril · 178 points · Posted at 02:08:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, Tom Riddle made up the anagram when he was a teenager so I guess you would expect it to be a little stupid? Imagine if you had to be named after your first email address forever.
I mostly still use my hotmail account from way back then.
I soon learned I need another one with a more 'professional' address, that I pretty much only use for emergency "Can I have an email address to contact you?" kind of question.
No doubt Rowling couldn't figure out a name she liked without those extra vowels, much in the same way she couldn't give quiddich rules that made sense.
Catching the snitch awards 150 points and ends the game.
Effectively unless one team has a 15 goal lead, the entire rest of the game is pointless. No other position matters, except arguably the beaters protecting the seeker.
It was written so Harry could be the big hero and endlessly provide big comebacks for his team, which for a child reading it is fine and exciting but it's still stupid.
It's annoying because the game can easily work if catching the snitch just ends the game but awards no points, making it more of a strategic action and giving the rest of the game meaning.
kuilin · 259 points · Posted at 02:16:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So let me get this straight," Harry said as it seemed that Ron's explanation (with associated hand gestures) was winding down. "Catching the Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points? "
"Yeah -"
"How many ten-point goals does one side usually score not counting the Snitch?"
"Um, maybe fifteen or twenty in professional games -"
"That's just wrong. That violates every possible rule of game design. Look, the rest of this game sounds like it might make sense, sort of, for a sport I mean, but you're basically saying that catching the Snitch overwhelms almost any ordinary point spread. The two Seekers are up there flying around looking for the Snitch and usually not interacting with anyone else, spotting the Snitch first is going to be mostly luck -"
"It's not luck!" protested Ron. "You've got to keep your eyes moving in the right pattern -"
"That's not interactive, there's no back-and-forth with the other player and how much fun is it to watch someone incredibly good at moving their eyes? And then whichever Seeker gets lucky swoops in and grabs the Snitch and makes everyone else's work moot. It's like someone took a real game and grafted on this pointless extra position so that you could be the Most Important Player without needing to really get involved or learn the rest of it. Who was the first Seeker, the King's idiot son who wanted to play Quidditch but couldn't understand the rules?" Actually, now that Harry thought about it, that seemed like a surprisingly good hypothesis. Put him on a broomstick and tell him to catch the shiny thing...
Ron's face pulled into a scowl. "If you don't like Quidditch, you don't have to make fun of it!"
"If you can't criticise, you can't optimise. I'm suggesting how to improve the game. And it's very simple. Get rid of the Snitch."
"They won't change the game just 'cause you say so!"
"I am the Boy-Who-Lived, you know. People will listen to me. And maybe if I can persuade them to change the game at Hogwarts, the innovation will spread."
A look of absolute horror was spreading over Ron's face. "But, but if you get rid of the Snitch, how will anyone know when the game ends?"
"Buy... a... clock. It would be a lot fairer than having the game sometimes end after ten minutes and sometimes not end for hours, and the schedule would be a lot more predictable for the spectators, too." Harry sighed. "Oh, stop giving me that look of absolute horror, I probably won't actually take the time to destroy this pathetic excuse for a national sport and remake it stronger and smarter in my own image. I've got way, way, way more important stuff to worry about."
From my absolute favorite HP fanfic, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.
Iorith · 47 points · Posted at 02:58:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love it, but the book is really preachy at times, and isn't for everyone. If he had a version without the soapbox, it would be my favorite thing ever. The early chapters are solid gold however.
Yamist · 15 points · Posted at 03:13:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's how I felt as well. Didn't take to me, I was there for Harry Potter, not logic!
Iorith · 14 points · Posted at 04:19:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hell, just summarize the explanations, don't make me read a thesis every other chapter. Some of it is cool, but I just want to get back to the army battles and poking apart plotholes.
Yeah, overall I liked it, but it's got some of the worst aspects of rational fictions. Smart-alec MC and a disdain for emotions and feelings. The latter being pretty bad to me since these are the primary levers used to influence groups of people* by politicians and nobles.
In general I feel the kind of rationality espoused in HPMOR is the cult of rationality rather acting in a pragmatic/logical way.
* That is, obtain power. Large groups of people supporting you are the only ways you can realistically gain power/influence in most settings. Exceptions being settings where individuals can get enough power to wipe out armies by themselves.
Iorith · 2 points · Posted at 12:54:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which sucks, because they open up so much potential for awesome stories and are amazing deconstructions of the source material. Not to mention he had a great sense of humor early on that slowly gives way to long winded explanations on why everyone else is stupid.
Yeah, I really wish I could have more stories that use the scientific method (which I would consider the basis of rationalism*) in fantasy settings. But sadly those stories are very rare.
The best one I know of is "A Hero's War", but it doesn't update very frequently.
Though maybe, "pure" rational fics aren't for me. I like pragmatism and the scientific method too much rather than extremely logical characters who shunt aside emotion.
* Without the scientific method, that is experimentation to derive the state of the world, you're just creating a different kind of lie about reality.
Though that could be a complaint about rational fiction in general as well, one of the traps "rational characters" can fall into is assuming current science is complete and correct when science is both incremental and subject to human failures and biases. For instance, I've heard a lot of grumbling about the misuse of statistics in real-world science, which might lead to mistaken conclusions.
This probably means that to be really rational, you have to be open and willing to concede that you can be wrong, rather than arrogantly asserting you know the way the world works.
Preachy? I read the series because everyone around me did, I didn't give the serious much thought after I read it and kinda forgot most of the stuff by now.
I started reading thinking you quoted a rebuttal in the books and was like damn, you told him, but then I didn't remember reading any of that, and then I got to the end.
I.. I'm afraid to ask, but does this really exist?
Aemony · 16 points · Posted at 03:05:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.
One of the most famous fanfiction of the Harry Potter franchise. It's long (~650k words) and mostly dwelves into a study of magic, its rules and applications. I don't think I ever finished it myself (due to various minor issues it have) but some chapters and "mini-stories" are great, such as the ones where Harry gets a hold on a Time-Turner and does various time-based experiments.
Nulono · 5 points · Posted at 05:47:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly, just buying a clock would probably be good enough, if game times were kept low (30 min or so). As long as the seeker doesn't always get the Snitch (say maybe only 1/3 of the games), he's not that broken.
Alternatively, you could have a point total endgame (i.e. first to 300). That way the Chasers aren't completely irrelevant.
It works for the first book because the first book is written for younger kids but as the series matures and begins taking itself more seriously, the sport's broken rules become more glaring (along with some of the other world building elements introduced in the first few books). If the series had stayed as whimsical as that first book was no one would really care, they'd just accept it as another odd part of an odd world for kids to read about, like Willy Wonka's factory.
The first one also has a lot of wish fulfillment in it. Famous, born into money, star of the sports team without even needing to practice, has all the best stuff, breaks the rules but gets rewarded for it, gets special treatment, Harry is a prepubescent school boy's fantasy in the first book. So when the team sport turns out to have a mechanic that allows him to almost effortlessly win the whole thing for his team, that fits in well with the pattern of that wish fulfillment. But then the books become more about Harry's struggles and the world no longer being awesome for him. The wish fullfilment ends, but the rules of the game remain.
I'm guessing she tried giving a counter example at the World Cup, having Ireland win but Viktor Krum catch the snitch but yeah, even then it was the final game of the World Cup and it was unexpected. Definitely wouldn't happen at school-level, so bad rule indeed.
Yeah if I remember correctly at the World Cup there was a while where one team was trying to avoid catching the snitch because they were more than 150 behind. It was super contrived.
I suppose you'd be actively trying to fuck with the opposing seeker too by say, diving like you had spotted the snitch to try and lead them in the wrong direction.
But the other seeker could just ignore you - if you had actually seen the snitch, and you were diving after it to catch it, then the other seeker's team would win - he has no reason to interfere with you.
In the book, what was happening was the Bulgarian Seeker was by far the better player, so when he dove, the Irish Seeker followed assuming Krum (the Bulgarian) was right, and then Krum would nearly crash into the ground and the less skilled Irish guy would face plant, essentially even further removing him from the game. Eventually it became clear that the Irish scorers were too good and Bulgaria would never manage a comeback so Krum caught the snitch so they could win with dignity or whatever. Still stupid.
Oh shit yeah you right my bad. That'll show me to try to pretentiously but still nonchalantly show off my Harry Potter knowledge (and Harry Potter disdain) at 11 PM after a few drinks.
Cheers mate!
(Also I've read them probably upwards of like eight times oh god what's happened to us)
Wouldn't you stop the other seeker from catching it too, making it still a goal to fight over? The 150 point lead sucks but they did say games could last days and shit.
Wubdor · 17 points · Posted at 02:13:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually, I believe in one of the books Harry wasn't allowed to catch the snitch until his team had scored a certain amount of goals so they'd win the league on goal difference or something like that. I may be remembering it wrong. I'm trying to find it.
Edit: Ah yes, here, in Harry's 3rd year, from the HP wiki, 93/94 school year: On the first Saturday after the Easter holidays Gryffindor played Slytherin. Gryffindor had trained every day in preparation for the game. Slytherin were leading the Championship by exactly 200 points, meaning Gryffindor needed to win the match by 210 points to claim the Quidditch Cup.
[deleted] · 26 points · Posted at 02:13:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As an Irish man its my favourite piece of Harry Potter lore because we actually won a fucking world cup in something
Dr_XP · -1 points · Posted at 02:55:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
won a fucking world cup
I'm sorry, but I think China or India own that one.
Pomnom · 3 points · Posted at 02:22:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What else could he have done? Their chasers was at least 15 times outdone by the other team. And this guy has been playing with his team since forever, he knows how good his team is even if if he doesn't know how good the other team is (and you bet they are pretty damn good at the very least - they made their way to the world cup)
The sooner he catches the snitch, the less bad his whole team looks. If he catches it fast enough, he may even win the game for them.
But it does happen at the school level. In the 5th book, Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor, (1995 - 1996 school year http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Inter-House_Quidditch_Cup ) Hufflepuff wins with 240 points despite Gryffindor catching the Snitch and ending with 230 points.
squigs · 2 points · Posted at 08:40:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That didn't really make sense either. The two top teams in the world - even if it's a fairly small contest - would be a lot closer than that.
Brazil vs Germany 2014 world cup comes to mind, but its still pretty contrived
squigs · 3 points · Posted at 13:05:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
True. Although if that happened in fiction, nobody would have believed it either.
rab7 · 8 points · Posted at 02:21:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The year long school season is based on cumulative points. In the 3rd match of the 3rd book, Harry had to wait for Gryffindor to build a 5 goal lead before he could start pursuit
azthal · 24 points · Posted at 02:28:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It does make sense if you look at it from a league point of view instead of a cup.
We only really see Quidditch in two places in the books, the World Cup Final and a very small league in Hogwarts.
From the way we see it in Hogwarts, we already know that it doesn't matter how many games you win - it's about how many points you get over the season.
If we assume that the normal league works the same as the Hogwarts league then win/loss ratio doesn't matter, and you only go by the amount of points at the end of season (+/-) it actually creates an interesting dynamic.
If you have strong outfielders that score many goals, you want to avoid catching the snitch too soon. You want the game to last longer in order to have time to score more goals. On the other hand, if the other team is stronger, your main focus it on getting the snitch as fast as possible.
This would also explain other oddities such as professional games lasting for days when a Hogwarts game seem to be over in very short times. The leading team is actively sabotaging for the trailing team, and not actually trying to catch the snitch.
I don't know if this is how Rowlings planned it (I'm fairly convinced that she just don't really care about sports and didn't think it through), but it works.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 11:10:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Another thing it kind of makes sense is that Quidditch is an old game. However, we see that broom "technology" is something that gets better and better over time.
It makes sense that games used to last a lot longer, with much higher scores before the Snitch was caught.
No dude, in the quidditch world cup the snitch didn't decide the game so clearly it does make sense. /s
But yeah, I can forgive a ton of stuff in those books because hey, it's magic young adult books, all things said they're pretty fucking impressive for what they are. That kind of world building hasn't happened in children's books with such popularity since Narnia. But quidditch just never sat OK with me.
Yeah she's great at world building, just not fantastic at logic or thinking ahead.
Iorith · 8 points · Posted at 03:02:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I actually think it was brilliant. It shows just how backwards wizards are, they rarely have to figure things out like muggles, they just wave a stick. They never think logically because they never need to.
HP is fantastic with a really cynical tint. I don't know how much is just me looking too hard into it, however.
Thanks!! I will absolutely check it out. Have you heard of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text? They explore ideas like this each week, I love it!
Wasn't there actually a case at the world cup or something where one team was down 150+ points and the Seeker on the losing team just caught it to end the game?
Well I think it makes sense if you think more about how a leauge works, first theres win lose, but they have tire breakers like point differential. So if you were a lot more than 150 down you'd catch it to end the game and stop them from racking up points
But the snitch is still contestable because you have to play keep away with the other team seeker to give your team time to catch up. They did say games could last days. Seems pretty eccentric like everything else in the wizarding world.
The game is not pointless because you still need those points to win the cup, if two teams won the same amount of games the team with more points wins.
If I were a quidditch captain I'd have two goal tenders to post up on the rings, two beaters, two seekers, and a wild card player to play the field as they saw fit. In theory, it would half the points scored against, and double or triple the odds of catching the snitch.
If the game were played competitively it probably have to evolve overtime as certain strategies proved to be overwhelming dominant...like how basketball ball has changed by widening the key, and adding the shot clock, and the three point line.
Not to mention, the snitch must be caught to end the game. That means if your team is losing by more than 15, your seeker has no incentive to end the game with a lose. To add to that, how would you feel to be the seeker on the leading team? "Finish the game, seeker! Ya twat! We did our job!" ...or something more British, I don't know.
Alternatively, the only other way for a game to end is by the captains agreement.
To fix this all they would have to do is make it so the snitch is worth 0 points and just ends the game. That gives the chasers meaning because their seeker can't catch the snitch until they get you the lead
Yep. That or a very minor amount of points, like say 20 or 30, so a seeker could swing a very tight game and didn't need to worry quite so much about the score changing right as they were about to catch the snitch.
Ekudar · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, makw it worth 7 or something fucking game is stupid and pointless
I know it probably isn't that well told, but isn't catching the snitch not happen a bunch? I imagine many games could go without it being caught, but that's just my thought on it.
dlgn13 · 9 points · Posted at 03:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's the only way for the game to end.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 03:13:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Right but not 15 extra points and also dictate when the game ends. The swing is way too big, and the power of ending the game combined with it is too much.
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 02:07:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
JK Rowling did it on purpose to annoy people. It's a magical world after all.
Catching the snitch automatically wins the game. Might as well have a team full of seekers then.
It would be like playing soccer (foot ball) and regardless of how many goals are scored the guy who spots "Where's Waldo" in the stadium wins the game.
Wouldn't that mean if there's a team with a badass seeker, you bolster your Bludgers and keeper? Also it ends the game but doesn't guarantee a win. You can just score a shitload of points and let the other team catch the snitch and still win.
But yeah I get why it was written so Harry is always the hero. Could've been written differently, like football on brooms. That'd be dope.
237FIF · 3 points · Posted at 02:29:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But why would you ever catch the snitch of your team is behind by enough?
Catching the Snitch doesn't win the game, it just ends the game and gives the team that caught it 150 points. This doesn't mean that they always win, and this was seen in the Quidditch World Cup (Book 4) where even though Krum caught the Snitch, Ireland still won the game.
So if there was an entire team of seekers, yes, it would be possible for that team to win, but they would have to find and catch the Snitch before the other team's Chasers score 16 goals. And since that Chaser could just keep making loops through the goal, those goals would be quick work.
PS: I'm not sure if that looping is legal play but I kind of remember Montague the Slytherin Captain doing that, although those points didn't count due to something else happening on the field that Madame Hooch was attending to, so those goals were invalidated.
If Waldo were moving around the page, if the page was a lot fucking bigger, if there was no time limit and the game ended when Waldo was found, and Waldo was only worth 15 goals, then it might be an accurate analogy.
I know you out are just trolling now, but for the sake that English isn't your first language. One human person dresses up in a red and white striped shirt and red hat sits in the stands in the stadium. Out of all the people and all the seats in the stadium finding one person dressed liked "where's Waldo" would be challenging especially from viewing at field level on the ground.
No it doesn't. They give examples in the books of teams catching the snitch to end the game but that didn't win.
This comes up every time.
Edit: because people think that losing teams don't give up in "real life":
In tennis and match play golf, players "retire" down significant margins all the time citing injury but really to end the game.
In baseball, a team down many runs will send in a utility player to pitch as opposed to using a relief pitcher.
Basketball and football teams routinely pull their starters down big margins.
Football teams will run the ball late in the game down a seemingly insurmountable lead instead of attempting to score quickly.
double edit
Y'all motherfuckers have never played monopoly and only owned all the shitty properties and are just getting creamed and said fuck it and gave up? Sure you could sit there playing all night trying to win but it's not worth it.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 03:02:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In real life, no one would catch the snitch if they were behind by more than 150 points
Iorith · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Especially with no ending. They'd just hope the other team passed out first.
Of course they would. If a team was getting absolutely slaughtered and the game had gone on long enough (which is the exact situation described in one of the books), they would chose defeat over playing forever.
In tennis and match play golf, players "retire" down significant margins all the time citing injury but really to end the game. In baseball, a team down many runs will send in a utility player to pitch as opposed to using a relief pitcher. Basketball and football teams routinely pull their starters down big margins. There are literally countless examples in sports where a losing team waves the white flag and chooses defeat over injury and further embarrassment.
Football and basketball have set end times. With only a minute left, it makes sense to pull.your starters cause it may be impossible to win. Quidditch has no set end time. It could last for days. It makes no sense to take a guaranteed loss now when you might potentially be in the lead tomorrow.
Ok let's say football had no set end time. They're in Day 3 of a marathon game, and Team B is losing to Team A by 100 touchdowns. Team B's starting and backup QB along with the starting RB have been knocked out due to injury, Team B's defense has been unable to stop Team A all day, everyone on Team B is completely exhausted, and now it started to torrentially downpour rain. Do you really truly believe that the head coach of Team B, if given the option of pressing a button to end the game, would not press it? Of course he would. Get your players healthy and play another day.
The golden snitch is only worth 150 points, not 150 million points. If a team is down a ridiculous amount and the players are exhausted it makes complete sense to mercifully end the game.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:09:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Just because in Rowling's universe some teams.did that, doesn't mean it actually makes any sense for them to do so, nor does it mean teams would do that if quidditch existed in the real world.
I'm currently reading the series, and this confuses me so much.
blex64 · 15 points · Posted at 02:17:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rowling knows it doesn't make sense. She just wanted a sport where she could make Harry a ridiculous hero. The obvious fix is to just remove the Seeker and Snitch and have Harry be a Keeper or something...but idk.
It would have been way better to have the snitch simply end the game, thereby giving the seekers some sort of competition for ending the game when THEIR team was in the lead. Would introduce all sorts of blocking and interesting mechanics in the meta.
Yup, and since it is a tourney with accumulative points, could play with it - "Oh noes, our beaters out sick, and the first year subs suck, finish the game fast before the Slytherins accumulate 500 points kicking our asses up and down the field" ect. And also just make normal matches far more confrontational - half the time the job of a seeker would be to be a blocker - to fly interference against the other seeker. Heck, for extra fun - No scoreboards that the players can see, so you got to keep tally. While seeking and blocking.
[deleted] · 59 points · Posted at 01:57:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Frankly the Seeker thing or whatever Harry is. That entire aspect of the game is fucking retarded. You mean one team can score like fourteen times while the other licks their cunts, and one dude finds a golden pingpong ball and the cunt lickers win?
Yeah, but only if the Seeker manages to find and catch something the size of a golf ball flying around in the giant ass stadium before their team is behind by 15 goals, at which point they are almost entirely useless.
That's not true! If you get a big enough lead you basically get an entire highway of golden boost to ride along essentially guaranteeing you catch the snitch.
Nah, because if everyone looks for the snitch then the other team will just drain point after point. Somehow in one of the books Harry is injured and when his team tries to help him the other team scores like 50 points immediately (no time outs, no resetting of the ball?).
Or figure out a better ending that didn't involve an in depth and overlong description of horcruxes and their properties, followed by the same lengthy discussions of the hallows
squigs · 1 points · Posted at 09:03:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mr. Dodo Revolt? It would at least explain why he went evil!
Honestly I think the Lord should have been left out also. I think it would have been best if the anagram just unscrambled to Voldemort and then he decided to call himself lord Voldemort later. Either way, the books are entertaining and I don't mean to be too critical.
I don't like that it included the "I am" in it. It seemed super contrived and like the writer struggled to find something to do with these extra letters, while trying to come up with something after the fact.
Interesting. I kind of liked it, I read it as him declaring his new title from his given name, like it's a statement. I AM Lord Voldemort, not Tom Riddle. I dunno, I guess I never thought about it too much from the writing standpoint she probably was stuck with those extra letters
He also put the name lord in there, but that's believable for an edgy pre teen, if XBox Live has taught me anything. So many xX_Lord_Dark_Skull_Xx squeakers.
Yeah, I wasn't too fond of how forced it was, but I really do believe that by adding the story of the Gaunt family in book 6 and expanding on the origins of the name, she added a lot more credibility and believability to the name.
znk · 8 points · Posted at 02:23:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But totally something an arrogant SOB would do. Tauntingly hiding in plain sight.
Really glad other people share this thought. Everyone i know in person say im being too critical but Harry Potter is suppoaed to be one of the greatest stories in recent years! Adding that lame ass "twist" really brings it down a notch
The twist is lame from the reader's perspective, but it makes FAR less sense from Voldemort's perspective. Not only did he create his evil identity as an anagram of his given name (silly), but he did it with the letters left over after removing "I am Lord." That's fucking batshit.
Not yet, but they're building an extended universe now, so it's always a possibility! His brother shares the last name though, so it would be quite unexpected. (His first name is Albus)
Sorry, deleted that part of my comment after thinking more about it.
Of cour$e they're building an extended univer$e. Harry Potter gives me a real sense that it's all a cash grab anyway. Which is fine, but it is what it is.
Chosen a name that worked a lot better with "voldemort" or skipped the clumsy explanation either way. The reveal is that Tom Riddle grew up to be Voldemort. Great. That is the twist, not the weird ridiculous cringe-worthy anagram.
How about this - instead of doing the super stupid letter reversal thing, requiring the name to be translated into 68 languages while still being an anagram for "I am Lord Voldemort", why not just have Tom wave his wand in front of his face, and have it slowly transform into Voldemort's face? It's not cringe worthy, it takes no translation, and it communicates the exact same reveal.
What I really hated (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is that his middle name isn't even mentioned or used at all until he writes it out in the air as a part of the reveal. If the point (and fun) of an anagram is to hide something in plain sight the reader needs to see all the letters involved well before the reveal otherwise there is no investment into the 'ah ha' moment.
Had his middle name been revealed earlier the anagram would have been too obvious (because what kind of a name is Marvolo? It was clearly just the letters she was left with) but that's why it was a bad bit of story telling to begin with.
Edit: Not to compare him to Rowling, but a good example of how to use an anagram as a plot twist is in Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' with "so dark the con of man."
That one is a little different because it didn't work in all languages - he was already called Hodor in every language, but it was years before anyone found out why. So some translations pulled off a decent explanation for how they got to "Hodor," but some languages had to pretty much give up because there was no way to make it work.
In Hebrew it's particularly hilarious - the sentence for "hold the door" has absolutely none of the right syllables, so they just gradually compressed the sentence down and then abruptly switched to "Hodor."
[deleted] · 30 points · Posted at 02:06:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They should have just acted like his name was Hodel and call him that for the rest of the series.
At that point, I feel as if they should have kept the original English and included a translation note. Either way isn't good, but hopefully "Hold the door" and "Hodor" sound close enough that the switch makes sense.
True, but what I meant is they had the advantage of getting "Tom Marvolo Riddle" and "I Am Lord Voldemort" in the same book, so they could plan ahead by making Tom's name different. If we found out about Tom Riddle in Book 2, but didn't find out about the anagram until Book 5 or 6, it would've been the same problem as with Hodor.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:25:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Long story short, there is a seemingly mentally-challenged character who has been there since the beginning of the series, and who only says the word "Hodor." He is revealed, late in the series, to have become this way due to a kind of seizure in which he could only repeat the phrase "hold the door" until the words slurred together. There's more to it than that, but that's the essence of it.
Reminds me of the end of book six, which has the locket with the note from "R.A.B." In book seven we find out that this is Regulus Black, but a lot of fans put that together beforehand because the initials were changed in other versions to match how the name was localized when it was mentioned previously.
It didn't help that "rab" means "prisoner" in Hungarian. The theories on Hungarian forums about how it somehow related to a prisoner is Azkaban were endless...
Wouldn't Tom Riddle in say, Japanese, be "Tom Riddle" and same with Voldemort? Names dont change in different languages and it's not like when we're watching a movie about China or something we change all of the Changs to Chads. I'm not gonna call a little English boy Kunta Kinte because of where the viewer lives.
Vagar · 7 points · Posted at 06:01:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's because in the books there is a scene where the name is rearranged in writing. As such, this has to work with the sentence construction of "I am ..." in the language the book is in.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 08:01:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But Japanese can just use: "アイアムロードヴォルデモート(Ai amu roodo vorudemooto)"
Again, it's based in England. Wouldn't it be weird to watch a white kid writing his name in Chinese or whatever? Pretty sure english is known around the world well enough for people to be able to understand "I am".
It'd be like watching a movie based in South America and everyone spoke fluent English.
Vagar · 1 points · Posted at 06:15:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I get what you mean, the name should ideally still sound English but also work as anagram.
But if you keep the name the same, the anagram is the same. Its just that the characters background is English so we assume he'd speak, write, and be named in his native language. So like they dub his lines to be in spanish or whatever language but when quoting something actually written, like out of a little English emo's diary, it'd be in the characters' native language since they wrote it.
Kind of like speech is just something you hear and translate into thoughts, but something written, like a book, physically exists in one language. Like you could see it written right on there and he would've written it in English unless if Voldemort is secretly a communist or something looking to conquer land for mother Russia.
Honestly, now that I'm thinking of it what was Voldemorts goal? I get immortality, but he got that and then started the dark Lord thing. Did he just want power and to rule everything? And yeah I know he needed to chase Harry for the prophecy but if he wasn't such a dick they wouldn't of had to fight to the death.
Royaq · 4 points · Posted at 06:43:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not everyone speaks English anyone who didn't speak English would miss out on the neat anagram trick he pulled. So they translated it so everyone could have that experience of realizing how clever his name is.
Not really clever. She made the name Voldemort in book one and then used that to make the kids name in book two and had it as a twist at the end. If you're gonna try to become a dark Lord you can choose whatever name you want, you wouldn't realistically limit yourself to things that can be spelled by rearranging the letters of your birth name.
It seems amazing because it's something that could only happen in fiction where the writter can go and make backstory after the fact and be have fans be like oh, so he's such an asshole because of x, it explains why he doesn't like this, always does this, says this, etc. Not because it's clever and all fits in but because the writer already knows the present, so they could say anything happened in the past at any moment and act like it's something that's been hidden from you the whole time. Basically they write history and the characters' past/backstory as they go so they can make anything seem like it was planned all along because it's all make believe anyway.
Royaq · 1 points · Posted at 00:38:17 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
She had every character that is mentioned in the books with a full backstory family tree and other stuff before she ever finished the first book. She created the world, and then wrote her story based around the people she had invented, and the way they would react based on their history. Even some characters we don't see have large backstories if she thought they might come up at some point. We don't see everyones backstories ,but she has mentioned on pottermore and other sources that she had everything about the characters created during the creation of the first book. She created a world not just a book the same way Tolkien did.
I never read the books but from what I hear they are more in-depth than the movies so maybe I have a skewed opinion of her work.
Not that I don't like Harry Potter. I loved one through 3, but then it just got a bit too much about random girls that you never even knew existed until 5 minutes ago. Like I wanna watch magic being performed in a vibrant fantasy world, not watch the wizarding world of twilight.
Royaq · 1 points · Posted at 05:40:53 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's more depth to Harry Potter than just magic. That's the kind of thinking that causes movies that are just constant explosions. Teens being romantically involved doesn't automatically mean it's Twilight absolutely none of their romances actually work out, and their dissolution resolves itself in a believe-able manner rather than just going "oh we're fated to be together just have to have a few mishaps along the way." It shows that often ignored part of life. The pain involved in a real, non-magically pre-ordained, relationship. It humanizes the characters in ways just shooting magic off in a fantasy world ever could. Hell the main female doesn't even end up with the main male which happens far too often in movies ,and books.
These books were aimed at children, and when this reveal was written, the series was still relatively unknown. It's easier to translate the twist so all children understand it (there's no reason little kids will be able to necessarily say anything in a foreign language). When "Voldemort" became so big it was just part of pop culture, they may have wished they'd left it, but it was too late.
rooood · 5 points · Posted at 02:12:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some of them don't even try, wtf:
Malay:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE => SAYALAH LORD VOLDEMORT
Lithuanian:
TOMAS MALVORAS RIDLIS => AŠ ESU LORDAS VOLDEMORTAS
This last one almost work, but is still off. I get that the languages where they use a different alphabet this won't work, but come on these two
Even Mad Magazine did it. Tom Marcurko Riddler = I Am Lord Druckermort (a nod to Mort Drucker, Mad's resident caricaturist and the reason they have so many movie and TV parodies).
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 06:47:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Slovenian: Mark Neelstin - Mrlakenstein.
I like the sound of it. Ominous af.
I like to think that Tom Riddle wanted an anagram for "I am Lord..." and then had to make some shit up with remaining letters, and randomly ended up with "Voldemort" because it sounded OK.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 11:03:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle is also an anagram for Mr. Tom a dildo lover or Mild doormat lover. :')
They did it by changing his name to something totally different, at least with the language I read it in. I had no idea his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle until I saw the fourth movie.
They kind of had to change it to something completely different. There's so many different spellings of "I am lord Voldemort" that trying to base all on his English name every time would be impossible.
I mentioned this in another comment, but if Rowling had constructed his name to be a Latin anagram, translators might have avoided a bit of mess translating into other languages; then it could be explained in-character, like a dialogue.
But it takes place in an english-speaking country so why not just explain the translation?
[deleted] · 116 points · Posted at 23:10:31 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Translator here. The practice of explaining instead of rolling with the text is highly frowned upon, at least in French, as it deprives the reader of the immersive experience.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:43:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Indeed. It depends on the culture (in Chinese, most translations love using footnotes, but that's also because of how far removed the languages and cultures are. If there were more English translations of Chinese books, I'm sure similar things would happen,) but it really gets annoying when you get to a page and the footnotes occupy more space than the actual content does.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not to mention some publishers simply give their translators the instruction not to use footnotes.
Well.. I mean names are still the same no matter what language you speak so things relating to one's name would make sense to keep in the language of the name no?
Was Voldemort not an English dude if you read the book in France?
How many French people know English well enough to understand "I am Lord Voldemort"? If it's anything less than all of them, then that fails as a translation.
But it wouldn't be a translation is my point. Since the anagram is based off of the character.. who is an English school kid, it seems like more of a plot-hole for that english kid to be trying to come up with an anagram for "Je suis Seigneur Voldemort" than it does for a french reader to not understand the sentence "I am Lord Voldemort"
Do you not know how translations work? Who cares about the country it's supposed to be set in, people just want to enjoy the plot. By this logic, everyone should see the movie in English because they somehow "take away" from the story when English kids are speaking another language.
If this bothers you, then shouldn't it bother you that they are even speaking French in the first place? It seems that you would be against the idea of translations as a concept.
I would assume the use of another language in this context would be relevant to the story. Like Oh he said something in French that's important that the reader knows but other people in scene dont understand it.
But if I'm reading Les Misérables in English it's totally unnecessary to put "Blah blah blach" Jean Valjean said in French after every sentence
I just finished reading 'The Invisible Library', by Genevieve Cogman. The character flits through alternate worlds as part of her job quite frequently, and as such has to know dozens of languages to keep up. Instead of actually putting the new language it would just note when she switched as part of the general scene descriptions.
That doesn't mean changing the story to make rhymes or language nuances fit though. If a poem rhymes in french and was properly translated I wouldn't expect it to rhyme in English.. that would require a different poem which wouldn't be a translation but an entirely different poem.
They're not changing the story. The Name "Tom Marvolo" is only relevant, important and drives the story because it is an anagram of "I am Lord Voldemort" changing the name to something that fits "Je suis Seigneur Voldemort" doesn't change the story it keeps it the same.
It's story altering if the character randomly starts speaking a foreign language.
It doesn't drive the story at all, it's simply a reveal that explains the origins of the name "Lord Voldemort".. it isn't the reason behind any of Lord Voldemort or Harry's actions though, which would be the driving force of the story.
[deleted] · 13 points · Posted at 01:51:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You have two choices. Either break the pace and flow by explaining what 'I am' means to French speakers, or change the name to make it fit the French anagram. They went with the latter. Both options are fairly inconsequential.
That's a totally irrelevant point of my comment and your rebuttal to it does nothing to advance this thread, your arguing semantics not content. Remove the term "drives the story" and my comments point remains unchanged
Translating it allows a foreign audience to experience the story in the most similar way to the original.
I think you're forgetting the reader demographic.. I know I sure wouldn't have understood why an English sentence appear in a dramatic point of the book I was reading at like 10-11 years old in my native language. And kids from counties much less exposed to English as I was would have been really confused and missed the point entirely.
A foot note would have killed the immersion of a scene as important at that one is.
Funnily enough, Shakespeare did write an entire scene where the characters speak in untranslated (and somewhat mangled) French in Henry V. For the express purpose of sneaking in a "fuck" and a "cunt" pun.
So when Shakespeare is written in French all the words are changed so it can still rhyme? The characters all have different names?
Shakespeare rhymes in English because it was written in English originally.
edit: Also.. that's not the same thing at all. If Harry Potter was written in French originally and rhymed in french despite being about English characters that would be the scenario you described. Except that hypothetical book, when translated into English (the scenario we are talking about, translating a book out of it's original language), wouldn't still rhyme..
But the point of the name is that it's an anagram. The only way to preserve that in French is to change the name. Words get changed, the meaning is what's important.
Only if the reader speaks English or there's a footnote. It's less clunky to just change the name, I think.
jvwy · 4 points · Posted at 02:36:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They're trying to avoid having to use stuff like footnotes. This isn't rocket science.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:54:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes, he was. All of them are as English as scones. But then if you kept his real name (Tom Marvolo Riddle), you'd be in great difficulty when coming up with an anagram. In French, his name is Tom Elvis Jesudor, which gives "Je suis Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"). If you have real names (or fictional names that could potentially be real names) that had no influence whatsoever on the story, then of course you'd keep them. In Harry Potter, you have the added difficulty of wordplays on top of the rest, like with Hogwarts or Longbottom, and Jean-François Ménard made the choice of translating as many of them as possible for comical effect, while keeping an English ring to his translations.
Well.. I mean names are still the same no matter what language you speak so things relating to one's name would make sense to keep in the language of the name no?
Was Voldemort not an English dude if you read the book in France?
Today, translators don't change the settings of a children's story.
However, before the 1980s, translators frequently changed the names and the localisations of the stories they had to translates: for exemple, Nancy Drew became Alice Roy.
Sprout, Heather => I guess the literal Arabic version would be something very different. Rose, maybe.
Honor => Victoria, the best recognized alternative Slavic languages are able to provide.
Some concepts are untranslable; the resulting product, while providing some immersion, is probably far from both author and reader's POV. Literary adaptation is not translation.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:46:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Funny you should mention that, as it is an entirely different question. The "concepts [that] are untranslatable" you mention can be transferred, while not "translated" per se. With them, translators are bound to use adaptation strategies at a micro level (such as indeed the footnote, but also transcription, translitteration, explicitation, explanation, functional equivalent, etc.) while still being perfectly able to produce a translation (full text, tone and message, level of language, etc.).
That being said, what defines a translation and an adaptation is very much a matter of norm within the receiving language. Otherwise you'll end up conluding that all translation of literary texts is impossible (or exclusively limited to languages that pertain to the exact same culture, but I have yet to find a pair that would meet that criterion), and yet, we translate.
It is a fascinating topic. I have dedicated the past six years to a PhD in translation studies on culture-bound items as markers of permeation of a foreign culture in literary translation. I was working on two neighbouring languages with a long history of cultural exchanges, and I am still surprised at the variety of strategies used by the translators I have examined. If you are interested in the topic at all, may I recommend you to have a look at Vlahov & Florin (1969/1986/1993), Jan Pedersen (2011), Ritva Leppihalme (2007), and Barbara Cassin (2004)?
Edit: Wow! Gold! Thanks a lot!
pLesur · -4 points · Posted at 02:19:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
More like French people can't handle something that's not in French. Unless it's at the end of an ad. Man do we love those English slogan, which are then badly translated in a footnote.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:56:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I could throw stuff at the idiot box when I see those ads.
Identifies with people more, im sure, if it's In their own language. More effective, like answer to a riddle they didn't see in front of them the whole time. Caring about details like this makes it special for the audience.
Because it was a book aimed for children I guess, and not all of them could speak english. I didn't know english back then.
I didn't know english back then when I read the book and young me found that play with words to be pretty fucking neat. If it was just a footnote explaining it, the impact certainly wouldn't be the same.
...joking aside, that's like a cardinal sin of translating fiction. You're supposed to give the reader the exact same experience as a reader in the original language. The anagram being "solvable" for the reader earlier on is a huge part of the experience; being randomly told at the end that "btw, in English this guy's name meant something if you messed with the order of the letters, but you couldn't because you don't speak English" is a giant cop-out.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 08:04:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Becaue you're reading a book that happens to be translated, not some kind of documentation of what Rowling wrote. I don't think it being set in the UK was very important to the story.
to be fair, marvolo isn't a real name. rowling conveniently made up something with a v in it so it could translate to voldemort. doesn't seem like it would be that difficult to do in other languages.
In Danish his name is "Romeo Gåde Detlev Jr." Which is an anagram for "Jeg er Voldemort" which, you guessed it, translates to "I am Voldemort". Some of the translators did a really good job
szyy · 3 points · Posted at 11:42:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Poland, every Harry Potter book had "translator notes" at the end. I used to love to read them. HP had a lot of unique names created by JK Rowling or rooted in Anglo-Saxon legends and tales that didn't have Polish translations. So the translator (Andrzej Polkowski) would write the original name and its meaning (and that was some seriously deep explanation, he would decompose each word and explain its old-English origin and stuff) and then explain why he chose to translate it the way he did. For example, the Moaning Myrtle was translated to "Jęcząca Marta" (Moaning Martha) because myrtle is masculine in Polish so he had to find a similar feminine name instead. He has also translated given names only, leaving surnames intact (with a few exceptions, for example Cornelius Fudge is called Korneliusz Knot in Polish translation).
With Tom Marvolo Riddle he decided to keep the name because action takes place in the UK so in his opinion there was no point in translating it because it would feel artificial. And everyone knows what "I am" mean so there was no problem with the readers.
Unfortunately, this high-quality translation had one little fault - Polish translations took very long, usually at least 1-1.5 years after English version was published.
j_itor · 1 points · Posted at 12:20:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
1-1,5 years is pretty standard for a translation, isn't it?
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 12:27:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 14:29:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
swng · 2 points · Posted at 01:56:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The anagram wasn't revealed until the second book, so they would've had to stick with whatever they used for "Voldemort" in the first book, and come up with something, right?
Still doable (obviously, since it was done 68 times), but it'd be easier if translators had the freedom to modify both sides. The "Voldemort" side seems more flexible because it's not limited by language; as a name, it just has to be pronounceable and not sound too weird. Kudos to all the people who had to come up with different anagrams, they probably had more work to do than Rowling.
Russians did that. Renamed Voldemort into Volan-de-mort to fit the anagram in the second book, then went back to the first book and renamed him there as well in the second edition. O.o
I suppose most of the translations were started after the 2nd book was released. It seems to me that it was shortly before the release of the 3rd book that it really started going viral; that's when I first heard of it, anyway.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The first book was published in 1997 in Britain and 1998 in US. The second was released in 1998 in britain and 1999 in US. The second book was already about in Britain by the time the first book reached the top of the NY best sellers list in America. Probably doubtful that they were translated into many, if any languages before the release of the second book.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:14:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It kind of breaks down if you use 'Thomas' instead of 'Tom,' though. It throws in an extraneous 'has' in the mix which makes the sentence nonsensical no matter where you place it. That, or he'd have to rename himself something like 'Lord Delshomatrov.'
With subtitles it's so much easier to display the meaning by saying [in english this means _____]. Source: I have an undergrad inChinese language and literature.
rd1994 · 1 points · Posted at 06:55:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the german film itis actually unchanged on screen but a subtitle is put in place. In the books the name is changed entirely.
In german it is just tom riddle. in fact i hear about the second name mavolo for the first time... so i guess there is an example where it doesnt work...
This reminds me of how Hodor's name was translated into different languages in game of thrones while still being short for "Hold the door" in the respective languages.
TIL that voldemort is only bald because society views all bald men as evil and repulsive; Darth Vader, Bane, Dr. Evil, Lex Luther, Gollum, etc.
Thanks Hollywood, for creating the stereotype.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 14:30:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Vin Diesel is usually a good guy.
Iris_8 · 2 points · Posted at 12:29:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know if anyone's commented it yet, but in Greek the name was translater entirely differently as Άντον Μόρβολ Χέρτ (Anton Morvol Hurt) which was an anagram for an archaic form of lord Voldemort, meaning Ruler Voldemort (Αρχών Βόλντεμορτ)
s_rl14 · 2 points · Posted at 16:26:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo G. Detlev Jr. & Mark Neelstin had me laughing my ass off. All the times when Dumbledore addresses Voldy by his real name, "Romeo" would've just been too much.
Mark Neelstin on the other hand sounds like a quiet IT guy.
His middle Name is Elvis to be fair, marvolo isn't a real name. rowling conveniently made up just to do so, because the initials were changed in other languages.
Using foreign translations is a pretty good way to confirm some clues scattered throughout books.
Minor Kingkiller Chronicle spoilers below:
As an example, it's a pretty common fan theory that Natalia Lockless is Kvothe's mother. One bit of information supporting this theory is in a line sung by Kvothe's father:
"It's worth my life to make my wife not tally a lot less"
That alone doesn't mean much, it just hits the same beats as 'Natalia Lockless'. But along with the other clues, it's a pretty big hint. Is it intentional?
Well, let's check the Hebrew version:
"al menat shetyah ishty, nataltiyah lee lsevach veleklass"
The German version:
"Trotz ihrer Fehler ist es so, dass Ich nie im Leben In meinem Streben Zu lieben locker lass..."
The Italian version:
"per lei le mie pecche vorrei cancellar né tali aver sì mai più."
When the name is hinted at in one version, it might be a coincidence. When the wordplay is preserved across translations, you know there's intent behind it.
If she had just made his name to re-anagram into Latin, then she could've avoided the mess. No one speaks Latin, but it's fairly common knowledge across the globe (at least in the developed world) that Latin is a strong root in most European languages. Then she could just have in translated in-prose and dialogue between characters
It would kinda matter if you're a 8 year old Italian kid and the big reveal has the villain randomly changing his language to say a phrase you can't read.
Exactly this. It reminds me of old anime dubs where they're still set in Japan but all have western names like in Sailor Moon, Usagi's name was changed to Serena.
On the other hand if they kept the name the same it would be like the, thankfully few, anime dubs where they still use a butt-ton of Japanese words, ONEE-CHAN, Baka, you get the idea.
Personally I prefer everything translated just to keep me immersed in the show/movie/book/whatever else but to each his/her own.
Exactly this. It reminds me of old anime dubs where they're still set in Japan but all have western names like in Sailor Moon, Usagi's name was changed to Serena.
In the French version of Cardcaptor Sakura, the main character was renamed from Sakura Kinomoto to Sakura Gauthier.
Thing is in Harry Potter, lots of names carry meaning (like "Hogwarts" or "Slytherin"), so you either leave everything as is, and someone not familiar with English will lose a ton of the subtleties. Or more likely, you translate as best as you can.
Because of immersion. In the Dutch translations, all the names that didn't sound good in dutch were changed, and if there were puns or anything they were either translated or changed, in a lot of cases better than the original. I fucking love the dutch translation because of that.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:28:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the French version of the book, the wands are called baguettes.
I wouldn't even consider "I am Lord Voldemort" an anagram because Marvolo is a completely made up name i.e. Doesn't exist outside of Harry Potter, as a surname or otherwise.
I love Harry Potter but the contrived/forced nature of this anagram has always bothered me.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:42:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But it is his name in the books. It exists in that world.
See people are impressed when they hear stories of these mass translations, but I always feel like it's super cynical to put so much effort into changing your storytelling for the sake of maximum worldwide distribution
The Dutch translations of the names in Harry Potter are the reason I refuse to read books that are translated from English to Dutch. The names were so unbelievably stupid and childish, they took me out of the story. There is no reason to translate the names, people know enough English to understand what I am lord Voldemort means...
WazWaz · 8 points · Posted at 03:36:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle is stupid and childish in English (it sounds like a made-up clown name), so the translation is faithful.
The Dutch translation of Harry Potter was seriously well done. The 'childishness' is just the style of the HP universe, with its Longbottoms and Slughorns
It seems like it would be a lot easier if he just introduced himself as "I am Tom Marvolo Riddle, which by the way is an anagram for 'I Am Lord Voldemort' which in English, because this whole story is set in England, by the way, means 'however you say 'I Am Lord Voldemort in your language'."
tl:dr Why not just explain that it works in his and every other character in the books' native language?
Because then it'll be required to explain why the people incapable of reading the prose (or, watching the movie) in the origin language do exist.
Translations are adaptations for the alternatively wise people. And translating a book where half of the names is bound to a dictionary (professor Sprout) is a choice between making a poor adaptation, spending few points on Literacy and replacing all names/lore, or keeping the original names along with some hints for not-so-dumbass readers.
P.S. More examples: Robin Hobb has quite a speaking names for ALL of the characters. Translation kills the intended sound of the names, they just feel different. David Weber has Honor, and that makes a hell for every Slavic translation because we have no native name of that meaning, well guess what happened to first printed edition, they've swapped Honor to Victoria and kept it past the 7th book.
I'm still puzzled why he has a french name in english (Voldemort -> Vol de mort == Deathwing).
In World of Warcraft Deathwing is Deathwing which is the correct literal translation of its french name: Voldemort.
I mean, anagram beside, why was this particular name chosen?
Ghraim · 4 points · Posted at 03:39:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Vol de mort" can also be translated as "flight from death" which is probably what Rowling was going for, since attmepting to escape death is a crucial part of Voldemort's character.
There's a second level of word of word play that isn't getting credit in the footnotes or here. Voldemort isn't just the leftover letters sounding okay as a name. It translates literally to "flying death" or "death flight" (I like to interpret it as overcoming death).
Establishing Voldemorts real name is very important for the last books. It could have been done in book 6, but book 2 would have to change quite a bit then.
Hahahaha! OR when you put them together it sounds like they're separated at birth twins who know nothing about each other's existence until ROMEO G DETLEV is revealed as TOM ELVIS's evil twin who is secretly the father of TOM ELVIS's wife's baby that she is pregnant with on this week's episode of the latest spanish telenovela!
In the Portuguese version, the name is kept in the original English, with the translation in parentesis. We are very conservative with translations and subtitles unlike the rest of most European countries who dub pretty much everything.
What do they do to the name of Professor Wolfboy Wolflike to preserve the plot twist, in languages where you don't need to know mythology or Latin, but just need to know your language's word for "wolf"?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:45:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How is no one commenting on the fact that there are Esperanto and Latin translations of Harry Potter? Who reads those!?
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 03:43:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It wouldn't surprise me terribly if teen and preteen fiction were often translated into Latin specifically so that junior high Latin classes could buy and teach from material that would appeal to their students.
It could be. But French comes from latin, and considering all of the spells are latin. I would go for Latin but who knows.
rd1994 · 2 points · Posted at 07:11:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rowling herself said that the name was french. She apparently envisioned his name to be pronounced as french, but since nobody was informed of it on time..so we have what wehave.
Question: Do all this different last name's in these languages mean "Riddle"?
The character you knew was of importance or some key player to SOMETHING because his last name was "Riddle", just wonder if that connotation was the same in the other languages
Not true for Romanian. He was mentioned as Tom Riddle, and instead of Lord Voldermort in the first couple of books, he was "Lord Cap-De-Mort" that translates into "Lord Head-Of-Dead"
They cheaped out with Catalan. TOD MORVOSC RODLEL: Morvosc isn't exactly a familiar word in our language. However, "Rodlel" translates to "Roller" in our language, so while it's not a last name, it's definitely at least a word.
Also: Voldemort (technically vol del mort) in Catalan means "flight of the dead."
rd1994 · 2 points · Posted at 06:53:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For the last bit, its the same in french and thats the reason he has that name.
If I remember correctly, then in Czech it was Tom Rojvol Raddle, resulting in "Ja Lord Voldemort". Which, with a bit o imagination, can easily be "Já, Lord Voldemort" meaning, of course, "I, Lord Voldemort". And with a bit of context, the "[I] am" is simply there, between the lines.
Yep. In the French version, they made his middle and last name so that the letters could form
TOM ELVIS JEDUSOR
JE SUIS LORD VOLDEMORT
"Jedusor," btw, is apparently a homophone for the French phrase "jeu-de-sort" ("game-of-fate"), which describes someone forced to undergo trials due to the harsh circumstances of destiny—that is, Riddle/Jedusor, Jr.'s 'half-blood' status within the eugenicist Gaunt family.
So is the Chinese version. It made no sense from the table in the link.
frixxo · 1 points · Posted at 06:41:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In swedish it's Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder. It's an anagram for The latin ego sum voldemort, which means i am lord voldemort.
But Dolder accually means something along The lines of The hider. Which makes litte sense.
But noone ever watches the swedish version, we just watch movies in english with subtitles.
His name stays as Tom Marvolo Riddle in Korea.
When the riddle was discovered in the movie, there was an explanation about the names' spelling in the subtitle.
Whosever job that was needs a raise cause they prolly don't get paid enough. FUCK THAT
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:54:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TFW you're the only country that went with Mrlakenstein instead of Voldemort
teo314 · 1 points · Posted at 07:55:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Love that the anagrams is something of the line of "i am lord voldemort", except in norwegian. There he is voldemort the great. Hipp hipp hurra for dette landet.
Unknown to most however, Lord Voldemort's legacy and blood would live on through his daughter Delphini, whom he conceived with his loyal follower Bellatrix Lestrange.
Well, how about that
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 08:20:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why would a characters name have to be translated?
Sahqon · 2 points · Posted at 08:28:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because children that don't speak English would just raise their brows at the big revelation of "I am Lord Voldemort" and it probably didn't switch to anything acceptable in their language.
Eh, I have a Spanish translation that only put a parenthesis behind the sentence.
This is in latin America. When I first interacted to the fandom i was really confused because Spanish people called Voldemort "Sorvolo" (Tom Sorvolo Ryddle - > yo soy lord Voldemort)
Sahqon · 1 points · Posted at 10:44:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the same (?) vein, we got the Hobbit translated to Hungarian with all names translated (well, changed to sound more Hungarian-peasant), then later the Lord of the Rings, with nontranslated names. They had to release the Hobbit's nontranslated version later.
But in this case it's only Tom Riddle's name that had to change, and only because of the riddle.
Wow, that must have been pretty tough to do to keep up the standard that was the middle "name" Marvolo following a three letter first name. How do they do it?
In Romanian it's Tomas Dorlent Cruplud to make Lordul Cap-de-Mort which literally translates to 'The Lord Death Head' (I think, my Romanian isn't great).
In Greek, they changed the name to "Anton Morvol Hert" (Άντον Μόρβολ Χέρτ) to create the anagram Άρχων Βόλντεμορτ (Archon Voldemort). "Archon" is basically a fancy way of saying "Lord" in Greek.
ITT people who don't care that there are other languages than English. Don't you understand that literature, even translated, is a part of the culture? If you leave it like it is, there will be nothing unique about the text. Which is why I'm grateful for Czech translation of HP. It is not without its mistakes, but still very imaginative and creative. Unlike the Slovak one...
Either whoever wrote this wiki forgot to write the equivalent of Tom Riddle for Malay, or whoever translated it into Malay just totally gave up
Edit: Also for Indonesia
Curious about the large number of names not listed. In Japan, all the characters have the same names as the English version, but are rendered into phonetic Japanese (meaning you couldn't rearrange the Japanese to get the same anagram). I wonder if the book just spells it out in English and gives the translation.
How did they do it in non-phonetic, or non-alphabetic languages like Japanese and Chinese? Or did they just not? That would be so interesting to find out!
Not sure if its true in Norwegian.
His name is Tom Dredolo Venster.
ofc you can spell "lord voldemort" with those letters, but there are more left and in norwegian he is called fyrst (lord) voldemort.
nvm.. It's "Voldemort den store" aka voldemort the great
I've said it once and I'll say it again (even though this thread is already way too old and no one will see it):
The Dutch translation is incredibly good. I prefer English as a language myself, but the Dutch Harry Potter books are so good that I almost prefer them over the original English version.
The translator managed to incorporate every meaning of every word, name or anagram perfectly well, while also sounding logically Dutch. He even added some better words I think!
It's an anagram. You can rearrange the letters for the answer.
The title is saying that other languages of Harry Potted had to have the localized name of Lord Voldemort also unscramble to the phrase 'I am Tom Marvolo Riddle' but in that language as well.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 11:32:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol this is so weird, just seen this post whilst watching chamber of secrets on tv the exact moment he writes his name .
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 11:52:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am Spartacus.
Maedas · 1 points · Posted at 11:55:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always found the Swedish version very pretentious for going with latin (Ego sum lord Voldermort) but reading this I'm kind of happy with the solution we got! (he was named Tom Dolder in Swedish).
Why didn't they just leave the translation as English (I am Lord Voldemort) and then put in a sentence afterwards in the native tongue? The reader knew he was English
Wait a minute. Wasn't Hogwarts always set in England? So wouldn't it make much more sense in the universe of the book to keep the characters home language as English?
Ya but his name had to be an anagram for I am Lord Voldemort, changing the name keeps the immersion and makes it better for any readers who wouldn't know what I am means.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 05:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
First of all it´s a book for children. And as a child I didn´t think a single time about the fact that this plays in Britain because the whole story could really play anywhere. They get to Hogwarts from Kings Cross, but as a non-english child Kings Cross could be a made up place as well. You don´t think of the people in the books as british, they are just people. So it would be way more immersion-breaking to suddenly have a translators note explaining the english sentence and the wordplay, instead of just changing a middle name that is a completely made up fantasy name and also has no significance in the story except for this wordplay anyway.
Not that impressive. The name changes in each language to make the anagram work. In Slovenian the name is "MARK NEELSTIN", hardly a translation of Tom Morvolo Riddle...
I think the dedication to preserving the anagram is more impressive than the actual work done. And if you don't find any of it impressive, then presumably it is at least interesting.
I think the dedication to preserving the anagram is more impressive than the actual work done. And if you don't find any of it impressive, then presumably it is at least interesting.
It's not impressive nor interesting
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:46:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ofc. It's a classic question for a translator of what to sacrifice:
do you choose to just put a footnote and lose the joke, in return for using the recognisable name? OR:
Do you sacrifice the recognisable name in order to give your readers a more immersive experience.
It is a talent though. As other people have mentioned, the translation of Voldemort's last name into "Jedusor" sounds similar to "jeu de sort," which is nice because that means "game of fate" and is yet another layer to the story. So some of these translations are quite impressive.
An anagram is when you rearrange the letters and spell a different functional name/sentence. "I am lord Voldemort"="Tom Marvolo riddle" they wanted the word play to work in different languages hence the change.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle" can be rearranged to spell "I Am Lord Voldemort" and it's a big dramatic revealing plot point in the second book/movie. If those things can no longer be rearranged to form the same words, that big reveal is lost. Therefore, in each language, the translations for Tom Riddle/Voldemort's name have to be strategically chosen from the get-go in order to lead up to that moment and yet still sounding even remotely similar to both Lord Voldemort and also Tom Marvolo Riddle, often leading to hilarious things (in the French translation, that terrifying big-bad-villain's middle name is ELVIS...)
In English, "Tom Marvolo Riddle" can be rearranged to "I am Lord Voldemort". Tom Marvolo Riddle was Voldemort's name before he became a big bad guy. In other languages, they wanted his name to still be able to be rearranged to say "I am Lord Voldemort" in those languages, so his name had to be changed slightly.
For example, this could be "Me llamo Don Voldemort," "Yo soy Voldemort," "Mi nom re Es Voldemort" or one of several other ways in Spanish. So they changed the name "Tom Marvolo Riddle" in the translations to something using those combinations of letters instead of the English phrase.
I'm sorry what am I missing? Does the setting change in the translated versions so that it doesn't take place in England? Like in the Vietnamese version Hogwarts is in Vietnam? What can't they just explain that it's an English name and the letters rearrange to an English sentence?
Am I being an idiot? They don't translate the names of Dostoevsky characters. They didn't make Don Quixote into Donny Quickoat. I don't get why this was an issue.
Do you though? Aren't there clues in Latin or something in the Dan Brown books? If in another universe a really popular series originated in the Spanish language and a key plot point involved an anagram of "Yo soy Lord Whatever" and I read that verbatim but in an otherwise English translated version I wouldn't think anything of it.
Damn. Now that's amazing. That's a lot of effort. I have respect for the people who translated it yet still were able to make it form "I am Lord Voldemort" in multiple languages. That must've taken time. Dedication.
IIRC Lord Voldemort is "Vorudemo-to kyou" in Japanese, if they had already translated the first book at this stage they would be stuck with it.
Also he probably wouldn't say "desu". I believe in the official translation it's "ore wa ~ da" but the other option would be something grandiose and literary like "ware wa Vorudemo-to Kyou nari"...
なぼきょれ (<- If you wanna make the "vo" into a "bo". I'm not sure how the original translation does it)
btw I'm using the grandiose and literary one because he's a pretty grandiose character, and also it's easier to create an anagram. It probably looks crazy to someone who speaks Japanese, however, but I have no idea. How does it look?
Honestly it's pretty gibberish, but a lot of terms in Harry Potter become katakana gibberish in the Japanese translation. One thing that does get kinda lost in translation is the difference between the things meant to sound silly like "Hogwarts", "muggles" "flubberworms" etc and the things meant to sound serious like "Crucio*" "Voldemort", etc. As English speakers, the ones with Greek and Latin roots generally sound more fancy, but it's all equally foreign to Japanese readers.
Okay I'm just totally screwing around now, and I want to point out that I ABSOLUTELY endorse the original translator's decision to leave it in English and NOT attempt a Japanese anagram, for reasons that will soon become clear.
ハウレト ヴォデナリ キョワモール
Howlet Vodenari Kyowamore
...that is TERRIBLE, but I'm going to use it to point out a few things about what makes a name sound cool-foreign to the Japanese. First, ending with "to" or "ru" gives the impression that the original name ended with a "t" or "r" (common in foreign names). "Vo" is good because it definitely doesn't exist in native Japanese. However, "wa" and "kyo" are found in Japanese far more than English, in fact we don't even pronounce "kyo" right (how many people pronounce Tokyo "To-ki-yo"?)
Therefore it is my opinion that there is no cool sounding "foreign" name that could be made with these characters, and the original translator's solution was the best possible.
*Though luckily "Crucio" does sound a lot like "kurushii" (agonizing) and "kurushimeru" (to suffer), so at least that one gives a suitably ominous impression
[deleted] · -2 points · Posted at 00:40:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I just realized that Dumbledores entire "we should call him by his name and not you-know-who" is extra silly since voldemort isn't his name. Now it just seems like calling him voldemort at all is trying to placate him. Dumbledore should've gone around calling him Tom. A name that doesn't strike fear into the hearts of anyone.
Wait so how is he Voldemort if he was once a student from the past? Wasn't he in siltherin? Wasn't he a follower? Or was he actually him? As in the spirit? I was so confused when I found that out and I still am
So Tom was Voldemort the entire time? What about the fact that the first 4 founding wizards were the ones that established the houses and the first siltherin guy was voldemort?
And tom was the only one to open up the chamber of secrets right? I'm a bit iffy on his past since I'm rewatching the first 2 and watching from the 3rd onwards for the first time.
All credit goes to my wife for explaining it all into my ear while we watched the movies. She was big on the books. First time I saw her get "nerd rage" was when she saw how Hermione looked. "Not like the books!" She yelled.
Lmfao I heard that i should have read the books before I watched the movies. I saw some BTS on the collection I have and I know what she's on about. Anyways cheers to her too
rigers · 1 points · Posted at 04:04:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Long shot here... but does anyone know what it is in Albanian? I've Goggled my guts out and just can't seem to find it. I have a friend that did an LDS mission there and read the first book to practice the language, but he never found a copy of the second so we couldn't find out what they did with Voldy's name.
rigers · 1 points · Posted at 04:01:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
People are OK with changing names and literaly editing the stories from other languages due to one simple reason: innate suspension of disbelief about their death.
Thinking about own death is never easy, but it's easy to ignore the fact that the world goes on and we're like snowflakes.
Now, holding a book written in foreign language, which is expected to be based on different upbringing, on different cultural and behavioural patterns - is a huge step towards recognizing the existence of other .. presences? points of view?, and the eventual limits of the own existence. (Also, it will trigger many other cultural reactions, including all the political BS). People, even when not acting lazy, do want to stay safe and happy, no hard feelings or thoughs.
I don't understand the point of these kinds of translations, in any medium. The setting is still England and Scotland in these foreign versions, no? So keep English names (and in this case, the one anagram) with footnotes. I understand changing everything else, but Voldemort should be Voldemort in every version. Same with other languages translated to English. Learning some foreign names isn't going to kill anyone.
I think it's because they're for children (and don't forget, when book 2, which reveals this, was written, the series was still relatively unknown). It's a lot more confusing for children to make them suddenly randomly learn English, so they adjust the name
For the same reason that Pokemon names are translated to english. For example, the original name in japanese for the Pokemon you call Bulbasaur is Fushigidane.
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 05:30:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or tell the other languages to fucking deal with it.
Why bother translating it at all? If it was his name, surely that'd suffice. I was rather irked to see Gaston Lagaffe books translated into English changed his name to "Goof".
rd1994 · 2 points · Posted at 06:47:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because his name is meant to be an anagram. ANd if the anagram makes no sense in the original language..well yeah.
If a name is changed so it fits the plot according to the language, then are English expressions changed also? I don't imagine a direct translation for "blimey".
i know that most people who were ever going to read the books should have read them by now, but i'd still say that's a pretty big spoiler you dropped there
i feel lucky then-- i finally got around to reading the harry potters around dec. last year, never had anything spoilt. it's a good feeling experiencing the story from the author's story instead of elsewhere
edit: harry potter came out the year i graduated high school and blew up a couple years later, right around the time i was way too cool to be reading YA novels. so yea, didn't read them until i was 37 lol
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 01:22:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, yeah, but you have to admit that when a fabulously popular book/movie is approaching two decades old, it stops being reasonable to expect people to be careful about discussing it.
Give him the same name in every book, and say "in english (you know, the language of the country he's from), his name is a riddle that means 'yo soy voldemort'" or whatever.
Well, if it's "something of equal meaning", that doesn't really make it challenging any more. if you just said they HAD to keep the same letters, or something, that would be interesting.
[deleted] · -4 points · Posted at 02:32:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Strange, I only see one R in toms name... must be magic
EDIT: Oh wow! There is definitely another R there. Sleep deprivation is to blame, I repent dear redditors. (Crowd murmurs for a moment only to be pierce by "BURN HIM!" And the torches are lit).
That was like the big twist of the second book/movie (I only watched the movies). The book Harry has been carrying around and trying to figure everything out with was possed by Voldemort and Harry was actually reading about little Voldemort's experiences at Hogwarts the whole time throughout the same movie.
JK Rowling might not be the cleverest, especially since she reskinned that same plot point for a big twist towards the end of the series but you cant disagree that she made a decent, practical coming of age story about a child learning he's a wizard and going to a crazy school in a castle to become the savior of the wizarding world blah, blah, blah. It's exciting and it sells, it doesn't need to be War and Peace.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:09:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Obviously I haven't read it, but don't act like your against violence and an activist for world peace if you have patriotism for a land of bullshit and governments that decide to fight each other. Bunch of people with nothing better to do than start a mess so other people will notice them.
But anyway, Harry Potter is a Young Adult, fictional, fantasy novel. Expecting it to be compelling, insightful, and meaningful is like going to Mickey D's and being pissed you didn't get a 5 star meal. It's entertainment for kids, man. And it did that plenty well. Sometimes being the best or most complicated doesn't get you anywhere if the whole point was supposed to be to entertain people and let them pretend there's a world full of magic and adventure.
You only get so much of that wonder before you grow into a jaded adult who can't find a reason to give a shit about anything.
Saved comment
commentninja · 4526 points · Posted at 23:26:23 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Faroese "TOM EVILDO REGER" With a name like that you'd expect something evil to be done.
Crisp_Volunteer · 1441 points · Posted at 00:39:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Reminds me of the movie Nell and her own language.
RalphIsACat · 217 points · Posted at 02:04:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tay in da win?
public_masticator · 118 points · Posted at 02:06:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tay in da win.
echo_copy · 18 points · Posted at 06:22:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Chicapae.mae chichapae
YoodleDudle · 13 points · Posted at 10:29:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shaka, when the walls fell
maddkid53 · 11 points · Posted at 03:42:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sa da tay
thief425 · 9 points · Posted at 08:02:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wada ta.
LeeMurrman · 3 points · Posted at 14:55:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ma damies.
e-s-p · 4 points · Posted at 12:17:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I came into this thread to say this. Then say you were 8 hours ahead. Well played
SetoGW · 17 points · Posted at 02:18:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
En Taro Adun
DetectiveSnowglobe · 7 points · Posted at 02:50:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WHAT BATTLE CALLS?
2drawnonward5 · 4 points · Posted at 03:55:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ARGDEIN ME
e-s-p · 3 points · Posted at 12:16:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sa da tay!
niceguybadboy · 5 points · Posted at 04:31:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Meet me outside how bow da
jotsti · 5 points · Posted at 06:18:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
cache me outsigh
GuliblGuy · 5 points · Posted at 03:03:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Masa chickapee
Super-Monkey · 3 points · Posted at 02:07:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nay ta ta
TheRuralBuddah · 7 points · Posted at 02:20:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sa Da Tay.
DialsMavis · 4 points · Posted at 03:35:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My main damey
GeebusNZ · 3 points · Posted at 05:49:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wada tah
thief425 · 3 points · Posted at 08:03:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Comie down onda panni sigh?
GeebusNZ · 3 points · Posted at 08:36:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cole me down on the panny sty.
Deradius · 1 points · Posted at 11:53:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Before he was Qui-Gonn Jinn or Bryan Mills, he was Jay Gaienja.
flipswitch · 6 points · Posted at 05:12:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Strange, I swear just an hour or so ago, I randomly thought about that movie and was struggling to think of the name. Haven't watched it in like 15 years...
jotsti · 0 points · Posted at 06:19:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://www.change.org/p/save-net-neutrality?recruiter=228923596&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=770845
zato_ichi · 5 points · Posted at 03:44:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've not seen that since around when it came out. I should rewatch that, Jodie Foster was terrific.
mnk4048 · 7 points · Posted at 04:06:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
evil dildo
Xyfi89 · 1 points · Posted at 11:32:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My immature brain refused to read it as anything else.
TemporalMush · 1 points · Posted at 07:14:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Evaduh
Dingus_McDoodle_Esq · 1 points · Posted at 10:41:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's his name in Pootie tang speak?
CherylCarolCherlene · 1 points · Posted at 00:17:49 on July 13, 2017 · (Permalink)
Skew in a belly
Torgard · 44 points · Posted at 01:11:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Eg eri Voldemort? Vánaligt!
Skipper1337 · 1 points · Posted at 14:39:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tak tađ róligt mađur
Centennialstate · 23 points · Posted at 02:07:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hello Faroese person. I don't see many of you in the wild. Aren't you just magnificent. Have an upvote!
Earthpegasus · 11 points · Posted at 02:28:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How can you tell he's Faroese? I assumed he noted that one because it literally used the word 'evil' in his name in that language.
GravelyInjuredWizard · 10 points · Posted at 02:33:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How can you tell he's a he?
kattmedtass · 16 points · Posted at 02:43:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
grabbing popcorn
[deleted] · -6 points · Posted at 03:09:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:22:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
dvntwnsnd · 3 points · Posted at 04:18:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Aren't they Finns singing in Swedish?
sanchopancho13 · 3 points · Posted at 05:12:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't think evil be like it is, but evildo.
litl_bear · 5 points · Posted at 06:18:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
EVILDO still seemed preferable to DEVILO
theidleidol · 3 points · Posted at 04:46:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He could have been Tom Reg Evildoer. What a shame.
eycoli · 3 points · Posted at 05:32:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Middle name is EVILDO
"hey guys, I'm totally the good guy"
The-Real-Mario · 3 points · Posted at 08:00:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I see reddit is still obsessed with the Faroe islands
SleepyMage · 2 points · Posted at 02:51:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That evil do that I do do.
Treborius · 2 points · Posted at 11:07:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Dutch his middle name is Vilijn, meaning evil/mean (akin to villain). The word is not commonly used, so most kids won't catch the meaning.
llama_ · 1 points · Posted at 03:26:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
At first I thought cause of Reger which sounds like Rager, which is I guess kind of like danger. And danger isn't good so, yeah, I guess it's not a stretch to call it evil.
Then I saw EVILDO
Megmca · 1 points · Posted at 04:43:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Baron Raymondo (EVIL!)
readthelight · 1 points · Posted at 09:31:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Eg eri" isn't exactly the hardest
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 12:21:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am kind of surprised, in a good way, that a language with as low of a population as Faroese even gets a translation.
From the looks of it, Basque is the next smallest and is like 10 times more people.
Jed118 · 1 points · Posted at 12:33:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In French it's Je Suis Voldemort (Tom Elvis Jedusor) and in Polish it's left as is, perhaps owing to that language's tendency to throw Z's at everything and practically omit vowels.
It was fun to read half the series in French and the other half in Polish. I didn't read a single one in English, so I'm assuming I'm missing out on Rowling's word play.
For Asian languages, at least in Korean, it's just sounded out (na nun ro-du-bo-du-mo-tu - That's as close as I can get it without using Hanja) - It's very likely impossible to make an anagram of it due to the fact that every Korean letter must end in a vowel sound.
Gemmabeta · 15607 points · Posted at 22:54:20 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except in Chinese...they just used a footnote explaining this thing English people have called anagrams.
w1n5t0nM1k3y · 6278 points · Posted at 23:33:01 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also Japanese and Vietnamese couldn't be properly translated.
Eaglestrike · 2281 points · Posted at 01:45:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's kinda neat considering how frequently names in Japan can have two wildly different meanings/readings.
ShaolinBao · 1608 points · Posted at 01:53:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's mainly because you can say different kanji (essentially Chinese characters) the same, but the actual characters themselves mean something different.
Like homophones.
BLooDCRoW · 2093 points · Posted at 01:56:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey man, don't discriminate phones like that, some of them are just manufactured that way.
SGoogs1780 · 1386 points · Posted at 02:02:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly homophones have probably caused more trouble in my life than homosexuals.
Harold-Bishop · 1519 points · Posted at 02:19:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Too much textual intercourse?
143211 · 71 points · Posted at 02:30:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thank you for sharing your great humor
Harold-Bishop · 21 points · Posted at 02:31:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The pleasure is all mine.
sekltios · 6 points · Posted at 03:32:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ps. You're my favourite neighbour. Always.
pinkafinga · 1 points · Posted at 04:54:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cloud 's in my coffee Your SO veins
Kody02 · 2 points · Posted at 04:46:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
May I have some?
143211 · 1 points · Posted at 02:33:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ew
Chii · 1 points · Posted at 04:40:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
that was a great double entendre!
Geta-Ve · 3 points · Posted at 07:39:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's how you get TTDs. (Textually transmitted diseases)
DontNeedReason · 11 points · Posted at 04:04:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Where are you, I want to give you a hug and introduce you to my cat.
tinycatsays · 2 points · Posted at 18:49:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey it's me OP
divine_Bovine · 8 points · Posted at 04:30:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When I was a teen (let's say 18) I had been sexting with this girl I was into, and in one text I referred to it as "textual intercourse". I thought I was being clever. She never responded to me after that.
Lat_R_Alice · 6 points · Posted at 05:33:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Eh, just see it as a handy filter. You don't wanna waste your time with someone who can't appreciate your sense of humor.
divine_Bovine · 2 points · Posted at 06:46:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yup, if the chemistry isn't there, then why bother prolonging the relationship?
pinkafinga · -10 points · Posted at 05:04:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A black man on a train once asked me out on a date. He then asked of I was a lesbian I was so offended because I found this to be an INSULT I'm heterosexual no less Thankyou and told him to piss Off...It was on my way to work about lunchtime I worked from 2 to 6. Needless to say I wasn't in a great frame of mind to serve customers at the florists
Lat_R_Alice · 5 points · Posted at 05:38:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I thought for a moment I might be missing some (probably shitty racist homophobic) pun here, but when I checked the post history.. it was confirmed to be every bit the nonsensical verbal diarrhea it appears.
paolog · 3 points · Posted at 07:41:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I read to the end to see what the guy's ethnicity had to do with it. Nothing. The only conclusion I can draw is that it's meant to leave us with the idea that this is how black men treat women.
Oh, and some indirect homophobia as well, just in time for Pride weekend. Care to explain what's so offensive about being asked if you're a lesbian?
pinkafinga · 0 points · Posted at 09:21:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
s none of your fucking business U dont ask a woman out to dinner and then when she says ok you ask if shes a fuck8ng lesbian conclusion he was an arsehole black white ore whatever rack of crap dont b A disrespectful prick in a packed train when people are sitting and listening TO everything its not encouraging to humans
042754673498 · 1 points · Posted at 10:53:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jesus fuck, calm down.
No-one would even be asking about this if YOU hadn't made a point of bringing it up!
And as far as being a lesbian goes, you know what they say - the ones who shout the loudest often have the most to hide...;)
pinkafinga · 1 points · Posted at 11:03:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Listen creepoid dont tell me what to do OR like you talk to your workmates or neighbours this aggressively and your likelihood of being sacked or HOME less IS a certain.
042754673498 · 1 points · Posted at 11:22:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Quit with the aggressive threats, fool.
Grow up.
pinkafinga · 1 points · Posted at 12:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't forget fools hide their true feelings in vile threats
pinkafinga · 1 points · Posted at 12:10:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
By the way do you watch the news or read the newspapers if so stop with the inanity am I understood or do you want a gold medal for being an annoying pest
042754673498 · 1 points · Posted at 12:11:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What, like
That sort of thing?
paolog · 1 points · Posted at 17:08:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're right, it's none of anyone's business. But you did say that you found it an insult because you're "heterosexual, no less". That suggests to me you think there's something wrong with being a lesbian, and that's the point of view I was challenging.
divine_Bovine · 1 points · Posted at 06:54:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So a random dude asked you out, you refused, and then he assumed that it was because you were a lesbian? Yeah, that sounds like a very shitty/insulting situation all around. Was there something about my comment that made you think of it?
pinkafinga · 0 points · Posted at 09:31:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Listen shithead dont be nasty I dont know you but your asking very personal questions my comments are mine Not a springboard for your privates process in how OTHERS live their lives Dont neglect to read my last comments and re read Carl Jung
divine_Bovine · 1 points · Posted at 10:02:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm convinced that you are a troll, but sure I'll check out Carl Jung
Edit: It seems like he was a pioneer in psychoanalysis, but much of his work is no longer considered credible by modern clinical psychologists. What about my comment made you think of him?
nedjeffery · 2 points · Posted at 10:19:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are far too reasonable a person to be participating in this conversation.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 15:29:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why mention that he is black though? It adds nothing to entire point of your little rant. Needless to say, you're probably a racist.
pinkafinga · 1 points · Posted at 01:00:22 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
A doctor was SO rude to me once before an operation whilst I was on the operating table because I'd smoked a cigarette minute beforehand. He apologized immediately but I think looking backwards that he was just like you are a little Prick with a needle
Iniwid · 2 points · Posted at 08:19:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, these are words that sound the same. Too much aural intercourse.
mrwhite_2 · 1 points · Posted at 05:31:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Deep textual intercourse.
Kerrigore · 1 points · Posted at 05:35:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, they're just interfacing.
Bombshell_Amelia · 1 points · Posted at 05:33:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're a wizard, Harold.
TehRealRedbeard · 678 points · Posted at 02:07:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
and most of the people who cause trouble for homosexuals don't know what a homophone is.
[deleted] · 163 points · Posted at 02:11:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
DeceasedRoden7 · 3 points · Posted at 04:14:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shakalaka?
Pecheni · 2 points · Posted at 03:15:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Roasted
ZephyrPro · 1 points · Posted at 03:18:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Note 7?
Pecheni · 1 points · Posted at 04:14:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Office
JohnnyFootballHero · 121 points · Posted at 02:18:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's this thing, right?
from_under_the_sink · 29 points · Posted at 02:24:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
sorry totally forgot to say you played a great game when i passed you in the hall
son-of-fire · 4 points · Posted at 02:46:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He's never last picked.
mark-five · 1 points · Posted at 03:00:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm a cheerleading chick.
OrCurrentResident · 0 points · Posted at 02:48:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I fucking hate Reddit now. I mean, it's not your fault. This is a cute jokey thread. I like it, I think it's funny.
But.
Can I please read one fucking thread where the top comments actually respond to the goddam post?
Please? Sometimes?
Joshy54100 · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did you reply to the wrong comment... ?
OrCurrentResident · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could be. I'm using the official mobile app and it an be a spot of abortion sometimes.
rnoyfb · 4 points · Posted at 02:26:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I want that phone.
IAMA_Plumber-AMA · 1 points · Posted at 02:48:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So does Big Clive.
stellarbeing · 1 points · Posted at 02:48:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why? So you can use it to coordinate your gay agenda?
rnoyfb · 2 points · Posted at 03:15:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm... I like one of the protest signs I saw better: GAY AGENDA: Monday: Be GAY Tuesday: Tacos Wednesday: Be GAY Thursday: Be GAY Friday: Be SUPER GAY!! Saturday: Be SUPER GAY!! Sunday: March for our rights
Male dogs will hump anything if they're not neutered; they're all pansexual, so count that one as done. Brunch is the best meal of the day. I wouldn't say everyone should have the same taste in music that I have so leave Beyoncé and Britney alone. I know it's the carbs in bread that make me like it and I hate myself for that lol. Well-trimmed eyebrows are fantastic and sandal/sock violators are fucking horrible people. A Golden Girls reboot is an amazing idea that I'm sure could only be fucked up.
stellarbeing · 1 points · Posted at 03:22:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As a straight man, I agree with everything you just said.
Except Britney. Always 2001 Britney. Always.
...but I love her now too.
LinerDestiny · 0 points · Posted at 02:34:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Blanket statements make your problems go away and people you disagree with seem inferior! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
IWantAnAffliction · 2 points · Posted at 08:39:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
famalamo · 1 points · Posted at 04:49:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'd say it's okay to think people who think other people are inferior are inferior.
Well, they're inferior in their ability to love others :)
Wait that's kind of a bummer. :(
LinerDestiny · 0 points · Posted at 19:35:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No but gays shouldnt get the tax benefits of married couples since they arent producing children which is the point of said benefits. Creating the next generation. Unless of course they adopt and become parents.
famalamo · 1 points · Posted at 21:01:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If the point of tax benefits for married couples is for children, then why are there separate benefits for claiming dependents?
CeaRhan · 1 points · Posted at 12:04:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Disagreeing with truth, what a wild concept your mind made up.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:23:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Relevant
ILikeLenexa · 0 points · Posted at 02:34:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Relevant
ryant9878 · 0 points · Posted at 04:04:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That some kind of gay phone? I don't like it
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 06:01:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is it a homo-person using a cellphone?
blueballsok · 0 points · Posted at 06:14:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No u
pinkafinga · -2 points · Posted at 03:37:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The curious thing, that's so annoying, about poofter bashing online is that a hundred years ago your life would have been finished, in jail or ostracized from ypur family and workmates.Now all you have to worry about is what you'll wear at your same-sex marriage to your handmaidens
spec_a · -1 points · Posted at 02:20:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What???? Not only homosexuals but homophones too??? Quick, we need to build a double wall with a moat!
ds3PVPking6969 · -1 points · Posted at 02:21:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wish I had gold for all three of you!
clycoman · 2 points · Posted at 03:02:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Someone lost their job over homophones
SGoogs1780 · 1 points · Posted at 03:46:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jeez, that belongs in /r/nottheonion
ILikeLenexa · 1 points · Posted at 02:33:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
there, their, they're.
David-Puddy · 1 points · Posted at 02:37:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
to be fair, most things have probably caused more trouble in your life than homsexuals, at least as group.
I mean, you may have met some total douchenozzle who happened to be gay, and he may have ruined your life
thedrew · 1 points · Posted at 02:57:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is such a homophonbic post.
watchursix · 1 points · Posted at 03:38:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This needs gold^
jerkITwithRIGHTYnewb · 1 points · Posted at 04:04:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unless your single and gay or a conservative that statement rings true for pretty much everybody.
DeaconBroom · 1 points · Posted at 02:08:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Just make sure you sanitize them properly.
mbthursday · 2 points · Posted at 03:02:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I understood that reference!
pinkafinga · 0 points · Posted at 03:13:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Homophobia is on the endangered list we used TO feel the same about second hand funiture which is so fashionable in retro boutiques for poofters and dykes.
Look_Ma_Im_On_Reddit · 0 points · Posted at 03:44:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
lmao no wonder why they banned in China
F4RM3RR · 8 points · Posted at 02:18:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The rate at which this escalated was quite fast
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:53:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That verbiage escalated quickly.
Fairydough · 1 points · Posted at 03:06:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That verbiage intensified expeditiously.
breakingtrans · 3 points · Posted at 02:12:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm pretty accepting, but phones with slots for two sim cards still kind a weird me out.
ThnikkamanBubs · 2 points · Posted at 02:43:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You saw it, you took it, but i still groaned
CynicalCouch · 5 points · Posted at 02:03:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Meta
JayLenoBlows · 1 points · Posted at 02:29:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Haha, you're gay for homophobia!
sillvrdollr · 1 points · Posted at 03:33:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So, are words like "read" and "lead" biphones?
watchursix · 1 points · Posted at 03:38:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This needs gold^
_cosal · 1 points · Posted at 04:28:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah I'd like to order one large chair with extra chairs on the side.
BLooDCRoW · 2 points · Posted at 04:47:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
High chair. No, no, no, no! Recliner! And wheelchair on half.
codenamefulcrum · 1 points · Posted at 19:16:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Those phones made a choice.
metrogdor22 · 0 points · Posted at 02:50:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can't believe people are still using "homophone" in 2017! People, come on. The proper term is "faggotphone".
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:40:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
you're gross
metrogdor22 · 1 points · Posted at 03:43:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Right back at you.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:46:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
damn, nice comeback
you should write for south park
metrogdor22 · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It wasn't a comeback. You think I'm gross, I think you're gross.
jessie_la_la · 0 points · Posted at 16:52:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Firstly, that's not how life works. Secondly, if you don't want to be thought of as gross come up with better 'jokes.' Thirdly, if you want to be thought of as anything more than a petulant teenager, defend your 'joke' with some pride and dignity because its obvious you don't stand behind it.
metrogdor22 · 1 points · Posted at 03:48:33 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
My joke touches on modern hot topics, I thought it was funny, and I'm proud that I was able to use one single word - that's not even a real word and was obviously used in a joking context - to upset so many people. Heck, if you look at the post history of the person who was originally offended, you'll see that they also used faggot in a joking sense in a post.
Look at the context. Someone was upset that I used the word faggot in a clear joke. Their response was to take time out of their day to inform me that I was gross. I was curious who they were and if I would find anything gross about them, so I investigated a little. As it turns out, they are in fact a gross person by my standards and by their own. I'm gross to them, they're gross to me, neither of our lives are affected by that. The world keeps turning and it's a fading memory by lunchtime for both of us.
Then you come along, strip a couple of posts of context, reduce them to what offends you and criticize them on that, and then tell me that I'm the immature one in all of this. Frankly, you strike me as the type of person who would proudly talk about your period while surrounded by other people, but would tell me I'm gross for talking in depth about the shit I took this morning. And that's a gross person.
IsilZha · 76 points · Posted at 02:00:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Example
The poem itself.
Daedalus871 · 168 points · Posted at 02:13:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I hate it when that happens.
Joe_Sapien · 2 points · Posted at 02:29:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm lost.
RightIsTheName · 17 points · Posted at 02:34:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
4 8 15 16 23 42
EnkoNeko · 2 points · Posted at 04:09:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't get it
PointyOintment · 1 points · Posted at 06:28:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(TV_series)
shaveyourchin · 1 points · Posted at 11:38:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shísh.
ShaolinBao · 63 points · Posted at 02:02:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yup. It's like the equivalent of the Buffalo buffalo buffalo thing we have in English.
fatal3rr0r84 · 58 points · Posted at 02:16:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except, as far as I know, all 3 "buffalos" are pronounced exactly the same. These words aren't. Some you say with a rising, falling, flat, or falling and then rising tone.
AppleDane · 4 points · Posted at 04:08:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And with variations of speed and volume.
Buffalo buffalo (Buffalo buffalo buffalo) buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
The part after the parentheses is pointed and slower.
Incendivus · 1 points · Posted at 04:58:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've always thought of it as "Buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo; Buffalo buffalo buffalo." Which I think is what you said, but after a certain point it's all just buffalo in my head.
AppleDane · 2 points · Posted at 05:11:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, it's "Rochester cattle, that bully Rochester cattle, bully Rochester cattle" not... whatever you wrote.
PointyOintment · 2 points · Posted at 06:30:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The middle part of your translation should be "that are bullied by…".
AppleDane · 1 points · Posted at 08:48:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's making me stupid now. Me watch TV, rest brain.
annul · 2 points · Posted at 14:26:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
its "rochester cattle, that are bullied by rochester cattle, bully rochester cattle." the second clause is basically "are bullied"
Incendivus · 1 points · Posted at 19:28:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rochester cattle bully other Rochester cattle; it is the nature of Rochester cattle to bully. Which word are we disagreeing on?
ShaolinBao · 4 points · Posted at 02:20:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I meant it more as like they're the same 'word' repeated over and over again.
fatal3rr0r84 · 12 points · Posted at 02:30:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like that's a bit like saying the "record" in "record player" and "record a video" are the same word.
[deleted] · -9 points · Posted at 02:37:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
fatal3rr0r84 · 20 points · Posted at 02:37:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They aren't said the same, the accent is in different places. There are lots of these noun verb pairs: reject, project, produce, combat. The nouns all have the accent in the first syllable, the verbs have it in the second.
dlokatys · 4 points · Posted at 03:20:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You rek-urd videos? Or do you break ree-cords?
DonaldPShimoda · 1 points · Posted at 05:14:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But in the "record" example, there were two different words that are spelled "record" and they are pronounced differently from one another.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 11:45:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't say them the same. Say "record a video" and "record player" out loud.
Kandiru · 1 points · Posted at 11:35:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lead lead lead carefully. It's heavier than other cables!
verylobsterlike · 6 points · Posted at 02:27:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yup, except that in Chinese, reading the poem makes a lot more sense and doesn't need to be explained like buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo. Since the characters show the meaning of the word instead of its pronunciation.
Internet001215 · 2 points · Posted at 03:04:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, a Chinese person who's never heard of the poem before would probably still need it explained, but should be able to follow it somewhat after explaination or with subtitles.
B0Bi0iB0B · 7 points · Posted at 04:06:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The poem was written in Classical Chinese with the intent to be read aloud in Mandarin like in this video. Classical Chinese and Mandarin share characters, but the pronunciations of many, many characters have merged and split over time to where stuff written in Classical Chinese doesn't make sense when read aloud in Mandarin.
The story is what is written on paper when read in Classical Chinese, but when it is read aloud in Mandarin, it only has the single "shi" syllable with 4 contrasting tones and is just a nonsensical tongue twister of sorts. To just hear it, it would be incomprehensible to a Mandarin speaker even after being explained.
Other Chinese dialects maintained more distinct syllables for these characters, so this poem makes a lot more sense when read aloud, but it would also not just be the 4 variations of "shi" that you hear in the video and the joke would not be very jokey at all.
verylobsterlike · 1 points · Posted at 03:52:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Heard, sure. But as I understand it anyway, if they were to read it, it makes perfect sense.
施氏食獅史
石室詩士施氏 , 嗜獅 , 誓食十獅 。
施氏時時適市視獅 。
十時 , 適十獅適市 。
是時 , 適施氏適市 。
氏視是十獅 , 恃矢勢 , 使是十獅逝世 。
氏拾是十獅屍 , 適石室 。
石室濕 , 氏使侍拭石室 。
石室拭 , 氏始試食是十獅 。
食時 , 始識是十獅 , 實十石獅屍 。
試釋是事 。
Internet001215 · 1 points · Posted at 04:02:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah it makes sense if you read it. But I'm more specifically referring to listening to it.
verylobsterlike · 1 points · Posted at 04:22:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah, ok. What I wrote was:
Internet001215 · 1 points · Posted at 06:10:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah I might have misinterpreted, sorry about that.
verylobsterlike · 1 points · Posted at 07:48:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No worries.
thedrew · 2 points · Posted at 02:59:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's more like Polish polish. That's the only example I can think of where the form of the character affects pronunciation. Though that's not fully accurate because no one reads "Polish the brass!" as having to do with Poland.
Brandperic · 3 points · Posted at 03:05:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's Chinese though and he's talking about Japanese. That poem works because of the tonal nature of Chinese, not because Kanji can be pronounced multiple ways in Japanese.
john_jdm · 3 points · Posted at 14:34:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And the audible version.
antistar88 · 2 points · Posted at 02:28:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever learn chinese.
DaSaw · 1 points · Posted at 04:31:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I will never ever ever ever ever write a song about Sibbi.
NoirGreyson · 2 points · Posted at 20:03:32 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm also a fan of the Japanese one, where legend says Ono no Takamura was challenged to make sense of a written passage that was simply、子子子子子子子子子子子子. He then determined the passage said, "The child of a cat is a kitten, and the child of a lion is a cub," since the pronunciation of the kanji can be each of the syllables in cat, lion, and child.
redpandaeater · 1 points · Posted at 05:02:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know if it's because I'm likely mostly tone deaf, but I just don't think I could ever fully pick up a tonal language successfully. Do countries with a tonal language as their primary language not have instances of tone deaf people?
metabug · 1 points · Posted at 08:18:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There are tones in English, it's just used differently. A speaker can convey different emotions and meanings such as bored, surprised, ironic, and questioning etc by varying emphasis and pitches on the same word. If you are truly tone deaf then you wouldn't be able to pick up sarcasm when someone saying you are doing "great" when they meant the opposite, or asking you if something is correct vs telling you something is correct when they say "right". According to wiki, only 4% of population suffer from true tone deafness.
The tone in tonal language is also not absolute but relative. It's not like if you say the same word in C# instead of C in Chinese others won't understand you, otherwise a person born with a lower pitched voice would have to speak in falsetto all the time and that would be hilarious.
Out of all the Tonal language I know, Mandarin is probably the easiest since there are only 4 tones, of which 3 is gliding and only 1 is flat, so you don't have the situation of flat high pitch vs flat low pitch like C# vs C example above. if you can distinguish gliding pitch such as between a sound that starts high and end low vs the opposite. Then you are already more than halfway there.
I can't comment on listening to Chinese, but listening to foreigners speaking Chinese I think one of the real difficulty for them is they have trouble stay consistent with their tones, probably because they are used to be very expressive with their tones to convey different emotions. This is not just an issue with western speakers however. Even within China people speaking different dialects have different accents when they speak mandarin. Fortunately for everybody, Chinese is heavily contextual, so even if you butcher the tones badly, if you speak a sentence verbosely enough, people can figure out what you mean based on the phrases in relation to each other. It has to be if you think about it. English has way more complex syllable structures than Chinese, conversely there are way more homophones in Chinese than English (see the lion poem someone linked above).
This reminds me of a study done on an African tribe. The tribe differentiates different shades of green as different colors in their language and because of that, they can distinguish them more readily than the rest of us who just simply call all those greens green. It's an interesting case of the language we use impacts how our brain perceives the world. If you are brought up to treat different tones as variation of the same thing vs different things entirely, then you will have difficulty distinguish them when the need arises. It's not necessarily having to do with tone deafness.
I wonder if trained musicians find tonal languages easier to pick up.
LelviBri · 1 points · Posted at 09:12:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In case you want to listen to what it actually sounds like
FlameOctopus · 6 points · Posted at 01:54:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You can do the same or similar in Chinese itself.
ShaolinBao · 19 points · Posted at 01:55:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yup. It's why Chinese is a very punny language.
Max_TwoSteppen · 13 points · Posted at 01:54:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Chinese characters are hànzì, kanji is Japanese I believe.
Utrolig · 69 points · Posted at 01:58:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They are the same characters. Hànzì is the name for it in Chinese. Kanji is the name for it in Japanese. Both refer to the same Chinese characters.
edit: we can call the Chinese characters CJK characters since the pedants have been triggered
epicwisdom · 19 points · Posted at 02:07:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They're not all the same characters, though. There are some Chinese characters that were never adopted in Japanese, and some Chinese characters adopted in Japanese that fell out of use in Chinese.
[deleted] · 19 points · Posted at 02:22:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All Chinese characters are kanji. They're automatically adopted into Japanese.. whether or not they're commonly used is a different story. There's nothing stopping a writer of Japanese using some random obscure Chinese character (and they frequently do).
epicwisdom · -5 points · Posted at 02:34:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
True, but that's like saying every combination of characters in the English alphabet is a word. It's true in a sense, but I think most people wouldn't say "xkcd" is a word. If the character can't be found in a Japanese dictionary, I would say it's either not a Japanese word, or it's a newly coined Japanese word.
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:39:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think it's a fair comparison. We're talking about the creation of a word vs the usage of a character representing an idea that already exists in the language. For example if I use the character 狗 which is the common word for dog in Chinese, but extremely uncommon in Japanese, and write it with the furigana いぬ to represent the word.
epicwisdom · -1 points · Posted at 02:45:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There are some characters which map to ideas that have no direct single-character/word translation in Japanese, and likewise it's possible to "invent" kanji (i.e. a character that doesn't exist in Chinese composed of Chinese radicals).
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 02:52:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Any examples there?
There are Japanese kanji dictionaries with upwards of 20,000 characters. Arguably most of those wouldn't be considered "Japanese" by some of the criteria set out originally. The fact is that 漢字 just refers to "Chinese characters", there's no distinction between the languages. 龜 is a 漢字 just like 龟 is a 漢字 just like 亀 is a 漢字.
rmch99 · 1 points · Posted at 02:12:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I believe Japanese actually has 3 sets of characters. One is borrowed from Chinese, one is purely Japanese, and one, while invented by the Japanese, is used to represent English words. I might not be 100% accurate on that all, it's secondhand knowledge, but I do know that they have at least the Chinese and Japanese separate sets.
[deleted] · 7 points · Posted at 02:24:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Technically they're all based on the same characters. The two other sets you mention are based on cursive written versions of Chinese characters, and historically the one that is used to represent loan words (not just English words), is also used to represent many other things within Japanese, and was not developed for the purpose of transcribing loan words originally.
rmch99 · -1 points · Posted at 02:26:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I see, cool information! Regardless, definitely not "the same Chinese characters" though.
E: Why the downvotes? We were referring to different things, I was referring to Japanese characters in general, as in Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana, of which only Kanji are the same as Chinese, and he was referring only to Kanji, so it was just some miscommunication.
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:34:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm of the opinion that they're the same. The word hanzi and kanji are the same word that means '(Han) Chinese character' (漢字). There's no distinction there for whether it is referring to a Japanese or Chinese concept in either language. There are Japanese made Chinese characters, and Japanese-specific meanings and stroke-orders for some characters, but they are still part of the same overall set. To me it's like saying that the French and English writing system don't use the same Latin alphabet because there are a few differences.
rmch99 · 2 points · Posted at 02:37:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sorry, Kanji and Hanzi are the same, with Kanji referring to the characters taken form Chinese, but Japanese also has Katakana and Hiragana, which, as far as I know, are not directly in Chinese as well, though they may have origins rooted in Chinese.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:41:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah okay, I misunderstood that. You're right.
rmch99 · 1 points · Posted at 02:52:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cheers!
Llamas1115 · -6 points · Posted at 02:05:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, they differ. Kanji started out the same as Chinese because they were borrowed from Chinese, but that was a long-ass time ago; they've drifted apart significantly over time.
theacctpplcanfind · 11 points · Posted at 02:29:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Significantly? That's a huge stretch. Written Hanzi and Kanji are virtually the same. Pronunciation/meaning is a whole other beast entirely.
Llamas1115 · -4 points · Posted at 02:39:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
From Wikipedia: "After centuries of development, there is a notable number of kanji used in modern Japanese which have different meaning from hanzi used in modern Chinese. Such differences are the result of: -the use of characters created in Japan, -characters that have been given different meanings in Japanese, and -post-World War II simplifications (shinjitai) of the character."
Katakana+Hiragana did also develop from Chinese, but have essentially no similarity to modern Chinese (Being syllabaries). Kanji still have a noticeable similarity to (Traditional) Chinese that makes them often, though not always, legible to those fluent in the other system.
theacctpplcanfind · 7 points · Posted at 02:52:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"A notable number" does not equate to "significantly". Up until the second world war (so not, as you said, a "long-ass time ago") and the push for Shinjitai and Jiantizi, Kanji and Hanzi were written exactly the same, and even then the changes are very small (anyone fluent in Traditional/Simplified Chinese has no problem reading the other, and Shinjitai modified even less on Traditional Chinese characters than Simplified Chinese did).
What? Are you fluent in either? I'm fluent in Chinese (simplified at that) and Japanese Kanji is 100% legible (in that I know the word in Chinese and can deduce its meaning). Kanji usually has additional/different meanings over the word in Chinese so it's not like it's perfect but to claim they're significantly different is just incorrect. Here's more information on the matter, and some really interesting discussion on the mutually intelligibility of Hanzi and Kanji here by people fluent in either/both. It's a complicated issue and you'd need to have a deep understanding of one of these languages at least, or a background in linguistics to understand the full story.
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 02:09:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Suddenlyfoxes · 3 points · Posted at 02:16:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, he's correct. The Japanese characters developed differently after being adopted. Especially after WWII, when the shinjitai (simplified characters) were developed.
There's still some overlap, of course -- there are even some shinjitai that appear among the simplified Chinese characters, because both simplifications, though independent, used a similar system of replacing complex character components with ones that use fewer strokes. But this is coincidental. Mostly, the more complicated characters are different, and there are some characters popular in one language that have fallen out of use in the other.
The simplest characters do have a good amount of overlap though.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:14:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not true at all. It is true that Chinese speakers can often recognise some of the kanji used by Japanese speakers, but it is a severe misconception to claim that they are the same. First of all, which standard are we talking about? Traditional Chinese characters or simplified chinese characters? Somebody who was born in China or Taiwan will be able to recognise both but if you're a learner of Mandarin, you might have a bit of trouble learning to recognise the other variety. Additionally, Japanese kanji, stems from more traditional Chinese writing and underwent its own various simplifications, leading to different strokes that differ from either form of modern Chinese writing. Ignoring this, Japanese use of Chinese characters has been in the language for centuries now; there have been changes and the addition or subtraction of meanings that weren't found in Chinese for example. I wish I could read any kanji and know what it means; unfortunately, I'm limited to my Mandarin.
theacctpplcanfind · 0 points · Posted at 04:14:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What? China and Taiwan have different writing systems and mandarin is neither of them. Are you sure you speak Chinese?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 04:17:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol. Somebody does not have reading comprehension. And no, mandarin is not a writing system. Chinese characters are the writing system, with traditional and simplified forming two written standards. Unless you wish to tell me now that 门門 are really the exact same thing.
theacctpplcanfind · 0 points · Posted at 18:30:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, it's just your post is nonsensical.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 18:33:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol it actually does make sense. It's just that you can't read.
theacctpplcanfind · 0 points · Posted at 19:47:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kind of like how you obviously can't read chinese or kanji
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 20:08:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol. Except I can. Also, I find this funny coming from a guy who thought that Mandarin was a writing system.
If you think that a Chinese speaker can understand Japanese just by reading Kanji, you're severely, severely mistaken. Japanese kanji underwent their own style of simplification, and have their own changes. It doesn't mean that there aren't cognates and there aren't similarities, in fact, they're very similar. but anybody who asserts that Hanzi and Kanji are the same thing clearly has no idea what they're talking about.
Popcorn179 · -2 points · Posted at 02:18:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HANZO
sctilley · 8 points · Posted at 02:02:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hanzi is the Chinese word for Chinese characters. Kanji is the Japanese and English word for the set of Japanese characters that come from Chinese.
24pg13 · 3 points · Posted at 02:22:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kanji are the giant monsters that Charlie Day fights in his mecha suit or something
ezprodigy · 3 points · Posted at 01:57:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
no kanji is the japanese term for chinese characters
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:00:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
no animekyarakutā is the japanese term for anime characters
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 02:23:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 03:05:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, he said Chinese food, not anime food.
You want Lunch Special #24, the sesame chicken combo.
numpad0 · 1 points · Posted at 02:51:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That means "character in a play with Chinese origin". Letters in Chinese script is 中国語の文字.
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:13:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We went form talking about written characters about anime characters, which are more people and less written characters
numpad0 · 1 points · Posted at 03:31:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/outofloop
Superty1 · 1 points · Posted at 02:23:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Candy is the word for yummy stuff
BadSkyMonkey · 1 points · Posted at 02:08:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kanji is Chinese hanzi characters adapted to Japanese. Thus why he said essentially Chinese. The Japanese just took hanzi and modified it for their use.
HolycommentMattman · 1 points · Posted at 02:19:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, but that's just a name given by each. The two languages use the same characters. Most of them even mean the same thing. They just say the words entirely differently.
It's similar to how a lot of languages use the Roman alphabet, but we don't say things the same at all. Like French and Spanish.
NeoReaperBlade · 1 points · Posted at 02:01:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hánzi is what the Chinese call them while in Japan they call them kanji. Koreans call them something different too tho but I don't remember what. They're referring to the same thing and can usually just be called kanji I think
axalon900 · 2 points · Posted at 02:04:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hanja
DrunkAndRetarded · 2 points · Posted at 02:20:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tell that to kanjiklub
Good_ApoIIo · 2 points · Posted at 02:24:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But if you're using hirigana, katakana or even romanji, can't you create anagrams? They're phonetic. I don't see why anagrams would be impossible in those languages unless you're using Kanji or whatever the Vietnamese equivalent is.
ShaolinBao · 1 points · Posted at 02:28:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm actually sure of the specifics, since I can't actually speak Japanese, haha. I'm curious to what the Vietnamese translation was, because Vietnamese does not use characters.
Everybodysbastard · 2 points · Posted at 01:59:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like Minazuke, which is both a Shikai and Bankai thanks to the different pronunciations. Dammit Kubo , you couldn't have made it something else?
ThatKarmaWhore · 2 points · Posted at 01:59:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Homophones are when two words are said the same and spelled differently. I think you meant homonym. Or potentially you meant a sexually atypical phone, in which case you got me :0
ShaolinBao · 5 points · Posted at 02:01:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope. The words are pronounced the same, but the characters are different.
ThatKarmaWhore · 3 points · Posted at 02:06:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm... I misread your original comment and now need something here to save face... Carry on.
Englishly · 1 points · Posted at 02:07:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Homonyms are a delightful subset of Homophones
ofay_othello · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So kind of like read (present, active) and read (past, passive)
ShaolinBao · 3 points · Posted at 02:20:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kind of but more like alter and altar. Pronounced the similarly, but totally different meanings.
ebrizzlle · 1 points · Posted at 02:41:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So many characters with the same pronunciation....written so very differently and with different meaning. Daunting, is a good way to describe learning Chinese.
jperth73 · 1 points · Posted at 02:43:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Listen, gay people using iPhones do not need to be subjected to prejudices like this. Just like us, it's called a phone.
fletchindr · 1 points · Posted at 02:52:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
like in yojimbo where sanjuro made a pun about his name(pronounced it to sound like '30 years' and said "though I'm closer to 40")
RiskyShift · 1 points · Posted at 03:35:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Two names with the same kanji can have different readings as well. There's sometimes no way to know how to pronounce a name from the kanji alone. Many Japanese forms have two sets of name fields, one for kanji and the other for the katakana reading.
ShaolinBao · 1 points · Posted at 03:38:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Really? That's pretty crazy.
RiskyShift · 1 points · Posted at 06:32:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep. For example, here's an order form on nike.com. The first two fields are family name (姓) and given name (名), but then the next two are for the furigana versions.
Sheriff_K · 1 points · Posted at 03:43:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Couldn't they have just done that for his name though?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 04:45:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
chica da China da Chinese Chicken
DntPnicIGotThis · 1 points · Posted at 05:30:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What did you just call me?!?
RICHCISWHITEMALE · 1 points · Posted at 05:34:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are a homophone.
KickedInTheHead · 1 points · Posted at 06:26:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What did you just call me?!
Potatoe_Master · 1 points · Posted at 06:38:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But doesn't inflection in Chinese completely change the word too?
JesterSevenZero · 1 points · Posted at 07:13:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tell that to kanjiklub.
TellYouYourFuture · 1 points · Posted at 08:08:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i dont quite see the connection
ProblemPie · 1 points · Posted at 13:42:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fucking tonal languages.
justanotherkenny · 1 points · Posted at 14:05:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What do homophobes have to do with this? Reddit these days...
madscientist2407 · 1 points · Posted at 02:00:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"homophones" .. giggling like a 13 year old school girl
ShaolinBao · 2 points · Posted at 02:01:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
pls didn't you guys learn about these in elementary school
BITCRUSHERRRR · -1 points · Posted at 02:05:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's 2017 and we're STILL using that oppressive word?
xRehab · 390 points · Posted at 02:03:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah that is a little disappointing. Japanese writers love word play so they could have easily done something along the lines of double readings.
ex - A character from a japanese novel is named 忍野 忍 which is read Oshino Shinobu. Not only is it a palindrome but the first and last kanji is literally written using the kanji for heart, below the kanji for blade; or Heart-Under-Blade which is Shinobu's true name.
Asian wordplay is on a completely different level than ours. And to all of those reading this who understand the reference, yes I'm still extremely salty.
javalorum · 100 points · Posted at 03:25:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm a freelance translator, between Chinese and English. While I understand what you meant by 忍 (because it's the same character and meaning in Chinese), I don't think "I am Voldemort" anagram can be simply solved by character play. In your example, the combined character of 刃 and 心 is not close to 忍 phonetically or by meaning. So while there may be play with such things, it has to be very specific type of play. Chinese and Japanese names, unlike English, have meanings within the characters themselves. This works well in translations in some ways, like Voldemort's phonetic translation in Chinese literally means "earth-dominating伏地 demon魔". But this also make this name extremely unique. They're so easy to spot that you can't simply insert them into Tom Marvolo Riddle's name without giving away any secrets before the grand reveal.
The coolest translation trick I've seen, between Chinese and a western language, is from a children's book by Astrid Lindgren from Sweden. The books calls for a code language that breaks down words so others can't understand it when you speak to your buddies in front of others. It's done by inserting extra vowels and consonants into words. It's clear enough in Swedish (I read the English translation, which is also straight forward. E.g. bag becomes bagag). The first translation I saw (by a prominent translator btw) just went through the whole mess phonetically and used footnote to explain what each sentence meant. But another translation I read, actually inserted 2 meaningless Chinese character in between each characters. It not only aligned with the design of the secrete language, but also made it readable in Chinese, because you just need to read every 3rd character.
I get a feeling if given time, I imagine the Chinese translator could have done a better job at the anagram. Maybe use words with similar sounds and homophones? (Same sounds would be too obvious). Or some other brilliant method that not only link the two phrases but also disguise one enough not to disclose anything prematurely. But I got a feeling they were just rushing to get it done as quickly as possible. There were many blaring mistake made in the Chinese HP books and this was probably least of their concerns.
SerendipitousSelkie · 9 points · Posted at 06:50:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What are some of the worst mistakes in the Chinese translations?
javalorum · 3 points · Posted at 16:29:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The worst one is somewhat well known. Sirius Black's name. When his name first appeared in book 1, it was about the motorcycle borrowed from "young Sirius Black". And the translator made it into "little Sirius Black" which wasn't ideal because it gave the impression of SB Junior ("little" or "small" in front of a name is typically how "Junior" in a name is translated in Chinese), but it wasn't a big deal because Sirius was translated as the name of the star (sky wolf star) so the name didn't look like a typical English name anyway.
The problem became what it was in book 3 when he was officially introduced, still as "little sky wolf star", and continued on through all the rest of the books. I believe many young readers thought his first name was "little sky wolf star" until they searched on the internet and found no such thing.
I believe it was caused by not keeping a good name list. Somehow Sirius = little sky wolf star. But a mistake like that should be super easy to spot. I can't imagine what went through the translators' heads when they just took it without question.
And Dumbledore's name is funny too. I don't know how, but both Taiwanese and Chinese translations separated "b" and "le" sounds for no reason. The name became "den-boo-lee-duo" which not only made it unnecessarily long (young Chinese readers may not be used to names longer than 3 characters) but again confused people when the movie came out.
Sorry I could only remember name ones. It's been a while since I read the Chinese copy.
frolicking_elephants · 1 points · Posted at 07:21:29 on August 17, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know this is old, but I have a question. What is the problem with readers thinking his first name was Little Sky Wolf Star, apart from the "junior" thing you explained earlier? Or was that it?
javalorum · 1 points · Posted at 10:04:11 on August 17, 2017 · (Permalink)
The thing with translation is that if you only read/watch in one language translation mistakes are not likely noticeable. But in this case, for anyone that reads names a little carefully, it's only natural to question why someone would be named "little sky wolf star" -- it obvious is not phonetic translation of an English name. And while "sky wolf star" is the name of an actual star, but why is he the "small" version of it? The books gave no explanation for that. Nobody else in his family is named this way.
That being said, I think most Chinese readers did just assume his name is "little sky wolf star" even though it's very long and very awkward as a name, and use it in all fan discussions just like any other.
frolicking_elephants · 1 points · Posted at 21:50:50 on August 17, 2017 · (Permalink)
So what are the other Blacks named, then, if not for their stars? (Andromeda, Bellatrix, Regulus Arcturus, Draco)
door_of_doom · 12 points · Posted at 06:10:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, it seems like it would be really hard to come up with something not blatantly obvious. You can't just name him "Eye Yam Vowel D. Mortey" and call it clever.
javalorum · 2 points · Posted at 16:40:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, Chinese has its unique challenges but one thing about Chinese names is that they can be any characters in the language. So "eye yam vowel" may sound weird in some languages, they could be a perfectly fine Chinese name.
But I think I know what you mean, if we are to preserve the name Tom Riddle it'd be almost impossible. Tom is such a common English name that even little kids knows it in Chinese, and Riddle has a meaning which directly related to his name (riddle -- anagram).
I like how many languages played on the middle name (I imagine all the extra letters go there) -- unless I'm wrong and those are actual names. Then that's seriously brilliant work (well, more brilliant work). :)
SirMalle · 3 points · Posted at 08:36:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Instead of rearranging the characters, could you rearrange the radicals to create a different set of characters (not necessarily the same number) which would be used in some order for his alias?
javalorum · 3 points · Posted at 16:56:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a cool idea. I honestly think if given enough time and effort, anything can be translated well. Maybe not aligned in perfection in every way, but good enough to convey the core message.
tinkerfaes · 1 points · Posted at 11:13:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What book is this?
DrStoopid · 3 points · Posted at 11:36:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kalle Blomkvist in Swedish, Bill Bergson in English
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6varspr%C3%A5ket
javalorum · 2 points · Posted at 16:49:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes! That's the one! I didn't think anyone'd know it because the English copy is so hard to find. That series is my favourite Lindgren books. Coincidentally when I first read HP I felt the three main characters were poor copies of Bill Bergson and his friends. HP obviously is set up in a much more complex world and the story arcs are 100 times longer. With the exception of book 1, I feel that all the core plots focus so much on HP himself that everyone else, including his best friends, are just there to cause conflict on a hero's journey.
tinkerfaes · 1 points · Posted at 14:24:25 on July 18, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm so late in responding but thank you so much! This seems like an interesting read ;w;
archimedies · 1 points · Posted at 02:07:22 on July 13, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are you aware of the growing community of chinese novel readers? /r/noveltranslations
OctavianX · 81 points · Posted at 02:38:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wouldn't a double reading be more obvious than an anagram? You wouldn't want his identity as Voldemort to be immediately obvious.
AKluthe · 6 points · Posted at 07:24:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's what I'm thinking, the double meaning in the traditional sense (same kanji, different reading) would be immediately obvious because the two names would be written the same way.
May if Tom Riddle's name were kana or something of an alternate reading, but even then that would probably stand out. I don't speak Japanese so I trust the editors for the book knew more than me.
ZoboCamel · 27 points · Posted at 02:17:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If only we'd gotten 98 more votes...
BeatMastaD · 23 points · Posted at 02:47:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah, so is this why some anime characters have names that seem out of place in English? I always thought they might have given them English names for some aesthetic reason and it just didn't work as well in English, but I guess it could be because their names in Japanese have an alternate meaning.
The one that comes to mind is in TRIGUN where the main antagonist's name is Knives Millions, which is a little sinister in English but seems out of place. Another bad guy is named Legato as well, which seems equally 'random'.
BlazzBolt · 49 points · Posted at 03:02:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, Knives Millions' name was "Mirionzu Naibuzu" in Japanese. Most anime/manga characters with names that are English words are just that way in the original Japanese. Vash was "Vasshu za Sutanpiido".
Translators will never translate a Kanji name into what the individual characters mean, because that would be stupid. I don't mean to say you're stupid for thinking that they might have, but anyone who knows anything about Japanese translation would know not to do it so they would have to be stupid to actually do that.
MaliciousLeviathan · 10 points · Posted at 04:46:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dogtooth.
Nico-Nii_Nico-Chan · 1 points · Posted at 07:21:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fucking MS
Nirogunner · 1 points · Posted at 10:13:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a pretty cool name though.
redpandaeater · 2 points · Posted at 05:07:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
English translators end up doing weird things though. Like in Eureka 7 having her name still sounded out e-u-re-ka instead of just eureka comes to mind, and part of why I never understood some people's appeal to it. Admittedly the Japanese could have use the name ユーリカ if they wanted it pronounced like an English word, so it's more I just don't agree with how it was translated to English. Course there's other odd things due to possible censorship, like in DBZ using the name Hercule instead of Mr. Satan like it would be from the Japanese.
Godofsaviour · 1 points · Posted at 20:49:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah when it comes to japanese names its always a good rule to follow the closest, if not, the exact way how the names sound
Dont care what the name means in each language because it would be weird if a fan in another language calls a character in a totally different sounding name than the native language would sound like
Imagine all these fans attend a fan meet and they all sound so different despite calling out to the same character
NoirGreyson · 1 points · Posted at 20:06:24 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mr. Mountainunder, could you speak with Mrs. Fieldmiddle? (Yamashita and Tanaka, respectively)
ItGoesSo · 6 points · Posted at 04:24:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
From what i understand, alot of anime names intentionally are non traditional japanese names. The names also have greater meaning.
Ichigo from bleach for example : 一護, pronounced Ichigo, The kanjis are 'one' and 'protector/safeguard'
Then the word ichigo can also mean 苺 - strawberry (his hair color)
It could also mean 1 and 5. (一 Ichi + 五 Go) Ichigo is 15 when the anime starts
mesosorry · 5 points · Posted at 03:07:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can't give any examples off the top of my head, but there are a lot of characters in anime who have unusual names which may have a meaning that is related to their character (or they use unusual kanji with the same reading, but a different meaning than what would ordinarily be used for that name).
K8Simone · 5 points · Posted at 04:01:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sailor Moon and the rest of the sailor guardians have names like this.
JohannesVanDerWhales · 3 points · Posted at 07:55:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They're honestly mostly just silly and weird sounding because they're from comic books aimed at children. They try to make them sound cool to their readers. Most of the meaningful names aren't any more deep or subtle than "Remus Lupin" being a guy who turns out to be a werewolf.
today2day · 1 points · Posted at 10:28:26 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Okay..
In Sailor Moon the main character is named Serena. Her cat is named Luna which basically means moon from Latin roots. There's another cat named Artemis, from the Greek goddess of the moon. In the Japanese version her name is Usagi Tsukino. Usagi means rabbit, because while in the west people see a face/man on the moon, they see a rabbit. Tsukino means of the moon. All the other characters name are related to their powers. The guy who saves them is named Mamoru, which means to protect.
Even in that show there are a lot of things like this. I watched this show obsessively growing up to even realize this.
[deleted] · -21 points · Posted at 02:52:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No anime is just fucking cartoons there’s no secret meaning
Why is monkey called Donkey Kong
FuckNewHud · 66 points · Posted at 02:11:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
She shoulda beat Yui. Its not even close between them.
[deleted] · 23 points · Posted at 02:57:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/anime is leaking
Nonetheless i voted for yui :3
Aerowulf9 · 14 points · Posted at 03:42:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are whats wrong with this world.
Huarrnarg · 6 points · Posted at 02:36:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yeah, i honestly don't think Yui was a great character anyways
neobowman · 5 points · Posted at 03:10:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly, one of Holo or Megumin should've won. I voted Megumin but then Holo got upset the next round because of backlash. The seeding really screwed em over.
uniquecannon · 3 points · Posted at 04:50:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Megumin vs Holo vs Ryuuko happened way too fucking early. That is a semifinals caliber matchup.
Im also upset the Re:Bowl didn't happen.
316KO · 1 points · Posted at 07:08:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sorry for your shit taste.
Nico-Nii_Nico-Chan · 1 points · Posted at 07:18:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
She should've lost to Aqua tbh
clera_echo · 10 points · Posted at 04:38:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My absolutely favourite wordplay from the Monogatari Series is 苛虎（kako）, Tsubasa's white tiger. Its pun and meaning is fourfold, and takes a bit of classical Chinese knowledge to understand:
Its literally meaning is "Harsh/Unrelenting Tiger", hence its Tiger figure.
It's a homophone with 火虎（kako）, which means "fire tiger", alluding to its ability to set things on fire.
It's also a homophone with 過去（kako）, which means "the past": Her past lifes literally came to haunt her, burning her house and family down.
The final layer was mentioned in the show by Tsubasa herself, but the meaning is probably lost on the Western audience and perhaps some Japanese who didn't pay attention in kanbun classes. 苛虎 is in fact a reference to "苛政猛於虎也“. The story was from the pre-Qin era Confucian classic 禮記.
It goes something like this:
This is exactly Tsubasa's story: her parents don't care for her, there isn't even a family for her to go back to. She'd rather be living in a crumbling unfinished building and face the specters of the world than going back. Hence the reference.
When I first saw that, I have to give it to Nishio Ishin, I was thoroughly impressed.
Lat_R_Alice · 3 points · Posted at 05:52:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you for taking the time to explain! That was beautiful.
clera_echo · 2 points · Posted at 06:02:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Glad you can appreciate it. I'm pretty sure Nishio literally wrote this novel series just to indulge in his own puns 😂 . Of course, granted they're good puns.
Lat_R_Alice · 1 points · Posted at 06:08:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'd do the same if I were a magical pun wizard, I don't blame him! 😃
javalorum · 2 points · Posted at 17:06:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's really neat. It seems that the homophones only work in Japanese tho, because as a Chinese reader (Mandarin at least), all of these words sound very different.
clera_echo · 1 points · Posted at 17:07:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes, the puns only work in Japanese, it's a Japanese light novel after all. I should know, I'm Chinese myself. It's a big plus being Chinese reading and watching monogatari series, Nishio and the director Shinbo uses quaint references and character plays with the graphics and style choices all the time, quite a few unexpected surprises came out of it.
Incidentally, your observation also ties into the main topic of this post. Since the CJKV languages were all under the Sinosphere, their writing systems were greatly influenced by classical Chinese, which consisted of logographic units called Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja/Hanchu that have their own meanings and isn't bound to inherent pronunciations at all. China had this to unify a very big empire that had people speaking a family of Sinitic languages with wildly different variations, and it later applied to Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Hence the crazy amount of different pronunciations present in different languages meaning essentially the same thing, and have very different homophones within them. Since the Voldemort gimmick was facilitated by swapping alphabets, which are "sound units", it would be impossible for CJKV languages that doesn't have them to do the same.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 02:55:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
bakemonogatari... i cannot escape from it.
ShinyHappyREM · 3 points · Posted at 05:01:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can't escape best
yantsundere!YouMeWeThem · 3 points · Posted at 05:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, yes that's wordplay, but it's not exactly complicated. The author literally just explained the kanji in her name in English. I don't see how that's any deeper than, for example, some character named "Crimson" wearing red clothing and using fire powers.
carbohydratecrab · 3 points · Posted at 03:31:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They translated other wordplay across, like the Mirror of Erised (みぞの鏡), but I guess because none of the character names were changed they didn't have a great number of options - otherwise they could have created names that work with the puzzle.
javalorum · 1 points · Posted at 17:12:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I remember trying to translate Mirror of Erised in my head into Chinese when I was reading that part. In Chinese, desire (欲望）in reverse is 望欲，literally means "seeing desire". It was really cool because it fits the idea of a mirror so neatly but also totally useless because it'd give the whole plot away.
Sorry, just thought that was cool even though it doesn't contribute to your dialogue in any way.
PhnomPenny · 4 points · Posted at 02:20:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How is the name a palindrome if there's "bu" at the end?
[deleted] · 16 points · Posted at 02:24:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
look at the characters.
PhnomPenny · 7 points · Posted at 02:41:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah, of course it would be the writing, not the pronunciation. Thanks.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:32:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Wufei74 · 7 points · Posted at 03:36:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Look at the japanese characters.
Jerlko · 5 points · Posted at 03:45:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
忍野 忍
Aerowulf9 · 4 points · Posted at 03:45:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He means this if you're still confused
samsg1 · 2 points · Posted at 05:30:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sailor Moon's character is 月野 うさぎ or 'tsukino usagi' meaning rabbit of the moon. Her family name is literally 'of the moon' when read out loud. I always liked that :)
radiantbutterfly · 2 points · Posted at 11:04:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Japanese>English translator here. While it's possible that a native Japanese speaker might come up with some wordplay that I can't, I find it extremely unlikely that any form of "I am" could be incorporated into a feasible name in Japanese, and furthermore, a kanji pun would require Voldemort to have a Japanese name that would stick out like a sore thumb against the Very British setting of the book. (Futhermore, "Voldemort" had already been transliterated into Japanese for the previous book, so you couldn't replace it with kanji anyway.)
Besides, English education is mandatory (if ineffective) in Japan so a very basic sentence such as "I am X" would be understood by practically everyone old enough to read the book without adult help.
tl;dr: I think the route the official translator took was the best choice in this situation.
subOpticglitch · 1 points · Posted at 02:58:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That was the next thing I was checking when I get off work, guess I don't need to bother since actual best girl lost.
tapo · 1 points · Posted at 03:32:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I won't forgive them for Miles Prower.
cinnmarken · 1 points · Posted at 05:36:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I only picked up on it because of other replies (I really oughtta watch that show
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 08:43:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They wanted to preserve the English names, which immediately rules out any sort of double readings because it would therefore be written in katakana. The books take place in Britain, so a Japanese name would have been out of place.
UnbiasedCreamMotel · 1 points · Posted at 02:39:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Monogatari op
Graefinator · 1 points · Posted at 03:49:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't get it, would you mind explaining? Of course I can see the characters are the same. How would you read it and form the words? Is oshino heart and then shinobu underblade?
Leachem · 1 points · Posted at 07:20:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not OP and late answer but w/e. "忍野 忍" is the characters name ("Oshino Shinobu"), written with these two kanji: 忍 and 野. Now the first kanji, 忍, if you look closely, is 心 under 刃. If you look at the meaning of these two it's literally "heart" written under "blade", "heart under blade" , and the character calls herself like that in the show.
Graefinator · 1 points · Posted at 14:04:03 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ohhhh I see. But why does the other character not matter for the spoken name? Just a choice or is it a linguistic rule?
assortedmaggots · 1 points · Posted at 04:02:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But then again, i feel they are comfortable with english word play... i think majority of japaense know "i am ..." Also, characters name in English sounds more fitting for an english-themed novel. At least I am comfortable with that (am korean). If a white dude had japanese-sounding name (or korean sounding name) i would be very taken back.
rustybuick15 · -2 points · Posted at 03:41:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This made zero sense to me. That's why I never try to learn another language
raspberrih · 3 points · Posted at 04:57:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
sometimes they use the kanji to elicit some meaning (like "evil man") while they slap whatever katakana reading is convenient for the plot on.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:28:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HOUIN KYOUMAAA
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:33:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like Takezo and Musashi?
Nixplosion · 1 points · Posted at 03:42:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like Deku! My Hero Academia taught me this
amac109 · 1 points · Posted at 06:17:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Even more so in Chinese.
gojaejin · 72 points · Posted at 02:19:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also Korean. I think they don't explain it, just use a literal translation and put the English in parentheses.
biggest_ohaiius · 16 points · Posted at 05:59:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
voldemort sunbaenim
Kevtron · 3 points · Posted at 05:49:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
아이 앰 로드 볼드모트
AlchyTimesThree · 3 points · Posted at 06:16:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Should be 오's:
로드 볼드모트
Kevtron · 3 points · Posted at 06:27:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I had that at first, but '어' is quite often used with 'r' so wasn't sure. For 'lord' though 로 does seem better. I'll change em to that~ Guess this is a good example of going with your first impression; I shouldn't have second guessed it.
[deleted] · 14 points · Posted at 02:35:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
interesting that they didnt try to use the word "Thiên Tử" or "Tử Thiên" for tom riddle's name in Vietnamese. its an actual name and the name itself can either mean "son of god" or "god of death", which works in this case
amusha · 8 points · Posted at 04:20:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would not say that it isn't "proper". Most of the times, there's no consensus on what should be the "right" way to translate. We translators/interpreters have to make compromises everyday.
A while ago, a new Vietnamese translation of The Lord of the Rings which closely followed Tolkien's translation guideline was published. Names that have meaning like Baggins was translated into the Vietnamese name as well. The reaction? The fans were fucking livid. They saw the previous translations of the book and loved the "foreign" feel of the world. Turning them into Vietnamese diminished that enjoyment of many people.
makerofshoes · 3 points · Posted at 07:18:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Czech they call him Pytlík (bag or sack, translated). I guess I understand the thought behind translating because it makes him sound kind of ordinary/not threatening, where the name Baggins might have different connotations in different languages. But I think a good footnote here or there can explain those subtleties in translation pretty well, rather than just translating the name.
amusha · 3 points · Posted at 07:33:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah there are different approaches. In the case of TLOTR, however, the author has a guideline of how he wants it to be translated. Being a linguist, he wanted the English version to be meant as a translation of the Elvis original version and other translated versions to be seen as imitating that as well.
A really creative approach but sometimes people don't take it kindly to to be told the way you are enjoying the book is wrong.
makerofshoes · 3 points · Posted at 07:42:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, that is really some next-level effort by the author
thebrainypole · 3 points · Posted at 04:42:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And apparently the Polish version
wisty · 2 points · Posted at 02:45:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They could have just used puns in Chinese.
LHMQ · 2 points · Posted at 03:12:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah it's really hard to make an anagram in Vietnamese.
crossmr · 2 points · Posted at 05:04:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I doubt it would have worked in Korean either. Korean is a syllable based language, and the syllables required to make that name wouldn't remotely have the meaning of that sentence in Korean no matter how you rearranged it.
squigs · 2 points · Posted at 08:55:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'd have thought Japanese would have allowed something that suitably approximated. A website tells me his name was written in katakana "ヴォルデモート" (Vorudemōto). Can't that be rearranged into something? It's not like it needs to be a real English name. Just English sounding.
VikingNipples · 3 points · Posted at 09:57:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's too short to arrange into anything that sounds remotely decent. The main difficulty is that there are only two characters which can make a single consonant sound: ru and to (which can be R/L and T), and that severely limits how you can end a name. Additionally, o is the only single vowel, so there's no way to disguise the v. It'd have to be vo every time. (It's possible that the v can be used by itself; I'm not that experienced.) And then you've got that dash which means nothing on its own, and I'm not sure what to do with it. The best thing I can come up with is Tomo Devoru, which sounds like something out of D.N.Angel. It's so bad.
But that comic at least demonstrates why the official translation is fine. The character names Dark/ダーク and Krad/クラッド don't use the same kana, but they do use the same letters. Japanese readers should have been super used to this kind of thing by the time Harry Potter was released.
VikingNipples · 2 points · Posted at 09:37:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Japanese have already been using English wordplay in fiction for decades though, so I can't imagine readers even noticed that it was a translation difficulty.
keyonte0 · 3 points · Posted at 03:05:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can think of at least 2 ways you could translate the riddle in Japanese. They would be extremely obvious, though.
vanceco · 1 points · Posted at 03:07:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Korean isn't on the list either.
Costdiek · 1 points · Posted at 03:16:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Great read thank you!
Skrappyross · 1 points · Posted at 03:38:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Korean too is just transliterated, not translated.
FlowerEmperor · 1 points · Posted at 05:16:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wondered for a long time how they had managed to do it in Japanese. Then one day I was at a Japanese person's house and they had the books there. I opened Chamber of Secrets and eagerly flicked through to the end to find it and solve the mystery once and for all, and was disappointed to find that they'd just use the English.
Joostanj · 1 points · Posted at 02:45:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Happy cake day.
KittenTablecloth · 0 points · Posted at 02:28:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a train of cake days!
Doip · 0 points · Posted at 07:45:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Happy cake day
Herobane · 0 points · Posted at 08:48:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fun fact - You and u/Gemmabeta joined Reddit on the same day!
Alakritous · 0 points · Posted at 07:35:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Great ending 5/7
LightOfVictory · -2 points · Posted at 05:43:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Small Dong Voldy doesn't really roll of the tongue now..
UNGR8FUL_UND3AD · -11 points · Posted at 04:14:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What you mean? Rord Vordemort transrate rearry simpry.
apenguin11 · 10 points · Posted at 04:51:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is this the part where the 3 whole Asian people in Iowa laugh nervously? Boy, do I have news for you
UNGR8FUL_UND3AD · -1 points · Posted at 13:03:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, it's the part where the snarky asshole shows up.
ooglytoop7272 · 2 points · Posted at 23:29:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"I'm so oppressed. People won't laugh at my racist jokes."
UNGR8FUL_UND3AD · 0 points · Posted at 00:05:18 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't care if you laugh. if it wasn't funny then the joke wasn't meant for fragile ass.
ooglytoop7272 · 2 points · Posted at 01:46:01 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Awww, did I trigger you?
[deleted] · 491 points · Posted at 23:15:02 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mandarin has its own crazy shit. An entire story made up of "shi".
Wormsblink · 120 points · Posted at 02:12:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Link for those interested: http://www.yellowbridge.com/onlinelit/stonelion.php
stanley_twobrick · 17 points · Posted at 02:57:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You can't explain that matter!
tomatoaway · 3 points · Posted at 10:19:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
explanation 1: she was high as fuck and mistook red meat for white meat
porthos3 · 5 points · Posted at 02:36:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you!
gnargnar666 · 5 points · Posted at 04:06:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Link for the lazy:
https://youtu.be/9jtiw721RAg
Kanyes_PhD · 5 points · Posted at 08:17:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sooo would that make any sense for a mandarin speaker to hear that?
Or would it be like "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo." for english speakers where it just sounds like someone repeating themselves?
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 11:46:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They'd be able to distinguish the different tones, so it wouldn't be quite like an English speaker saying buffalo over and over
TheSyllogism · 3 points · Posted at 18:50:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Different tones = different words in Chinese. Since English doesn't use tones for meaning we have a hard time hearing them.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 05:08:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I really can't
[deleted] · 436 points · Posted at 23:26:09 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
English has a slightly less impressive equivalent with "Buffalo", but yeah Mandarin's nuts.
mordahl · 539 points · Posted at 01:48:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, it's more like a small orange.
tuesdayoct4 · 377 points · Posted at 02:03:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Technically, an orange is like a big mandarin. Mandarins are one of the four ancestor citruses (along with citrons, pomelos, and papedas) from which all other citrus are genetically derived. Oranges are mandarin/pomelo crossbreeds.
beespee · 245 points · Posted at 02:19:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
UNSUBSCRIBE from orange facts!
Mathlete86 · 212 points · Posted at 02:28:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did you know that orange is the only word that can represent a food, a color, and a harmful chemical agent used against the Vietnamese people in the Vietnam War at the same time? Wow!
Please reply with a word that rhymes with orange to unsubscribe to Orange Facts!
beespee · 130 points · Posted at 02:31:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
According to Eminem there are loads of words that rhyme with orange. Door-hinge, porridge, George, storage, four-inch.
Wait now I sound like Orange Facts too!
Rocklandband · 26 points · Posted at 03:38:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We're all orange facts on this blessed day!
beespee · 7 points · Posted at 03:46:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
speak for yourself!
SerendipitousSelkie · 1 points · Posted at 06:52:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am all orange facts on this blessed day.
Przedrzag · 9 points · Posted at 04:18:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fun fact: These rhymes only work with an American accent, with the possible exception of porridge.
Fake_William_Shatner · 5 points · Posted at 04:40:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, strange. A range of dog mange. I ran the can with a man from the orphanage.
If you pronounce it with a long "a" using rapper poetic license, it rhymes.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 04:03:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol i thought of eminem too
3226 · 1 points · Posted at 13:53:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Set to blow college dorm rooms doors off their hinges
Oranges,
peach, pears, plums, syringes"
[deleted] · 69 points · Posted at 03:32:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unsubscrorange
Im_Lucifer_Not_Evil · 5 points · Posted at 04:59:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did you know that the colour orange was named after the fruit and not the other way around? The colour was originally considered just a kind of red.
im_dead_sirius · 4 points · Posted at 04:09:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Blorange is a hill in Wales!
Jechtael · 2 points · Posted at 03:44:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sporange.
throwaway9001ow · 2 points · Posted at 03:40:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
carnage
ironshadowdragon · 1 points · Posted at 05:21:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
lozenge
Iazo · 1 points · Posted at 10:28:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Uh...Door Hinge?
Fudgemanners · 43 points · Posted at 02:21:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can't get enough of this citrus shit man
52Hurtz · 30 points · Posted at 03:32:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
GOOD for you!
Did you know that the scurvy-preventing properties of citrus do not in fact come from citric acid, but ascorbic acid?
Don't forget plenty of vitamin "sea" on your next cruise!
Bloody_Smashing · 2 points · Posted at 03:37:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
http://s1.wheninmanila.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Maynilad-Toilet-4.jpg
Zoninus · 1 points · Posted at 11:10:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shprayed febreesh in my bathroom.
thedrew · 3 points · Posted at 03:11:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All navel oranges descend from a grove in Riverside, California. And that grove all descended from a single tree in Brazil.
speenatch · 2 points · Posted at 02:33:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you for subscribing to orange facts!
Did you know that the name of fruit came before the name of the colour? It's the same reason you'll see the names of Raspberry or Asparagus in Caryola colours, but it's unknown why Orange was the only fruit name to remain in the common vernacular.
Terpapps · 1 points · Posted at 05:18:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are now subscribed to Orange Facts!
DID YOU KNOW that oranges are a type of berry?
CraneRiver · 21 points · Posted at 02:21:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You have now been subscribed to citrus facts.
Caloricfoil98 · 3 points · Posted at 03:34:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This guy mandarins
rootoftruth · 1 points · Posted at 06:14:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Here's the thing...
Pakislav · 1 points · Posted at 09:19:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So this is why pomelos and mandarins are the best.
Insert_Gnome_Here · 1 points · Posted at 11:47:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
SUBSCRIBE the fuck to citrus facts!
beelzeflub · 55 points · Posted at 02:22:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo.
Nateiums · 55 points · Posted at 02:41:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Gesundheit.
ShinyHappyREM · 6 points · Posted at 05:08:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dankeschön.
Z_jamBoney · 1 points · Posted at 03:52:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
BAGUVIX
daweinah · 7 points · Posted at 03:29:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[spoiler]
Dallas buffalo that Dallas buffalo annoy, annoy Dallas buffalo that Dallas buffalo annoy.
"Dallas buffalo" as in buffalo from Dallas.
zarfytezz1 · 4 points · Posted at 08:43:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Buffalo buffalo, while Buffalo buffolo Buffolo buffolo buffolo had had "had," had had "had had." "Had had" had had a better impact on Buffalo buffalo Bufallo buffalo buffolo.
Tehbeefer · 7 points · Posted at 03:03:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
New York bullying victims also bully each other, and there's a racial component, got it.
snappyk9 · 3 points · Posted at 03:38:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like it needs punctuation though.
beelzeflub · 5 points · Posted at 03:43:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It wouldn't make sense though: it basically means "The buffalo from Buffalo that the Buffalo from buffalo annoy also annoy buffalo from Buffalo that the buffalo from Buffalo annoy. "
So punctuation is inaccurate. But I feel ya. If it were grammatically correct to have punctuation I would want it to be there because it's quite a string of silly words. It also helps if you hear it spoken with inflections
Buffalo is a weird word.
snappyk9 · 3 points · Posted at 03:47:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know what the sentence means but if you just used it casually in conversation without the pauses that punctuation can give you, it becomes difficult to track the meaning as it's spoken.
redpandaeater · 2 points · Posted at 05:12:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's kind of the point of a lot of them though, and why punctuation can be so important. James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a greater effect on the teacher is tough to understand or say properly unless you actually use all of the punctuation. James, while John had had "had," had had "had had;" "had had" had had a greater effect on the teacher. I imagine the Mandarin would be tough to follow if someone just spoke it in a similar vein even though it's super easy to read.
As an aside, I'm betting odd combinations of words such as "had had" must be weird for people learning English the first time they encounter it.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:07:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
beelzeflub · 3 points · Posted at 03:17:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope! it's applicable up to 11 iterations of "buffalo."
defanged_destroyer · 1 points · Posted at 12:07:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could you explain this or link for me? I keep doing it in my head and can only get to 10 buffalo.
byssinosis · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yo dog, I heard you like buffalo, so we put buffalo on your buffalo so you can buffalo while you buffalo!
ezprodigy · 97 points · Posted at 02:01:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
signaficantly less impressive, the mandarin shi story makes sense if u can read it, the buffalo story makes no sense other than the most technical term
CraneRiver · 35 points · Posted at 02:24:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are you saying that the buffalo that buffalo from Buffalo buffalo, don't actually buffalo other buffalo?
CraineTwo · 49 points · Posted at 02:20:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It makes grammatical sense. Is that what you mean?
ezprodigy · 51 points · Posted at 03:15:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
it makes sense in the sense that if you break it down appart and study it slowly u'll eventually realize it more one word at a time constantly repeating it. the Shi story you'll get it the first time you read it where as the buffalo quote just lookes like the same word repeating
Ouaouaron · 4 points · Posted at 03:32:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's easier to understand because it doesn't use true homophones, while the Buffalo sentence does.
redpandaeater · 1 points · Posted at 05:21:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think Brainfuck (which itself is an extension of P") has them all beat if we include programming languages. It has 8 commands so it's not like it's all one symbol or pronunciation, but you can extend it essentially into anything you want even if it's super inefficient. If you are familiar with the language it's still a brainfuck but possible to follow if you work it out. A simple "Hello World!" program can simply be written as:
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:29:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What? The buffalo sentence makes perfect sense "if u can read it".
Edit: oh but I'm not contesting that it's less impressive, if only due to the length difference
zxcv144 · 11 points · Posted at 03:11:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't need the Mandarin poem to be explained, it makes sense. "Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo" needs an actual explanation for most readers.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 20:04:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bull. The shi poem about a poet eating lions is written in classical Chinese, which was purely a literary (written) language and has grammatical constructs and vocabulary that are archaic or even unused in modern writing. No Mandarin speaker nowadays would understand it in writing without some guessing (and, of course, no Mandarin speaker ever would have been able to understand it intuitively upon hearing it read aloud, as intended; it was written to highlight that phasing hanzi out in favor of a traditional alphabet would make distinguishing between written homonyms nigh on impossible). As such, I think it's about on the same level as the buffalo poem, but far more impressive simply because the poet was able to squeeze that much more meaning out of shi1 through shi4.
[deleted] · 6 points · Posted at 02:33:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 12 points · Posted at 03:07:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well now I fully admit I'm just being contrarian, but I think the upper limit is 11:
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo.
Buffalo bison Buffalo bison bully bully Buffalo bison Buffalo bison bully.
This exhausts every possible positioning within the existing sentences framework of each of buffalo's three meanings, so that the only way to extend it further is by inserting "Buffalo bison bully" between any existing pairing of "bison" and "bully" ad infinitum. IMO it becomes cheating at this point because it creates an entirely new group of bison, whereas the previous extensions served only to provide information about existing buffalo (and it's gibberish for most people at 5 anyways, so that probably shouldn't be the defining metric).
Edit: just to clarify that paragraph, the base sentence is as follows:
buffalo buffalo buffalo.
Bison bully bison.
To which we add their birthplace to make it a tad more confusing:
[Buffalo] buffalo buffalo [Buffalo] buffalo.
[Buffalo] bison bully [Buffalo] bison.
This is the five-word sentence you're familiar with. Now we can say what's happening to the aggressors:
Buffalo buffalo [Buffalo buffalo buffalo] buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
Buffalo bison [Buffalo bison bully] bully Buffalo bison.
And mirror that info to apply it to the other group of bison:
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo [Buffalo buffalo buffalo].
Buffalo bison Buffalo bison bully bully Buffalo bison [Buffalo bison bully].
And here, at 11 words, we're stuck, because we've exhausted every possible descriptor of the original two buffalo from "buffalo buffalo buffalo".
redpandaeater · 2 points · Posted at 05:16:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's when you start talking about (Mark) Ruffalo's Buffalo buffalo buffalo.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 04:05:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 04:11:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah... I already said the shi poem was superior. I'm not even talking about the shi poem now - the only purpose of that entire comment was to show why 11 "buffalo"s is the reasonable limit for the buffalo sentence in English
RhynoD · 3 points · Posted at 03:36:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
You can do the same thing with "police".
Police police Police police police police Police police.
razerrr10k · 1 points · Posted at 04:32:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What?
RhynoD · 1 points · Posted at 12:56:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Buffalo is a place, an animal, and a verb meaning to bully.
Animals from New York (Buffalo buffalo) that other animals from New York bully (Buffalo buffalo buffalo) go on to bully more animals from New York (buffalo Buffalo buffalo).
Zagorath · 1 points · Posted at 06:17:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is better, because police is an actual verb in use, and not some weird thing that essentially only exists for the case of the sentence.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:28:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 03:30:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo
SailedBasilisk · 2 points · Posted at 03:33:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What about:
James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.
pHScale · 3 points · Posted at 04:10:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Useless without punctuation.
James, while John had had "had," had had "had had;" "had had" had had a better effect on the teacher.
nmrnmrnmr · 1 points · Posted at 03:19:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For buffaloes. Buffalo shoes. Buffalo worn.
pHScale · 1 points · Posted at 04:08:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If police police police, who police police police? Police police police police police police.
Meteorsw4rm · 83 points · Posted at 01:49:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair, that story wasn't written in Mandarin, it was written in Literary Chinese, and it reads just fine. Also, it was written to point out how ridiculous it was to still be using Literary Chinese as the written language for a people who spoke something so different from it.
[deleted] · 76 points · Posted at 02:23:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's not true. The reason Yuen Ren Chao wrote the poem was to argue against the romanisation of classical Chinese. Also, by the time that poem came into existence, literary Chinese had fallen into disuse in almost every occasion but the most formal; even before it, literary Chinese was only used for formal documents. We still had modern vernacular Chinese to use as the common written language. Additionally, while the story doesn't read well in Mandarin, it reads better in other languages (such as Taihu Wu.)
Meteorsw4rm · 5 points · Posted at 02:48:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm, I didn't realize it was written in 1930, I thought it was earlier, around 1910.
Also the information on the poem available on the web is hot garbage.
It's not surprising it reads more logically in other Chinese languages - Mandarin has a much higher degree of homophones than most of the others, and it was intended to be homophonic in Mandarin. It's interesting that it's not really written in Mandarin - it's unintelligible - but that the conceit of the poem only works in the context of Mandarin.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 02:53:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh agreed. There are a lot of myths surrounding the poem. However, the most common claim is that Yuan Ren Chao was against the romanisation of Chinese, which is untrue; he created a romanisation scheme for modern Chinese after all. Yours was a different claim but it wouldn't make sense given the time period.
De_Vermis_Mysteriis · 2 points · Posted at 02:40:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I learned something new today. Thank you.
pHScale · 2 points · Posted at 04:07:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Exactly, though that particular example is more of a tongue twister.
Chinese has a ton of word play, being a tonal, analytic language. It would certainly be conceivable to come up with homophones for "I AM LORD VOLDEMORT" or "wo shi fu di mo" in any order and combination of tones to make a Chinese pseudo anagram.
However, on the flip side, are Chinese dialects. At this point, it may be better to call them languages, as related to each other as French and Spanish are. But unlike French and Spanish, Chinese is written in such a way that pronunciation can shift without the writing shifting at all. If Latin had a similarly pictorial system of writing, it could very well be that eau in French and agua in Spanish would be written as something like 水. Both "Latin dialects" would read their character and understand it's meaning, but they'd pronounce it very differently. This happens with the dialects of Chinese. So wordplay may not work as nicely as it would for a strictly Mandarin-speaking audience.
elboltonero · 3 points · Posted at 01:14:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And shishi, don't forget!
ConsiderOtherwise · 1 points · Posted at 04:08:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shi Shi Shiiit
Not_A_Facehugger · 1 points · Posted at 04:11:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love the 是 poem
Top-Cheese · 1 points · Posted at 05:04:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
t
rab777hp · 1 points · Posted at 05:38:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's Classical Chinese- in standard mandarin (putonghua) that poem has a lot of different syllables
30-xv · 581 points · Posted at 23:01:10 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
I hate foot notes since I was reading the first tome of Dragon Ball, and like in every joke and world-play they put footnotes to explain it because it doesn't work from Japanese to French or English to French.
supafly_ · 1021 points · Posted at 23:47:51 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/037/923/keikaku.jpg
[deleted] · 381 points · Posted at 01:26:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
deleted What is this?
TheyAreBlooing · 705 points · Posted at 01:42:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think the other reply is correct. The translator originally subbed the dialogue as "All according to keikaku" with the TL note and it turned into a meme. It wasn't an inside joke, just a bad translation.
The translation got mocked because it demonstrated a problem with subs at the time preferring Japanese words over English ones to a ridiculous extent.
EDIT: It started as a meme. Sorry for the false info!
Mahou · 60 points · Posted at 02:02:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't watch much anime, but I have seen examples of this. I studied Japanese some years ago and I find I kinda like the forced vocabulary lesson when I encounter it.
I assume they're students too, trying to pick out what's important and not, and sometimes get excited over a certain word, thinking it carries more importance than someone who hasn't studied any of it and doesn't care (ie, most people).
Roflkopt3r · 7 points · Posted at 07:18:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
From what I've seen most anime fansubs do a really good job though.
I believe that keeping the honorifics has worked out very well on the large scale, and they often make good choices when it comes what to translate and what to keep. Things like names of people and places or very fantasy universe-specific terms get translated way too often in official versions and end up sounding silly in my opinion.
As a German the most terrible example I know is an English/German one though. Warcraft translated is absolutely horrible. Names like "Frostmourne" or "Doomhammer" do not well in translation. Sure they look like they should be translated because they have clear translatable meanings, but they were also created with a certain flow or sound in mind. Translations like "Frostgram" or "Schicksalshammer" just sound terrible (and lose critical connotation - "Doom" is bad fate/demise/ruin, but "Schicksal" just means fate/destiny/fortune). Sometimes less translation works out for the better.
SirZammerz · 2 points · Posted at 12:21:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Frostgram doesn't sound too bad tho..
BadAdviceBot · 51 points · Posted at 02:03:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's the English translation of "Datebayo"?
PirateRaine · 134 points · Posted at 02:17:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Dattebayo" is essentially just emphasis. You'll sometimes see it as "believe it" which is dumb to put in every time Naruto said it. When we subbed, we just ignored it.
llamaAPI · 39 points · Posted at 02:27:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Please expand on that. How can such a long word mean nothing? Emphasis? Like "!"?
zanraptora · 168 points · Posted at 02:38:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In english, we would use more contexual wording than in the japanese.
Dattebayo would be conveyed by "...You know", "...ya hear me", "...Understand"
The meaning it conveys is "I am demanding your attention without proper respect for your station."
Animastryfe · 145 points · Posted at 03:18:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I now wish this phrase was said every time in the English translation.
volatile_ant · 4 points · Posted at 04:07:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Haha, I am going to use this at work!
SailedBasilisk · 7 points · Posted at 03:35:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeeaah, booiyeee!
funnytoss · 1 points · Posted at 04:53:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's surprisingly accurate, actually
OnlyRoke · 2 points · Posted at 07:11:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"..ya dig?!" 👌
metabug · 2 points · Posted at 08:54:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So, Nah'mean.
PirateRaine · 71 points · Posted at 02:45:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It doesn't mean nothing, not exactly. In Naruto's case, it's a tagline/saying that's used when he strongly means what he's saying. Like in all languages, there are sometimes things that don't translate exactly, or have no real translation into English because they are concepts, not just individual words.
Keep in mind, I'm not a translator, but an editor. Japanese can be especially complicated. I've had lines come through where the tl basically said "Yeah, all the actual parts of the sentence that mean anything are missing, but this is what they're saying." It's a rough equivalent to removing nouns and verbs from an English sentence. There's still something there, but it doesn't really say anything.
When it came to Naruto, and he used dattebayo in a line, we generally ignored it, aside from maybe choosing words to add a little more strength/emphasis to what he was saying. The context and the line delivery usually gave it the punch it needed without us adding anything in. (e.g. "I'll bring Sasuke back, believe it!" We might have flavored it by adding "definitely" or "I swear I'll bring Sasuke back!")
llamaAPI · 7 points · Posted at 02:56:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you for you answer. What if an entire text bubble was just that word. How would it translate?
PirateRaine · 5 points · Posted at 03:03:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am trying to think of that ever happened (in the anime; we didn't do manga) and can't think of any instances. On its own, it doesn't have much meaning. But, if it did, we would have looked at the context. What is the conversation about? What is the intent of the answer? Then we would have just used something in English that fit the length of the line and made sense in context.
SerbianShitStain · 1 points · Posted at 04:42:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"dattebayo" by itself means absolutely nothing; it modifies the feeling of the sentence that it's attached to. So what that text bubble would contain would basically be entirely up to the translator and what fits the sentence's meaning the best, which is how we got "Believe it!" in the anime.
This post explains it well.
zachwad22 · 1 points · Posted at 06:27:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See here
possibleanswer · 5 points · Posted at 02:51:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But does it have a literal meaning? (even if it's one that doesn't sound right in english?)
Aretii · 16 points · Posted at 03:00:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Let me quote a really good stackexchange answer:
Basically: Japanese has a number of auxiliary words that don't really correspond to what we think of as parts of speech in English, but rather mark your sentence in different ways, some formal/polite, some informal/immature (metadata, basically). Rolling your own is possible and comprehensible, but weird.
possibleanswer · 1 points · Posted at 05:54:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Man, Japanese is an odd language, I wonder how it got so idiosyncratic? Even compared to Chinese it has so many weird features.
N3sh108 · 3 points · Posted at 04:12:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Da, te, ba, yo are extra sounds added at the end of a sentence to add emphasis.
They don't have 1 single meaning connected to them as it depends on what you said before. You also have particles like 'ne', which is not part of Naruto's motto but also gives emphasis.
Imagine it as a silly personal made-up word from a kid who wants to give maximum emphasis to what he just said.
HeavenPiercingMan · 1 points · Posted at 04:57:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"ne" is more like "isn't it?" though.
MeateaW · 1 points · Posted at 04:52:11 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
The way I'm thinking about it, is kind of like the noises you might make to add emphasis to your sentence, but then portmanteau'ed into one long word.
Kind of like: "eh" in Canadian, appended onto "yeah" and other words like it (woohoo etc)
See what I did eh? I'm so great! Yeah Were the best woohoo!
I'm the best ninja yeaahehooo!
Dattebeyo from these description sounds more like general emphasis noises like grunts etc, all jammed together.
zachwad22 · 3 points · Posted at 06:12:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This explains it about as well as can be done. None of the individual elements have a real English translation. [In very simple terms] "da" is the copula), -tte is a way of saying that the words before are to be taken as part of a quotation, the "ba" part makes you sound annoyed, concerned or shitty, and the "yo" makes it emphatic. -tteba alone would make a sentence sound like "hey, I said" and the yo turns the whole thing into just a kid being cocky.
It might be easier to think of the last two parts like tone of voice or inflection rather than actual words.
PirateRaine · 2 points · Posted at 02:59:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The one we heard most often was "believe it." Whether or not that's accurate is up for debate because there's no real literal translation. Nearly any phrase used for emphasis would be appropriate to use.
HeavenPiercingMan · 2 points · Posted at 03:16:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To give more context to the long reply you got, "daze" is used in Pokemon for the Japanese equivalent of "gotta catch 'em all": "Pokemon, getto daze!" It means "[I'm gonna/You gotta/I just did] get the Pokemon!" with a strong, determined nuance.
SerbianShitStain · 4 points · Posted at 04:49:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Whoever came up with "Gotta catch 'em all" did a great job. It captures not only the meaning but also the connotation of the original Japanese so damn well. Definitely surprising given how generally awful translations were back then.
Aethermancer · 15 points · Posted at 02:37:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sho'nuff.
j4yne · 1 points · Posted at 02:59:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, for pete's sake....
possibleanswer · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah but that does have a literal meaning, even if it has a connotation beyond that literal meaning.
scatterbrain-d · 5 points · Posted at 02:44:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I like to translate it as "I'm Naruto and I approve this message!"
AppleDane · 3 points · Posted at 04:15:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A good example is Trump. He uses "belive me" and "big league" ("bigly") in the same manner. It's just automatic filler, like "y'know." or whatever.
Zeig9 · 3 points · Posted at 03:14:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I only took a couple semesters of Japanese so this might be a poor explanation, but here goes:
Japanese has several sentence ending particles like か(ka), ね(ne), and よ(yo), that modify what's being said. Here's a sample sentence:
おいしいです。 Oishii(delicious) desu(to be). It is delicious.
If you end the sentence with か, it's a question.
Ex: おいしいですか。 Oishii desu ka? Is it delicious?
If you end the sentence with ね, it's like asking for agreement from the listener.
Ex: おいしいですね。 Oishii desu ne. It's delicious, isn't it?
If you end the sentence with よ, it's a more emphatic assertion to the listener.
Ex: おいしいですよ。 Oishii desu yo. It's delicious you know.
There are more that are less common, but you get the picture.
Dattebayo (だってばよ） is essentially several of those sentence ending particles, all which add emphasis, mashed together. It's supposed to sound really childish and impolite. No one actually talks like that. The closest you might hear would be something like だよ (dayo), だ being the casual form of です, and よ being used like above.
llamaAPI · 1 points · Posted at 03:26:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you for this detailed response.
To me those particles make sense as a language feature, but isn't it weird how long dattebayo is? Or are there other particles of similar length?
Zeig9 · 1 points · Posted at 03:34:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dattebayo being weird is kind of the point. It's supposed to sound really childish and improper. Someone else compared it to saying something like "most bestest greatest ever!" and I think that's a good comparison.
sillvrdollr · 3 points · Posted at 03:41:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The "datte" can be analogous to starting with "I'm telling you," and the "BA" adds some flavor, and the "yo " means you're stating a fact that you're confident about
Edit: typo
Flaydowsk · 3 points · Posted at 04:09:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The best example for an english equivalent would be the "...ya know".
For example:
That was a very silly movie ya know. There was no point in having the protagonist die for her, ya know?
The words there are totally useless. It does convey an idea but are more of a speech crutch than other thing. Like some black people throw "yo" around their sentences for no good reason.
wadss · 2 points · Posted at 05:24:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
it happens regularly in english too. its like how politicians LOVE to start their sentences with "listen" in attempt to grab your attention, its like that.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:00:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You can say the same about so or very etc
UltimateShingo · 3 points · Posted at 02:50:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Many languages have fluff words or phrases that work in that way.
In German, "dattebayo" got translated to "echt jetzt", which could be translated to "for real". You probably know someone that uses this way too often.
The french people have the word "Alors", that just seems to be stuffed into sentences as well. It's by no means uncommon, but in the original "Naruto" anime, maybe in the manga but I never read that, many important-ish characters have some phrase they utter quite often, like Shikamaru's "How Annoying". It's just that Naruto's phrase seems to have no proper meaning beyond fluff.
Aethermancer · 1 points · Posted at 02:37:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylCvCwn9OG8
Should have used Sho'nuff
Mecha_G · 1 points · Posted at 03:40:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think it was just a way to fill in mouth flaps.
namesrhardtothinkof · 1 points · Posted at 04:56:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hahaha I'd like you to know that I heard the English VA yelling "believe it!" at me from across the decade as I read that explanation
paranormal_penguin · 5 points · Posted at 02:26:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
From my understanding, it's kinda just an affirmation. Kinda like saying "ya know".
Suddenlyfoxes · 5 points · Posted at 02:32:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a verbal tic that has no specific translation.
-tteba is basically emphasis or insistence, in a somewhat childish manner. -yo is also emphasis, in a very blatant (and therefore often brusque by Japanese standards) manner. Macho characters often use -yo a lot.
So -ttebayo is a lot of emphasis, while also being a verbal tic. A similar tic Westerners might be familiar with is the cartoonish gangster who uses "See?" at the end of every sentence, though it's not quite the same. It's more assertive than that.
"Believe it" is probably as good a translation as any, in fact.
anothergaijin · 1 points · Posted at 04:43:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This. It's like an accent - it gives him a very distinct speaking style that is non-standard and a little bit stupid, which helps emphasize the disconnect between his character and the people around him.
These sorts of things are lost in the subs/dubs in the same way that English accents are used to highlight differences in class or background.
Suddenlyfoxes · 2 points · Posted at 05:01:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Pretty much, although it's an artificial construct. You wouldn't find people actually talking that way.
It's been pretty common in anime for a while to give characters a unique particle-like ending for their sentences. Sometimes they're things you might actually hear (although not every sentence) such as -nano, which is roughly "definitely," or -noda, which is roughly "y'know."
Other times, it's just to be cute, like having a female character use -nyo or -pyo or any number of variations of nonsense syllable tics. Occasionally it's to be funny; I think it was Hellsing that had a character who was a Bruce Willis parody who ended sentences with -wirisu.
GoldenMechaTiger · 1 points · Posted at 02:14:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nothing.
soothinglyderanged · 1 points · Posted at 02:36:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Enjoy: Dattebayo
jaysn · 1 points · Posted at 04:22:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"nawmsayn"
well_bang_okay · 166 points · Posted at 01:46:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
fan subs are retarded about that
Vineyard_ · 239 points · Posted at 01:56:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bad fansubs are retarded, but most are fine.
DroolingIguana · 153 points · Posted at 02:01:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The "mass naked child" version is the accurate one, right?
Vineyard_ · 34 points · Posted at 02:48:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Absolutely.
upsidedownshaggy · 48 points · Posted at 02:02:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean it really depends on whether or not the translator is being super literal with the translates, or just using google translate. When I was taking a Japanese language class in high school they mentioned how most of the literal translations were kind of off when it comes to English so you really have to pay attention to context and vocab.
[deleted] · 103 points · Posted at 02:31:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
SailedBasilisk · 9 points · Posted at 03:44:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or for Ghost Stories, which proves that this is not always a bad thing.
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:54:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ghost Stories is a bit special, also the DVD includes a more literal translation.
But usually it's a bad thing, especially because the actual translation never gets included with anything.
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 08:50:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For those who don't know.
It's called a gag dub by the way.
thedrew · 68 points · Posted at 03:08:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
English has registers, we just generally skew casual:
President of the United States
Mr. President
The Hon. Donald J. Trump
Mr. Trump
Donald Trump
Donald
Don
Donny
Shithead
[deleted] · 10 points · Posted at 03:25:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Exactly. In casual conversation we refer to our PM (Canada) as "Trudeau", meanwhile, if you watch any kind of shit in parliament, it's usually "Right Honourable Justin Trudeau" or "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau" when the speaker is referring to JT.
[deleted] · 10 points · Posted at 03:30:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
zanotam · 1 points · Posted at 10:17:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't really mind if they keep honorifics and that stuff now... although it can get a little confusing like reading a new epic fantasy series except isntead of 15 names and 15 characters you have 15 names and like 5 characters....
Doctursea · 2 points · Posted at 04:37:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not while feeling natural when talking with a Peer. If you translate them calling their class mate Mr. Uchiha > Mr. Sasuke > Sasuke like they kinda are, is weird. There are even other honorifics meaning different things
thedrew · 2 points · Posted at 14:55:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's easily done in English with full name, first name, nickname, and diminutive, all convey a different level of familiarity. But you must change the characters names or get very creative. Both don't sit well with audiences.
An introduction between two youth peers would use full names, but because they are assumed to be of the same status they will immediately assume to address one another by first name. "Michael?" "Please call me Mike." Conveys the same mechanics of relationship as dropping "~san" it's just done differently in English.
Giving a pet name "sweetie" "babe" or a diminutive "Mikey" further conveys intimacy.
If the character relationship evolving is fundamental to the plot, it's translatable with some effort. But if it is weekly an element of the story and the story can still be told without it, I think dropping it, or providing a translator note is fine.
Doctursea · 1 points · Posted at 15:07:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah I am definitely in the group that drops the thing all together in translation. Makes it awkward and I don't really watch many shows where it matters ( like slice of life's ).
I do think that in subtitles it's better to just include honorifics, to me doesn't seem important to localize in subs. It also reduces any need for TL notes,
DK_Pooter · 1 points · Posted at 04:00:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Turd sandwich
Tehbeefer · 22 points · Posted at 02:56:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, maybe it's due to the strong German influence in America, but calling someone by their first name rather than last is/used to be a similar social dynamic.
[deleted] · 6 points · Posted at 03:12:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
funildodeus · 3 points · Posted at 05:41:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then they can write in that it IS his nickname and the use of the first name implies a closeness. Or, if it's a sport or other team thing, it's not uncommon for American kids to refer to each other by their last names. Using a first name would imply a closeness outside of the team. Gotta be creative.
NadyaNayme · 3 points · Posted at 05:45:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sports is a good one! I can't help but think last names are used because last names are often on the uniforms or because the coach usually uses last names because that's what comes first on the roster (usually).
But still a good example! And one where kids might actually refer to one another using their last names even. So you met my criteria. :P
thrassoss · 2 points · Posted at 09:24:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is actually super common in the military. Most people of equal-ish rank refer to each other by their last name. People only really ever use first names if they are both friends and in private or after-work actively trying to be 'non-military'.
Doctursea · 2 points · Posted at 04:42:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's because when America moved from the UK we felt that Mr. and Mrs. was really classist, and so everyone should be a Mister and a Missus (sounded cooler). Those terms use to be only for Gentlemen and Ladys, which we actual titles you'd receive for certain actions. Turns out a lot of people like that after a lot of the Revolutions that happened and it became more normal. Everyone should be equal.
It now makes honorifics a very alien concept for English.
JakalDX · 6 points · Posted at 03:21:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the past I think this was an issue, but at this point most people are familiar enough with Japanese honorifics that I believe leaving the honorifics in the translation are the right call. With some of the weirder ones like "dono" and "ya", it might be worth an initial explanation, but trying to translate them just ends up worse off. Leaving out a "sama" can lose a lot of meaning, but you can't exactly translate it either.
I guess it's ultimately situational.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:26:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Zoninus · 1 points · Posted at 11:24:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wouldn't say so. I learned "-san" and "-sama" when playing Shenmue (they kept the honorifics in the translation) and learned by the context of it when they're appropriate and what they roughly mean, even though they were never explained in the game.
NadyaNayme · 2 points · Posted at 16:58:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can almost guarantee your understanding of "-san" is not accurate. But probably "good enough" though. "-sama" on the other hand is pretty straight forward and I could see people learning that one pretty accurately through context.
Honorifics are tricky.
JakalDX · 1 points · Posted at 03:32:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And yet i doubt most of the memers could actually tell you what sempai means. I wonder what they'd think if they got a job in Japan and their coworkers insisted they be called sempai, considering it's been turned into this "cutesy anime girl" thing.
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:40:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're not wrong.
subarmoomilk · 4 points · Posted at 02:51:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
reddit is addicting
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:21:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I may have meant given name. /shrugs
Nicknames are their own level of familiarity in Japanese though.
小室さん ー＞葉子さんー＞葉子ー＞葉子ちゃんー＞ ココ (honestly 葉子 doesn't need a nickname, so let's pretend she's lazy and loves to sign her artwork as ココ due to how easy it is to write, so her close friends call her that) --> ココちゃん～
English just doesn't have that many levels.
subarmoomilk · 1 points · Posted at 04:41:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
reddit is addicting
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 04:52:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You missed the ココちゃん after ココ which would be the same nickname "MJ" but a level more intimate.
Another poster brought up the argument of "another nickname" and used a mother's nickname for their child as an endearing nickname being similar, which I suppose is as close as English will get. So you'd get something like "MJ (my) baby, what's happening?"
HeavenPiercingMan · 4 points · Posted at 03:29:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Reminds me of Digimon Tamers which is even worse. The main character Takato calls Juri Katou, the girl he likes "Katou-san" all the time, even in the last episode where he's rescuing her from the Lovecraftian final boss. In the West, you'd never use such polite wording to talk to a close friend, classmate and part of your social circle you're also having a crush on. How the hell do you sub that? Bad fansubs either keep the honorific wording, or worse, go through the by-the-1st-year-book motions and call her "Ms Katou"... I just went "fuck it, I'll localize it" and did the same as the dub: I subbed every instance as "Juri".
Cheesemacher · 2 points · Posted at 09:15:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think it's bad to leave the honorifics in if you're subbing for a weeb audience that is somewhat familiar with Japanese culture and so the suffixes make intuitive sense.
Bears_On_Stilts · 6 points · Posted at 04:19:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A good translation of War and Peace will show this kind of code switching as well- note who refers to the characters by their European versus Russian names, and when.
upsidedownshaggy · 3 points · Posted at 02:47:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean I totally understand, Japanese is a really interesting language and has a lot of unique quirks to it that make it a fun challenge to learn. I get that are instances where there are no literal translations for certain things, like you said 'さん' is used to show that you're being polite when talking to someone, or the conversions of 'る' (the casual form) to ます (the polite form). That kind of thing used to catch me all the time when taking tests and I'd have to re read a sentence to make sure I had read it right as our teacher would just drop in the casual versions of stuff that we'd never really gone over to try to trip us up.
NadyaNayme · 3 points · Posted at 03:06:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Translating subtle things, references, and jokes is extremely difficult unless the target language happens to have a very similar phrase.
皆の嫌い月の名前は何ですか？ (What is the name of the moon nobody likes?)
嘘月 (A liar.)
Or even a basic time pun:
猫「今ニャニャ時です」と言う
I love Japanese wordplay, it's just a shame it's so bloody difficult to translate! You usually need to give up and go with a similar saying or similar-in-style joke.
TL;DR - I'm the guy littering TL Notes throughout the subs. I'm sorry.
alexmikli · 9 points · Posted at 03:15:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And sometimes the people who make dubs are politically motivated and fuck up the whole story just to not translate certain things. Especially prevalent with 90's Anime removing sexual references and a recent bout with throwing in weird references to gamergate or the patriarchy. Most egregarious is probably Sailor moon since they had to basically remove the entire last season in the Toonami release because there was no way to write around the lesbian relationship.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 03:40:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think it was more the transgender transformations for Stars. They worked around Michiru and Haruka's relationship by making them cousins (because that totally made their relationship seem way more normal), so clearly they were willing to get creative to avoid referencing lesbians, but it's kinda hard to change some dialogue or cut a few scenes to avoid showing crucial characters turning from men into women.
SeekerofAlice · 2 points · Posted at 04:21:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
they ruined dragon maid with this crap, i notice it happens more with fanservice or moe characters... i wonder if its the writers or the VAs that make dumb changes like that.
ShinyHappyREM · 2 points · Posted at 05:21:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think VAs would have that level of influence.
I_am_Norwegian · 7 points · Posted at 03:41:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honorifics are pretty easy to pick up on though. They don't really need translations.
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:48:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I vehemently disagree that most people pick up on honorifics changing or being dropped unless they have some degree of familiarity with the language.
They might understand 田中先生 as "Teacher Tanaka" just fine but going from 名前さん to 名前 wouldn't even be noticed, especially if the subtitles just puts "名前" without the honorific each time, but even if the subtitles kept it as "Name-honorific" the lack of an honorific would probably go unnoticed by most viewers.
They might have an idea of how ~さん, ～くん, ~ちゃん, ~せんせい, and maybe even ~さま are used but it's a vague notion at best.
I_am_Norwegian · 4 points · Posted at 04:04:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Of course you need some familiarity with the language. I'm saying that it's not hard to pick up on when you're in the process of familiarizing yourself with the language. Even if you never look it up, context should clue you in eventually.
javalorum · 2 points · Posted at 03:43:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm ... why not just make up a nick name then? Isn't that what English speaking people do? Translation is hard sometimes, but I have never had trouble with names. This is one thing that many languages have in common (formal names, first/last names, nick names).
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:54:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See my other reply to someone else, but nicknames are their own level of formality and even nicknames can have two levels of formality.
It's like trying to squeeze 7 levels into 4. You're going to have to give up 3 levels no matter what.
javalorum · 1 points · Posted at 04:12:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But how would that be a problem? You can create as many nick names in English too, can't you? Look at how many names Dudley Dursley gets called. It may not be as common, the translator just needs to make it understandable. For example, the many nicknames of Dudley, if I was to translate it into Chinese, would just be phonetic word play on Dudley (all looking similar enough to the original translation of Dudley) then when his mom is especially happy, add a few typical Chinese characters used for babies. They may or may not sound like Duddydums or Dudleykins but I don't think any reader would mind.
Vio_ · 2 points · Posted at 04:26:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's actually not true. English even a few decades had big changes from using formal and titles for people between social classes and friends to using first names or "Christian" names. Using first names was a very telling sign of closeness. One of my favorite small stories on this was between Michael Ventris and a friend of his for multiple years. After Ventris deciphered linear B, his friend wrote him a lovely letter congratulating him and ending it with "Since we have been friends together for so long, perhaps it is now time to use our Christian names."
NadyaNayme · 2 points · Posted at 04:30:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not a single person has illustrated this among kids or teens always adult --> adult or person --> person of authority/prestige which is my point. It exists, but only once you enter into a certain context and level of professionalism (even between professionals who are friends/coworkers), which is what your example is of.
I'd call my new boss "Mr. Boss" until I was close enough to him to call him "Jerry". I call my grandmother's friend (a close family friend) "Mrs. {LastName}" still, but that goes back to the dynamic thing: she's not my peer.
Now find me an example of a 12 year old who uses a friend's last name and doesn't only use titles when referring to adults. That's my point, kids don't do that level of formality in English among their peers.
blaghart · 1 points · Posted at 03:44:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Uh, you can totally do the "switching from using someone's family name to their name" bit in english, people do it all the time to show precisely how close people have become.
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 03:52:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I used it for my friends' parents and maybe a new boss. {Title} {Last Name} is common for people a generation before you and positions of authority and nobody fucking else.
I've never heard it used among peers. None of my coworkers refer to each other as Mr/Mrs even if they're unfamiliar with one another and from different departments. If anything it's used as a joke like "Mr. {First Name} {Nickname} {Last Name}"
I'd love to hear other people's experiences in school because across 20~ different states I've never heard of peers talking to each other like that.
RockLeethal · 1 points · Posted at 04:29:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
still salty about fates localization
Shanicpower · 1 points · Posted at 09:43:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think any kind of localization could have saved that writing.
RockLeethal · 1 points · Posted at 18:42:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
While I agree that the writing and story are one of the worst things to grace the series, there are a lot of things that Treehouse shouldn't have done, that they did anyway.
HSD_Buster · 1 points · Posted at 18:43:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I agree FREIND
HSD_Buster · 1 points · Posted at 18:43:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
100% you are in the RIGHT so lethal
Shanicpower · 1 points · Posted at 18:53:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like what?
RockLeethal · 1 points · Posted at 18:57:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Idk I haven't played the game in a while, but I do remember that when I was playing there were a lot of things I was seeing and posts about it.
Shanicpower · 1 points · Posted at 19:01:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's kinda hard to agree that the localization was terrible if there are no examples. Not saying you're right or wrong, just that every time someone yells "TREEHOUSE RUINED FATES!!!" they never seem to give a good example.
RockLeethal · 2 points · Posted at 19:06:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah I'm aware, I just kind of don't really care about it anymore, I can't be bothered to look through what made me so angry over a year ago.
princess--flowers · 1 points · Posted at 11:23:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think in that case I'd have them start calling her by her full first name, then switch to a nickname. Even if I had to make a full name up. The first episode she'd say "My name's Yoko" to the main character, but I'd translate her friends calling her Yoki or Yoqiita or whatever nickname structure based on the language I was translating to. When the character switched from Yoko-san to Yoko, Is have him switch from Yoko to Yoquita.
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 17:00:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Now what happens when they switch from Yoko to Koko as a nickname? Do you give a new nickname from "Yoquita" since you skipped a step to provide her a nickname?
Now what happens when they switch from "Koko" to "Koko-chan"? Do you create yet another nickname?
Is going nickname->nickname->nickname going to be more or less confusing to your target audience?
princess--flowers · 1 points · Posted at 17:13:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yoki is the English nickname, Yoquita is a Spanish nickname, idk how nicknames form in other languages
NadyaNayme · 1 points · Posted at 17:31:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I meant you switched to translating as a nickname because an honorific was dropped.
Now what do you switch to when they switch from having dropped the honorific to using a nickname? Do you change to a new nickname?
Now what about when they switch from a nickname to a nickname with the "-chan" honorific? Do you switch to another nickname?
TTEH3 · 4 points · Posted at 02:34:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This applies to every language, though, and not even necessarily moreso to Japanese.
UltimateShingo · 1 points · Posted at 02:51:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some dubs are even more retarded.
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 08:56:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
More like amazing.
Razmatti · -6 points · Posted at 02:13:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unfortunately fansubs are mostly dead now. Now we get licensed subs littered with name order reversal, extremely liberal translations, and healthy doses of Americanization. I've been watching a ridiculous amount of anime for about a decade now, and I can easily say this is the worst time ever for quality translations.
I think something like 20% of the licensed subs I watch are somewhere between okay and great. The rest range from garbage to cancer, with Amazon raising the standards on just how awful subs can be. It sucks.
It's like one shitty company 30 years ago committed some atrocities in their subs (reversed name order is as idiotic as it gets, as is translating nicknames, etc.), and they all keep the garbage streak alive because people have grown to expect it.
Imagine how amazing anime would be today if that first company hadn't been utter shit. Darkest fucking timeline, man.
Edit: "Oh shit! A guy who has standards for anime! Let's downvote him and call him names!"
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:34:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
this is a very strange thing to complain about
TheyAreBlooing · 5 points · Posted at 02:49:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a valid argument in some cases. In Japan, referring to one by their first name indicates a close relationship. Some shows use this as a way to demonstrate the dynamic between certain characters. For instance, someone might begin referring to another using their first name instead of their family name to show respect or cross the line from stranger to friend. If subs ignore this, you lose this added layer of storytelling.
Animastryfe · 4 points · Posted at 03:20:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, I think the other poster is referring to "first name last name" rather than "last name first name". As in, the English subtitles have "Haruhi Suzumiya" rather than "Suzumiya Haruhi".
Razmatti · 6 points · Posted at 02:46:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Most words in anime are completely different from their English translations. Hearing a bunch of random Japanese words and reading completely different English words isn't jarring in any way. Names aren't like that. Jim and Jones will always be subtitled as Jim and Jones (ignoring the most cancerous of translators who actually translate character names, like in Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! which I watched recently).
When you hear "Jim Jones" and read "Jones Jim," it's jarring. There's a disconnect there that, at least for me, kills my immersion and pulls me out of the show. It's the same effect as when a character says something like "nice play" and it's translated into "great catch," because, you know, translators gotta translate. Can't let those English words just stay in English, right?
Aside from that, it serves no good purpose. The argument for reversing name order (avoiding potential confusion) is horrible. Their nightmare scenario where someone becomes confused by a character saying "Saitou Itaru" instead of "Itaru Saitou" never happens. The reverse, people getting confused because names are obviously being reversed, is an actual thing. Name order reversal is idiocy done originally for a terrible reason, and now for the even more terrible reason of tradition.
madsci · 3 points · Posted at 03:08:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I have the name reversal problem in email. I deal with suppliers and customers in Asia all the time, and I often don't know if they've already reversed their name order for my sake. If they give 'Li' first I can be pretty sure they didn't, and if they say their name is Doris I know they've picked a Western name (or are actually a septuagenarian expat from the Midwest) but beyond that I never know.
Mulligans_double · -3 points · Posted at 02:21:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Weeb
UW_Unknown_Warrior · 404 points · Posted at 01:59:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They sometimes have fun with it.
[deleted] · 51 points · Posted at 02:03:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
quality a material
twodogsfighting · 18 points · Posted at 02:19:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't see anything wrong with that.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:21:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm sure that's funny to a lot of people, but I'd just be annoyed if I'm trying to legit watch the subbed anime =/.
Xaccus · 13 points · Posted at 04:21:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Pretty sure that was just an after edit for jokes and not the actual on screen sub
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 05:04:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Derp. That would make a lot more sense
ObinRson · 1 points · Posted at 02:59:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Where can I find more of this.
aderde · 7 points · Posted at 03:13:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Generally, [gg] subs will do shit like this and it's great (or terrible depending on how serious you are about anime).
ObinRson · 8 points · Posted at 03:22:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm a very baked adult whose only experience with anime is DBZ, Pokemon, Gundam and I think I watched all of Cowboy Bebop once.
I find these translation images to be god damned hilarious.
blaghart · 2 points · Posted at 03:45:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Watch One Punch Man subbed. It doesn't matter who subs it, they're all great.
Niethe · 2 points · Posted at 03:48:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Amen
ShinyHappyREM · 1 points · Posted at 05:32:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/1A5mM9j54zA
thirdegree · 15 points · Posted at 03:20:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The good news is that people that are serious about anime are not to be taken seriously.
Kered13 · 2 points · Posted at 08:45:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Commie will sometimes have fun with the subs too, especially when they don't like the show.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 05:03:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
rip gg subs
RockLeethal · 0 points · Posted at 04:30:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
looks like /a/ fansubs
PandavengerX · 38 points · Posted at 01:54:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Depends on what groups. There's also groups notorious for translating everything into English (honorifics, itadakimasu, etc), which usually has the same effect as excessive Japanese.
k5josh · 124 points · Posted at 02:18:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See here for a handy comparison guide!
PandavengerX · 26 points · Posted at 02:31:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's exactly what I was thinking of! Crunchyroll has pretty bad encoding nowadays but at least they don't (usually) fuck up too badly with the subs. Asenshi did an amazing job with LWA though, substantially better than the official subs in less time too.
RigasUT · 3 points · Posted at 08:02:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm sorry, but having watched all 3 seasons of Haikyuu subbed by Crunchyroll, I have to say that their subs leave a lot to be desired. The main problem is that they write the subs without considering what is actually heard by the viewers. As a result, there's often a disconnection between what you actually hear and what is written on the subtitles, making scenes feel awkward.
Xalteox · 13 points · Posted at 02:35:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah yes, 4Kids.
Thank god they went bankrupt.
theunnoanprojec · 21 points · Posted at 03:13:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It took me until very very recently while watching yugioh the abridged series again that in the 4kids dub of YuGiOh they totally made up the shadow realm. That in the original anime they just said that the characters are dead.
Xalteox · 13 points · Posted at 03:18:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can't say I have watched too much Yu Gi Oh, but that is honestly the first time I have heard of that. Just another ridiculous thing 4Kids has done I guess.
Though to be honest, death by Children's Card Games is ridiculous enough to have made me not second guess that people go to the shadow realm instead of dying.
theunnoanprojec · 10 points · Posted at 03:22:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It was something to do with the fact they couldn't show death or whatever, so they said their spirits were sent to another dimension.
Honestly though, as much as I loved it at the time, yugioh was fucking ridiculous. But that's part of why it's so good, it's a crazy ass concept that is played totally, 100% serious and straight. And it's also part of why I love the abridged series.
Tasgall · 3 points · Posted at 08:31:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And that's why I wish this wasn't just a one off...
theunnoanprojec · 2 points · Posted at 09:21:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy shit that was amazing.
They totally used some yugioh music too hahab
Xalteox · 2 points · Posted at 03:28:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yea, the abridged series was amazing, I haven't kept up with it in recent years, though I did manage to meet Little Kuriboh over this last weekend so I might start it back up again after finishing the current anime series I am on.
IIRC didn't 4Kids also edit out guns in Yu Gi Oh, replacing them with just pointing?
theunnoanprojec · 2 points · Posted at 03:30:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It honestly Still surprisingly holds up. I still laugh at the new episodes.
Honestly, I don't remember. I know TAS made fun of that, so it probably did happen that way.
TheSilverOne · 5 points · Posted at 05:32:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Go watch yugioh season 0. It's hard core, yugi basically killing off criminals with shadow games
OnlyRoke · 1 points · Posted at 07:10:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What?!?!?! My life is a lie!
Zagorath · 1 points · Posted at 06:27:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, it's not great, but it's easily in the top three versions in that above comparison. I'd probably say second best.
ShockedCurve453 · 1 points · Posted at 12:29:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Muh donuts
namesrhardtothinkof · 3 points · Posted at 04:18:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
chew
Doctursea · 2 points · Posted at 04:49:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you for this. I've been dealing with fan translations for years and this is perfect.
Albireookami · 29 points · Posted at 02:06:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm normally okay with honorifics because they convey a lot of information about relationships in 1 word, but things can get pretty crazy, I think Girls N panzer is a top offender.
[deleted] · 13 points · Posted at 02:37:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This was annoying in Grimgar. They tried to localise the honorifics and it bit them in the ass later in the show, showing that they were obviously translating each episode individually rather than the whole show.
2 of the characters develop a relationship and it becomes a big scene when one of the characters does not use any honorific, like usual. Other characters directly remark on it and they handle it terrible. They try to play it off like a person giving the other person a pet-name, but it makes no sense at all.
Not to mention when things like accents matter. Or when a character's personality is directly tied to the way they speak. Another example from the same show was that one character speaks in third person, in a kind of childish way, she's supposed to be a little annoying. None of this is conveyed in the translation at all and /r/anime decided she was great when it was airing.
What happened in Girls Und Panzer? I don't recall anything particularly egregious but I could just be mis-remembering.
Albireookami · 1 points · Posted at 03:11:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i can't recall which sub, but they have an everliving hardon for german words, I can't recall any examples, but not translating things for no reason because german word or some stuff, so you get this random language in a normal sentence.
DarkStar5758 · 3 points · Posted at 04:13:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Panzer vor means Panzer vor."
At least they spread that out so the themed schools reflect the country they represent. Eg: Darjeeling's idioms, Kei's (shitty) English, Nonna and Klara's conversations in Russian, Mika giving orders in Finnish, etc. so since the Miho was originally from the German themed school it makes sense that she uses German words.
What's really bad is how many different ways the name of the sport gets translated. Sensha-do, tankery, Panzerfahren, etc.
k5josh · 1 points · Posted at 04:23:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't forget Tankwondo.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:16:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah that's dumb, but over-localisation is dumber. If the setting is Japan, and they're Japanese, and they're speaking Japanese with Japanese social cues, the important and untranslateable cultural differences should remain in.
People can learn the cultural differences and quirks.
ShinyHappyREM · 1 points · Posted at 05:42:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/JorAixz3_xw
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 09:08:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not a good translation, but damn it is hilarious.
TommaClock · 14 points · Posted at 01:59:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's fine if you've ever seen any anime at all... But think of the disgusting normies and dub-watchers.
[deleted] · 30 points · Posted at 02:05:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
temp_sales · 5 points · Posted at 02:25:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
deep bunny laugh
JakalDX · 3 points · Posted at 03:25:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TOUCH ME HARDER
demandproof · 2 points · Posted at 04:26:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I will probably never enjoy a dubbed anime as much as I enjoyed Ghost Stories. I still laugh over it.
webheaded · 5 points · Posted at 02:51:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey! Cowboy Bebop was a god tier dub. They're not all bad, damn it.
Revolt_theCult · 0 points · Posted at 03:28:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could you be more pretentious?
TommaClock · 4 points · Posted at 03:51:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It should be noted that I've upvoted every single person who's disagreed with me here, as far as I know.
That said.
In 7th grade, I took an SAT test without preparing for it at all, it was spur-of-the-moment, I knew about it about an hour ahead of time and didn't do any research or anything. I scored higher on it than the average person using it to apply for college in my area. An IQ test has shown me to be in the 99.9th percentile for IQ. This is the highest result the test I was given reaches; anything further and they'd consider it to be within the margin of error for that test. My mother's boyfriend of 8 years is an aerospace engineer who graduated Virginia Tech. At the age of 15, I understand physics better than him, and I owe very little of it to him, as he would rarely give me a decent explanation of anything, just tell me that my ideas were wrong and become aggravated with me for not quite understanding thermodynamics. He's not particularly successful as an engineer, but I've met lots of other engineers who aren't as good as me at physics, so I'm guessing that's not just a result of him being bad at it.
I'm also pretty good at engineering. I don't have a degree, and other than physics I don't have a better understanding of any aspect of engineering than any actual engineer, but I have lots of ingenuity for inventing new things. For example, I independently invented regenerative brakes before finding out what they were, and I was only seven or eight years old when I started inventing wireless electricity solutions (my first idea being to use a powerful infrared laser to transmit energy; admittedly not the best plan). I have independently thought of basically every branch of philosophy I've come across. Every question of existentialism which I've seen discussed in SMBC or xkcd or Reddit or anywhere else, the thoughts haven't been new to me. Philosophy has pretty much gotten trivial for me; I've considered taking a philosophy course just to see how easy it is.
Psychology, I actually understand better than people with degrees. Unlike engineering, there's no aspect of psychology which I don't have a very good understanding of. I can debunk many of even Sigmund Freud's theories.
I'm a good enough writer that I'm writing a book and so far everybody who's read any of it has said it was really good and plausible to expect to have published. And that's not just, like, me and family members, that counts strangers on the Internet. I've heard zero negative appraisal of it so far; people have critiqued it, but not insulted it.
I don't know if that will suffice as evidence that I'm intelligent. I'm done with it, though, because I'd rather defend my maturity, since it's what you've spent the most time attacking. The following are some examples of my morals and ethical code. I believe firmly that everybody deserves a future. If we were to capture Hitler at the end of WWII, I would be against executing him. In fact, if we had any way of rehabilitating him and knowing that he wasn't just faking it, I'd even support the concept of letting him go free. This is essentially because I think that whoever you are in the present is a separate entity from who you were in the past and who you are in the future, and while your present self should take responsibility for your past self's actions, it shouldn't be punished for them simply for the sake of punishment, especially if the present self regrets the actions of the past self and feels genuine guilt about them.
I don't believe in judgement of people based on their personal choices as long as those personal choices aren't harming others. I don't have any issue with any type of sexuality whatsoever (short of physically acting out necrophilia, pedophilia, or other acts which have a harmful affect on others - but I don't care what a person's fantasies consist of, as long as they recognize the difference between reality and fiction and can separate them). I don't have any issue with anybody over what type of music they listen to, or clothes they wear, etc. I know that's not really an impressive moral, but it's unfortunately rare; a great many people, especially those my age, are judgmental about these things.
I love everyone, even people I hate. I wish my worst enemies good fortune and happiness. Rick Perry is a vile, piece of shit human being, deserving of zero respect, but I wish for him to change for the better and live the best life possible. I wish this for everyone. I'm pretty much a pacifist. I've taken a broken nose without fighting back or seeking retribution, because the guy stopped punching after that. The only time I'll fight back is if 1) the person attacking me shows no signs of stopping and 2) if I don't attack, I'll come out worse than the other person will if I do. In other words, if fighting someone is going to end up being more harmful to them than just letting them go will be to me, I don't fight back. I've therefore never had a reason to fight back against anyone in anything serious, because my ability to take pain has so far made it so that I'm never in a situation where I'll be worse off after a fight. If I'm not going to get any hospitalizing injuries, I really don't care. The only exception is if someone is going after my life. Even then, I'll do the minimum amount of harm to them that I possibly can in protecting myself. If someone points a gun at me and I can get out of it without harming them, I'd prefer to do that over killing them. I consider myself a feminist. I don't believe in enforced or uniform gender roles; they may happen naturally, but they should never be coerced into happening unnaturally. As in, the societal pressure for gender roles should really go, even if it'll turn out that the majority of relationships continue operating the same way of their own accord. I treat women with the same outlook I treat men, and never participate in the old Reddit "women are crazy" circlejerk, because there are multiple women out there and each have different personalities just like there are multiple men out there and each with different personalities. I don't think you do much of anything except scare off the awesome women out there by going on and on about the ones who aren't awesome.
That doesn't mean I look for places to victimize women, I just don't believe it's fair to make generalizations such as the one about women acting like everything's OK when it's really not (and that's a particularly harsh example, because all humans do that). I'm kind of tired of citing these examples and I'm guessing you're getting tired of reading them, if you've even made it this far. In closing, the people who know me in real life all respect me, as do a great many people in the Reddit brony community, where I spend most of my time and where I'm pretty known for being helpful around the community. A lot of people in my segment of the community are depressed or going through hard times, and I spend a lot of time giving advice and support to people there. Yesterday someone quoted a case of me doing this in a post asking everyone what their favorite motivational/inspirational quote was, and that comment was second to the top, so I guess other people agreed (though, granted, it was a pretty low-traffic post, only about a dozen competing comments).
And, uh, I'm a pretty good moderator.
All that, and I think your behavior in this thread was totally assholish. So what do you think, now that you at least slightly know me?
_cortex · 5 points · Posted at 09:20:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is... is that copypasta?
thejensenfeel · 3 points · Posted at 08:26:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A simple "Yes" would have sufficed
Redingold · 2 points · Posted at 08:52:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You just copied this off a post on r/iamverysmart, you lazy git.
Revolt_theCult · -1 points · Posted at 04:26:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think nothing more or less of you honestly. I couldn't care less about who you are, fellow faceless internet screen name
OccupyMyBallSack · 3 points · Posted at 03:15:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I was watching one, can't remember which right now but the subs bugged the hell out of me because the MC was making an eroge visual novel and he kept just saying eroge, but the subs said "erotic video game".
I guess I want them to know we have some weeb japanese knowledge, and not do literal everything.
Mulligans_double · 4 points · Posted at 02:22:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What? If I'm consuming a translation, I want it fucking translated.
PandavengerX · 14 points · Posted at 02:35:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you've ever studied another language, you'll find there are some words that don't translate well into English.
Using Japanese as an example, sensei is usually a honorific for teacher. However, it can also be used as a sign of respect for industry professionals (calling manga artists -sensei). This doesn't translate well directly into English, so most people prefer sensei since it retains the full meaning while being common enough even casual fans understand it's meaning.
Mulligans_double · 3 points · Posted at 02:52:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like the problem there is that the line regarding where to stop is too blurry. I personally believe that translated works should be converted as much as possible into the target language while maintaining as much of the original meaning and feeling in that language. admittedly, this is a lot harder, but when it works I think it works better.
TheManWhoPanders · 3 points · Posted at 03:03:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It rather sucks if you're semi-literate. Literal translations are great -- you can piece together new words if you understand the majority of the sentence. If they add their own interpretation it's useless as a learning device.
Game localization is all over the place in this regard. Even between different games in the same franchise.
theunnoanprojec · 1 points · Posted at 03:16:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The problem with that is, where do you stop?
Most people would understand sensai or arigatou or Hai, but where do you draw the line?
JakalDX · 3 points · Posted at 03:26:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the line is fuzzy. Translation is an art, and part of that art is looking at every situation and weighing reader knowledge against potential lost meaning. It's not something you can say "This is the line"
PandavengerX · 1 points · Posted at 14:06:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Personally I would prefer that even arigatou or hai get translated, as those have direct translations that don't lose meaning. The only time I would advocate keeping the original language is when there isn't a good direct translation. It's different between person to person though.
theunnoanprojec · 2 points · Posted at 17:46:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Stuff like honorifics and the like for sure, because we don't really have much of an equivalent in english
MarcsterS · 1 points · Posted at 03:40:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Goddammit, Personaaaaaaa
Nosiege · 1 points · Posted at 06:21:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I saw translated manga including name-chan and I cringed.
qwertyaccess · 22 points · Posted at 02:02:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's the thing I hate about lot of japanese translations, they go as far as to translate things and then leave things like the title Japanese so your left with tsuki isekai or whatever crap name that's left untranslated. Worst thing is people use the translated and untranslated name interchangeably so you naturally get confused unless you remember both naming conventions.
PokeEyeJai · 7 points · Posted at 02:12:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It gets even more convoluted when the character's name has a hidden meaning to it that's should be obvious to a native speaker, but near impossible to translate to english.
For example, would you translate 東方不敗 to Toho Fuhai or Undefeated of the East? If you keep it as Undefeated of the East, is there enough available character space to fit that in the sub all the time?
ShinyHappyREM · 1 points · Posted at 05:36:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't have to show the entire sentence at once.
SailedBasilisk · 1 points · Posted at 03:48:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's especially bad when they get rereleased with new translations. I've seen people talking about Dragonball Z and left wondering who the heck Vegetto and Kururin are.
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 09:12:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wikipedia will always use the English title. MAL will always use the Japanese title. The correct solution is to use whatever title TVTropes uses.
ActionScripter9109 · 3 points · Posted at 04:22:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ProZD on fan subs
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:15:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvNxgHTWIlo
suggest_me · 0 points · Posted at 02:24:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If it isn't retarded, they are not true fans
Doctursea · -1 points · Posted at 04:33:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair it can help you learn the language. Also sometimes the Japanese words have multiple connotations for different characters despite using the same word. Helps draw a parallel, but there are so many fan translations that over do it.
well_bang_okay · 2 points · Posted at 05:35:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you're learning japanese through anime; it'd like learning english through the Bronte sisters. You'd be speaking overly dramatic and nonsensically.
Doctursea · 1 points · Posted at 05:39:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I'm not saying to learn it only through anime or japanese television. Common sayings wouldn't be horrible.
well_bang_okay · 1 points · Posted at 05:43:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yare yare daze
knayirp · 2 points · Posted at 02:50:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sometimes the Japanese words are required for the joke.
There is an episode in 'One Piece' where the King Wapol says "Do I look like a Kaba". The joke here is that he meant to say "Do I look like a Baka". Where Baka means "idiot" and Kaba means "hippopotamus".
felixar90 · 1 points · Posted at 02:29:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Moo means moo
Ouaouaron · 1 points · Posted at 03:35:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've always heard that this is just a joke someone made once and it was never actually in any sub. Fansubs can get bad, but this is a bit too blatant to be believed.
Then again, I've never scoured the Death Note fansubs for evidence one way or the other.
Nixplosion · 1 points · Posted at 03:45:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ORE AM FUCKING SICK OF YOUR SHIT!
You ... are my Nanaka!
Raizzor · 1 points · Posted at 09:20:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It became a meme in the fansub community which originated in a pretentious fansub group's decision to leave the japanese word "nakama" (comrade) untranslated as according to them the "full meaning of this beatiful expression of friendship cannot be conveyed by filthy enlgish words"... so they just left "nakama" and explained it in a TL note, escalating this meme to a point where some troll subbers just left 50% of the japanese words untranslated with TL notes added.
EditorGX · 119 points · Posted at 01:40:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope these are just shit subtitles done by fans, for some reason a lot of weebs like to leave bits of Japanese in for no reason.
https://youtu.be/YvNxgHTWIlo perfect example
well_bang_okay · 23 points · Posted at 01:46:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love prozd and i was hoping you linked it.
LeakyLycanthrope · 7 points · Posted at 02:24:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
IT'S MY ASS-KICKING OUTFIT, BITCH
well_bang_okay · 6 points · Posted at 02:54:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
YOU'LL NEVER SAVE PRINCE HORACE
Mecha_G · 5 points · Posted at 03:48:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Seriously, why do fansubbers insist that "nakama" can't be translated?
Akuuntus · 6 points · Posted at 04:04:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because there's this persistent meme that it means some complicated deep relationship thing and not just friend
alexmikli · 4 points · Posted at 03:17:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also the official dub of FLCL but for some reason it works perfectly there.
Pahk0 · 2 points · Posted at 04:38:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love this video, but I think my favorite part is the way he says "bitch" at the end. It's fucking amazing.
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 09:20:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm 99% sure that this particular example was a gag sub.
ashbasixx · 56 points · Posted at 01:37:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It became one of the most quoted lines of the series within Japan and message boards, so the translator left it.
wefearchange · 6 points · Posted at 01:54:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All your base are belong to us!
Myrsephone · 22 points · Posted at 01:55:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because fan translators tend to think that if a Japanese word has no English word carrying the exact same connotation, they are better leaving it untranslated to better "preserve the original meaning". In this case, they were essentially trying to convey that even though "keikaku" can be translated to "plan" to give the same general meaning, it would lose some amount of connotational significance translated as such.
Bugbread · 37 points · Posted at 02:19:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This isn't even an example of that, though. "Keikaku" isn't like "senpai" or "yoroshiku" (or my personal enemy, "kodawaru"), which can be difficult to translate. There is no deep connotation in "keikaku," it's just straight-up "plan."
Oshojabe · 46 points · Posted at 02:12:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which is silly, because that happens a lot, and the translator's job is to convey that meaning in the target language as best they can. Use of loan words in translation should be very rare, and limited to cases where there was no more elegant solution to the issue.
I actually think a good example where there are two valid camps of thoughts on loanwords is Japanese honorifics: I prefer for honorifics to be dropped in English translations, and cases where their use becomes particularly relevant handled on a case-by-case basis. However, I can definitely see the merit of just keeping all instances of honorific usage completely unchanged in a translation since there is no one-size-fits-all solution otherwise.
litchykp · 5 points · Posted at 03:07:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I prefer honorifics to be kept. I'm just some random white dude with no background in Japanese whatsoever, and once I started watching anime with subs, I got curious enough to google the meaning behind honorifics.
In my opinion, something like that which can't be properly translated should be left in to still allow viewers who understand to get that deeper meaning from it. If someone doesn't understand and it really bothers them they can just open a new tab and find the answer in minutes. Whoever wants that deeper understanding will be willing to put in the very small effort to gain it.
Oshojabe · 3 points · Posted at 04:14:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your position is great in theory, but it ignores the reality that there are thousands of languages in the world. It's easy enough to research a small part of Japanese in order to fully enjoy a story, but what about when you start reading Italian, French, Korean, and Russian stories and have to start from square one with each of them?
I think it's far more elegant to find a way to communicate the underlying ideas in the target language, than to preserve unnecessary loanwords from the source languages. Sure, you lose nuances like the tu/vous distinction of French, or honorifics in Japan, but you gain the clarity and flow that the original audience enjoys when reading the original work.
Good_ApoIIo · 0 points · Posted at 02:33:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy hell yes. I'm immediately turned off by anime or manga I'm reading/watching translated and are filled with Sempai, Sensei, and full Japanese phrases. I know some meaning is lost but if I cared enough about the FULL meaning I'd learn Japanese. I don't know what's worse though, honorifics or seeing/hearing "big brother" all the damn time.
Also hearing bastard a lot as the sole insult. It's big in Japanese but better when they use something else or keep it varied.
Jamie_1318 · 5 points · Posted at 02:42:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I got totally used to reading honorifics from Japanese works, and then I read something Chinese or Korean and have to go through the same trouble all over again. I've seen some even translate other languages honorifics into Japanese ones so you only have to learn them once!
I_Ruv_Kpop · 10 points · Posted at 02:19:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Usually it's just a sign the translator doesn't have a good enough grasp on both languages though.
SirNarwhal · 3 points · Posted at 02:49:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly? This was from a speedsubber group that didn't have an editor. An editor would've fixed this no problem (used to edit back in the day), this was just out there since it was literally shat out.
pickingfruit · 9 points · Posted at 02:25:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But if somebody doesn't understand Japanese then they already don't know the connotation.... so it is already lost...
kyleofduty · 4 points · Posted at 02:27:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Death Note, "plan" is said A LOT. The plot involves a killer with a supernatural weapon and a detective trying to find out his identity. They both have plans to learn about, to lure and to foil each other. The series could just as well be called "Plan". You hear "keikaku" over and over, often before and after really satisfying plot events. So I think that's part of it.
hamlet9000 · 3 points · Posted at 02:45:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Even if that's true, the explanatory note hasn't actually conveyed that additional layer of meaning, so they haven't actually achieved anything.
Intimzecke · 1 points · Posted at 02:15:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
but only if the "note" was a little more descriptive
getoutofheretaffer · 1 points · Posted at 02:21:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol, as if I know about those connotations.
Xalteox · 5 points · Posted at 02:12:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No there isn't, that is just a bit of a joke based on what happens in fan subbing.
Some things don't really have English equivalents in Japanese, so often fan subbers will leave it in Japanese transliteration rather than finding a way around it, generally assuming that their audience knows what they are talking about or adding a footnote denoting the difference when it is more obscure. The most common example would be Japanese honorifics attached to the end of names, such as -san, -sama, -chan, or -kun, which often does have dialogue/plot significance. Some of these are more easily translated, such as "-sama" being a rough translation to "Lord" (though once again, it isn't too good of a one, for example you would refer to customers in your store as sama while in the west, you wouldn't call your customers "Lord") or -san being translated to Mr. or Ms., but things like -kun can't be translated really well. Or even things like "senpai," which means upperclassman, but you would never refer to someone as upperclassman in the west. Even things like changing honorifics in communication between people are big events signifying a change in relationship, but that simply has no translation in English.
Official subtitles will often find a way around these things, it isn't too difficult and in any case, can be completely replaced or omitted altogether, but fan subbers often have a more dedicated weaboo audience which already knows many of these nuances/words, so they will leave it in Japanese transliteration. However, it has somewhat gotten to the point where common phrases that are easily translated are left in Japanese since most of their audience knows them, things like "Itadakimasu," which basically translates to "Let's Eat," said right before a meal begins. These aren't really difficult nuances and generally picked up to a newbie within watching one or two series and maybe a few googles, but ye.
Of course, sometimes they don't know when to stop. Which is when you get things like that picture. Though honestly, I think that was crafted to be a meme of this fact. I have seen similar things out in the wild however.
FakeTherapist · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rule 1 is don't question the memes.
ValErk · 1 points · Posted at 06:54:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You can try to dig the amazing the guy did here on reddit some years ago. iirc it was his first translation.
chillaxinbball · 32 points · Posted at 01:24:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/YvNxgHTWIlo
temp_sales · 2 points · Posted at 02:29:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is fantastic.
IckGlokmah · 9 points · Posted at 00:47:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wtf is this real? 😂
temp_sales · 5 points · Posted at 02:26:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
100%, though it is a fan translation, it is a very popular one.
teenagesadist · 1 points · Posted at 02:11:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I literally just watched this episode for the first time.
Neat!
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:01:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is that death note? I just finished it, the ending was pretty disappointing, the first time I watched it it was all pretty good, until I realized how bad the ending was on the second watch through.
teenagesadist · 1 points · Posted at 03:07:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It is, I'm getting close to the end, so hopefully I'm not too disappointed. I kind of go through phases of being into anime and not, it hasn't let me down so far.
But I read a lot of Stephen King as a kid, so I'm used to terrible endings.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:11:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know a lot of people feel that the second season was unnecessary and awful. I didn't think it was too bad, just different from the first season. I tend to enjoy everything I watch whether it is bad or not, but the ending of this one just annoyed me a bit.
teenagesadist · 1 points · Posted at 03:35:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm, well, I'll keep an eye out. I'm similar, I kind of feel blind when it comes to deciding whether any season is "netter" than another. I do have the benefit of not knowing the seasons, I've been binge watching since last night, so it's all been a continuous run for me.
realsomalipirate · 1 points · Posted at 02:40:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/YvNxgHTWIlo
Token_Why_Boy · 230 points · Posted at 01:49:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My favorite footnote.
Book is Monkey, a translation of Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en (translated by Arthur Waley)
pundemonium · 214 points · Posted at 02:22:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Huh. I happen to know this one. Yeah it was a pun.
So the book is Journey to the West. Journey to the West is about a party of three demigods (the monkey, pigsy, and the sandy) guilty of various crimes redeeming themselves by serving a Chinese Buddhist monk Tripitaka in retrieving Buddhist scriptures from the Buddha in India. Here is where they tried to cross a river while it was frozen solid, only to lose their boss monk when they were half-way across and the ice suddenly turned back to water.
So the pun was played on Tripitaka's secular surname Chen; It is homophone with the Chinese verb "sink". Here Pigsy played the pun by saying now his boss' firstname becomes "to the bottom".
Here is the corresponding page in Chinese version, in case you have a Chinese handy to verify: https://books.google.com/books?id=lFATBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT331&lpg=PT331&dq=%E8%A5%BF%E6%B8%B8%E8%AE%B0+%E9%99%88%E5%88%B0%E5%BA%95&source=bl&ots=csH3Qgidni&sig=7BCPPkF0Pjz6raKSaUR4WyK8ftw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilxbabzvjUAhWEVz4KHWayB8wQ6AEISTAE#v=onepage&q=%E8%A5%BF%E6%B8%B8%E8%AE%B0%20%E9%99%88%E5%88%B0%E5%BA%95&f=false
Freddie_AppsHero · 22 points · Posted at 03:56:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, so it's like when your cat wrecks up your lounge room, and it's a CAT-astrophe!
tomatoaway · 7 points · Posted at 10:25:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
no, it's like when your cat gets stuck butt-first in your participation award, and it's a cat-ass-trophy
Garizondyly · 10 points · Posted at 03:32:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy shit. You're insane.
pundemonium · 23 points · Posted at 04:09:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Glad you liked! It was actually one of my favorite jokes in the book. Apparently Pigsy was quite proud of it too, as he retold the same joke to their landlords on the next page.
It might not sound too clever in English, as there seem to be many similarly constructed puns in English. But most Chinese puns work a little bit differently, so this one kinds of stands out. Fascination with this kind of puns probably has to do with my later fascination with English puns in general.
Garizondyly · 7 points · Posted at 04:25:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Probably why you're /u/pundemonium ? In any case, we need more esoteric pun expert polyglots like you in this world!
sagafood · 14 points · Posted at 02:53:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your username does not disappoint. Are you well-versed in puns of all languages?
pundemonium · 27 points · Posted at 03:06:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Alas, no. I actually make it a rule to not try my luck on reddit because most of my puns are atrocious, and reddit is not going to hold back at letting me know.
As an ESL speaker this is actually hard for me, as I lacked the education of teenage socialization to learn my etiquette properly. Socially I think I'm about as suave as a 12 year old.
longtime_sunshine · 5 points · Posted at 03:41:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Username checks out!
Dittro · 2 points · Posted at 15:40:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep, close! 陈 (chen)，which is a chinese surname, or 'Tan' in English, sounds like 沉(chen)，which means to sink. 沉到底 over there means to literally sink to the bottom.
EatingSmegma · 1 points · Posted at 16:00:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, you seem to be exactly whom I need.
Could you please tell if this makes sense when read out loud?
pundemonium · 1 points · Posted at 17:28:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ok I really shouldn't be doing this before my thesis defense but here we go
石室诗士施氏
(Once upon a time there was a guy who goes by) "Stone-Room Poetry Gent" Mr. Shi
嗜狮
(and he's a) die-hard fan of lion (meat)
誓食十狮
Made a vow to eat ten lions
施氏时时适市视狮。
Mr. Shi drops by the fair to buy lions from time to time
十时
1000 hours
适十狮市。
Ten lions were at the fair
是时，适施氏适市
At that time, Mr. Shi happened to drop by the fair
施氏视十狮，
Mr. Shi saw ten lions
恃矢势，使是十狮逝世。
With power of the bolt, effectuated those ten lions' departure from physical life.
氏拾是十狮尸，适石室。
Guy picked up corpses of those ten lions and dropped by the stone room
石室湿，施氏使侍拭石室。
Stone room was dampy, Mr. Shi had servants wipe it
石室拭，施氏始试食十狮尸。
Stone room was wiped, Mr. Shi started to try to eat corpses of ten lions
食时，始识十狮实十石狮。
Only when he eat, did he see those ten lions were ten stone lions
试释是事。
Now explain that
EatingSmegma · 1 points · Posted at 19:10:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Now I feel bad for having taken your time for nothing. The translation of the poem is pretty well known, it's in fact in the video description. I wondered if it still preserves the meaning when read out loud, but now I checked the Wikipedia article and it says the poem is written in Classical Chinese but is to be read in modern Mandarin, so I guess I have my answer.
Zooloretti · 1 points · Posted at 02:41:32 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did we ever find out if Triptaka was male or female?
pundemonium · 1 points · Posted at 03:05:46 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Huh. I never seriously considered the question. The Chinese version of the role is a typical boss role in a Chinese story: timid, unrealistic moral codes, and prone to premature assignment of blame. This works with a male role, if you cast a woman to a butt-of-the-joke role it feels kinda yucky, like you are conforming to some stinky old prejudice. So the Chinese rendition can never be a woman, not that we gave it much thought anyways.
Of course, Chinese rendition isn't some gold standard, and I understand that the Japanese rendition was critically acclaimed. I just don't know enough of it to make any assessment.
Zooloretti · 1 points · Posted at 03:23:48 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
You've read the book and it didn't mention it?
pundemonium · 1 points · Posted at 04:00:43 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
The monk in the book was always male, there wasn't any mystery.
When Japanese team did their rendition they took some liberties to fit their market, including casting the monk with a woman, that stuck with the markets they had a huge success. But in other parts of the world there wasn't any contention to begin with.
Zooloretti · 1 points · Posted at 09:22:14 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cool, thanks. In the Tv show he was played by an entirely androgynous person and you could never really tell.
PM_ME_UR_DOGGOS · 5 points · Posted at 01:57:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's this from?
iamrory · 29 points · Posted at 02:02:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A translation of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Could be Monkey, the most famous English translation.
WilhelmScreams · 19 points · Posted at 02:03:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Journey to the West. Once known in the west as Monkey, I think we've accepted it as Journey to the West now.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West
olive_tree94 · 4 points · Posted at 04:02:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The literal translation would be "West Travel Record", referring to the notations/recordings written by the original monk who travelled to the West (India) to pick up some Buddhist scriptures.
DroolingIguana · 2 points · Posted at 02:12:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Looks like a translation of Journey to the West.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 02:51:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
God. Reading that excerpt made the book sound really stupid lol despite being a classic in Chinese.
Token_Why_Boy · 8 points · Posted at 03:49:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
On the one hand, it is a really slow book. The first...third, at least, is the backstory of the backstory as to why the journey is undertaken, and why Tripitaka is selected to undertake it, as well as the litany of Monkey's sins.
On the other hand, if you're like me and picked it up because you wanted to see this thing that has had so much influence on so many stories, a lot of what feels like "tired" tropes we have to remember, Monkey did many of them first (or, y'know, is the earliest work utilizing those tropes and stock characters), in the same vein of the "Seinfeld did it first" trope for comedy.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:39:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
9kz7 · 2 points · Posted at 02:48:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not full at all in the original language!
WonderNastyMan · 2 points · Posted at 04:56:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's the book that inspired Dragon Ball! (that's the extent of my knowledge about it)
Zooloretti · 1 points · Posted at 02:42:33 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, you've probably seen the TV show.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TFuFa-WB4bE
Gunji_Murgi · -1 points · Posted at 02:05:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is this some wuxia or xianxia novel? What's it form?
Edit: so it is a xianxia
leadchipmunk · 99 points · Posted at 23:46:24 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
You need to watch (and possibly read) Yakitate Japan. Nearly every single joke is a pun, including the name itself, and at least in the translation I watched, half of the subtitles were explanations for the joke.
allwaysnice · 116 points · Posted at 00:17:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like the horse that yells out "TASTY!" when given good bread.
(because horse is "uma" and tasty is "umai", if I recall)
leadchipmunk · 32 points · Posted at 00:51:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My favorite is the mango reaction.
cassis-oolong · 2 points · Posted at 02:27:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That killed me XD
h3lblad3 · 3 points · Posted at 03:14:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How do you feel about Also Sprach Zarathustra?
Kered13 · 1 points · Posted at 09:28:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fuck and I thought that Soma was crazy.
h3lblad3 · 1 points · Posted at 11:53:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yakitate!! Japan is amazing and the first Japanese food anime I'd watched. Crunchyroll has all 69 episodes, if that's your cup of tea. I've never seen their translation, though, so I don't know how good it is.
One of the characters has bread so good it leads to time-travel shenanigans.
Biased_Dumbledore · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Good enema reference
Also, bread and mangos are delicious
10 points to Gryffindor
citymoon · 11 points · Posted at 01:26:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep that's right, even better because 'Uma!' is a common slang shortening for umai
GiantsRTheBest2 · 0 points · Posted at 01:09:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Umami
moonhexx · 7 points · Posted at 01:39:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ooh mommy
Nachows · 3 points · Posted at 01:54:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Zoo wee mama
SheeEttin · 2 points · Posted at 02:08:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ooh-wee, Rick!
WhitMage9001 · 1 points · Posted at 02:58:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh look it's my first subbed anime. I really loved pausing every 5 minutes to read the long-standing footnotes at the top of the screen. /s
AlterOfYume · 1 points · Posted at 06:38:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The most extreme is Joshiraku, which was deemed as "untranslatable" by most sub groups. Only one brave guy chose to take it on (and did a great job, all things considered, but you NEED the notes on his blog for every episode to get some of the jokes).
_Mephostopheles_ · 29 points · Posted at 00:49:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then never read Year Zero by Rob Reid. The main character is a lawyer, dealing with an intergalactic music law crisis, and so Reid decided that a lot of exposition and should be given via footnotes. Still my favorite book, though.
arlaton · 9 points · Posted at 03:40:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
House of Leaves too. Its a horror book about a guy who found manuscript for a film analysis about a film that has some disturbing and other worldly implications.
The book itself is the manuscript complete with scholarly that footnotes you would expect from a film analysis. In addition to that, our protagonist also writes his own footnotes as he reads through the manuscript and slowly goes mad. Some of these footnotes go on for pages. It is the structurally weirdest book I've ever read.
henrygale108 · 3 points · Posted at 08:50:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Understatement of the year. You should have seen the looks I was getting reading it in an airport, flipping back and forth and turning it upside down. It was really creative.
arlaton · 1 points · Posted at 17:55:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I avoided mentioning that because seeing those pages for the first time is pretty magical. But yeah House of Leaves is what happens when a book tries to eat itself.
_Mephostopheles_ · 3 points · Posted at 08:57:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think I'll have to check it out. Sounds quite interesting.
Fuck, I love literature.
OozeNAahz · 4 points · Posted at 01:18:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Good book.
_Mephostopheles_ · 5 points · Posted at 01:19:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy crap, someone who's actually read the damn thing! It's been ages since I got the book and you're the first person I've interacted with who's read it.
OozeNAahz · 2 points · Posted at 01:23:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, the premise was kind of interesting. The whole reality tv show plot line was pretty interesting. And I liked the way they resolved the major plot line.
Also the whole Bill Gates and Steve Jobs thing was kind of funny.
_Mephostopheles_ · 5 points · Posted at 01:28:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Agreed. It's quite unique in its portrayal of super-advanced, extraterrestrial life. Most writers (of books, comics, films, television, you name it) tend to go for the classic "everyone has a space ship and everything is totally different to human cultures" route. Reid, however, made it easy for himself and the reader by creating an intergalactic alien civilization literally based on human (specifically American) culture, with a few enhancements in technology, and actually gave a valid and entertaining reason why this actually happened the way it did. He turned something typically associated with lazy sci-fi writing into something brilliant, simply based on the premise of his fictional universe.
Elijr · -9 points · Posted at 02:07:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/bookcirclejerk
_Mephostopheles_ · -1 points · Posted at 08:56:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey, you're getting a lot of downvotes, but you're not wrong. We're not jerking it or anything, but god am I geeking out (dunno about the other guy, though; I'd rather not speak for other people).
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 22:43:54 on July 13, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
_Mephostopheles_ · 1 points · Posted at 01:08:12 on July 14, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's a simple way of remembering which book a certain part of a story belongs to: if it involves a spaceship, it's definitely Hitchhiker's, because Year Zero contains no spaceships.
Honestly, I would just say reread it. Very good book.
TheMysteriousMid · 23 points · Posted at 02:01:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So you should probably avoid Infinite Jest, and everything written by Pratchett.
OverlordLork · 2 points · Posted at 03:58:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And House of Leaves, which tells most of the story inside nested footnotes.
StruckingFuggle · 2 points · Posted at 04:23:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Pratchett toned down the footnotes a lot in many of his later works.
TrashPalaceKing · 2 points · Posted at 02:34:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And Jonathan Strange&Mr. Norrell. Great book but I found myself just skipping the footnotes until I finished the book, then reading only the footnotes, and then reading large chunks of the book again. Footnotes should not contain within themselves entire other novels.
drift_glass · 0 points · Posted at 10:16:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
FTFY
AjBlue7 · 20 points · Posted at 02:02:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Its hilarious when you watch a fansub and they've got a slide at the beginning of the serious explaining things like the relationships of korean culture and their significance, but the slide is only put up for like two seconds and they never provide footnotes again to remind you, instead they expect you burn it into your memory like an algebra test.
Intimzecke · 40 points · Posted at 02:25:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
you are expected to hit pause
YJCH0I · 1 points · Posted at 03:21:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You mean like this?
arlaton · 1 points · Posted at 03:45:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow that disappeared so quickly I failed to actually pause on it.
javalorum · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've done fansub and paid-sub before. Sometimes it does get very tricky. You try not to use the screen too much because the viewers focus should be on the scene not your text. You have to keep the lines short, precise yet easy to read (meaning, the words have to carry the most straightforward meaning, not fancy twisted word play). It's very hard to convey perfect meaning when you're translating real-time speech.
And of course, if you ever need to do a "footnote" in subs, you have to put it on top of the screen which I suspect nobody would read (if they do they'd probably panic when they notice it and have to pause). No matter how slow the speech is, you'll never have enough time to let the viewer read both sub and the footnote. Always a headache.
atomfullerene · 6 points · Posted at 02:06:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you want a chance to see footnotes done entertainingly, read some Discworld novels. They are generally there to add hilarious side commentary.
theunnoanprojec · 1 points · Posted at 03:18:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I also recommend the hitchhiker's trilogy by Douglas Adams for some hilarious footnotes.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:12:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bartimaeus Trilogy all day.
[deleted] · 23 points · Posted at 01:01:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's actually amazing for a student of the language. I love it, personally, because so much of Japanese humor depends on getting the context of a pun. I wouldn't have half the idiomatic language skill I have now if not for those footnotes put in place by nerdy fansubbers.
salululations · 2 points · Posted at 03:07:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You haven't seen the true potential of footnotes until you read house of leaves
arlaton · 2 points · Posted at 03:47:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Missed opportunity to write it as house of leaves
salululations · 1 points · Posted at 04:57:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That is a massive missed opportunity
Deepcrater · 1 points · Posted at 02:04:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you read/watch enough you learn about these through footnotes or subtitles and in about instance should get the joke. They end up reusing them so why be against them? You could enjoy then more in the future.
UhOhFeministOnReddit · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly, I get shitty if there aren't footnotes. I think it comes from my childhood, where your only access to manga were these really insulated scanlating communities that usually operated on Mirc. ( !list anyone?)
Anime as a concept was pretty brand spankin' new to most people, and there was a lot of shit people didn't get about it at first. Editor's notes and silly things like that helped during a time when the internet wasn't the resource for information it is today.
Epitome_of_Vapidity · 1 points · Posted at 02:27:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you hate footnotes then don't read Infinite Jest.
Good_ApoIIo · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Literal translations are ass. Good translators, if they come up against a wall, make something work that is equivalent, similar, or at least relevant.
Galaxy_Ranger_Bob · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love footnotes. It's why Terry Pratchett is my favorite author.
Hylian-Loach · 1 points · Posted at 02:51:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did they have a footnote explaining why it's funny when Goku is naked?
javalorum · 1 points · Posted at 03:38:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I once read a Japanese comic book (totally can't remember the name now), the author loved footnotes. Every page has a minimum of 5 footnotes. Because the story is futuristic and kind of just makes you jump right into the the middle of a conflict, everything, big or small, has to be explained. I actually liked those footnotes because they became part of the story.
But yeah, as a translator, I personally try to avoid using translator's footnote as much as possible. You should always try to use clever tricks to equalize the two words from two languages (the possibility is endless. There're so many little things I still think over and over long after I hand in my work because that's the fun part of the job). And if that's not possible, I would try to insert an extra line or half a line to explain the word within the context of the book. It's just more natural that way.
I feel that translation is to bridge not only two languages, but two cultures too. If you provide enough helping hands for the readers to navigate in a strange culture/world, that would be perfect. Because the readers get to do the exploration. Translator's footnotes pull people right out of that world, by basically going "forget it, it's just too different from your world".
OtterBurger · 1 points · Posted at 04:07:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not a Discworld fan, then?
dinod8 · 1 points · Posted at 10:27:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Relevant prozd video
CeruleanRuin · 1 points · Posted at 23:15:13 on July 11, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well there's your problem.
i6uuaq · 26 points · Posted at 23:48:57 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Came here to ask precisely this. Thanks!
Gemmabeta · 294 points · Posted at 00:05:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In general, the Chinese really like their footnotes. We realize that so much gets lost in the (linguistic and cultural) translation between Europe/America to China that no one really bothers with "preserving" the original "feel" of the novel. And you get this weird thing where the translators develop their own fanbase (because of the difficulty of creating an artistic Chinese translation), where people will read a book because of who translated it instead of who wrote the original.
I have a Taiwanese copy of Twilight that is annotated up the wazoo like it's an anthropology textbook--in which they explain every little nuance of American culture.
Lightwavers · 137 points · Posted at 00:43:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can I get that book, but in English?
username_lookup_fail · 97 points · Posted at 00:55:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I'd probably read that. It isn't like the book is very complicated. I'd love to know what they thought would require explanation.
Gemmabeta · 119 points · Posted at 01:39:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If I remember correctly, there's one about the SATs that runs half-a-page.
http://bruce-humes.com/archives/1885
venhedis · 49 points · Posted at 02:18:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair to them I do t know what the fuck an SAT is either. I know it's a test of some kind but that's about as far as it goes. American media tends to assume you know what it is already
[deleted] · 11 points · Posted at 02:40:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
venhedis · 7 points · Posted at 02:47:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm from Scotland. We don't have A levels here - we sit Highers in our last year of high school.
I'm not sure it works the same as SATs or anything, since what highers you need to pass or get a certain grade on depend on what you want to study. Some courses don't even require any at all if you're a mature student or have other relevant experience or qualifications
corset-combat · 13 points · Posted at 03:07:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The SAT and ACT are tests that every high school student in the U.S. can take (any time and as many times as they want, not required but highly recommended) about math, writing, and reading. There are also SAT subject tests about specific subjects (like math, French, biology). They are very long (excluding some short snack breaks), expensive, and take up a significant portion of your day. Your score on these tests can make or break a college application.
Many people study for months for these tests, and there are many tutoring centers specializing in preparing for them.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:10:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
venhedis · 2 points · Posted at 03:25:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a really good explanation - thanks very much!
But that really sucks you have to pay to sit the test, isn't really cheap either :/ I could maybe understand having to pay if you want to resit or something but yeah I can totally get why people would argue it's a barrier to education - not everyone can afford that much even once, let alone multiple times
mrpepelopez · 1 points · Posted at 05:14:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Given the cost of higher education these days, if they can't scrounge up $75 bucks they're gonna have a bad time paying for university.
boredextremely · 1 points · Posted at 00:09:02 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, getting a perfect on the critical reading is really not very difficult. Were it not a timed test pretty much everyone would be able to do it. The writing portion is very subjective though, and the math can include anything from algebra through physics. I think quadratic equations were the biggest section when I took it, but that stuff changes each year
superiority · 1 points · Posted at 05:08:08 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, the nearest European equivalent is part of the secondary curriculum (in American terms, part of high school).
In the USA, the SAT & ACT have nothing to do with your school performance. They are separate things. If I take a SAT subject test in Chemistry and do poorly on it, that is unrelated to my grade in my Chemistry class at school.
A-levels are more like your high school transcripts. Because national governments have greater control over schools in other countries, those governments can mandate that secondary education include certain assessments with a high degree of uniformity.
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 04:24:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
mrpepelopez · 1 points · Posted at 05:28:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually it isn't ONLY ever taken by high school students. It mostly is but there are other people taking it. I remember my sister taking it in Jr. High as part of some gifted student type program. It didn't count but she got a score. I was an SAT tutor and our company encouraged us to take it with our students once in a while as a show of support and to refresh our memory on what taking the real test was like. Also, if you graduated high school but never went to college or junior college after you can still take it for college admissions.
summerbrown · 2 points · Posted at 02:44:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As far as I'm aware (never looked it up only see it in passing) it's a combination test of reading comprehension, writing, and math that gives a maximum combined score of 2400 and is used to show proficiency when applying for university.
I guess it's another separate test to the end of year subject tests.
In NZ and I guess many other countries like Australia Canada UK etc (I might be wrong) we use our end of year subject test scores to calculate a combined score for entry to university, and you need a minimum number of English and math credits, the rest is filled with your scores from other subjects like accounting / economics/ history etc.
M0dusPwnens · 2 points · Posted at 03:55:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There might be exceptions (big country, 50 states), but most of the US doesn't do "end of year subject tests".
A given course may or may not have a "final", which is a particularly large, comprehensive test usually prepared by the course's teacher, but that's just going to be part of your grade (A/B/C/D/F) for the course - no university is ever going to see your score on it. And you have finals every year or every semester or every quarter depending on the length of the course, not just in your final year. Universities see your course grades, which might be partially or, in rare cases, entirely dependent on how you do on the final, but they don't see your grades on finals specifically.
The SAT is essentially what you describe. It's also optional and not an official part of the public/mandatory/government-run school system - a private company creates it and administers it, and you actually pay to take it (though there are waivers). What you describe is the main SAT, but there are also subject SATs, and some universities require those too (though you can usually take whichever subject tests you want - since most undergraduate programs in the US don't require you to pick a major before applying, they just want you to show that you learned something). Not every university requires the SAT, but many do. Some require the ACT instead (a similar test that's supposed to be more focused on specific things you learned and less on general math and reading skills), and some universities take either one.
In general, the SAT only really matters if you get an extreme score. Some schools have minimums (de jure or de facto) that you have to meet before they'll consider the rest of your application. A near-perfect score definitely counts in your favor, but otherwise it's just a way of weeding out applications that don't meet the minimum before they spend more time looking at the rest of the application. Mostly they're going to look at transcripts (the grades in all of your courses in all of high school), letters of recommendation, and essays/writing samples.
Many US universities also require a minimum number of credits in various subjects like you describe, though credits are relatively independent of how well you actually did in a class - you don't have to pass a test for them, they just describe which courses you took. So you might have the required credits, but straight Cs, which would make it very hard to get into most colleges.
summerbrown · 2 points · Posted at 04:03:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Huh, that's interesting about the SAT I didn't know it was a private company! I've heard the ACT mentioned but much less so then the SAT.
In our universities yeah, you only get a final grade for the paper, the combination of all of your internal examinations/assessments and the final. Likewise, no one sees your score for any individual exam except for yourself and the university, your transcript just shows the overall grade you got.
Thanks for the info! Interesting
M0dusPwnens · 1 points · Posted at 04:07:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a private company, but it's pretty deeply entrenched in the education system anyway (the education-industrial complex!). Teachers talk about it and help prepare students for it, and it's usually administered on school grounds during the weekend.
The ACT is definitely less popular, both among universities and among students (for the universities that take either one).
Though, at least when I was applying to university, there was definitely a movement away from the SAT and toward the ACT, and a smaller movement among universities to just stop bothering with either one. I'm not sure if that shift is still progressing or if it was just a sort of fad.
venhedis · 1 points · Posted at 02:55:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ahh I see. So it's kind of like credits you get for passing exams or courses?
I know here in Scotland every subject has an SCQF level depending on how difficult it is (plus there's credit points which are related to how long it takes to complete a qualification, so if you have to drop out for whatever reason you still have some credit for time studied)
So when you apply for a course/job/whatever - you can easily see what level someone studied at without the course names being confusing.
.... I've probably explained that poorly but it's 4am and I've forgotten how to words
summerbrown · 2 points · Posted at 03:41:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the SAT is separate entirely to their subjects/classes.
We don't have scqf, we just label ours e.g.: Econ 101 or Econ 121 etc, the first number represents the level, so 1 is first year of undergraduate, 2 is second, etc so forth.
You'll also get things like Econ 221.25 which is a sort of a specialisation of a certain angle of the 221 paper
And we get points based on the difficulty of the paper, that you retain on record if you have to abandon study for whatever reason.
shamrock-frost · 1 points · Posted at 04:17:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Heads up, the max sat score is now 1600
Dittorita · 2 points · Posted at 02:52:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's basically a standardized test that highschool students take that covers a decent amount of what you learn in school. Colleges will look at your score when you apply, and it affects what colleges you can get into and what scholarships you can get.
venhedis · 1 points · Posted at 02:58:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah I see. Thanks for explaining. Seems like it would kinda suck for people who did poorly in highschool though.
Or does the US have things like entry-level courses? So that way you can take a lower-level course and work your way up to a degree?
crow-servo · 2 points · Posted at 03:31:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The SAT and ACT don't really determine what courses you'll take in college, they are just a benchmark for colleges to decide whether to accept you. Most universities have a minimum score they accept, though other factors can bypass this. When you start college you usually take placement tests to see which level of a certain subject you belong in, though there are tests you can take in high school that will let you skip entry level courses, such as AP (advanced placement) tests.
troioi · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean not really. I got shit grades in high school but scored well enough on the SATs. It's not really based on high school curricula per se since curriculum varies based on region since it's determined by each state's government. Kids study for the SATs outside of school, e.g. prep courses, workbooks, though stuff you learned throughout your schooling years obviously helps . Or they can just wing it like I did.
Dittorita · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As others said, the SAT doesn't directly determine what classes you take. It's also perfectly OK to retake the SAT/ACT if you do poorly and give the best score on your application, but you will have to pay again to take the test (my school payed for the first time you took it, I'd assume most other schools do the same). It only costs like $50, so it's pretty accessible.
alose · 2 points · Posted at 02:55:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
SAT is an elective test taken in High School used as part of the acceptance into college. The SAT has two sections: Math, and "Verbal" ( or English Language ).
The two sections are scored 200-800 in a multiple answer format (A,B,C,D,E) You gain points for answering questions correctly, and lose partila points for answering questions wrong. The theory is that if you completely guess then the wrong answers will eliminate the answers guessed correctly. Each section is timed, so is often of benefit to skip particularly hard questions and come back later if time allows. If you can eliminate one or more potential answers, it becomes beneficial to guess.
OtterBurger · 2 points · Posted at 04:11:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
From what I know from American movies, American high schoolers use it as their measurement of worth as a person, and anyone older never mentions it ever
nonamer18 · 1 points · Posted at 03:50:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're not American right? I can't tell if your comments as if you are or aren't.
venhedis · 1 points · Posted at 04:14:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, I'm not American.
CognitioCupitor · 1 points · Posted at 05:15:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Geez you got a lot of responses.
superiority · 1 points · Posted at 05:20:15 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the UK, you sit exams during your secondary education that universities will look at to see if you can be admitted. The form of these exams is dictated by the government.
Back in the day, American universities required applicants to take entrance exams to see if they were good enough to be admitted. Each university ran its own exam. This could be a pain in the ass for students who wanted to apply to multiple universities, and for universities who wanted to attract a lot of students from far afield (which would require administering the exam in a lot of different locations). So a consortium got together and decided to agree on a standard entrance exam they would use collectively. Applicants could sit it and use their results to apply to any of those schools in the consortium. A single entrance exam turned out to be such a good idea that a bunch of other schools ended up accepting SAT results as well.
Somewhere along the way, someone decided to start up an alternative entrance exam as a competitor to the SAT. This is called the ACT.
Today, American students who plan to attend university take the SAT or the ACT and use their scores in their applications.
The SAT and the system of government-directed secondary qualifications that exists in the UK are two different solutions to similar problems.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 04:24:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Should American media pretend otherwise?
InfiniteThugnificent · 3 points · Posted at 02:44:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Woah, the Eclipse title actually works really well in Chinese. The hanzi in 月食 gives such a werewolf-y vibe
andrew991116 · 1 points · Posted at 07:43:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
(Literal translation = Moon Eat)
Head_of_Lettuce · 5 points · Posted at 02:02:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Happy cake day!
[deleted] · 7 points · Posted at 02:09:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Head_of_Lettuce · 8 points · Posted at 02:20:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
http://i.imgur.com/eEsJjCj.png
:(
Gemmabeta · 2 points · Posted at 06:15:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you!
javalorum · 1 points · Posted at 17:19:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See, why would a Taiwanese person ever have trouble understanding SAT? Their own university entrance exam is one of the most competitive tests in the world. One word. They could have just used one word and every reader would understand it immediately.
Not that I don't sympathize the poor vampires that have to go through SAT year after year.
Death_Star_ · 9 points · Posted at 02:18:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So like Silmarillion for twilight. In mandarin. That must be hell.
beelzeflub · 1 points · Posted at 02:24:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
2009 middle school tumblr user's wet dream
javalorum · 6 points · Posted at 04:04:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As a Chinese translator, I hate translator's footnotes with a passion. I just wrote like three long paragraphs in above thread explaining why I think translator's footnote pushes the readers out of the culture they're trying to learn about. I always thought a good translator should show the readers that while this story happens in a very different world than yours, but it's also not so different that you'd need a dictionary to understand it. We want to build a human connection to a story that happens half way across the world. I feel that footnotes really take you out of that context.
Then again, I imagine the footnotes could be the only interesting thing about Twilight so maybe that's why there were so many of them.
aformervegan · 2 points · Posted at 02:31:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's really cool, though. I love a good footnote, I wish we in the US were more willing to deal with footnotes & subtitles.
OctoberNoir · 2 points · Posted at 02:44:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Makes me wonder how they'd format a translation of House of Leaves
landoindisguise · 2 points · Posted at 03:46:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Interestingly, there are movie subtitle translators that do this too. Every now and then I'll download Chinese subs for a movie that are annotated as fuck - like every time a new object appears onscreen there's a paragraph next to it explaining its history and significance (in the context of the film) in Chinese.
Kinda cool if you feel like geeking out but it's pretty annoying if you're just trying to enjoy the movie and don't need the absurd details and backstories.
JesterMusician · 1 points · Posted at 02:37:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think this also happens in manga that's been translated to English
flamespear · 1 points · Posted at 06:24:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Pfft, what culture we have culture?
asCii88 · 6 points · Posted at 01:57:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Lithuanian version doesn't fit either.
cheezburglar · 1 points · Posted at 09:15:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And Polish one isn't an anagram
nineball22 · 3 points · Posted at 02:06:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Keikaku means plan*"
iwiggums · 2 points · Posted at 02:59:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Now I'm curious how they explained anagrams to people who speak a language in which anagrams aren't possible.
Claudsean · 2 points · Posted at 04:19:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is one of the most gangster things Rowling did in that book series. I was literally left with my jaw dropped when I found this shit out.
ICameHereToRead · 2 points · Posted at 06:24:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They didn't want to change his name in the Croatian translation, so we had just a footnote with a translation in the Croatian translation as well.
sdb2754 · 1 points · Posted at 01:19:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So, it's like "I couldn't find it on Google, but it's delicious", but in reverse?
Lonestar159 · 1 points · Posted at 02:17:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is that the same as a "gramma-man" ? Cuz that'd be me Granpappy, boy-o... ( ??? )
Galaxy_Ranger_Bob · 2 points · Posted at 03:02:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tutu means grandma in Hawaiian. Tutu-kane means grandma-man or "grandpa" in Hawaiian.
Lonestar159 · 2 points · Posted at 03:45:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mahalo, Brah!
Joostanj · 1 points · Posted at 02:45:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Happy cake day.
Gemmabeta · 1 points · Posted at 06:15:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you!
joe-h2o · 1 points · Posted at 02:47:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fun fact, in Chinese a penguin is called a Standing Goose.
clowergen · 1 points · Posted at 02:49:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I read the whole table. Was looking forward to Polish....turns out they just gave up and used the English one.
TheElPistolero · 1 points · Posted at 02:57:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like it matters. Kids aren't solving anagrams from a story like Harry Potter. It's neat but unnecessary. It doesn't drive the plot or anything.
omni_wisdumb · 1 points · Posted at 03:36:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I was think I thinking this exact thing, some languages don't have English style letters or letters at all.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:37:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Translation Note: Keikaku means plan
imtinyricketc · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Nose before hose" *rough translation
one-hour-photo · 1 points · Posted at 03:52:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
whoa. when? like, i guess right after the big reveal?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/YpUJbUTljfU
ConsiderOtherwise · 1 points · Posted at 04:08:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's actually adorable.
Famixofpower · 1 points · Posted at 04:08:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could it have been possible to do an upside down voldemort sign? Not sure how chinese works
potatomaster420 · 2 points · Posted at 05:55:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
definitely not. most characters in Chinese are so unique that even if they were upside down you could tell so. I do wonder why the translators didn't try to do something with the total amount of strokes though
Famixofpower · 1 points · Posted at 16:37:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Might have been easier, but it would still fit the mystery thing.
Dejected-Angel · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Couldn't they used homophones? Chinese are rather big on them.
corvuscrypto · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And Swedish.. They just used Latin.
HamfacePorktard · 1 points · Posted at 05:26:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are we not gonna talk about Romanian where his name is Tom Ruvel DOODLER?
LawlessCoffeh · 1 points · Posted at 05:39:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Again, idiom"
cubervic · 1 points · Posted at 05:47:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Taiwanese here.
Thank you for the comment. I was a bit worried that I was actually a complete idiot before seeing your comment.
whizzwr · 1 points · Posted at 05:59:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The title is misleading. Definitely not all language, Malay translation for one doesn't follow this rule. At least this is true for translated version that doesn't change any character name.
BassChakra · 1 points · Posted at 06:46:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
佛地魔（Lord Voldemort) 湯姆·魔佛羅·瑞斗 (Tom Riddle) Only two of three characters in LV's name make it into TMR's name.
Doip · 1 points · Posted at 07:45:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Happy cake day
Gemmabeta · 1 points · Posted at 07:51:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you!
squigs · 1 points · Posted at 08:47:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a shame. So I take it there's no other wordplay, in Chinese (except puns, which obviously wouldn't work)
Supersnazz · 1 points · Posted at 09:16:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That seems very... blunt? Like the book is completely breaking the fourth wall. Surely Rowling could have rewritten the passage somehow to make it translatable for those editions.
MarkoSeke · 1 points · Posted at 10:25:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Same in Croatian, Portuguese and Polish.
driizzydreee · 1 points · Posted at 02:33:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It says 68 languages
The_Collector4 · 1 points · Posted at 02:36:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do you think many chinese people read Harry Potter?
landoindisguise · 5 points · Posted at 03:51:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah it's pretty popular and well known there. I was living there in 2007 when the last book came out and it wasn't as crazy as I'm sure things were in the UK or US, but it was a thing, lots of people knew about it, etc.
The_Collector4 · 1 points · Posted at 04:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's wild to hear. Where in a China were you living?
landoindisguise · 1 points · Posted at 13:37:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't want to give away my identity (it was a city with very few English speaking foreigners), so let's just say Northeast (not Beijing)
ThePreciseClimber · 1 points · Posted at 08:31:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oy, I remember there were Chinese bootlegs of the 5th book before it was even written. Some shit with gold turtles and Harry turning into a goblin or something.
landoindisguise · 1 points · Posted at 13:40:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah they had the legit books and some crazy bootlegs as well. Best of both worlds really.
i7omahawki · 1 points · Posted at 16:46:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Absolutely, Harry Potter - or 哈利波特 - is a household name in China. When my Chinese gf visites the UK she insisted on visiting 'Harry Potter world'. It's bigger than Star Wars.
ParoleModel999 · 1 points · Posted at 04:21:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Such an inferior written language that.
ChinaFunn · 1 points · Posted at 09:19:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Spoken language is just as useless, too.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:20:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:31:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
oh dear
SwedishDude · 0 points · Posted at 02:28:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Swedish they just went with Latin instead :D
corvuscrypto · 4 points · Posted at 04:21:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean... I guess they could have just done "jag ar" and it would likely have been fine. But pretty cool nonetheless. I also wonder if they could have done "jag heter Voldemort" but... that doesn't sound right in the context.
SwedishDude · 1 points · Posted at 11:04:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jag heter probably would have worked. But they might have had to change the name too much.
andrewfdp071291 · 0 points · Posted at 02:31:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
they like, couldn't have the brush strokes realign into something else?
landoindisguise · 2 points · Posted at 03:54:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It doesn't work like that, no. The strokes aren't like letters, and while MAYBE you could take all the individual strokes used to write "Tom Riddle" and re-assemble them into something approaching "Voldemort", but it wouldn't seem cool or interesting in Chinese, and tbh nobody would even notice unless you made it very clear that's what you did. It's just not a thing.
andrewfdp071291 · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ty friend
grungebot5000 · -2 points · Posted at 02:20:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
China finally got the actual books? They still had that might-as-well-be-bootleg shit a decade ago
landoindisguise · 2 points · Posted at 03:49:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
....? China has has the actual books since the beginning of the series.
Source: was in China a decade ago, summer of 2007. Bought a legit copy of Deathly Hallows at a bookstore there.
Obviously there was bootleg stuff too, but China has had the actual books as long as everyone else AFAIK...
grungebot5000 · 1 points · Posted at 04:01:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
my bad looks like i was off by almost a whole decade lol
they got some AMAZING bootlegs. harry transfers to chinese hogwarts and fucks hermione.
landoindisguise · 1 points · Posted at 13:39:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well to be fair they had that stuff too. I'm just saying they also had the real books. Go to the upscale bookstore and you'd find the real ones, go to the sketchier bookstores (or online) to find the sketchier stuff.
Online novels are also a much bigger thing in China than they've ever been in the US, and I'm sure there were/are plenty of Harry Potter ones
TooShiftyForYou · 10673 points · Posted at 23:48:03 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Spanish, his name became "Tom Sorvolo Ryddle," which translates into "Soy Lord Voldemort." In French, his name is "Tom Elvis Jedusor," which becomes "Je suis Voldemort." In Dutch, his name is "Marten Asmodom Vilijn" which is an anagram for "Mijn naam is Voldemort". In Turkish the name is "Tom Marvoldo Riddle" which makes up "Adim Lord Voldemort". In Brazilian Portuguese the name is "Tom Servolo Riddle" which makes up "Eis Lord Voldemort". In Danish, his name is "Romeo G. Detlev Jr." which makes up "Jeg er Voldemort". In Italian his name is "Tom Orvoloson Riddle", which makes up "Son io Lord Voldemort."
chefdangerdagger · 10162 points · Posted at 01:11:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
LOL. This sounds like the name of a Brazilian Ju-Jitsu fighter from some video game fighting series.
Romeo_G_Detlev_Jr · 11727 points · Posted at 02:19:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ja.
Fiddlestix22 · 1056 points · Posted at 03:20:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like you've been waiting for this for 4 years.
goddess_of_sarcasm · 753 points · Posted at 05:35:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HE'S DONE HIS WAITING! FOUR YEARS OF IT!
Arixokilbro · 493 points · Posted at 05:45:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
IN AZKABAN!
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 11:52:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!
tedward007 · 2 points · Posted at 13:33:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, we're not Romeo G Detlev Jr.
smokeyhawthorne · 3 points · Posted at 12:37:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
AS A JUJITSU FIGHTER!
Mickothy · 10 points · Posted at 06:23:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I miss the Sirius Black bot
GoliathsBigBrother · 1 points · Posted at 11:13:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's all about the Jack Sparrow bot these days
Mike154698 · 1 points · Posted at 12:05:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Something something Captain Jack Sparrow where are you bot
grobend · 6 points · Posted at 06:13:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
IN AZKABAN
jotsti · 3 points · Posted at 06:31:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"
GoliathsBigBrother · 3 points · Posted at 11:12:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Playing the long game, well done that man
thomasjulius · 6 points · Posted at 06:00:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's possible they just really like Harry Potter.
NYCharlie212 · 6 points · Posted at 12:22:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No offense to him, but his name was literally created 4 years ago when this post was made: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/wh0o1/til_foreign_language_translations_had_to_change/
RICHARDARC18 · 3 points · Posted at 05:45:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/beetlejuicing
mission42 · 667 points · Posted at 04:02:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How do redditors that are not tagged seem to find the random topics that the comment references their name? And to do it so quickly as well.
dairyqueen79 · 648 points · Posted at 04:54:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Idk man. I feel like if there’s ever a conversation about seventy-nine Dairy Queens, I’m gonna miss it, or I’ll already be dead or something ☹️
aabicus · 332 points · Posted at 05:17:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your moment has come
regarding_your_cat · 96 points · Posted at 06:45:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
guess he already died
Condomonium · 14 points · Posted at 08:07:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
RIP in peace
kctrem · 3 points · Posted at 11:19:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or something...
lavalady28 · 12 points · Posted at 07:36:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh no, he hasn't responded yet! He's going to miss his chance! I am way too invested in this!
30_rack_of_pabst · 8 points · Posted at 06:13:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
DO ME NEXT!!!
PM_ME_RAD_PUPPERS · 7 points · Posted at 06:17:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh! Oh! Me too!
aabicus · 2 points · Posted at 16:33:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But of course
aabicus · 3 points · Posted at 16:27:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ask and ye shall recieve
30_rack_of_pabst · 1 points · Posted at 16:41:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Haha thanks
pizzadut · 1 points · Posted at 20:04:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
DO ME DO ME
aabicus · 2 points · Posted at 04:26:18 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bam
pizzadut · 1 points · Posted at 05:25:53 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're a saint.
diezdiasdios · 7 points · Posted at 10:00:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Man...he never did show up. And I had the music to "8 Mile" all geared up and ready. What a downer
mrwhite_2 · 7 points · Posted at 05:34:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Remindme!
natdanger · 4 points · Posted at 11:49:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Imagine being on that post without seeing this one.
WanderingBonsaiTree · 6 points · Posted at 07:29:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well he missed it
ThatTrashBaby · 2 points · Posted at 15:59:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Aaaaand he blew it
justin_yermum · 2 points · Posted at 16:13:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Didnt deliver
GarciaJones · 18 points · Posted at 05:11:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It’s ok. I’m sure I’ve missed a plenty Reno 911 comments where I could have made sense.
funildodeus · 4 points · Posted at 05:16:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I really don't think my douchey old college screen name will ever be brought up, unless it's someone complaining about a pretentious guy they knew ten years ago.
GodTierEE · 3 points · Posted at 05:13:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I browse electrical engineering related things.
PredictsYourDeath · 3 points · Posted at 06:32:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, confirmed you'll be hit by a truck laying dead in a ditch for about 30 minutes when the relevant ask Reddit thread gets posted.
Deadificator · 3 points · Posted at 05:13:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There are probably seventy nine dairy queens in Vancouver :D?
RicoSuave1881 · 2 points · Posted at 05:48:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Maybe it already happened?
JMoneyG0208 · 2 points · Posted at 07:46:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yoooo dont miss it
SyndicalismIsEdge · 2 points · Posted at 12:29:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh come on.
[deleted] · 71 points · Posted at 04:42:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
ItzJustMagik · 177 points · Posted at 05:13:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ja
AlmostButNotQuit · 12 points · Posted at 05:41:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
jrlizardking · 7 points · Posted at 05:41:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
GET OUT . STOP IT!
Tomhap · 2 points · Posted at 12:17:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
nee
Turbo_Queef · 38 points · Posted at 05:27:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Selection bias brother. You don't see the times when an appropriate username misses a conversation in time, or at all and therefore doesn't post an appropriate reply.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 06:06:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
reddit big
many chance
many missed chance
FiskFisk33 · 3 points · Posted at 05:59:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is a harry potter related frontpage post, someone named after a Harry Potter character is proboably likely to view such posts.
Also survivorship bias. You never see the ones who missed the chance!
paralyticbeast · 3 points · Posted at 10:05:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i mean just because this guy found this thread doesn't mean all the other voldemort name related people did; which are probably FAR more numerous
mtwstr · 7 points · Posted at 04:21:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
iirc gold lets you see username mentions
NotReallyEthicalLOL · 32 points · Posted at 04:42:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yeah but he wasn't mentioned
TexMarshfellow · 14 points · Posted at 04:37:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's been a vanilla reddit feature for like a year or more
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 04:51:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like 3 years.
famalamo · 5 points · Posted at 04:54:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah that's how I summon /u/mechorive and say he's a douchebag
Formerly_Dr_D_Doctor · 2 points · Posted at 05:55:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It just happens. I was able to find a particular comment chain that needed a doctor's input with my old account.
Magnnus · 2 points · Posted at 06:21:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They usually don't, but it seems like they do because you only remember those instances.
KingCanary · 2 points · Posted at 06:50:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm gonna make a bot that sends me a message if my name is ever said.
flyingmonkeys345 · 2 points · Posted at 07:25:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Maybe they have a bot scanning reddit for code words... Or maybe it's just that you notice only the ones that are successful (or they have no life
wasntme666 · 2 points · Posted at 09:16:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Their name is a small representation of who they are. Ergo, they are on subreddits that they like. Also representing apart of who the are.
partyallnight_not · 2 points · Posted at 09:29:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You might enjoy r/beetlejuicing
MyClitBiggerThanUrD · 2 points · Posted at 10:57:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Survivor bias, you don't notice the 99999 perfectly named accounts that miss their opportunities. I've been asked if I get notifications about clit discussions, but I just stumble upon them.
lacquerqueen · 2 points · Posted at 11:01:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, since he is interested in harry potter, he would read this.
SemenDemon182 · 1 points · Posted at 05:11:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'd very much like to know myself.. Bet lots of fun could be had with my randomly shitty username lol.
PointyOintment · 1 points · Posted at 06:10:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
metareddit stalk
PM_ME_RAD_PUPPERS · 1 points · Posted at 06:16:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They most likely post the original comment on an alt, then switch over.
DoMyThing · 1 points · Posted at 06:24:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's why he must not be named.
jenn4u2luv · 1 points · Posted at 06:39:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Google Alerts, maybe?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 10:07:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There is a website where you can put in keywords and it shows you recent comments with that keyword
im_dead_sirius · 1 points · Posted at 10:43:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Its a well kept secret, im_dead_sirius.
cachorromanco · 1 points · Posted at 10:55:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He's Lord Voldemort of course he would find out!
whatthefunkmaster · 1 points · Posted at 13:34:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some of us live here, friend
goirish2200 · 0 points · Posted at 05:07:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Reddit gold has username alerts as a feature.
cocobandicoot · 4 points · Posted at 05:43:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But don't you have to put "/u/" in front of it?
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 5 points · Posted at 06:00:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except nobody used his /u/. He just happened to see his name in non-link form.
Derf_Jagged · 1 points · Posted at 05:37:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's now a vanilla feature
higilo · -18 points · Posted at 04:07:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He would have found it and changed his username real quick.
Siberwulf · 26 points · Posted at 04:10:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You can change your username?
StarGaurdianBard · 24 points · Posted at 04:20:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope
Siberwulf · 11 points · Posted at 04:21:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the guy I responded to was wrong. Should I tell him?
StarGaurdianBard · 21 points · Posted at 04:22:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah it's fine he would just change his username after being tagged anyways
Over__Analyse · 15 points · Posted at 04:32:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You can change your username?
saysthingsbackwards · 2 points · Posted at 04:33:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
epoN
sporksnail · 1 points · Posted at 05:54:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope
PraetorArtanis · 1 points · Posted at 11:40:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you do, call him something rude, like a bundle of sticks, while you're at it. Because Reddit.
-xTc- · 2 points · Posted at 04:21:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think you can.
Unacceptable_Lemons · 3907 points · Posted at 03:10:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Username checks the fuck out!
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 990 points · Posted at 05:09:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy shit i thought you were bullshitting. That's awesome.
andrielhandrail · 545 points · Posted at 05:19:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
he probably watched the danish version and created a reddit account based on the name of voldemort there specifically for this occasion
road_tanker · 970 points · Posted at 05:36:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, He is a Brazilian Ju-Jitsu fighter
Tasgall · 81 points · Posted at 08:36:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And that is his real name.
Infra69 · 9 points · Posted at 10:44:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What a shock when he saw Harry Potter 2 for the first time!
And009 · 64 points · Posted at 05:21:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And has been waiting for this opportunity
CurtisMN · 9 points · Posted at 05:35:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Spaghetti.
PrettysureBushdid911 · 6 points · Posted at 05:48:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
, Mom's
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 123 points · Posted at 05:21:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's what I was assuming. There's no other explanation unless that happens to be his real name somehow, and that's like one in a million chance there.
BobVosh · 133 points · Posted at 05:32:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, there are 5.6 million people in Denmark.
MichaelNevermore · 5 points · Posted at 07:22:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah but somehow I don't think Romeo is a very Denmark-y name. I could be wrong though.
Nekzar · 8 points · Posted at 10:23:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's ok, you can say danish, we know you aren't thinking of pastries
BobVosh · 5 points · Posted at 07:26:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
220 according to this website.
"2 or fewer" named Romeo Detlav.
cosmiclionKing · 2 points · Posted at 11:55:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"2 or fewer"...just enough for Romeo Detlav and his son, Romeo Detlav Jr. The math checks out
lobax · 1 points · Posted at 10:14:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Those two are obviously the offspring of Potter nerds
DUCK_CHEEZE · 1 points · Posted at 13:24:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're right, Romeo is a Veronese name. Hamlet would be a good Danish name.
Hollixz · 3 points · Posted at 09:16:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What are the odds one of them would be a brazilian ju-jitsu fighter?
BobVosh · 3 points · Posted at 09:28:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I assume that was packaged in on the one in a million chance. If it isn't you have to ask /u/Solid_Freakin_Snake
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 1 points · Posted at 16:33:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh shit. Now my calculations are fucked. I did not consider that. Dammit.
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 9 points · Posted at 05:54:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well I assume roughly half are women, so I guess a 1 in 2.8 million chance.
blobblet · 14 points · Posted at 08:03:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You both are calculating the chance of finding "Romeo G. Detlev Jr." under the assumption that exactly one real person of that name exists in Denmark and that the person with the account is Danish, while you add the additional assumption that the person is male.
How this has anything to do with the odds that there is an actual person of that name exists in Denmark, and that the person posting is also him, is beyond me.
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 2 points · Posted at 16:31:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey, my assumption was that he's/she's just a Danish speaking fan of HP, but others started tossing out other potential reasons so I just ran with it. Lol.
shaxamo · 1 points · Posted at 12:21:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They'd be better assuming that there is a chance that it's an actual Danish name, but they are still calculating wrong. It should be 2.7 million Danish males over the world population. So 2,700,000/3,500,000,000. Then multiply it out by the likelihood of that name occurring in Danish males which would be like 1 in 2.7 million, if he even exists in the first place.
BobVosh · 10 points · Posted at 05:58:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I just assume there are 2.8 of them there.
jotsti · 2 points · Posted at 06:33:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
These statistics are perfect maths.
regarding_your_cat · 1 points · Posted at 06:43:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
hell, that's nearly 3!
freedomfever · 2 points · Posted at 09:47:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Plus a few of us undercover in those other Nordic "countries"
BobVosh · 2 points · Posted at 10:14:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I just assumed they have as many spies in your land as you have in theirs.
photoframes · 1 points · Posted at 12:10:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well there are 9 million bicycles in Bejing
scottmale24 · 9 points · Posted at 08:05:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or he reads Danish and is a fan of the Harry Potter franchise.
Just... throwin' that one out there.
Solid_Freakin_Snake · 1 points · Posted at 16:32:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's what I assumed, but others started tossing out other potential reasons so I just ran with it. Lol.
CyanideNow · 1 points · Posted at 20:14:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or, one of the other times this was posted, he found the name amusing and made the account...
YungFambruhgini · 7 points · Posted at 07:55:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Read the danish book. Denmark doesn't get dubbed movies
Thotaz · 2 points · Posted at 09:36:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know if the entire series got dubbed, but I know for a fact that the first 2 movies were dubbed. Most movies targeted at children are dubbed, so I don't know why you think we don't get dubbed movies.
YungFambruhgini · 1 points · Posted at 11:17:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cause I am half danish and never experienced a dubbed movie in Dennark but then again I didn't grow up there so I believe you.
road_tanker · 1 points · Posted at 12:06:02 on August 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
It is interesting do you know why?
YungFambruhgini · 2 points · Posted at 12:27:11 on August 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because it's too small a market to be worth the money to pay a dubbing studio. There are only like 5 million danish speakers.
road_tanker · 1 points · Posted at 14:09:43 on August 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would not think 5 million speaker is not enough. Now i understand
YungFambruhgini · 2 points · Posted at 17:41:21 on August 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
As another guy who replied to me pointed out the firsts two movies were actually dubbed but most Tv shows and smaller productions than Harry Potter aren't.
Dreaming_of_ · 2 points · Posted at 07:51:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Given the fact that ja is Danish for yes.....he might be a Dane....or Voldemort....or an exiled BJJ fighter
belizehouse · 2 points · Posted at 10:03:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It is possible he is a Brazilian-German BJJ fighter. A few of those German lads fled to Brazil back in the day.
bretty88 · 1 points · Posted at 08:05:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Y'think.
ra66itz · 1 points · Posted at 08:08:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sherlock?
che_sac · 1 points · Posted at 09:07:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He probably created a bot which notifies of whether full or part of this name appears on this sub!
Chinoiserie91 · 1 points · Posted at 11:21:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
More like red the Danish books, the Danish do not dup I believe so if the poser just watched the films he would probably pay more attention to names being said in English.
grshealy · 1 points · Posted at 15:40:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
nice work, gumshoe
beatboxrevolution · 1 points · Posted at 06:39:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is why Reddit for me
Habile · 3 points · Posted at 06:59:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like I must be crazy with all these "4 years" replies. It shows as 5 years for me.
DirkRight · 1 points · Posted at 07:56:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He just had his anniversary.
Unacceptable_Lemons · 1 points · Posted at 11:40:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Still says 4 for me, but maybe he's just on the line for 5.
d0m1n4t0r · 3 points · Posted at 10:05:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's not like the movies came yesterday...
thrasumachos · 6 points · Posted at 05:52:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, this isn't the first time this has been posted.
Katvin · 6 points · Posted at 07:53:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My first thought was a Danish Harry Potter fan but you're probably right.
Liverpoolclippers · 2 points · Posted at 11:02:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/beetlejuicing/
Wow-Delicious · 2 points · Posted at 11:03:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
5 years in a few days.
Kunzite_ · 1 points · Posted at 16:52:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Another 4 year Romeo G. Detlev Jr.: /u/RomeoGDetlevJr
What happened 4 years ago? o.o
Noremac812 · 2 points · Posted at 19:15:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Both accounts were made on 7/13/2012.
Now I'm really curious.
classicalySarcastic · 23 points · Posted at 04:55:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The r/beetlejuicing to end all beetle juicing. this redditor has been waiting 4 years for this moment. FOUR YEARS!
PM_ME_YOUR__TOES_ · 10 points · Posted at 04:21:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What the fuck.
saysthingsbackwards · 9 points · Posted at 04:32:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
evisserpmi s'taht nmaD
jakej1097 · 7 points · Posted at 05:05:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
tuo s'kcehc emanresU
sdrawkcabsgnihtsyas · 6 points · Posted at 05:18:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Username check's out
theunnoanprojec · 64 points · Posted at 03:24:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/Beetlejuice
MahBucket · 106 points · Posted at 04:12:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
it's /r/Beetlejuicing
[deleted] · 10 points · Posted at 04:09:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
aye /r/beetlejuicing* mate
ComfyBrah · 3 points · Posted at 04:05:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
what a weird subreddit name
higilo · 7 points · Posted at 04:06:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Have you never heard of the movie Beetlejuice?
ComfyBrah · 3 points · Posted at 04:19:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
idk, i might know the french version? doesnt tell me anything but i know an horror movie where they said a name in front of the mirror a couple times and th person appeared
But anyway thanks, i didnt understand the subname until now
Cherribomb · 5 points · Posted at 04:08:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Just a reference to a movie/show by the same name. A character (Betelgeuse) is summoned by saying his name three times.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 04:48:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
famalamo · 3 points · Posted at 04:54:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bettlejuice is a misspelling of Beetlejuice, which is the movie character
Handburn · 3 points · Posted at 04:50:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/beatlejuicing
Ftfy
Derf_Jagged · 4 points · Posted at 05:38:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dammit, what a waste of a sub. Needs pictures of The Beatles members juicing fruits.
Handburn · 1 points · Posted at 05:42:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think you quite get the point of the sub. It's a reference to the movie where you say his name (3 times) and he appears. Same deal with Reddit names (except only said once).
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 06:11:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
woosh
Derf_Jagged · 1 points · Posted at 11:34:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's /r/beetlejuicing, not /r/beatlejuicing :P
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 04:26:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
this is incredible
Bad_brahmin · 4 points · Posted at 04:27:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Harry Potter r/beetlejuicing? DAMN!
MTL_Alex · 3 points · Posted at 04:38:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unreal....
JC_tiggr · 3 points · Posted at 05:10:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/beetlejuicing
JimmiesSoftlyRustle · 3 points · Posted at 05:26:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are my hero.
SelfAwarenessIsKey · 2 points · Posted at 05:29:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wtf
wagerbut · 2 points · Posted at 05:48:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/beetlejuicing
Jowitness · 2 points · Posted at 05:52:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
YOU'RE A HERO!
Tymalik1014 · 2 points · Posted at 05:54:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/Beetlejuicing
MrDisorderly · 2 points · Posted at 06:04:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The perfect fucking beetlejuice.
froznice · 2 points · Posted at 06:28:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
R/bettlejuicing
BizGilwalker · 2 points · Posted at 06:31:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What the actual fuck
TooTipsyy · 2 points · Posted at 06:42:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/beetlejuicing
Pacattack57 · 2 points · Posted at 07:37:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/beetlejuicing
GDogg69 · 2 points · Posted at 08:22:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Talk about playing the long game. Well played sir
unplugged89 · 2 points · Posted at 08:35:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/beetlejuicing
SerTachanka · 2 points · Posted at 08:37:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Am I really gonna have to be the arsehole that tags r/beetlejuicing?
UsernameCheckOuts · 2 points · Posted at 08:38:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow. Username. So much check out.
such-a-earthly-earth · 2 points · Posted at 10:05:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Happy reddit birthday😃 5 years! That's impressive!
Dylangil01 · 2 points · Posted at 11:12:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
this is so fucking spooky
Zylarth · 2 points · Posted at 11:38:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/beetlejuicing
AngelaBerserkel · 2 points · Posted at 11:39:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fantastic letters-for-gold ratio !
Go_Fonseca · 2 points · Posted at 12:36:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
God damn it! This is the best case of r/beetlejuicing I have ever seen live! Beautiful!
Sothisismylifehuh · 2 points · Posted at 14:26:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am looking at them
Dittro · 2 points · Posted at 15:45:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
holy shit
HeirOfEgypt526 · 2 points · Posted at 15:55:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/beetlejuicing
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 12:45:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/retiredusername
Outi5 · 1 points · Posted at 13:05:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oss
Church829 · 1 points · Posted at 17:37:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/beetlejuicing
SuperGandalfBros · 1 points · Posted at 11:43:29 on December 17, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/beetlejuicing
chickencookiegumball · -3 points · Posted at 05:25:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is gold??? I quit
[deleted] · 738 points · Posted at 02:12:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He was really short so everyone teased him calling him Detlev Shrimp
Shlenyhanna · 133 points · Posted at 02:37:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Now I wanna play as the sonics.
MananTheMoon · 166 points · Posted at 02:53:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Weird, this makes me want to watch Parks & Rec, so I can see more Detlef Schrempf.
MyNameUsesEverySpace · 20 points · Posted at 03:42:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm watching through it again right now. Here, enjoy the moment with me, pal.
Ben just quit the accounting job as soon as he got it for the second time. He made a joke, "Formulas are my formula for mula," which is just terrible, but the accounting guy sure loved it. The next one is about... as of writing this, I gotta hit the next episode button (watching on SockShare, never used it before this show but it's been working very well). Oh, it's the one where Leslie and Ben meet the guy from the Eagleton Parks Department that Leslie thinks is evil, but he turns out to be a super cool dude. Or... something. I guess I gotta watch it again.
Anywho, thanks for letting me kill those couple minutes, enjoy watching again if you do decide to. Stay cool, hot one out there today.
[deleted] · 12 points · Posted at 03:49:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'll only say this one more time, keep the accounting crap at the door
Mighty_ShoePrint · 5 points · Posted at 08:39:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
".....calc-you-later.."
Haaaahahaha!
"Oh..heh. you liked that one."
TED! COME IN HERE! BEN JUST TOLD A GREAT JOKE! TED!
LaMalintzin · 3 points · Posted at 04:22:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TED!
chooxy · 3 points · Posted at 07:21:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He's going to love this!
TED!
Nathansbud · 4 points · Posted at 10:02:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy shit, I literally just watched that episode last night then went to bed.
vapor47 · 3 points · Posted at 06:07:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey! It's my first time watching this series and I just watched that episode today too!
Phreak_of_Nature · 4 points · Posted at 04:52:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Weird, this makes me wanna listen to Band of Horses.
_soundshapes · 1 points · Posted at 05:05:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Weird, this makes me wanna listen to Horse the Band.
hax0rmax · -1 points · Posted at 03:27:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey cool, you got the joke
PassToMouth · 10 points · Posted at 02:50:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He's on fire.
YippieKiAy · 2 points · Posted at 03:06:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is it the shoes?!
tommy_the_tit · 2 points · Posted at 10:08:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
so do the Sonics
Iohet · 1 points · Posted at 03:05:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Only if I get to be Shawn Kemp's penis
Fitz2001 · 1 points · Posted at 03:09:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Deeeeeeep cut.
Chemical_Castration · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jr Shrimp
sjeffiesjeff · 1 points · Posted at 10:34:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Detlev ebi
LtLabcoat · 297 points · Posted at 02:15:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You know, I always thought it was a little silly J.K. took a page out of comic books and made the villain's secret real name be "Mr. Riddle". But I gotta say, "Romeo Jr" really takes the cake!
GoingByTrundle · 133 points · Posted at 02:21:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Soy Lord would like a word.
Kalsifur · 4 points · Posted at 02:56:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Movie Volde's head does look a bit beanish.
Alphapix · 28 points · Posted at 02:46:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
soy means I am
luckofthedrew · 12 points · Posted at 04:43:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Soy Lorde, la la la, soy Lorde
Boats_of_Gold · 6 points · Posted at 02:57:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am means soy
fzw · 12 points · Posted at 03:14:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am sauce
Pakh · 1 points · Posted at 10:07:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am willow
[deleted] · -7 points · Posted at 02:57:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 08:06:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
FTFY
GoingByTrundle · 1 points · Posted at 08:15:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hahahahaha
Wert3a · 11 points · Posted at 03:18:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But his name isn't actually "Soy Lord". That's the translation for I am.
Alphapix · 5 points · Posted at 03:34:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So? It still means I am in the language that it's written in.
Edit: he changed his whole comment.
[deleted] · -8 points · Posted at 06:17:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 06:23:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You seem really fun.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 06:25:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 06:33:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Better than what you did no? ie shadow editing your pointless comment. You act like a misunderstood victim when I simply offered a clarification. You're the one who misunderstood when you got super defensive.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 06:37:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 06:40:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See that's where you misunderstood that I said anything to the contrary and was attacking your comment or something. There's nothing sarcastic or joking in that comment. You're being defensive. Case closed.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 06:49:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 06:50:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nice try that makes no sense and you know it.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 06:52:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 06:55:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So what! I'm right!!!!!!!!!!!! You're wrong!!!!!!!!!
Such sarcasm.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:07:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 07:31:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Keep digging yourself in bro. You're such a teen. Can't admit you fucked up for th life of you.
Why don't you explain the joke bro uh? Again it has to be contained in:
And if it was so funny, why did you fucking edit it out LOL.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 07:39:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 08:21:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So 1- You say joke was that you wrote something dumb. That's it. But actually you wrote a justification of your initial comment. You wrote a defensive justification. Justifications aren't jokes.
And 2-
That's the part that you misunderstood since like I said I didn't really care one way or another about your remark but just wanted to inform people who might not know what "soy" means. So you actually proved that you misunderstood but won't admit it.
Basically I've got proof that you're 100% on everything you say. :)
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 08:24:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Alphapix · 1 points · Posted at 08:52:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We both know it's just getting the last word at this point. But the longer it goes on the stupider you look so I'm good to go.
cmantle · 7 points · Posted at 03:14:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are you American?
experaguiar · 6 points · Posted at 03:02:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
no.
GoingByTrundle · 1 points · Posted at 06:15:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes
woundedbreakfast · 1 points · Posted at 06:41:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Must be filled with estrogen
rachawakka · 1 points · Posted at 12:40:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Yo Soy" is spanish for "I am".
GoingByTrundle · 1 points · Posted at 12:42:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can't do this again.
BeJeezus · 1 points · Posted at 08:35:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Those of us who had already read The Books of Magic (about a young wizard named Timothy Hunter who is sent off to wizard boarding school) think she took a lot out of comic books, actually.
kaaz54 · 327 points · Posted at 01:41:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's also revealed that the G stands for "Gåde" which translates directly to "riddle". So that sadly kind of kills the joke.
[deleted] · 205 points · Posted at 02:13:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How
mcnuggetor · 222 points · Posted at 02:16:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Joke seems intact
kattmedtass · 18 points · Posted at 02:39:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Joke checks out.
KyloRad · 1 points · Posted at 02:38:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Does not compute
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:48:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Joke machine 🅱️roke
FlexualHealing · 81 points · Posted at 02:13:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Vader means father iirc in German so it's about time some other nations get shafted by wordplay spoilers.
kaaz54 · 146 points · Posted at 02:15:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Dutch. It's Vater i German.
halal_hotdogs · 3 points · Posted at 02:57:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This means toilet in Euro Spanish
kushangaza · -2 points · Posted at 02:50:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But Dutch and German are close enough that most things that are a spoiler to the Dutch will be a spoiler to Germans too.
Me4Prez · 8 points · Posted at 03:29:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not really. I speak Dutch and my German sucks, so I barely understand anything. Some words are similar, but 70-80% of the languages is different. Like you have "huis", meaning "house", which is "Haus" in German, you also have "tuin", meaning "garden", which is "Garten", pretty easy, but then you have "trein", meaning "train", which is "Zug" or "ziek", meaning "sick", which is "krank". So you can't really say we understand each others spoilers most of the time.
GroovingPict · 3 points · Posted at 06:14:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dutch is closer to Low German and thus also Scandinavian (which evolved from Low German/Low Saxon/whatever). "Regular" German is High German.
Motzlord · 3 points · Posted at 07:15:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Scandinavian languages (North Germanic) didn't evolve from Low German, they split off, much, much earlier and are therefore more like cousins, not offspring. Proto-Germanic divided into West, East and North Germanic. The West Germanic languages are German, Dutch, English. So they aren't that closely related, except for some grammatical concepts and vocabulary, but a big part of that was adopted later, if they are very similar. This split happened roughly 100 BC.
MaritMonkey · 1 points · Posted at 04:24:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dutch and German (the words, anyhow) aren't much more similar than English and German, are they?
Me4Prez · 3 points · Posted at 04:47:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not sure, because we don't use "krank" but English does ("cranky"), but they pretty much are alike in terms of similarness(sp?), I guess. Dutch and English, on the other hand, are more similar, you word stealing yankees/limeys. But then again, we do use primarily English words for most IT related things...
ShitStateOfAffairs · 2 points · Posted at 16:38:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fun fact, yankees actually comes from dutch people calling Americans Jan-Kees (way back in the day obviously).
uk_uk · 1 points · Posted at 03:05:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
nope
[deleted] · 74 points · Posted at 02:26:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I had thought that was just a lucky coincidence, though, since they hadn't planned that twist at the start of ANH. Wasn't he just named for the similarity to "Invader"?
speaks_in_redundancy · 51 points · Posted at 02:36:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes. It was just a coincidence. Pretty neat one though.
sandpirate787 · 2 points · Posted at 08:56:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do you ever reckon the writers did it accidentally on purpose?! Like they had the name and then it clicked to someone subconsciously and was like EUREKA!
HeavenPiercingMan · 2 points · Posted at 05:49:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Darth means In. Darth Vader, Invader. Darth Sidious, Insidious.
Darth Jection, the wielder of the lightsyringe. His rival is Darth Fection.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 06:17:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Darth Trovert always had trouble going out to fight the Jedi, until Darth Spiring gave him a nice speech.
callmetheganjafarmr · 3 points · Posted at 03:44:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is it that difficult to spell out "A New Hope" honestly. I'm all for acronyms when they are actually useful and not confusing to 95% of the populace. Jesus.
The_BusterKeaton · 2 points · Posted at 08:01:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I remember when people were still trying to figure out who RAB was, the Dutch translation was posted online and in turn was translated to RAZ. Helped the world figure out a lot of things.
Argon91 · 2 points · Posted at 08:53:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To those not familiar, "Black" translates to "Zwart", hence the abbreviation. It really wasn't that hard to figure out an important name in the books (I mean it had to be important, right, else why use a mysterious abbreviation?) that went from a "B" to a "Z".
theunnoanprojec · 4 points · Posted at 03:24:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly, I'd say that this makes it better. Like a little Easter egg
C47man · 3 points · Posted at 03:05:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait how does that kill the joke?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 04:42:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Was there a joke to begin with?
Sabbatean · 1 points · Posted at 06:09:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Riddle in Tom Riddle also translates to Riddle
yepmek · 47 points · Posted at 02:25:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've had a horrible few days of depression, anxiety and panic attacks and this is the first thing to make me laugh in a while. Thank you.
Unacceptable_Lemons · 9 points · Posted at 03:09:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, one of the only things that got me laughing to the point of aching ribs was this: https://youtu.be/exu0BjqAVmU?t=6m9s
Basically, a reading of some insane-but-real court case transcripts. Those transcripts were also later voiced by the voice actors of Rick and Morty, and then fan animated into this masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTWdP5DMdsM
Dunno if your sense of humor is anything like mine, but the absurdity of imagining all of that happening in a real court, with a real judge, always gets me.
ShamefulGamerBJ · 6 points · Posted at 02:26:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When you actually think about his parents' story, it's actually a better fitting name
ZPTs · 5 points · Posted at 03:15:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ugh. Of course.
/u/RomeoGDetlevJr
User for 4 years.
RomeoGDetlevJr · 4 points · Posted at 03:40:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like I have to say something every time this pops up... I can really only say I am not that cool.
SovietK · 6 points · Posted at 04:48:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dane here. While it's not a common name (Have actually never seen Detlev in real life) It didn't really struck me as odd when I first read it. Totally didn't see it coming.
sometimesavowel · 3 points · Posted at 05:22:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My thought when I saw that is how particularly well it works considering Voldemort is a Jr.
beelzeflub · 2 points · Posted at 02:25:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My first thought was a fancy anime/manga character in a 90s shonen
FantasyGurley · 2 points · Posted at 03:25:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is my new soccer team name
floede · 2 points · Posted at 08:23:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is actually a little annoying if you switch between language versions - like for instance watching the movies with my son.
I keep forgetting that Tom and Romeo is the same person. Tom is not a uncommon name in danish, so they could have tried to keep that, but I guess Romeo Detlev was easier.
lyvanna · 2 points · Posted at 10:49:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is funny. In Norwegian his name is Tom Dredolo Venster, anagram of Voldemort den store (Voldemort the great). I think that's grammatically correct in Danish too. I really prefer the Norwegian one. The Norwegian translator is absolutely brilliant though.
Lord_TrainBacker7000 · 1 points · Posted at 02:45:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No one can beat Sub-zero though...
AntonSkjold · 1 points · Posted at 03:01:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't remember this from the books at all, I only remember the English name, which I got from the movies.
fxthea · 1 points · Posted at 03:16:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oss
coulthurst · 1 points · Posted at 03:29:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Aaaaaaand in the red corner... weighing in at 185 lbs, fighting out of Scranton, OH... The Scranton Scrambler... Rrrrrrrromeoooooo G Detleeeeeev Juuuunyahhhhhhhh!!!!
simple_test · 1 points · Posted at 03:34:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The cheated by using an abbreviation for the middle name. Must have been the hardest one.
MudRock1221 · 1 points · Posted at 04:11:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sounds like a Danish Robert Downey Jr.
SurpriseWtf · 1 points · Posted at 06:27:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Made me laugh
Chinoiserie91 · 1 points · Posted at 11:23:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well he was a jr.
mw1994 · 1 points · Posted at 07:36:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Joey joe joe jr shabadoo
X0AN · 1 points · Posted at 09:41:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo done!
merrickal · 1 points · Posted at 09:51:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ran out of money in the middle of his European tour. Had to make a living somehow.
CeeJayDK · 1 points · Posted at 10:45:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would have gone with something like Tom Jerog Redle instead.
Bshep416 · 1 points · Posted at 12:38:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This guy definitely made his account this morning.
robotikempire · 1058 points · Posted at 00:32:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Icelandic, his name is Trevor Delgome, which becomes "(Ég)Eg er Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"), but his middle name is not used for the anagram and stays as Marvolo. In Finnish his name is "Tom Lomen Valedro", anagram is "Ma(ä) olen Voldemort", "I am Voldemort". In Dutch, his name is "Marten Asmodom Vilijn", an anagram of "Mijn naam is Voldemort", or "My name is Voldemort". In Norwegian, his name is Tom Dredolo Venster, an anagram of "Voldemort den store", which means "Voldemort the Great". In Swedish, his name is "Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder", an anagram of "Ego sum Lord Voldemort", where "ego sum" is Latin, not Swedish, for "I am". In Danish, his name is "Romeo G. Detlev Jr.", which becomes "Jeg er Voldemort" meaning "I am Voldemort". Here, the "G" stands for "Gåde" which means "Riddle" thus incorporating the original surname. Mostly, this is used when referring to Voldemort's real name (Romeo Gåde / Rom Riddle). In Ukrainian, his name is "Tom Yarvolod Redl", an anagram of "Ya Lord Voldemort", or "I'm Lord Voldemort".
In Hungarian, Voldemort's name becomes "Tom Rowle Denem", which is an anagram of "Nevem Voldemort", with the "w" in the name becoming two "v"s. This caused an unfortunate name collision with the character Thorfinn Rowle, who first appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but who is not related to Voldemort. Because of this collision, in the Hungarian translation his family name was altered to Rovel of Thorfinn. The Arabic version avoids the issue entirely by having Riddle directly write out "I am Lord Voldemort" (أنا لورد فولدمورت), without any anagram at all.
J0h4NNes83Ere · 247 points · Posted at 02:02:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
in German: Tom Vorlost Riddle "...ist Lord Voldemort"
imliterallyfive · 427 points · Posted at 02:19:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That should have been the English version as well.
It's Lord Voldemort!
beelzeflub · 374 points · Posted at 02:27:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HOLLERIN HORCRUXES, BATMAN! IT'S VOLDEMORT!
Biased_Dumbledore · 248 points · Posted at 03:10:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Heh
30 points to Gryffindor
beelzeflub · 101 points · Posted at 03:40:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That username
TheSyllogism · 13 points · Posted at 08:11:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm done. The amount of tombstoning in this thread is too damn high.
EDIT: I meant beetlejuicing. Too tired to post.
JarJarBinks590 · 5 points · Posted at 11:30:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tombstoning? ELI5?
TheSyllogism · 1 points · Posted at 18:22:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Meh, the example I chose wasn't the best, but it was happening all over the rest of the thread. Basically when you say something and someone turns up with an absurdly relevant username. See r/tombstoning for real world examples
eypandabear · 2 points · Posted at 08:53:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Redditor for 5 years... Jesus.
Shanicpower · 1 points · Posted at 09:45:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Relevant
urgelburgel · 10 points · Posted at 03:35:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Vorlost B. Ethics Riddle
IT'S LORD VOLDEMORT, BITCHES!
Chow-Ning · 3 points · Posted at 08:41:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
hey it's me, lord voldemort
Katante · 3 points · Posted at 09:50:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's more like the name Tom Vorlord Riddle appears and than the letters change Position and spell ... Is Lord Voldemort.
superVzero · 5 points · Posted at 03:20:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
*is Lord Voldemort!
thebestdaysofmyflerm · -1 points · Posted at 02:34:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ist just means "is," not "it's."
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 07:06:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
fenstapuza · 5 points · Posted at 07:24:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It should have been that, yes, but "...ist Lord Voldemort ("... is Lord Voldemort") works perfectly fine.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 09:02:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
who said it had to be a complete sentence, bub
GabeDevine · 1 points · Posted at 09:03:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What would the anagram of that be? 🤔
00Laser · 1 points · Posted at 19:48:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
something like Vorbinolch
00Laser · 1 points · Posted at 19:46:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That would be the exact translation, but I assume they went with "Tom Riddle ...ist Lord Voldemort" because Vorlost actually sounds like a German name. Making an anagram of "ich bin Lord Voldemort" would be quite difficult as you end up with 7 consonants and just 3 vowels after taking out "Tom Riddle". So it would've most likely been implausible to use such a name.
J0h4NNes83Ere · 1 points · Posted at 21:13:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
the couldn't make a cool sounding name with those letters
eppic123 · 3 points · Posted at 10:52:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wonder why they didn't make it Tom Vorloster Riddle, so it could be "Er ist Lord Voldemort".
Soggy_Biscuit_ · 152 points · Posted at 02:07:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's Voldemort and his pre-voldemort name is "Trevor" lol
foolishle · 10 points · Posted at 05:52:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Makes Neville's toad seem a little more interesting...
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 08:42:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Maybe it's the Voldemort of amphibians and wants death to all frogs.
AugustusCaesar2016 · 7 points · Posted at 02:49:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Maybe it doesn't have the same connotation in that language? Speaking of which why is this so hard to believe in English? Trevor's a fine name I guess.
shaantya · 9 points · Posted at 08:49:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's the name of Neville's toad, though, unless they changed that too x)
Soggy_Biscuit_ · 7 points · Posted at 02:51:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm Australian, this is "Trevor". It would probably have similar connotations for Brits as well.
AugustusCaesar2016 · 14 points · Posted at 03:04:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For some reason I imagine a Trevor to be a younger guy that gets shitfaced with his buddies on a regular basis. I'm not sure why I think that.
SigmaQuotient · 6 points · Posted at 03:59:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can confirm. Is a Trevor.
AugustusCaesar2016 · 4 points · Posted at 04:10:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nice try Voldemort
Soggy_Biscuit_ · 1 points · Posted at 03:05:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol yeah I can see that. Either way, not exactly Voldemort material :3
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 05:54:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm Canadian; this is Corey and Trevor.
superiority · 1 points · Posted at 05:38:25 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Here are some Trevors for you.
YcantweBfrients · 3 points · Posted at 05:50:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kinda makes sense, all the more reason he wanted a new name.
ElBroet · 2 points · Posted at 10:14:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yea I'd change my name to Voldemort too if my name was Trevor
wtfduud · 2 points · Posted at 11:44:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always knew Trevor was up to some shady shit.
[deleted] · 1349 points · Posted at 00:38:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
noctis89 · 358 points · Posted at 01:01:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They're more anagrams for "I am" than it is for the rest of the name, since that carries over between most examples.
Still vaguely interesting, somewhat. Kinda.
[deleted] · 190 points · Posted at 01:54:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
boyyouguysaredumb · 147 points · Posted at 02:03:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yeah, I hear there's more interesting TILs anyway, with Steve Buscemi and something about firefighters on 9/11
protanoa1 · 9 points · Posted at 02:18:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wake up Sheeple! Steve Buscemi did 9/11. Who was on scene on 9/11? Stever Buscemi! Who had the most to gain from people finding out he's a volunteer firefighter? Steve Buscemi! Every thread leads back to one man, STEVE BUSCEMI!!
FUTURE10S · 3 points · Posted at 03:21:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are you telling me that Steve Buscemi is the Zodiac Killer?
LinkThe8th · 5 points · Posted at 05:24:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think Ted Cruz is a good enough actor to pretend to be Buscemi...
But Buscemi is good enough to play Ted Cruz!
TheMightyGoatMan · 1 points · Posted at 12:51:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, he threw them off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.
rocklou · 1 points · Posted at 12:22:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ya, Lord Voldemort
ThatForearmIsMineNow · 4 points · Posted at 02:02:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's pretty interesting. Reading all the examples is less interesting.
TheBroJoey · 2 points · Posted at 02:35:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Pretty mildly interesting if you ask me.
cupc4kes · 1 points · Posted at 07:07:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except for the Slovenians, who went completely off the rails with 'Mark Neelstin'
Yglorba · 7 points · Posted at 03:28:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, this is boring, we should stop focusing on anagrams and go do something-- WAIT A MINUTE.
tdeasyweb
ytdeasweb
yedtasweb
yedtasbew
yedbastew
yebdastew
yebadstew
Ye Bad Stew
Of course! You're the bad stew responsible for all of this! And to think, you almost distracted us before we cracked the clues and caught you!
Voidcube · 3 points · Posted at 03:20:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Swedish his name is an anagram for English and Latin. Makes sense.
PerfectiveVerbTense · 2 points · Posted at 02:18:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think we find the headline interesting because we know it would be a fun and challenging puzzle for the translator. But reading a completed crossword is boring as shit.
PowerfulLier · 1 points · Posted at 02:22:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Right I read the first example post now I'm like ok I get it
heysuburban · 1 points · Posted at 02:46:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know, I'm pretty interested in Voldemort being named Trevor.
Dequilla · 19 points · Posted at 03:25:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We swedes really made it hard for them by having our own characters.. "I am" would be "Jag är"..
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 06:25:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Names with ä in them usually don't sound so threatening... But they have the same problem in Finish (M(in)ä olen = I am).
When I saw the Swedish one thought I thought that "Of course Swedish one switched it to latin." But then I saw your comment that thought. "Yeah. It's quite clever and sort of fits into the world."
Dequilla · 2 points · Posted at 13:03:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Indeed, however "jag är" would be alot more relatable for swedes, not sure most would understand how clever the name is without looking it up, which kind of removes the fun part of it being a riddle for alot of viewers, in the long run though it seems ergo is alot more fitting.
Target880 · 2 points · Posted at 16:43:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I suspect the reson not to use a name with ä in it is not that is does sound threatening but that it would stand out when it would not match the other names of the wizards of the book.
If I am not mistaken other proper names are not translated/changed in the books to Swedish. Som nickname are translated, Epithet and descriptive "names" like The Fat Lady are also changed since it is important to understand them for the story.
Bolaf · 4 points · Posted at 11:42:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the person who thought of "ergo sum" can't be praised enough, it even seems like something voldemort would use
Kash42 · 2 points · Posted at 12:17:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's even more clever than that. Dolder is pronounced the same as Dålder, which would be something like "One who is made hidden". I don't know if that was intentional, but it made me really suspicious of the character when I was 12 atleast.
Dequilla · 1 points · Posted at 13:06:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The ending -er in Dålder kind of makes you it harder to realize it is close to Dåld (hidden) except for maybe in some swedish dialects. If it is intentional though it is very clever and fitting indeed!
radome9 · 19 points · Posted at 05:54:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bonus: "dolder" is archaic Swedish for "being hidden".
syth406 · 6 points · Posted at 02:31:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
LesMiserables999 · 3 points · Posted at 02:14:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Voldemort's name in many languages I don't speak
ChoseName11 · 3 points · Posted at 02:24:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Hungarian one was interesting.
drgonnzo · 3 points · Posted at 04:32:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Slovak it is Tom Marvoloso Riddle which is anagram for " A som i lord Voldemort". Which means I am also lord Voldemort. But even though I am from slovakia I only read it in English. In fact it was my first book I read in English. Not that anyone cares but there...
leondrias · 3 points · Posted at 10:18:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You would think just doing the "Ego sum" translation would work universally, since most of the Hogwarts universe uses off-Latin as a second language anyway. On the other hand, Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder is not a particularly attractive name either...
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 16:50:34 on July 10, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sounds great in Swedish though. Difficult to imagine in other languages!
eric67 · 2 points · Posted at 03:11:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What about Japanese?
LithiumFireX · 2 points · Posted at 03:12:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love the smiley at the end. How cute.
theunnoanprojec · 2 points · Posted at 03:26:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Yarvolod Redl is surprisingly close. Kudos to the Ukrainian translators on that one.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:42:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
what up pimps, it's ya lord Voldemort
ReykjavikRed · 2 points · Posted at 07:25:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That... Finnish one kind of sucks. You have to change a letter from 'ä' to 'a'? That's not an anagram. Also, 'mä' is a colloquial form of 'minä' (I in finnish), makes it sound a bit casual for the purpose. Like he's saying "I'm totally Sauron, dude".
They could have just worked back from "Olen Voldemort". Grammatically correct, and steps around tricky letters and colloquialisms.
Cheesemacher · 1 points · Posted at 09:34:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The linked Wikia article talks about that. 'Ma' is an archaic form of 'minä', it makes it sound like an old poem. It definitely doesn't sound as casual as 'mä'.
Shemetz · 2 points · Posted at 07:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Hebrew it's טום ואנדרולו רידל, "Tom Vanderolo Riddle", which makes אני לורד וולדמורט, "Ani lord Voldemort" (I am Lord Voldemort).
ORANGESAREBETTERTHAN · 2 points · Posted at 08:05:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Dutch translation of the Harry Potter books is one of the best I've ever encountered. Reading your post makes me realize there's also a pun in the Dutch name of Voldemort: Marten Vilijn. Vilijn sounds a lot like 'villian'. 'Marten' originates from 'Martinus' which originatef from Mars, the Greek God of war.
TheTerrasque · 2 points · Posted at 09:46:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait.. How does that work? Isn't the book supposed to be that no one knows it's him? And then in arabic his name literally says "I'm Voldemort"?
Trihorn · 2 points · Posted at 10:08:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL something as an Icelander - only read the original English versions.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:16:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
kirnehp · 7 points · Posted at 07:50:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am is Jag är. I think this was a more clever way than having to use an Ä.
God_of_Pumpkins · 1 points · Posted at 02:42:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's Ya Lord Voldemort in the house!
thrasumachos · 1 points · Posted at 05:55:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Now I need to get Harrius Potter to see whether the Latin version does the same thing as the Swedish one.
Tankyenough · 1 points · Posted at 09:14:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I realized that his name isn't actually Valedro when the movies came in out, the shock.
The translator has made brilliant work with names in the Finnish edition. They are Finnicized while preserving their original feel.
Some of them were obviously easy to translate like Sirius Black>Sirius Musta but some were more complicated.. Like Horatius Slughorn>Horatius Kuhnusarvio which sounds weird and Filius Flitwick>Filius Lipetit which makes zero sense but still feels.. Right.
ill_tonkso · 1 points · Posted at 09:22:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wonder why they translated that last one? Flitwick is a town here, is Lipetit a town in Finland?
Dranox · 1 points · Posted at 09:49:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's ya lord voldemort up in this bitch
Winter_wrath · 1 points · Posted at 09:56:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As a Finnish guy I always thought Tom Lomen Valedro sounded badass.
grumpy_hedgehog · 1 points · Posted at 10:22:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Ukrainian example also works the same way in Russian.
Sigma1977 · 1 points · Posted at 10:45:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The most powerful and evil wizard of all time....Trevor.
ReadsStuff · 1 points · Posted at 10:51:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ukraine and Voldemort are tight. Hold up, it's ya boy Lord Voldemort.
Ethesen · 1 points · Posted at 12:14:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Polish it stayed the same. However, we got a "chapter" at the end of each book (a kind of behind-the-scenes look) that contained the translator's reasoning for the stuff that was changed and explanations of words that weren't, which I loved reading.
I think generally the Polish audience prefers names to not be translated. There was this Lord of the Rings translation that took it to the extreme (and I think it was the first one - so it was either read it as it is or learn English) and it got people so burnt they still despise that. lol
Idiotwithnoplans · 1 points · Posted at 12:20:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If the original used the Latin version in the Swedish version, it would be a lot easier for all the other languages.
sickre · 1 points · Posted at 14:12:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Arabs not smart enough for riddles?
"The total number of books translated into Arabic in the last 1,000 years is fewer than those translated into Spanish in one year."
"Greece — with a population of fewer than 11 million — translates five times as many books from abroad into Greek annually as the 22 Arab countries combined, with a total population of more than 300 million, translate into Arabic."
Stjernepus · 1 points · Posted at 09:28:05 on August 14, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm pretty sure the Norwegian version is "Venstr"
thebagofsalt · 0 points · Posted at 02:56:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Latin one is weird.
youwontguessthisname · 311 points · Posted at 01:47:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Haha "Elvis".
awsomehog · 129 points · Posted at 02:17:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cadillac brooms and blue suede cloaks.
UltimateShingo · 11 points · Posted at 02:55:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We're checking in Mugglebreak Hotel tonight.
IBeBallinOutaControl · 3 points · Posted at 05:46:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Butterbeer... that cool refreshing drink
DidYouFindYourIndies · 22 points · Posted at 08:48:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can I point out that as ridiculous as the middle name sounds, they managed to find a last name (Jedusor) that means "the game of fate" literally (jeu du sort).
So it's even more badass.
DTGG · 5 points · Posted at 10:46:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah but I don't know anybody in France that pronounces it like that, we all say "jéduzor" which has a total different meaning.
DidYouFindYourIndies · 3 points · Posted at 11:19:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always read it "Jeu du sort" in my head as a kid but I will admit the pronunciation is unclear. It just sounded logical to me that it's another "contraction" like "Vol de mort"
DTGG · 2 points · Posted at 11:22:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think in the movies they say "jéduzor", don't they? That's probably why most people say it like that.
shaantya · 6 points · Posted at 08:51:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As a kid I never trusted people who talked about Elvis Presley for that reason. Also if I might add, Tom's grandfather was still called "Marvolo Riddle," and they made "Elvis" his second name, which I thought was cool.
Edit: Marvolo Jedusor, his name in French is Marvolo Elvis Jedusor of course
Tartalacame · 368 points · Posted at 01:38:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Worth noting the French used "Jedusor" as the surname, which is pronouced similarly to "Jeu du sort", which itself means "Fate's game" or "Unexpected turn of event".
PrisonWhoreOfAzkaban · 212 points · Posted at 02:40:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Worth noting that Voldemort is already a bastardization of French and means "Flight from death" which is fitting since that's what he's most afraid of.
hurrrrrmione · 65 points · Posted at 03:39:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah there's a number of character and spell names that pull from French. Draco Malfoy (mal foi: bad faith, evil belief) is Drago Malefoy in the French version, though I don't know why the change was made.
Hazakurain · 32 points · Posted at 08:52:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To make it like old french, which is nowadays thought as aristocratic. It goes well with a old family of wizard.
hurrrrrmione · 3 points · Posted at 10:27:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks!
Hazakurain · 3 points · Posted at 10:29:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are welcome. If you want, i have written what i think could have been the origin of this on another child thread.
hurrrrrmione · 2 points · Posted at 10:32:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I saw that, cheers!
zanotam · -6 points · Posted at 10:08:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or maybe, like, I dunno, fucking Latin?
Hazakurain · 10 points · Posted at 10:22:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It already sounds latin as French is a latin language. But in pure latin, you will never see "oy". Whereas in old french "Male Paix" meant " dissatisfaction" and Foy was faith. Fusing both would mean "Wrong faith"
jayloem · 1 points · Posted at 11:46:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah but the 'e' at the end of mal is gone from modern French, it would've made the pronunciation much more stupid.
Source : Québécois
zanotam · -1 points · Posted at 10:23:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, we're talking about English speakers making something latinesque so it's going to tend towards older spanish or french usually as derivatives of vulgar latins.... also you meant French is a Romance language I think.
hurrrrrmione · 3 points · Posted at 10:28:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, we're talking about Malfoy being 'translated' into Malefoy for the French version of the books
Hazakurain · 4 points · Posted at 10:28:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Onomastics is something well known in literature, and it is one of them there. Using old French was just a bonus because the cliché of the old aristocratic family is pretty well incremented there.
aeneasaquinas · 13 points · Posted at 05:17:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Many come from latin, the spells and names. Draco is dragon, Mal and foi both stem from latin (male and fides respectively).
hurrrrrmione · 9 points · Posted at 06:06:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep. She does draw on some other languages on occasion - Dumbledore is apparently Old English for bumblebee, Alohomora comes from Hawaiian 'aloha' (goodbye) and Latin 'mora' (delay) - but primarily Latin and then French secondarily.
TheGurw · 1 points · Posted at 10:14:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Delayed goodbye for opening locks? I don't get it.
RavagerHughesy · 5 points · Posted at 10:16:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, it's goodbye delay. Say goodbye to that locked door
Jill4ChrisRed · 1 points · Posted at 07:59:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Drago sounds cool though.
hurrrrrmione · 3 points · Posted at 10:29:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
True, but so does Draco imo
Jill4ChrisRed · 1 points · Posted at 12:46:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Draco reminds me of a newt, and Drago reminds me of a dragon :)
hurrrrrmione · 1 points · Posted at 12:50:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Draco means dragon in Latin
[deleted] · -3 points · Posted at 11:51:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because of the French. Seriously, they love their language. God forbid they don't frenchisize the shit out of everything. BTW, don't look up French Snape.
Horus-Lupercal · 3 points · Posted at 12:17:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
God forbid a language other than English tries to make things easily understandable by non-English-speaking people!
[deleted] · -3 points · Posted at 13:02:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't get it. Nobody is against the use of the word "email", except the French (administrative bodies, not people).
But alright, you do your thing, "professeur Rogue".
Horus-Lupercal · 3 points · Posted at 14:47:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We're not against the word "email". The Academy tried to implement a French version of it but no one uses it (apart from admin like you said, but that's not the common language that you hear everyday). In the end, the people decide what is used in the common language and we decided that "email" is the way to go, not "courriel", same for "skateboard", "okay", "weekend" and countless other English words that have permeated the common language. Same goes for yours btw, "genre", "déjà vu", "apéritif" or "c'est la vie", those are all French.
But the issue here is storytelling. No point in keeping the original Tom Marvolo Riddle name in French since the play on words would be lost in translation so they had to change his name. Same goes for Hogwarts (probably impossible to even pronounce at first glance for most French people tbh), Deatheaters and so on. You can't break the viewer's experience by throwing foreign words that they don't understand or can't pronounce at them.
And yes, I do get it. I'm French. Almost everything I watch is in English and I have a Translation degree.
As for Snape being translated into Rogue, I don't really know tbh.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 15:30:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's funny because I didn't specify which names I thought were mis-translated by the French Harry Potter version except Snape/Rogue... I have no problem whatsoever with Voldemort's name, Hogwarts, and Deatheaters getting translated. -->I agree
That's the example I meant, together with la DGLFLF and their stupid Frenchicisms, which you agree are stupid.
Germany doesn't have a "délégation génerale à la langue allemande", neither does England or any other country that I'm aware of.
--> You agree.
Horus-Lupercal · 2 points · Posted at 16:19:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh so we agree on pretty much everything then. I just assumed you had a general issue with what the thread was talking about since you said:
You can probably find an explanation for Snape/Rogue, though. I've read about it and people seem to refer to an old French word for arrogant, which could make sense I guess.
I'm torn on the matter because on the other hand, you have shit like Chewbacca being translated to Chictaba in the original Star Wars ("chiquer" means to chew, and "tabac" is tobacco) which is terrible. Luke's name was also translated in the end credits of the theatrical release, I believe (to Luc Courleciel). But that was in the 70's/80's, you should see old animes dubbed in French, some were hilariously bad. Dubbing and localization has improved since then.
I don't think it's fair to criticize the DGLFLF's Frenchicisms (what a mouthful) because most of them are never really used (since they're trying to replace words that have become part of our daily vocabulary). And that is only a small part of their job. They're here to preserve the language as a whole, and I think that this is an important matter since language and culture are intertwined. There are other associations that protect their own national languages. Things like the RAE in Spain for example.
Btw, if you're wondering, I didn't downvote you.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 17:03:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
J'avais toujours pensé que c'était à cause du manque de connaissance d'anglais chez les français. Mon père était guide touristique pour les chinois à Paris et m'a dit que dans les années 80/90, certaines auberges refusaient l'entrée aux non-francophones. Petite anecdote mais en général on sait que le système scolaire fr est nul pour les langues étrangères.
Peut-être que ça est une raison pour le choix étrange de nouveaux noms dans les films. Même chez nous en Allemagne Skywalker reste Skywalker.
Horus-Lupercal · 1 points · Posted at 17:23:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Le manque de connaissance de l'anglais joue un rôle. Mais comme tu l'as dit plus haut, les Français aiment leur langue. Tous les films sont doublés, la télévision est en français. Il faut que tout soit accessible sans difficulté de compréhension. Il faut qu'on ait l'impression que l'acteur parle français.
Et pour revenir à Skywalker, il s'appelle comme ça ici aussi, bien sûr. Les traductions étranges ne sont que dans le premier film de 1977. Une autre époque !
Et oui, l'éducation nationale a des progrès à faire du point de vue des langues étrangère. Beaucoup de théorie (apprendre les verbes irréguliers par coeur) et peu de pratique. Et très peu d'oral.
Ton français est parfait, au passage !
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 18:19:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thx, douze ans plus tard et 40,000€ de moins dans la poche, on peut s'attendre à pouvoir parler un p'tit peu la langue :) (école fr à l'étranger). Mais bof j'ai quand même perdu l'habitude et pour le messages "officiels" je demande tjs à mes potes francophones. D'ailleurs - sans vouloir frimer - notre école est assez forte en ce qui concerne l'enseignement de langues vivantes :d
1654168516851 · 1 points · Posted at 01:05:48 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Et c'est raté 99% du temps avec des tournures de phrases pas naturelles et un overlay du doublage en mode "voix off".
J'ai jamais compris cette obssession du doublage en france. C'est moche et ça te vole la moitié du jeu de l'acteur.
Horus-Lupercal · 1 points · Posted at 08:06:26 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Je fais mes études sur ce domaine, crois-moi que la clarté, le respect du texte et les mouvements labiaux rendent la tâche ardue. Quand des doublages sont ratés, c'est pas à dessein. C'est juste que c'est un travail très complexe. Je pense très sincèrement que tu exagères avec tes 99% et doublage "voix off". Nos adaptations sont en général de bonne qualité. Et je dis ça en tant que fan inconditionnel de la version originale qui ne regarde presque plus aucun média en version doublée sauf pour mes recherches.
Et si tu te demandes pourquoi le doublage existe, c'est simplement que des gens ne comprennent rien à l'anglais. Y a pas a tortiller du cul. J'ai des amis qui refusent de voir les films et séries en VO simplement parce que se concentrer sur les sous-titres représente un effort constant qui les empêche de profiter du film. C'est pas tant une fierté nationale qu'un manque de connaissances en la matière. Comme dit ailleurs dans le thread, la France est un pays qui, historiquement, a toujours préféré le doublage au sous-titrage (contrairement aux pays scandinaves par exemple) et tout le monde est d'accord sur le fait que l'enseignement des langues étrangères n'est pas d'une excellente qualité.
Alors oui, ça créé un cercle vicieux et les gens qui ne sont pas a l'aise avec l'anglais regardent des films en VF. Oui, on perd le jeu de l'acteur et oui, des fois, il y a des ratés monumentaux. Tu as le droit de ne pas aimer le doublage et ses principes, rien à dire là dessus. Mais on engage pas des geeks comme moi pour passer 20 heures à traduire 5 minutes de film juste parce que ça fait travailler les Français (au passage, si tu travailles pas sur tous les Marvel, ça rapporte pas gros). Beaucoup de gens ont besoin du doublage, y a rien de plus à comprendre.
Ah et puis, tu peux quand même reconnaître qu'on a des trucs pas mal : les Disney, les voix de Stallone, Bruce Willis, des comédiens de doublage comme Alain Dorval ou Richard Darbois. On a plein de films avec de belles voix et des textes travaillés !
Et puis y a des bouses aussi, certes. Mais en général, je trouve que les bouses le sont aussi en partie parce que le film en lui-même n'est pas ouf.
thistokenusername · 88 points · Posted at 03:28:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Means "flight of death" or "theft of death", the latter of which is more appropriate
PunyPessimist · 12 points · Posted at 05:50:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Deathwing in warcraft was originally translated as voldemort in French, they changed it to aile-de-mort later on.
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 05:56:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unless you're fuckin' Hedwig, man. RIP 2007 Never Forget. :(
lear144 · 4 points · Posted at 08:16:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you man, every time i see flight of death I just die a little inside. That's not how I imagined years ago
s3rila · 4 points · Posted at 05:39:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I though it was stealer of deaths not flight
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:16:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How is it a bastardization? What's being bastardized?
Areat · 1 points · Posted at 11:23:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the audio book they actually pronounced it the french way, with the t silent. while the movie used an english heard t.
DisturbedForever92 · 1 points · Posted at 11:40:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mort in french has a silent t aswell
Areat · 1 points · Posted at 11:41:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I... actually wrote the opposite of what I meant...
blaghart · 1 points · Posted at 03:51:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a shame too because, given his Patronus, Harry's clearly afraid of death too.
Oh the things he could do if only he could acknowledge Death and face it instead of fearing it...
BongBaka · 2 points · Posted at 06:41:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Care to elaborate? I dont see the connection from his patronus to fearing death.
blaghart · 1 points · Posted at 07:12:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Enjoy
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 12:59:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
blaghart · 1 points · Posted at 19:14:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No you're in the right place.
It's a link to a fanfic that supposed what the series would have been like had Petunia married a scientist instead of Dursley. Because of this Harry is far more rationalist, and after he gets over the "you shouldn't be able to do that!" period of dealing with magic he starts applying the scientific method to it and starts doing shit wizards never even considered because they were too busy casting spells to prevent their spells being stolen, resulting in very little knowledge getting passed on appropriately. Instead Harry starts advancing the development of spells for the first time in a while.
Like killing Dementors with the True Patronus.
[deleted] · 17 points · Posted at 02:33:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which as a sidenote, just further highlights the importance of a good translator. A good translator can turn the book into a great success, or an utter failure.
eleochariss · 10 points · Posted at 05:28:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Harry Potter French translator is pretty good. There are even some plays on word that aren't in the original; the Sorting Hat is named a Choixpeau from choix (choice) + chapeau (hat).
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 05:37:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ye. I don't know if I'd say it's better than the original but it's definitely an excellent translation.
shaantya · 2 points · Posted at 09:13:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always thought Rowling had a hand in that since she is fluent in French.
KRIEGLERR · 6 points · Posted at 02:38:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HOLD THE DOOR !
pancak · 3 points · Posted at 02:50:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Now I'm curious to know how that was translated into other languages. Would "Tiens la porte!" mean that Hodor is named Tienporte in French?
Flemz · 9 points · Posted at 02:51:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/T6GPX
pancak · 5 points · Posted at 02:55:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's actually not bad.
Ave-Ianell · 2 points · Posted at 04:11:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Germanic languages got it pretty easy.
I found the Turkish translation just as heartbreaking as the original quote. "Stay there." Nope, not even a sliver of hope for Turkish Hodor.
Also, there's a Farsi Game of Thrones? I wonder if it's all heavily censored...
KRIEGLERR · 5 points · Posted at 03:27:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm fairly certain Hodor is named Hodor in every languages. The twist came in far too late for translators to do something about it.
One thing that could work is instead of saying " Hold the door " they'd say " Ne les laisse pas dehors " which translate to " Don't let them outside " which would kinda work in the situation Hodor was put in.
DTGG · 1 points · Posted at 10:50:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Incidentally the translation of these books (ASOIAF) is known to be pretty bad in France because they use some really archaic words for some stupid reason. As a French guy I literally have a harder time reading them in French than in English.
ThePr1d3 · 6 points · Posted at 08:44:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ok I'm dumb. As a Frenchman I've always thought Jedusor meant "Spell-game" because of homonyms...
Btw I thought in every language the translators made a point to have 1) an anagram between the two names and 2) a pun magic related in his original name (because of Riddle in English and Jedusor in French). But it doesn't seem to be the case ? Like in other languages they just took the anagram and said screw that for the pun?
Sochamelet · 2 points · Posted at 09:05:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not exactly magic related, but the surname Vilijn in the Dutch version is a homophone of the word vilein, which means something like evil. Compare the English villain. So I guess there is at least something of a pun there?
cassis-oolong · 3 points · Posted at 02:37:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Would've been cool if it weren't for fucking "Elvis."
Egg-MacGuffin · 657 points · Posted at 02:00:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fucking Romeo G. Detlev Jr. God that made me laugh.
Also, why would canonically English man Tom Riddle have foreign language names?
AndaliteBandit · 503 points · Posted at 02:07:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Localization, the same way we ended up with Ash Ketchum and Joey Wheeler.
temp_sales · 291 points · Posted at 02:42:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So a big thing about that.
Yu-Gi-Oh. Yugi means "Game" in Japanese. So Yugi Moto's name is Game. Oh or -ou, as a suffix, means king. So the name of the show is "King of Games" in Japanese. And the main character's name is Game.
I feel like that should've been conveyed in some way in the English version because of how funny it is to me.
SybariticLegerity · 67 points · Posted at 03:06:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If Yu-Gi-Oh means King of Games, is there a different name for the card game itself in Japanese or is it still just called Yu-Gi-Oh?
salululations · 213 points · Posted at 03:09:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The game is officially called Duel Monsters
[deleted] · 125 points · Posted at 03:18:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
edave64 · 14 points · Posted at 06:15:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So it's just like duel monsters!
SidewaysInfinity · 10 points · Posted at 07:18:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's not like Duel Monsters! You use dice!
CronosDage · 10 points · Posted at 05:52:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
take it to the bridge
Tirrus · 11 points · Posted at 05:55:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or eventually Capsule Monsters... for some reason?
ElBroet · 5 points · Posted at 10:16:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Stop trying to make ddm happen! Its never gonna happen!
GabeDevine · 4 points · Posted at 09:06:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Anyone remember the gameboy game?
PsychoKillerF · 2 points · Posted at 09:53:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I didn't understand it because I was too young and couldn't speak english yet but man I loved that game
reddit_is_lulz · 2 points · Posted at 11:48:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That game took me a lot of trial and error when I was little, but managed to overcome the rules and played really good at it! I still have it somewhere...
goodzillo · 29 points · Posted at 03:40:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, and in the original manga it didnt take center stage until much later in the first series
temp_sales · 36 points · Posted at 04:50:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The original manga was very enjoyable and creative imo. The hot plate ice hockey-thing-wtv was neat.
I liked it better when it was basically a seemingly evil vengeful spirit doing neat things to get back at people on behalf of his host.
Oh well. Dude who wrote it made bank.
YoodleDudle · 3 points · Posted at 10:40:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Season 0 has some of these clever darker themes. Banished to the shadow realm really means death
LelviBri · 2 points · Posted at 08:58:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Season 0 is pretty cool, only one I've actually watched completely
JuanDeLasNieves_ · 2 points · Posted at 09:09:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Its surprisingly dark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVRaXNXEZxI
LelviBri · 5 points · Posted at 09:50:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And then he starts to do shit like this
MightBeJerryWest · 2 points · Posted at 09:42:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The pharaoh's got a bit of an Emperor Palpatine in him at 0:09...
MightBeJerryWest · 1 points · Posted at 09:42:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
SCREW THE RULES I HAVE GREEN HAIR
TheHeroExa · 13 points · Posted at 04:45:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To clarify, that's its in-universe name. In real-life Japan, the game is called "Yu-Gi-Oh Card," "Yu-Gi-Oh OCG," or simply "Yu-Gi-Oh."
Also, it was originally called "Magic & Wizards" in the early manga. "Duel Monsters" came later, presumably to make it a less blatant ripoff.
temp_sales · 9 points · Posted at 04:46:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's called Duel Monsters. You play Yu-Gi-Oh, yes, but both in the show, and in the Konami Official Card Game, it's basically Duel Monsters.
I mean, it's "real" name is effectively "The Konami Official Card Game, Yu-Gi-Oh".
Fun Fact: The Asian card game and the Western card game are two different beasts. The cards are entirely different between the two in terms of effects and how the rules are.
To know which someone is talking about, it is TCG vs OCG.
The Trading Card Game is the Western version. The Official Card Game is the Asian version. No clue on how or why that naming came about, but Konami is not the most competent business when it comes to games. They do well in terms of $$$, but not so well in terms of looking professional to their customers.
That's why I'd say the "real" name is the OCG. It's what people who play it will refer to it as in Asian countries. But again, in the anime, they call it Duel Monsters in both Japanese and English.
Leis_Ratio · 1 points · Posted at 11:23:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's the same, but in the manga, Yugi is not only a boss at Duel Monsters, but he can beat anyone at any game: be it Uno, Monopoly, Metal Slug or Table Hockey. He's basically unbeatable as long as it's a game.
TheHeroExa · 8 points · Posted at 05:02:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair, you could name a Japanese kid Yugi. "Game" is a silly way to write it, but Yugi still sounds like a name. I can't think of a reasonable English equivalent. Though it'd be funny to call him Sport, making his alter ego Dark Sport.
On the other hand, they really should have called his rival Seth.
temp_sales · 3 points · Posted at 05:38:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Only related in name:
The anime Kaiba was fantastic imo. Don't let the childish animation fool you. This is dark and adult themes done very well.
https://myanimelist.net/anime/3701/Kaiba
theunnoanprojec · 6 points · Posted at 03:31:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is one time where I'm disappointed the translators kept the original lol.
AislinKageno · 7 points · Posted at 05:51:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Another fun fact about names in Yu-Gi-Oh. Joey's name in Japanese is Jounouchi. If you take the first part of his and Yugi's names, you get the Japanese word yuujou, 友情, which means friendship.
xbungalo · 6 points · Posted at 07:28:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Additional fun fact, there is a yugioh card called "Yu-Jo Friendship" which of course would translate to friendship friendship.
Tankyenough · 2 points · Posted at 09:24:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm, in the Finnish translations, it's Jounouchi. It'd feel weird to hear him called "Joni" (which would be the equivalent of Joey in Finnish I suppose)
StingLikeGonorrhea · 6 points · Posted at 03:39:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your comment made me laugh way harder than i was expecting
AndreDaGiant · 3 points · Posted at 11:26:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The movie A Princess Bride has its name localized to "I tysta dödens minut" in Sweden, which means "in the silent minute of death". ¯\(°_o)/¯
xbungalo · 82 points · Posted at 02:47:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
NYEA BROOKLYN RAGE
LelviBri · 3 points · Posted at 09:03:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In a few hours the sun will rise
LelviBri · 3 points · Posted at 09:03:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In a few hours the sun will rise
Jill4ChrisRed · 2 points · Posted at 07:58:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
LEATHER PANTS!
[deleted] · 44 points · Posted at 02:24:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
AndaliteBandit · 13 points · Posted at 02:53:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, that was before they started replacing the rice balls with photoshopped hot dogs.
SolracM · 3 points · Posted at 02:31:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then you should see a doctor.
HeadWeasel · 15 points · Posted at 02:47:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
deleted What is this?
theunnoanprojec · 3 points · Posted at 03:32:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol, it's easy to forget that Westron isn't English.
Timothy_Vegas · 4 points · Posted at 06:14:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You mean Frodo Balings, Sam Gewissies, Meriadoc Brandebok en Peregrijn Toek.
jackruby83 · 6 points · Posted at 02:33:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What were they before translated?
Careful_Houndoom · 24 points · Posted at 02:38:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Joey Wheeler was Katsuya Jonouchi.
Ash Ketchum was Satoshi.
theunnoanprojec · 4 points · Posted at 03:33:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I only read a couple issues of the magna, but didn't they usually call Joey just Jonouchi?
Careful_Houndoom · 2 points · Posted at 03:40:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep.
AndaliteBandit · 6 points · Posted at 02:42:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Satoshi and Katsuya Jonouchi.
nmrnmrnmr · 6 points · Posted at 03:23:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ash Ketchum was just a clever anagram of Sheath Muck, which has a particularly sick meaning in Japan.
Stridsvagn · 2 points · Posted at 05:17:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But why did they pick Sheath Muck to begin with 😂
kylegetsspam · 1 points · Posted at 05:28:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash_Ketchum
He's called Satoshi. I think that dude's just makin' shit up.
Stridsvagn · 2 points · Posted at 05:46:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I knew he was joking, just seemed so silly that they would have picked an already offensive name from the start.
Ash is called Satoshi? Huh. All these years...
DirkRight · 3 points · Posted at 08:08:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He was named after the creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri. Gary in Japan was named Shigeru, after Shigeru Miyamoto.
DirkRight · 1 points · Posted at 08:09:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He was named after the creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri. Gary in Japan was named Shigeru, after Shigeru Miyamoto.
Little-Bones · 5 points · Posted at 04:27:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also Sailor Moon! In Japanese her name is Usagi but in America her name is Serena
Edit: Thought of more examples like how we say Germany but Germans call it Deutschland, or like how we say Japan but Japanese people call it Nihon
TheUndeadHorde · 2 points · Posted at 05:51:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"It means sunshine laaand"
AndaliteBandit · 1 points · Posted at 16:37:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly, that one kinda worked, what with her being the reincarnation of Princess Serenity.
TheBroJoey · 4 points · Posted at 02:36:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
EY YUGE
pointlessbeats · 2 points · Posted at 06:31:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Omg whaaaat? What's Ash Ketchum's real name?
GerkIIDX · 3 points · Posted at 06:46:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Satoshi, with no given last name AFAIK. He's named after the series creator. His rival, Shigeru, i.e Gary, is named after Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario (among other series.)
pointlessbeats · 1 points · Posted at 15:18:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mind. Blown.
Mouth0fTheSouth · 1 points · Posted at 05:58:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TOOOIIIIIIIME WIZUUUUHHHHD!!
havebananas · 1 points · Posted at 12:00:22 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh my god after all these years I've only just realised Ash's last name is meant to sound like 'catch em' as in catching Pokemon
Flemz · 240 points · Posted at 02:50:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We translate foreign names into English too:
Christofo Columbo -> Christopher Columbus
Liev Tolstoy -> Leo Tolstoy
Yeshua bin Yosif -> Jesus son of Joseph
SilverStar9192 · 91 points · Posted at 04:15:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well that's his Italian birth name, but it's worth noting that most official and academic writing of the time would be in Latin, so the Latin form "Christophorus Columbus" would be typical in documents of the time.
And in Spain, on whose behalf he conducted the voyages, he was referred to in Spanish as Cristóbal Colón. I am not sure if ships' logs and letters to the crown were in Spanish (Castilian) or Latin, but if the former he would have used this name.
Columbus also spoke Porutugese and had some dealings with Portuguese authorities. If this translates to written documents (again, they may have used Latin), the Portuguese form would have been used but I don't know the exact spelling. (There's also a mostly debunked theory that Columbus was actually born in Portugal and not Genoa but that's another discussion entirely...)
[deleted] · 30 points · Posted at 05:28:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
the portuguese form is Cristovão Colombo
[deleted] · 124 points · Posted at 05:50:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's close, but according to my research in Portuguese he was called Romeo G. Detlev, Jr.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 12:09:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
ShockedCurve453 · 6 points · Posted at 12:21:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ja
senyor_ningu · 3 points · Posted at 06:48:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The weirdest thing about this is that he had relatives in a lot of places, and their family names were translated along the way. So his descendants are called Columbo, Colombo, Colom... And this contributed to the different allegations of his real place of origin.
Zeikos · 4 points · Posted at 08:06:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cristoforo Colombo is the italian version., no h in his name.
Like for Jesus Christ the italian version is Gesù Cristo.
(I am Italian)
SilverStar9192 · 2 points · Posted at 10:00:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks, totally forgot, had intended to correct that in the quote :)
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 10:02:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cristóbal Colón really made an ass of himself.
ChocolateInTheWinter · 89 points · Posted at 04:34:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Last one should be Yeshua bar Yosef, it was Aramaic not Arabic.
smoha96 · 6 points · Posted at 06:21:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always thought Yeshua translates to Joshua?
trunoodle · 21 points · Posted at 06:39:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It does. The Bible was originally translated into Greek where Yeshua becomes Iesous. Iesous then becomes Latinised to Iesus or Jesus in modern spelling.
smoha96 · 6 points · Posted at 07:58:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Huh. TIL. Thanks.
hoodie92 · 5 points · Posted at 11:30:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And that's why sometimes Jews refer to Jesus as "Yoshky" or similar. It's a diminutive name that comes from his original Hebrew name.
ShockedCurve453 · 5 points · Posted at 12:21:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jesus is officially "Josh" now
PM_POT_AND_DICK_PICS · 3 points · Posted at 06:39:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It does
bombikid · 1 points · Posted at 06:40:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which translates to Jesus
Freddie_AppsHero · 25 points · Posted at 04:16:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Technically, the first one was Latinised and the second was Greekified.
I like the story behind Yeshua becoming Jesus. The Greeks have no "sh" sound, so Yeshua became Yesua, and then the final a was changed to a Greek masculine s, Yesus.
Vyzantinist · 7 points · Posted at 09:36:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
*Hellenized.
Freddie_AppsHero · 8 points · Posted at 09:42:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I remembered that as I was typing it, but "Greekified" was too fun a word to not use.
Vyzantinist · 2 points · Posted at 09:50:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ain't no party like a Greekified party!
crazy01010 · 16 points · Posted at 05:18:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jesus = Yeezy, got it.
Talanaes · 6 points · Posted at 05:43:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, that is the underlying message of his catalog.
Flame_Effigy · 1 points · Posted at 19:56:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, now you got it.
Flemz · 8 points · Posted at 04:22:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I heard Tolstoy chose to go by Leo because it was the French equivalent of Liev
Insert_Gnome_Here · 1 points · Posted at 11:45:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
At least they didn't try to say 'shibboleth'.
rab777hp · 5 points · Posted at 05:41:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cristoforo Colombo*
RexUmbr4e · 4 points · Posted at 05:28:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Names of Roman and Greek writers too, Homeros became Homer, Vergilius became Virgil etc
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 09:38:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm not sure about that Liev, I think it is a jewish name, Tolstoy's name in Russian is Lev.
Flemz · 1 points · Posted at 15:06:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
His name is лев. The letter "е" is pronounced "yeh" in Russian, so its more like Lyev.
dodli · 1 points · Posted at 10:49:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Hebrew it would have been ben Yosef. In Aramaic in would have been bar Yosef. In any case, it wasn't bin Yosif.
Death_Star_ · 8 points · Posted at 02:26:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because when you unscramble the name it makes zero sense in any other language.
Try Spanish. Yo soy.... not a single Y in his name
TokyoJumble · 7 points · Posted at 02:04:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Was wondering the same.
Ballz2You · 13 points · Posted at 02:10:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
idk why are books translated
Egg-MacGuffin · 33 points · Posted at 02:13:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But if I'm reading a book about some German in WW2, I understand that the book has to be translated or written in English for me to understand, but it would be kinda weird if his name was Kevin Smith.
DNicholasG · 16 points · Posted at 02:23:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And now I'm imagining two of the characters in All Quiet on the Western Front being replaced with Jay and Silent Bob. Thanks for that.
Ballz2You · 4 points · Posted at 02:30:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I tend to agree, however there's the pun because isn't it actually a fake name? I don't remember too well, anyway Voldemort isn't English either.
Eevolveer · 5 points · Posted at 04:27:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If we are being precise Voldemort is definitely more French than English with 'vol de mort' translating to flight of death.
Earthpegasus · 8 points · Posted at 02:27:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He's asking why the name itself is translated. Like if you were reading a Spanish book about president Roosevelt, you would not expect his name to be translated to a Spanish name.
tyros · 10 points · Posted at 02:39:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To make the anagram work. If they left the name as Tom Riddle, the anagram won't work in the translated language. Normally, (good) translations don't translate the name, just spell it in the language it's being translated to.
Cheesemacher · 1 points · Posted at 09:44:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well there's also the fact that a lot of other characters had their names changed in localized versions. It's so that children who read the books get the same vibe from the name. So for example in Finnish Snape becomes Kalkaros, Hogwarts becomes Tylypahka.
kakatoru · 1 points · Posted at 14:48:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A few spells also get translated in the Danish version. The cruciatus, for example, is translated to doloroso. I'm not sure who and how that particular translation helps, but it was the only specific one I could think of
O_Apples · -4 points · Posted at 03:52:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They could have just made it a footnote.
But yeah, that would be less fun.
Dimakhaerus · 3 points · Posted at 10:21:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, but that takes you out of the immersion.
[deleted] · 8 points · Posted at 02:39:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Depends. Some names would absolutely be translated. Other names would maybe be left as they were. There really isn't a convention.
For example, if you're reading a book about the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, you almost always see his name as Charles. Despite the fact that he was the ruler of the Spanish Empire and of the HRE so if you were to see a more likely translation of his name, you would expect to see Carlos or Karl.
If you were reading a book about the last tsar of Russia, you would most likely see Tsar Nicholas, rather than Nikolai. If you were reading about Ferdinand of Aragon, the famous Aragonese King, you would see Ferdinand in almost every situation, despite the better translations either being Spanish (Ferdinando,) Aragonese (Ferrando,) or Catalan (Ferran.) His wife "Isabella of Castile" should be written as "Ysbael" if we're following old Spanish conventions or "Isabel" if we're following modern ones. Point is, we translate names of historical figures in particular all the time.
There's no convention to when it's done or not done. Common names are often translated, like Alexander and Nicholas, but other names that are just as common like "John" and "Phillip" are instead left in their original languages (Ivan in Russian for John,) (Felipe in Spanish for Phillip. You also have Peter being left as Pedro in Portuguese, despite being translated in Peter the Great.)
As you can see, I'm just trying to highlight that there's no rhyme or reason to why we perform a translation of a name sometimes.
trixter21992251 · 4 points · Posted at 03:51:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think children's books often translate/localise names, to make it easier to identify with the characters.
In my experience non-children literature have fewer name translations.
tuesdayoct4 · 3 points · Posted at 05:59:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The most enduring royal respelling is probably going to be Charlemagne, which is a modern French name for a king who ruled before French existed. He was a Frankish king, whose vernacular would've been fairly Germanic- properly in his native tongue he should be something closer to Karl der Grosse, and Latinized into Karoli Magni.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 06:25:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh yeah. Can't believe I forgot that one. William of Normandy is another huge one though.
Tankyenough · 2 points · Posted at 09:20:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
At least with Finnish, most of the names in the franchise had a meaning behind them. That feel can't translate to Finnish audience if you keep the names intact. (also, I kept finding problems to pronounce some of them since Finnish rly is nothing like English)
The translator has made absolutely brilliant work though. (the same kind of process was done with LotR Shire names which makes more sense since English wasn't a Canon language in LotR, Westron was just "translated into English" by Tolkien which made the foreign names pretty mandatory).
Chinoiserie91 · 1 points · Posted at 11:31:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I liked the Finnish version Tom Lomen Valedro since while it does not sound exactly English it doesn't sound Finnish it feels it still could a name a British person could have if you are a kid so it does not stand out when later used in the series. And Valedro icludes vale which means lie in Finnish so that's kind of nice couple meaning. Lomen does not quite work in the 6th book were it's mentioned it sounds a name a circus person might have (since the original is Marvolo) but it's minor and I don't think many translations have that part work.
zgarbas · 1 points · Posted at 05:15:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a kids book so many countries opted to translate all the names.
When I was 7 I found them very funny, when I was 12 I was groaning at how on the nose the translated names were.
infreq · 1 points · Posted at 06:17:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because "I am Voldemort" was translated too.
dickbuttscompanion · 1 points · Posted at 08:45:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Localisation.
Don't forget, Harry Potter was originally written for kids, and was often bedtime reading or classroom reading. In translations, names were changed to be familiar and pronounceable for speakers of the language. Novels for adults are more likely to stay true to the original. It's a debate among translators to lean towards source or target language.
I suppose overseas publishers didn't expect the international popularity of the books/films when their first translations were published.
Pretty sure Hermione was changed in some languages for the first edition, then changed back when the movies came out, but citation needed on that one.
Davixxa · 0 points · Posted at 12:51:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And then again, I remember not wanting to read it because I wasn't able to pronounce Dursley back in 1st grade lol.
shaantya · 1 points · Posted at 08:53:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In French everybody has a French name, pretty much. Neville Longbottom becomes Neville Londubat. Rowena Ravenclaw is Rowena Serdaigle. Heck, the dementors are called détraqueurs, and the Deatheaters are, of course, Mangemorts.
Edit: also Hogwarts is Poudlard.
Egg-MacGuffin · 1 points · Posted at 08:57:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mangemorts sounds pretty cool. Poudlard is super not cool. Sounds like a weird scandanavian dish consisting of some sort of fish liquid and boiled eyeballs. Though I guess Hogwarts isn't cool, either. I guess I've heard and said it enough that I don't think about what the word is.
shaantya · 1 points · Posted at 09:17:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I think it's a matter of habit! As a kid I thought "Poudlard" sounded cute (also you gotta keep in mind the "d" is silent, it's pronounced Poo-dlar"). The first time I heard "Hogwarts," I thought it sounded stylish, but the Hog and the Warts suddenly appeared and made me realize that Poudlard was really "Pou" (lice) and "Lard", which took me a long time to recover from xD
eypandabear · 1 points · Posted at 09:01:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Harry Potter is classified as a children's book series. The translations need to preserve as much of the "magic" as possible, while not relying on any foreign language proficiency on the part of the reader.
In the case of Tom Riddle, a major "magical" point is that his name is an anagram of "I am Lord Voldemort". So it is preferable to change his name to end up with one in the target language, so readers can enjoy the same "aha" moment.
Translations are always a trade-off between faithfulness to the original text and to the author's intended impact on the reader.
VitQ · 1 points · Posted at 12:06:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's the reason they didn't touch it in Polish translation I reckon. Mhm.
kakatoru · 1 points · Posted at 14:42:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're the second person to comment that. What exactly is so funny about that name?
gentleangrybadger · 169 points · Posted at 02:03:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thine horcruxes Romeo?
Steam-Crow · 54 points · Posted at 02:33:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hello, I'm the inevitable annoying person that has to point out that wherefore means "why" in that context, even though you knew that perfectly well and were just using the wordplay to create a humorous turn of phrase!
We hope you've enjoyed this pointless intrusion!
(good joke though)
Ascimator · 3 points · Posted at 05:34:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey, TIL.
wtfduud · 1 points · Posted at 13:53:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Coincidentally, wherefore also comes from danish.
Epic_Meow · 5 points · Posted at 09:31:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do you bite your wand at us, sir?
shaveyourchin · 4 points · Posted at 11:32:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, but I bite my wand sir!
MINICOMIXX1 · 72 points · Posted at 02:06:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Tom Servolo Riddle" Something something MST3K.
uterus_at_capacity · 12 points · Posted at 03:44:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Croooooow!
subwooferofthehose · 3 points · Posted at 06:08:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you're wondering how he eats and breathes, and other science facts...
Sabbatean · 5 points · Posted at 06:13:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
LaLaLaLa
KhalCamargo · 76 points · Posted at 01:54:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Brazilian Portuguese did a great job, only 2 letters had changed
destinofiquenoite · 126 points · Posted at 02:03:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep, but just out of curiosity: "eis" is not the 'to be' verb. It's something like "here is Voldemort". And it's also archaic, but at the end of the day, I think it fits.
MMantis · 137 points · Posted at 02:30:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Eis" normally translates as "Behold". So, "Behold Lord Voldemort". Lol
ValKilmersLooks · 17 points · Posted at 02:45:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Truly a missed opportunity for "Here's Voldy!" memes.
ShockedCurve453 · 1 points · Posted at 12:22:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Heeeeere's ROMEO!
Oprahs_snatch · 2 points · Posted at 04:15:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So we sits.
oqueoUfazeleRI · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, we half assed it.
MMantis · 52 points · Posted at 02:36:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I grew up in Brazil but have lived in the US all my adult life, and looking back I'm still amazed at some of the translations for stuff. Disney movie dubbing was (is?) spectacular, even the songs. Like the songs in The Prince of Egypt, the Lion King, worked great. Also I can't fathom how much work it was to translate the Hobbit and TLOTR with all the poetry and songs while keeping it sounding ancient and beautiful.
maybe_there_is_hope · 34 points · Posted at 03:43:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tolkien created a Guide for Translating the names in Lord of the Rings, which helped a lot in keeping the atmosphere ancient and beautiful.
IKetoth · 5 points · Posted at 05:26:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That is fantastic, i just spent half an hour reading (and googling forgotten names) a translation guide, extremely interesting little thing
anu26 · 4 points · Posted at 06:39:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've just looked this up. Studied linguistics for three years and considering going back to it - this is wonderful thank you x
duckyreadsit · 8 points · Posted at 03:37:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When my French class was watching a French-dubbed lion king clip, Scar lost a lot of cool points for being called "Oscar" instead of "cicatrice".
MMantis · 4 points · Posted at 03:45:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You know what, he's called Oscar in PT-BR too, rather than "cicatriz". Haha
Edit: I'm dumb. It's just Scar.
experaguiar · 5 points · Posted at 04:59:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
OXE, i aways tought it was "scar", hahahaha
MMantis · 4 points · Posted at 05:02:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Uai! I just checked and you're right!
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 06:12:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We found the Mineiro!
MMantis · 2 points · Posted at 06:41:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Paulistano filho de mineiro! :)
duckyreadsit · 2 points · Posted at 04:32:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I ACTUALLY DIDN'T KNOW no dignity there, then, either XD
(At least for me, Oscar is a name I associate with a character in the children's show "Sesame Street". He lives in a garbage can and hates everyone.)
KhalCamargo · 6 points · Posted at 04:26:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Totally agree. After I learned to speak English I never could watch anything dubbed in Portuguese again (except for some classics), but Brazilian Portuguese dubbing is considered one of the best voice-overs of the world. Most Brazilian dubbing studios do a great effort on preserving original meanings with an amazing lip-syncing.
shaantya · 2 points · Posted at 09:14:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Anastasia, too. It's not a Disney but the songs are SO WELL translated and dubbed!
LiarfromBeyond · 7 points · Posted at 02:14:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And Servolo is badass still
oselcuk · 6 points · Posted at 03:42:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm pretty impressed with Turkish adding only one letter.
Emhyr_var_Emreis · 1 points · Posted at 09:41:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Turkey only 1. Marvolo>Marvoldo.
Cheesemacher · 1 points · Posted at 09:49:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I thought the Estonian one was pretty clever or lucky. Just one extra letter needed.
yusufkaraca21 · 1 points · Posted at 11:27:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Turkish is better with just one extra letter
powabiatch · 56 points · Posted at 02:06:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Servo?
boxman067 · 23 points · Posted at 03:12:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
hisoandso · 2 points · Posted at 07:05:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
IF YOU'RE WONDERING HOW HE EATS AND BREATHES, AND OTHER SCIENCE FACTS!
kingfez · 8 points · Posted at 02:27:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Check me out!
honkhonkbeepbeeep · 7 points · Posted at 02:30:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
OK it wasn't just me.
inequity · 4 points · Posted at 02:43:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
a solid cameo
Tehbeefer · 2 points · Posted at 03:19:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
CRoooooow
mrSenzaVolto · 10 points · Posted at 02:47:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That Italian translation though.. "It's me! Lord Voldemort"
sjasogun · 10 points · Posted at 02:29:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm sure that similar things are true for other translations, but in the Dutch one (Marten Asmodom Vilijn) 'Asmodom' is a clear reference to Asmodeus, the king of demons, while 'vilijn' is pronounced the same as the old-fashioned Dutch word 'vilein', meaning 'villainous' or 'malevolent'.
Basically, the translation dropped the undertones of mystery of the original name and replaced them with undertones of malevolence instead. An interesting choice, but especially because of the 'Vilijn' portion I did catch on early as a kid that this person was bad news.
However, at the same time I didn't realize that it was Voldemort himself until the reveal because the obvious 'vol' part in 'Marvolo' wasn't there in this translation. So a win and a loss I guess?
BeNiceToAll · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Woah dat wist ik helemaal niet. Ik vond het maar vreemd zo'n middeleeuwse naam :p
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 10:10:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dit is het verhaal van de Harige Pottenbakker, waar we namen tegenkomen zoals Albus Perkamentus. Middeleeuwse namen zijn niet zo vreemd.
BeNiceToAll · 1 points · Posted at 12:06:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
😂
EthanTheScholar · 32 points · Posted at 02:06:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I was half expecting his name in Danish to be, "in 1998 the Undertaker... yada... hell in a cell... yada".
Akoustyk · 5 points · Posted at 02:50:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's funny how in Turkish they only needed to add a 'D' for 'adim' instead of "i am".
Emhyr_var_Emreis · 1 points · Posted at 09:42:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Adım and I am are not the same thing but close. Adım means "My name is ..."
BigBroSlim · 5 points · Posted at 03:33:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Soy Lord Voldemort, only drinks soy milk as dairy upsets his stomach.
adamof609 · 5 points · Posted at 02:07:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Laughed way too hard at Romeo G Detlev Jr
djxfade · 4 points · Posted at 02:26:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol, in Norwegian it was translated as "Tom Dredolo Venster", which is an anagram for "Voldemort den store" (Voldemort the great)
Dequilla · 3 points · Posted at 03:26:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why they didn't just do the same for swedish making it easier on them is a mystery to me...
Davixxa · 0 points · Posted at 12:47:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or heck, the Danish one, which actually keeps the Riddle part with "Romeo G.(åde) Detlev Jr." (Sure, I disagree with the choice to have the Jr. in there, since Jr. isn't actually used in Danish, but eh.)
Dequilla · 1 points · Posted at 13:08:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Danish would not really work though, we spell it differently from them whilst the Norwegian version has no difference if translated to swedish :)
Davixxa · 0 points · Posted at 13:44:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I suppose that's true.
NoJelloNoPotluck · 5 points · Posted at 02:37:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the not to distant future, Voldemort regrets turning that gumball machine into an extra horcrux.
A broken shell of the wizard he once was, and imprisoned in his feeble robot body, Voldemort spends his days watching cheesy movies with his pet muggle Joel.
ted-schmosby · 7 points · Posted at 02:42:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the Latin American Spanish translation they just used the original and explained the meaning with parentheses.
Kevin_Wolf · 1 points · Posted at 03:25:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That sounds like a bad "lazy Mexican" joke you'd see in a very forwarded email.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 05:34:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not in earlier editions This is from a 4th edition copy of chamber of secrets and I can tell you that I'm thankful they kept it like this. The Dark Lord cannot be named sorvolo! That's just dumb!
The_Potato_God99 · 6 points · Posted at 02:06:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also in french, "jedusor" sounds like "Jeu du sort" with means "Game of the spell"
I think there was a chapter in the 4th book talking about an event called the "jeux du sort", was it there also in the english version?
DroolingIguana · 2 points · Posted at 02:23:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Voldemort is Tom Servo in Brazil? This changes everything!
leicanthrope · 2 points · Posted at 02:28:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wasn't that one of the robots from MST3K?
Mr_Mandrill · 2 points · Posted at 02:41:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I really like the Esperanto one: TOM VLADES MISTERO. Sounds way cooler than TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE.
theseaprince · 2 points · Posted at 02:42:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Hungarian, his name is Tom Denem!
mCProgram · 2 points · Posted at 02:43:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mijn naam is Voldemort (my name is Jeff)
arkhitekton · 2 points · Posted at 03:14:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Whatever happened to Detlef Scrempf though?
Exbo4 · 2 points · Posted at 03:59:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In greek, the translator did an awful job conveying the little things here and there. Spells for example were translated as the literal work plus an occasional "ous" at the end. "Expecto patronum" became "I summon the protector" (in greek words obviously). Didn't understand why they did it, especially since a few were kept as original ("wingardium leviosa" stayed the same and it worked fine). Keeping them in Latin would have been the better choice to convey the feeling an English speaking reader gets since it already sounds archaic and foreign.
Tom Riddle's name was a tough nut to crack and the translator is not so much at fault for this instance however. For one, we don't have silent sounds to hide an "e" for Voldemort in "Riddle" and the "I" in "Riddle" is impossible to hide in a word that translates to "I", or "lord". You can hide it in "am" (είμαι) but now you've created a second "m" (μ) and even worse a second "i" (ι). ARGH! Morvol would have to be butchered down to a seemingly random keyboard smash for the anagram to work.
The translator wrote:
Pronounced as
Positives:
"Anton Hurt" sounds really English to us.
"Hurt" is neat because it conveys a "bad guy" aura
"Morvol" is very similar to "Marvolo"
Negatives:
I played around in notepad a bit and came up with this:
Pronounced as
With "d" in lordos and Dorvolos to be pronounced and written as "th" in "this" (δ)
Dunno if it's better that the final translation but it's definitely closer to the original, and has no spelling errors. And I (subjectively I'll admit) really like the menacing (in greek) sound of "Dorvolos"
I've seen other suggestions in articles by translators that were pretty mad at the "bad job" the official translator did, such as
Ivamoe. What.
Mister. Let that sink in. If the choice for official translation was between that and the final one, I am more than happy with what we got.
Samandiriol · 2 points · Posted at 05:16:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Anyone know what they did with Hodor then?
brando444 · 2 points · Posted at 05:21:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
his name is Robert Paulson
FiskFisk33 · 2 points · Posted at 05:52:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In swedish he became Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder; ego sum Lord Voldemort. Latin for some reason.
Sure beats the retarded danes tho!
Davixxa · 1 points · Posted at 12:42:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
At least we keep the Riddle in some way :^)
MidasPL · 2 points · Posted at 10:47:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Meanwhile in Polish none bothered with this :(
VitQ · 1 points · Posted at 12:11:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which I like, since Voldemort was supposed to be English. Or was he the second coming of Elvis?
LordIlthari · 2 points · Posted at 10:57:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Soy Lord Voldemort. I know what that means, but my sleep deprived brain immediately went to Voldemort standing atop a throne of tofu with hipster milk in his hand.
jcbubba · 2 points · Posted at 12:02:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Soy Lord Voldemort is the more gut-friendly, dairy-free Voldemort.
ArdentStoic · 2 points · Posted at 16:32:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I like that a side effect of this is that Tom Riddle, and by extension Voldemort, takes on the ethnic background of whoever's reading.
Dravarden · 2 points · Posted at 23:00:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
in hebrew its "Tom Vandrolo Ridle" for "ani Lord Voldemort"
7563854748 · 2 points · Posted at 07:02:56 on November 12, 2017 · (Permalink)
I need to become legendary and have this many sayings about me. Like "The French call him Huge Bear which is an anagram for 'Massively Powerful'. And yet the Spanish refer to him as "The Unconquered" which is an anagram for 'Fearless One'."
Vahanik · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wonder if there's an Armenian translation...
Brodius11 · 1 points · Posted at 02:41:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also Voldemort in french means Stealer of Death (vol de mort).
Shaydebat · 1 points · Posted at 03:06:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Maybe that's why they just call him "you know Who"
LithiumFireX · 1 points · Posted at 03:06:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Voldemort is Elvis
Xornial · 1 points · Posted at 03:06:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Anyone else think Tom Servo on some of these
Flobarooner · 1 points · Posted at 03:07:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This bit weirdly made me realise how it's easier than it sounds to make these up, especially when you're working with made up names. For example, for Spanish they just had to change the i, a and m to an s, o and y which is really easy when you think about it.
Not that it's not impressive that they did so many. It's just easier than it sounds, I think.
RyannosaurusTex · 1 points · Posted at 03:08:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Elvis Jedusor sounds like an up and coming indie pop artist
7AV4 · 1 points · Posted at 03:19:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is exactly what I came here hoping to find. Thanks internet person.
theunnoanprojec · 1 points · Posted at 03:20:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Sorvolo Ryddle, Tom Sorvolo Riddle and Tom Marvoldo Riddle are really really close to English.
And make as much sense for a middle name as Marvolo anyway.
stamminator · 1 points · Posted at 03:31:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's actually fucking hilarious
duckyreadsit · 1 points · Posted at 03:34:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I never got over his middle name being Elvis in French.
ilikemusictheory · 1 points · Posted at 03:41:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/u/baenerys_swagaryen If you were French your love for Elvis and HP would coincide.
mjigs · 1 points · Posted at 03:57:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Its weird that in portuguese we say "Here's Lord Voldemort" not "Im"
iforgotmyoldusernam3 · 1 points · Posted at 04:09:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Was it just me or did this sentence get more italic as it went on
AnimalTooner · 1 points · Posted at 04:21:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Amazing! Those translations are simply amazing. I love it. So much dedication to keep the name as an anagram! What a challenge!
Equinophobe · 1 points · Posted at 04:52:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Omg burying the lead here:
"In Brazilian Portuguese the name is "Tom Servolo Riddle" which makes up "Eis Lord Voldemort"."
Seriously? Tom Servo? LMFAO
Dicethrower · 1 points · Posted at 05:04:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I can already tell they didn't spend that much effort on it. Just by first glance, a few can be vastly improved by just moving a single letter, something the translator could have certainly noticed too if just more than a few minutes were spend on it.
KingNothing71 · 1 points · Posted at 05:13:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So in those versions where his surname is changed, is that reflected in other characters from his family or is only his name changed?
stricgoogle · 1 points · Posted at 05:26:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Slovenia they changed the name voldemort to mrlakenstein (mrlak roughly means dead guy) and changed his name to Mark Neelstin.
flojo-mojo · 1 points · Posted at 05:31:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
reminds me of that scene from "Tropa de Elite"/"Elite Squad"
Oikeus_niilo · 1 points · Posted at 05:33:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Finnish, tom lomen valedro, ma olen voldemort, i am voldemort
ForeGoreAlGore · 1 points · Posted at 06:17:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's actually io sono sono io would be am I lord Voldemort
Foxton01 · 1 points · Posted at 06:35:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As a dane. All the names are really really badly translated. It works for a kids book, but you cannot seriously read the Danish version as an adult.
m0nde · 1 points · Posted at 06:40:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Servo Riddle is from Harry Potter & The Robots of MSTK 3000, right?
IWasBilbo · 1 points · Posted at 07:31:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Slovenian he's Mark Neelstin which becomes Mrlakenstein. Translated in a way that has some eerie connotations in our language.
seepostop · 1 points · Posted at 07:33:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't see how it gonna work in Chinese...
Millen4211 · 1 points · Posted at 07:55:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a lot of translation haha
marpocky · 1 points · Posted at 08:44:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
lol
S-BRO · 1 points · Posted at 09:02:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What about Portugal Portuguese?
PM_ME_CAKE · 1 points · Posted at 09:13:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then Poland didn't even try.
Babsnail · 1 points · Posted at 09:24:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Harry Potter series has been extremely well translated in French. For instance, Tom Elvis Jedusor. Jedusor sounds like "jeu du sort" which sounds similar to "riddle" in French. I'm always super impressed at how the translator was able to make some puns work.
oyvho · 1 points · Posted at 09:38:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Norway he's named Tom Dredolo Venster which makes Voldemort den Store - Voldemort the great.
PaddyTheLion · 1 points · Posted at 09:41:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Dredolo Venster in Norwegian, makes up "Voldemort den store" or "Voldemort the Great".
Byroms · 1 points · Posted at 10:33:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
German: Tom Vorlost Riddle translates to "ist Lord Voldemort" basically its one sentence together with his name.
RooftopBBQ · 1 points · Posted at 10:38:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
huh, the dutch should've gone with Tom Vonimmijn Raadsel, which uses Tom like the original, and the dutch word for riddle: raadsel, and still is an anagram for Mijn naam is Voldemort (my name is voldemort)
astralpumpkin · 1 points · Posted at 10:59:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mijn naam is Jeff
oeynhausener · 1 points · Posted at 11:14:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Vorlost Riddle -> Ist Lord Voldemort in German
LoonyPlatypus · 1 points · Posted at 11:32:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Russian it is Лорд Волан-де-Морт, made from Том Марволо Реддл. No "i am" part though.
lucaslh10 · 1 points · Posted at 11:37:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In fact in Spain his name still is Tom Marvolo Riddle, I am Lord Voldemort is something that 99% of the country can understand. Source: I'm Spanish.
ottos-mops · 1 points · Posted at 11:42:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In German his Name ist Tom Vorlost Riddle, which makes up "ist Lord Voldemort"
kikoscream · 1 points · Posted at 11:45:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In German, his name became "Tom Vorlost Riddle", which becomes "ist Lord Voldemort".
Rhed0x · 1 points · Posted at 12:01:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The french translation really changes a lot of names from what I've heard.
German is: Tom Vorlost Riddle => Ist Lord Voldemort (is Lord Voldemort)
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 12:13:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But what about the Swahili edition?
01001100_0101000 · 1 points · Posted at 12:17:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Marten... Nice touch
sovnu · 1 points · Posted at 12:23:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Swedish it's "Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder" but for some reason it becomes "ego sum lord Voldemort" which is Latin for "I am lord Voldemort"
p3t3r133 · 1 points · Posted at 13:57:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Soy Lord Voldemort, the number choice of Dark Lord's among lactose intolerant Death Eaters
Biased_Dumbledore · 1 points · Posted at 03:09:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Diez Puntos a Gryffindor!
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 01:55:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Bulldogs7 · 1 points · Posted at 02:03:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Where?
j8sadm632b · 1 points · Posted at 02:04:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nevermind, I'm an idiot. I automatically mentally inserted "am" between "Adim" and "Lord" when reading it.
elessar13 · 1 points · Posted at 09:02:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Adim" translates to "my name is". Just so you know.
Hahahahahaimsofunny · 0 points · Posted at 02:24:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your comment really should be the highest one in this thread.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 04:06:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why? Did I miss something, or isn't this comment just restating what was in the actual link?
PrincessAmberBailey · 0 points · Posted at 03:58:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Latin American Spanish they left it in English and added a translation
MarioKartastrophe · -1 points · Posted at 03:01:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This 👏 is 👏 what 👏 I 👏 came 👏 here 👏 for 👏
chainmailtank · 3548 points · Posted at 03:14:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle
Immortal Love RoddMr. Tom, a Dildo LoverI Am Lord Voldemort
Edit: The Original by Katie Rose and Dan Abromowitz.
Ivaras · 1201 points · Posted at 04:55:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It is a little known fact that Voldemort, despising and despised by his maternal grandfather for his half-blood status, began his endeavors in the dark arts using an anagram of only his first and last name. Unfortunately, Dildemort invited whispered jokes to do with the misuse of wands and broomsticks, and the Dark Lord had to not only revisit his choice of moniker, but forbid his followers from speaking his name on penalty of death.
hi_internet_friend · 165 points · Posted at 06:24:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would read this fanfic
reaperteddy · 3 points · Posted at 10:02:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think I have.
ElBroet · 3 points · Posted at 10:09:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've fapped to worse fanfics
Whatsthemattermark · 2 points · Posted at 10:15:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Such as? I'm between books right now
madhi19 · 3 points · Posted at 11:50:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The sad truth is it probably already exist, and yes I would read it.
Arcturion · 6 points · Posted at 09:02:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I fell off my chair.
Now I'm laughing and crying at the same time.
Well played.
AlvinTaco · 122 points · Posted at 05:35:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I enjoyed how Immortal Love Rodd has a star and "maybe" written by it.
MRCBOB · 4 points · Posted at 08:58:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And me too, I enjoyed it~
2mice · 19 points · Posted at 05:37:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL: tom riddle loves his dildos, sorry i mean "a dildo". it's a reddit policy to never imply ownership in the event of a dildo.
allmappedout · 5 points · Posted at 08:02:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Iunderstoodthatreference.jpg
RoosterCheese · 7 points · Posted at 04:19:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol i can't believe that's a thing
deleted · 3 points · Posted at 07:04:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
FYI the name wasn't translated u/industrial86 is wrong:
Similar "I am ______" phrases had to be back-translated into something that sounds like a pronounceable word (in the language of the reader)
difference:
wow isn't it amazing that "voldemort" translated is VILIJN and how lucky that becomes "MIJN"?
versus
since MIJN NAAM is required in "my name", the name itself needs to contain "IJN"
It's just written ass-backwards in title
iRunLikeTheWind · 13 points · Posted at 04:43:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could you link the comic you and I both know you stole these jokes from?
chainmailtank · 17 points · Posted at 04:50:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair, "Mr. Tom, a Dildo Lover" has been around longer than the comic, but I added sourceification to the comment.
shaveyourchin · 2 points · Posted at 12:11:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rev. Tom "Dildo" Molar
What did that reverend do to earn that nickname, I wonder?
cipiciopi · 1 points · Posted at 09:56:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
LOL genius!
[deleted] · 957 points · Posted at 01:53:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
heysuburban · 465 points · Posted at 02:52:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo Jr.
Voldemort was originally Lil Romeo.
Biased_Dumbledore · 197 points · Posted at 03:15:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Heh
10 points to Gryffindor
Seth4832 · 14 points · Posted at 04:06:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Username checks out, the headmaster can assign points for anything
the-stammer-hammer · 3 points · Posted at 14:58:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did you just assume his hogwarts house?
protXx · 3 points · Posted at 07:32:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We're all Hufflepuff :(
pointlessbeats · 2 points · Posted at 06:34:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But I'm a Ravenclaw.
RomeoGDetlevJr · 100 points · Posted at 03:42:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks!
ChezMere · 5 points · Posted at 04:07:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always look for you whenever this thread turns up. :)
Puninteresting · 4 points · Posted at 04:45:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Detlev Shrempf!
olive_tree94 · 4 points · Posted at 04:07:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm really proud of the Swedish translation. Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder, which becomes Ego Sum Lord Voldemort. Also, the surname Dolder has "Dold" in it, which means hidden.
thehenkan · 2 points · Posted at 11:42:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I feel like the ä in Tom's name, from Jag är, might have broken the immersion a bit.
Uebeltank · 1 points · Posted at 09:23:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jeg er Voldemort.
rasmusvedel · 1 points · Posted at 10:08:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The G is for Gåde which is danish for riddle, so homage is paid to the original name as well
OldDarte · 614 points · Posted at 01:56:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Ukrainian it was Том Ярволод Редл (Tom Yarvolod Reddle) which became "Я Лорд Волдеморт" (Ya Lord Voldemort).
Funny thing is, Yarvolod sounds like it could be an actual Ukrainian name, which added some degree of immersion to the story.
Blazingkill · 734 points · Posted at 02:09:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's YA BOII LORD VOLDEMORT IN THE HOUSE!!!
fez1o1 · 110 points · Posted at 04:02:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
PLEASE LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE.
andrewbstern · 13 points · Posted at 12:06:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
DOUBLE SMAAAAAAAAAAASH THAT MUUFUCKIN LIKE BUTTON
fez1o1 · 3 points · Posted at 15:00:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait
BuckFurke · 1 points · Posted at 01:49:08 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
What
purpleunicornturds · 41 points · Posted at 02:38:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know if your joke was that good or my level of HP nerdom is just that strong, but I cried laughing at this.
5lash3r · 13 points · Posted at 03:56:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING MOTHERFUCKERS
annaftw · 8 points · Posted at 04:34:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HE HAD A HEADACHE OKAY????
shapu · 12 points · Posted at 02:41:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Party Rock is in the house tonight
Everybody's gonna have a good time
(Every day I'm kevadrin')
KryptoniteDong · 2 points · Posted at 04:49:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I just realised Avada Kedavra might have origins in Cadaver 🙈
feliscat · 5 points · Posted at 05:53:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Abra Kadabra + Cadaver = Avada Kedavra
TriforceofCake · 4 points · Posted at 06:39:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
DESTRUCTION IN HUMAN FORM
r1243 · 3 points · Posted at 07:55:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
'ya' means I in Ukrainian, but honestly I far prefer your version
ServeUCookiesWaSmile · 16 points · Posted at 03:47:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly the Ukrainian did a much better job than the Russian translation here, which for some reason decided to have Voldemort's name in the rest of the entire series be altered to Volan-De-Mort to fit this
FunTomasso · 3 points · Posted at 07:37:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think they named him like that for that Tom Marvolo Riddle transition, seeing how Volan-de-Mort first appears in Book 1, and I doubt the translators knew about the upcoming twist before the book 2 was written. Can be wrong though.
But it feels like just a (pretty unnesessary, IMO) adaptation, complete with the Master and Margarita reference for futher eeriness.
zumun · 1 points · Posted at 22:30:24 on September 26, 2017 · (Permalink)
BoxOfBlades · 9 points · Posted at 03:42:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ya ya ya, I am Lorde... Voldemort.
Aemilius_Paulus · 7 points · Posted at 07:40:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep, it's a portmanteau of Yaroslav and any of the many names that end in 'volod' (e.g. Vsevolod, or even begin with 'volod', such as 'Volodimir', aka Vladimir) which is an archaic proto-Slavic (but still used) word meaning to lord over something or someone. It's really beautiful how it works, I would say I prefer it to the English name even, speaking as someone who speaks Russian but read the novels in English.
Yaroslav the Wise was a very famous Kievan Rus ruler, and many of them had 'Volod' in their names too. Sounds cool too -- just unique enough to sound cool, but with enough historicity and not too fake-sounding or tryhard like the English name came off to me as (imo).
dogeatsmoths · 2 points · Posted at 03:03:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Doesn't that translate to "I am Lord Voldemort"?
Pakaran · 3 points · Posted at 03:42:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes, "Ya" means I
dogeatsmoths · 2 points · Posted at 03:53:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I knew that, but I didn't know if that is the correct case. Мне много меня ahhh!!!
Noxilcash · 2 points · Posted at 04:17:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yarvolod, such a common name, huh? I guess that's cool, us English speaking countries got a ridiculously silly and off the wall name. Like who would name their kid Tom?
calgil · 1 points · Posted at 12:14:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But he's not Ukrainian. Doesn't it kind of break immersion for an English character to have a Ukrainian name for no reason when nobody else does?
OldDarte · 1 points · Posted at 09:06:18 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, Ukrainian translators did a really good job of not just translating the book but also making some of its moments more relatable to Ukrainian kids. I mean, some names in the books are obscure as it is, so why not make them recognizable?
Also, Yarvolod sounding like a very archaic name added immersion in the 6th book when Marvolo Gaunt, a member of a very old bloodline, was introduced.
Flame_Effigy · 1 points · Posted at 19:58:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeezy yeezy what's good it's ya boi Lord. V!
dickfromaccounting · 1139 points · Posted at 22:54:58 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
I took Latin in school and it always amazed me how they could make words that rhyme in Latin also rhyme in English, regardless of their translation. It's a special skill for sure.
Gemmabeta · 583 points · Posted at 23:55:26 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
There is a famous poem by Mattia Butturini that can either be read as Latin or as Italian. The poem makes sense and is grammatically correct in both languages, it begins:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/italian-latin-luciano-nardone
KuntaStillSingle · 314 points · Posted at 02:25:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Isn't Italian as close as there is to Latin as far as modern languages?
Ultermarto · 179 points · Posted at 02:30:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep. Technically the Sardinian dialect, iirc.
turelure · 209 points · Posted at 02:41:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's kind of hard to say which language is the closest to Latin in absolute terms because it depends on the characteristics you're looking at. Sardinian is very archaic in many respects, for example it's the only Romance language that has kept the 'k' sound in front of 'e' and 'i': Latin centum (hundred) became kentu in Sardinian, whereas in Italian it's cento pronounced with a tsh-sound, in Spanish it's ciento with a th-sound. However, if we're talking about other areas, other languages will stand out as more archaic. Romanian for example is the only Romance language that has kept some of the Latin cases.
Ultermarto · 19 points · Posted at 02:54:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love examples like these. Thanks.
Zimzams123 · 6 points · Posted at 03:58:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Arent there many different ways of pronouncing Latin though? I know for a fact the latin i learnt at school was pronounced very different to other people ive met who learnt at different schools. eg "coelis", as in the Lords Prayer "pater noster, qui est in coelis" - i was taught is pronounced like cee-lis, whereas my mother always told me it was co-eh-liss.
Id imagine Sardinia is a small enough place to have a finite number of dialects etc, but Latin is probably very different case to this.
Przedrzag · 12 points · Posted at 04:34:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Roman Latin would be your mother's. Church Latin would be closer to yours, but more 'che-lis'. Your pronunciation is often used in scientific names.
Edit in italics. Credit to u/cfogarm
cfogarm · 3 points · Posted at 06:35:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Church Latin would be something like "chay-lis", not "cee-lis"
Angsty_Potatos · 1 points · Posted at 06:57:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ecclesiastical Latin is pronounced differently than classical latin iir. But really its hard to say for sure since we have no examples of spoken classical latin, just written. Just like written formal English differes from the English spoken by speakers.
turelure · 1 points · Posted at 20:21:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, there are different ways of pronouncing Latin, it's different from country to country actually. But thanks to a lot of evidence and historical linguistics, it's pretty easy to reconstruct the Latin pronunciation used in Classical times and at least in academia, this reconstructed pronunciation is pretty much the standard (unless we're talking about Late or Medieval Latin).
roboczar · -4 points · Posted at 02:54:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We don't actually know whether it's really "k" instead of "tsh", it's just speculation based on how the speech was carried down through the Catholic church and the vulgar liturgy. Considering how common "tsh" (or "tch") is in former Roman provinces, it appears to be something of an error to assume "k". "Modern" Latin is rife with these kinds of assumptions.
turelure · 26 points · Posted at 03:10:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's not speculation, there's a lot of evidence that at least in Republican times and during the early Empire, 'c' was always pronounced 'k', it softened only later. You'll find no Classical scholar who disagrees with that. You can find a lot of the evidence on the internet, if you're curious, one example would be that Cicero wrote his name in Greek with a Kappa (Κικέρων). That's the general practice of Greek writers when they write Latin names with 'c' in it. Caesar is Καίσαρ for example.
Oh and the Catholic Church doesn't pronounce it as 'k', they never have.
richloz93 · 17 points · Posted at 03:36:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That last bit reminds me of how the German "Kaiser" is derived from Caesar.
cloudysky611 · 3 points · Posted at 05:01:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And the Finnish "keisari"
MamiyaOtaru · 2 points · Posted at 05:05:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
and the Russian Tsar (or Czar)
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 05:28:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
richloz93 · 1 points · Posted at 06:47:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the point they're trying to make is that Caesar became translated into so many different languages which is pretty cool.
ReanimatedX · 1 points · Posted at 10:00:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It comes from the Bulgarian Kesar, which was shortened to Tsar for Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria. The Russians didn't start using it until centuries later.
cloudysky611 · 1 points · Posted at 05:30:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Funnily, Finnish has a word for Tsar too, Tsaari.
Eizah · 1 points · Posted at 08:06:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But Greek does not have the "ch" sound which is why when you spell it using that specific writing you can only represent it with a kappa.
SchwarzerRhobar · 1 points · Posted at 09:02:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They probably didn't do that in ancient times, but in modern Greek "ch" in foreign names is approximated with tau and sigma. For example Chernobyl becomes Τσερνόμπιλ.
roboczar · 1 points · Posted at 12:48:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah thanks for clarifying the details. The elegant beauty of Cunningham's law in action. In hindsight I should have demanded sources so I wouldn't need to search but this is probably good enough.
[deleted] · 11 points · Posted at 02:41:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Read that as "Sandarin" at first and could've sworn that was related to Elvish somehow, not Latin. Really confusing for a minute.
RageNorge · -1 points · Posted at 07:26:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Man sardinia must stink.
espo1234 · 8 points · Posted at 03:06:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've heard that Romanian is the closest, as Romania diverged from Latin last.
spelunker · 15 points · Posted at 02:42:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually I've been told Romanian is the closest, by my high school Latin teacher. That guy made up shit all the time though so who knows.
GravyJigster · 2 points · Posted at 03:06:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Im pretty sure youre right
MyNameIsSushi · 4 points · Posted at 03:59:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I also agree that his teacher probably made shit up all the time.
Aemilius_Paulus · 1 points · Posted at 07:35:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Their grammar is very similar to Latin, I know this as someone who had a BA in that field of history. But their pronunciation is awful, as someone who has a cousin who is a native Romanian speaker (Moldovan citizen however). It's awful on a purely human level because it sounds silly and awful in terms of being Latin.
For fuck's sake, their language is so bad that the most important part of any language -- their swearing, their oaths, their cursing, cussing, foul words, whatever you wanna call it -- it's Russian (for Moldovans, Romanians do use their own words mostly). If you wanna know a bad language, it's one that's so bad that some people who speak it natively prefer to use a foreign language to express themselves in a manner which is the closest and most direct to the soul, the shit you yell out when something heavy falls on your fingers. It's more honest and pure than love, it comes reflexively like an instinct.
ReanimatedX · 1 points · Posted at 10:01:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It didn't use to be that way, Romanian had a lot of loanwords from Bulgarian actually, with about 20% of the vocabulary being of Bulgarian origin, but purged nearly most of them in the 19th century and replaced them with French and Italian loanwords.
turelure · 1 points · Posted at 20:30:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's complete and utter bullshit. No language is 'bad' or 'awful'. How can their pronunciation be awful when they speak their mother tongue? Romanian is not Latin, so saying that it's some kind of silly dialect of Latin doesn't make any sense. By this logic, you could complain that English speakers are horrible at pronouncing Old English and that the language is so awful that they felt the need to borrow large parts of their vocabulary from Latin/French. And I'd really like some sources on your claim that Romanian speakers prefer to speak other languages because their native tongue is 'so bad'.
Aemilius_Paulus · 1 points · Posted at 20:58:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's entirely subjective of course, but Romanian sounds silly and 'uncool', some of it's sounds just sound plain unpleasant. Just like German sounds really cool to most ears.
Sources? Ask any Moldovan. I'm not making this up, I've lived in Chisinau and Briceni for some time with my relatives. Keep in mind I said this of Moldovans, not Romanians. Moldovans also speak Romanian, but they have enough contact with Russian culture to be aware of other choices, unlike a Romanian who doesn't know a 'parallel' language -- by that I mean a language that has official status within a country but is not the majority language.
turelure · 1 points · Posted at 21:52:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, but as you say: that's subjective. Why even bring it up? It's obvious that it's an issue with your taste and not an issue with the Romanian language. I don't like the sound of tonal languages like Chinese or Vietnamese for example. But that's just my subjective reaction to it, most likely because I'm not used to these kinds of languages and their sounds are unusual to my ears. I would never claim that these languages are silly or that they sound awful.
Really? I'm German and most people seem to think that the language sounds harsh and ugly.
I really doubt that most Moldovans would say that their own language is silly and awful. And from what I've read, most people actually speak Romanian most of the time. But since many people there are bilingual, of course they will also speak Russian in certain situations. That's the case in many countries, it doesn't mean that people hate their native language. And even if it were true that most Moldovans find Romanian awful and silly, that still doesn't prove anything. Things like that are often political and, again, completely subjective. There's nothing about the Romanian language that's inherently silly or uncool.
100dylan99 · 1 points · Posted at 13:31:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
way too late for anyone to see this but Romanian is the closest dramatically while Sardinian is the closest phonetically and lexically.
rab777hp · 4 points · Posted at 05:42:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope probably romanian
leo-skY · 1 points · Posted at 08:15:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yep, latin is also taught for the entirety of highschool in most places
ifuckinghateratheism · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's from the exact same region too, coincidence?
KuntaStillSingle · 2 points · Posted at 03:31:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a funny way to spell conspiracy friend.
camtaro · -10 points · Posted at 02:40:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Italian is basically cursive Latin
-patrizio- · 7 points · Posted at 03:07:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That’s...not really accurate at all
ProllyJustWantsKarma · 3 points · Posted at 03:36:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
None of this is. There’s no such thing as the closest language to “X”, there’s no objective measure of how similar or different a language is to something.
-patrizio- · 3 points · Posted at 03:37:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know, this was just the easiest one to counter I felt.
whatIsThisBullCrap · 4 points · Posted at 07:00:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There are countless objective measures of that. Percent of words that are the same, similarity of sounds, sentence structure rules, etc.
2drawnonward5 · 1 points · Posted at 03:58:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You dropped your period at the end of that so is your post now in cursive?
camtaro · 1 points · Posted at 16:41:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
there are a large number of words that are nearly the same as latin, just an extra vowel or syllable. that's all I meant by it
Endedinmay · 11 points · Posted at 07:47:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There also is this really interesting sentence which reads
It can be read in both Latin and Italian, but has two completely different meanings.
In Italian, it reads:
I Latin, it reads:
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:26:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If they were programming languages we'd call that a polyglot.
georgepordge · 1 points · Posted at 07:49:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
wow
clementleopold · 32 points · Posted at 02:21:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Matris Spaghetti
potatotrip_ · 10 points · Posted at 02:37:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Palms are sweaty
thatpaxguy · 2 points · Posted at 03:21:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ravioli Ravioli
turelure · 6 points · Posted at 02:31:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually, Latin poets didn't use rhyme. Since Latin is a heavily inflected language with flexible word-order (especially in poetry), rhyming is not really difficult to achieve, you can just put the words wherever you want. They focused much more on meter (based on vowel-length instead of stress).
_-BURN-THE-WITCH-_ · 6 points · Posted at 03:29:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know what you mean by this. Can you give me an example?
WatdeeKhrap · 3 points · Posted at 07:22:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Speaking of Latin, the swedish translation is:
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:48:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But a welcomed one
gazow · 2 points · Posted at 03:36:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
but a welcome one
schloopers · 2 points · Posted at 04:33:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Every time the origin of Martin Luther comes up, and someone mentions the Catholic phrase of the time "When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs.", I always just want to ask the room, "and that rhymed in German, right? Somehow? We just lucked out on this?"
AP246 · 2 points · Posted at 07:40:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To be fair, that word order is a little awkward, and 'springs' is just one of many words that could fit there, for example.
MarshmallowBlue · 4 points · Posted at 02:30:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But a welcome one.
theunnoanprojec · 2 points · Posted at 03:41:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My favorite one of these of all time is the novel "La Dissparation". It's the boknthat is famously written without the letter E.
It was translated at least I to English if not other languages without the e.
TheBobJamesBob · 1 points · Posted at 02:28:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, it certainly helps that English is partially derived from Latin directly, and by a degree of separation through French, and some words/phrases are just straight up Latin.
Obviously, it is still a special skill, but Latin is one of the easier languages to do the "same word, same rhyme" thing with English.
beelzeflub · 1 points · Posted at 03:25:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The first time i sang Carmina Burana i had the exact same feeling.
Meleagros · 2 points · Posted at 02:27:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can someone explain to me why they needed to translate his anagram in Latin? It's a dead language.
I'm not shitting on Latin or the study of Latin. I actually believe reading original works in Latin is very important to preserve the original source and tone the work was written in.
However why translate a modern work of fiction into a dead language?
turelure · 9 points · Posted at 02:44:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To get children and teenagers who learn Latin to read something they're probably more interested in than Cicero? Also, there are just some Latin enthusiasts who like to write stuff in Latin and keep it at least somewhat alive. There's also an Ancient Greek translation of Harry Potter.
Meleagros · 3 points · Posted at 03:18:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That makes sense, if it is actively circulated and used for regular reading. I was just unsure how many people that studied Latin read modern works in latin. Thanks!
0riginal_Poster · 1 points · Posted at 07:33:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
don't know why you got downvoted. as far as keeping the ancient authenticity of Latin goes, I don't think that's all to important personally but I could be wrong.
zerodegreesf · 167 points · Posted at 02:27:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My second favorite thing on this page is:
"Skin colour: White (formerly pale)"
bisonburgers · 141 points · Posted at 04:54:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lily Evans' page says "Marital status: Widowed (briefly)". She was widowed for all of two minutes!
cnho1997 · 9 points · Posted at 12:56:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's the problem here? Two minutes is, after all, brief.
jthill · 201 points · Posted at 01:32:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then there's this, from The Cyberiad, when Trurl's (? I think it was his) mechanical poet is being put to the test:
upon which it wrote
Go 'haid, translate that.
The killer is, it's already a translation, from the original Polish.
snurpss · 11 points · Posted at 04:49:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
bit a translation, it's a completely new poem.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 11:40:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Writing something new that captures the spirit of the original is a form of translation. The goal of translation is to evoke the same things in the mind of the reader as the original, despite the language barrier.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 06:20:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thanks for reminding me, i so have to read S.L's stuff.
jthill · 10 points · Posted at 06:27:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Cyberiad's like Dr. Seuss for grownups, every bit as seemingly light, with a love of life and wordplay and odd little stories with an odd grip. In fact, I think Thing One and Thing Two are the larval stage of Trurl and the other one whose name I forget, K something.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 07:14:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thanks. I heard someone reading out a couple of the stories on youtube. To me they almost seemed like a sci fi Roald Dahl.
A_Mirabeau_702 · 15 points · Posted at 02:13:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the original, did every word begin with Z? Or J?
user31415926535 · 60 points · Posted at 02:38:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
c, actually:
But that's not really a "translation", rather a replacement poem from a different set of instructions.
PointyOintment · 12 points · Posted at 07:07:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I see a word that doesn't start with C
el_lyss · 26 points · Posted at 08:27:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The thing with "co dzień" is that until ~1970 it was perfectly fine to write "codzień", so that was a single word, when Lem wrote it (1965). Oh, and it means "every day".
More about it, if you know Polish.
Pix3lPotato · 4 points · Posted at 08:46:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lem made some of the best stuff I have ever read, glad to see some fans of it here
vflash125 · 1 points · Posted at 08:14:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How many shmeckles would such a haircut cost?
shane_low · 1 points · Posted at 10:02:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Couldn't you just substitute the challenge with something that the translated language is capable of performing?
Lemon1412 · 99 points · Posted at 02:17:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mark Neelstin --> MRLAKENSTEIN
Slovenia what the fuck are you doing
Zydhor · 12 points · Posted at 09:12:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nearly all of the names were translated in Slovenian versions of the books. I think it is a great decision by the translator to do so, because the original English names are incredibly clever and their cleverness would be completely lost on the reader who doesn't speak English.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 13:32:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Were the Slovenian names comparably clever? If so, I agree.
Aggropop · 6 points · Posted at 14:26:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They were, for sure.
Some I can remember from the top of my head:
Mad Eye Moody = Noruč Nerrga (crazy eye grump)
Slytherin = Spolzgad (slimy asp/viper)
Ravenclaw = Drznavraan (daring raven)
Minerva McGonnagal = Minerva McHuddura (Minerva Mc"bad hour" (meaning bad time))
Dobby = Trapets (the fool/idiot)
Hogwarts = Bradavičarka (wart-place)
The Slovenian translations are intentionally misspelled as well, so they keep their magical, foreign quality (daring raven should be: "drzna vrana", not Drznavraan). That being said, I think "Mrlakenstein" (darkness - stein) isn't the most effective and I wish the translator kept the original, it just sounds better.
P.S. The same translator (Branko Gradišnik) also did LOTR, which got a lot of criticism for doing the same kind of thing with names. His LOTR translation is generally regarded as non canonical by the fans.
studioRaLu · 2 points · Posted at 15:27:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My french isnt great but I think voldemort means "flight of death" in French or "wings of death" in English. They should have just left it French for everyone except France because its a cool thing to realize that it has a foreign translation
Zydhor · 3 points · Posted at 17:23:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some were good, some... not as good. Probably still better for people who do not speak English.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 07:57:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
IKR, and we don't even use EE in our words!
TorgoAteMyHamster · 3 points · Posted at 08:07:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Beacuse it was supposed to be an English sounding name, not Slovene.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 11:27:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Still, Mrlakenstein? Seriously, that's horrible. Also I've never heard of a Neelstin, sounds more Dutch or German than English.
TorgoAteMyHamster · 2 points · Posted at 14:29:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mrlakenstein leaves a lot to be desired. Everything, actually :)
BlueHighwindz · 3 points · Posted at 12:54:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mr. Lakenstein, what part about that is confusing to you?
MikoRiko · 2 points · Posted at 16:12:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He prefers Mark, to be honest...
rincewind123 · 5 points · Posted at 07:42:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Horrible. I hate this douchebag translator.
roadtrip-ne · 796 points · Posted at 23:24:51 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
In France his name is "Tom Elvis Jedusor" to form Je Suis Voldemort.
TooShiftyForYou · 1007 points · Posted at 23:47:14 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
He who must not be named!...... TOM ELVIS.
Realhuman221 · 175 points · Posted at 01:19:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jedusor also means 'riddle' in English.
pepincity2 · 154 points · Posted at 01:30:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
well, if you mean "jeu du sort" (pronounced the same way), then it wouldn't mean "riddle" but "game of chance".
Realhuman221 · 98 points · Posted at 01:38:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sorry, I don't actually speak French, I used Google Translate.
BoRamShote · 153 points · Posted at 01:40:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I too am a redditor.
Aggienthusiast · 4 points · Posted at 02:47:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
fakehuman221
prufrock2015 · 9 points · Posted at 02:49:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
lol lacking knowledge never stopped any redditors from pontificating on subjects they have zero expertise in. What's surprising is you said "sorry" for it. Lol here have an upvote for honesty.
Pakislav · 1 points · Posted at 09:27:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Is that why you called French English?
Aeon-ChuX · 3 points · Posted at 05:32:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
More like a throw of chance. "Jet du sort" which is akin to a "stroke of luck/fate"
SteveMcQwark · 3 points · Posted at 03:20:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Gambling plus Elvis, hmm... Harry Potter and Secret Casino.
howeman · 1 points · Posted at 05:05:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I prefer to imagine it's "game of the spell"
trosh · 1 points · Posted at 09:13:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's not even pronounced the same way, but "Jéduzor". To me that sounds closer to "jet du sort" which would mean a jest of malice or something (so still good), but the z sound kind of breaks it
Nvclead · 3 points · Posted at 02:32:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually it means "stroke of fate"
narumikaiko · 5 points · Posted at 02:17:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I LOVE when translators manage to do clever things like this! It makes me wish I were multilingual, so I could fully appreciate it more often.
becausebees · 6 points · Posted at 02:17:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Last 2 ex's were named Tom and Elvis. Can confirm they are Voldemort
fr1ck · 2 points · Posted at 03:52:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He who must not have left the building!
projectb223 · 1 points · Posted at 03:27:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why do I hear John Cena's music?
seahorseolympics · 25 points · Posted at 01:57:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
does this mean that marvolo gaunt's name in the french books is elvis?
sopheroo · 11 points · Posted at 04:17:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Elvis Marvolo Gaunt, yes
itchy__tickles · 5 points · Posted at 02:27:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I need to know this too.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 05:27:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
seahorseolympics · 1 points · Posted at 06:05:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you! That's hilarious!
Elvis Marvolo Gaunt doesn't sound so...strange
Biased_Dumbledore · 1 points · Posted at 03:16:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What a dumbass
Herr_Opa · 7 points · Posted at 02:10:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Potter better not step on his blue suede shoes...
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:46:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He can knock him down though.
The_Potato_God99 · 7 points · Posted at 02:07:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I remember that in the 4th book, there was a chapter about an even called the "jeux du sorts" (I read the french version) which sounds just like "jedusor".
Was it also in the english version?
userusernamename · 5 points · Posted at 02:47:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think your talking about the first chapter and if so, it's called The Riddle House.
luisrodriguezp · 3 points · Posted at 04:18:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, Voldemort indeed had killer moves.
TheDemonHauntedWorld · 162 points · Posted at 02:08:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The problem in the Brazilian translation is that while in Chambers of Secrets they translate his name to Tom Servolo Riddle (Eis Lord Voldemort), in Half-Blood Prince they apparently forgot and they called him Marvolo.
The worst part is that it's the same publisher and the same translator.
_ashagreyjoy · 71 points · Posted at 02:25:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As a translator myself I think that Lya Wyler's job translating the HP books to pt-br was very good, but I agree with you: sometimes there are some questionable continuity mistakes.
To be honest, the one thing that really bothers me about her translation is that she translated the houses' names, but not the last names of the founders of the houses. She translated the first name of Godric Gryffindor to Godrico, why not translate the last name fo Grifinória as well?
I actually like the translation of the names, but that bugs me...
TheDemonHauntedWorld · 14 points · Posted at 03:08:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also... I don't get it why.
But every time I see illogical translations it is either from a person who has no knowledge or care about the source material (Thing I doubt it's Lya Wyler case), or some high up demanding something be done like that.
Like someone saying she can't change any last name (I don't thing any last name was changed in the Pt-BR version)... and not accepting any exception.
I don't know... But I agree Lya Wyler did a great job.
Biased_Dumbledore · 13 points · Posted at 03:21:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's some good insight
10 points to Grifinória
AshtarB · 4 points · Posted at 05:05:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
*Grifodouro
rrssh · 3 points · Posted at 04:12:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Same in Russian. He’s Narvolo in CoS and Marvolo in the rest of the books.
ShortyColombo · 1 points · Posted at 16:40:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly my favorite translation is goddamn Lufa-Lufa; I know Hufflepuff isn't exactly dignified, but lufa lufa gets me every time LOL
DarNak · 133 points · Posted at 01:40:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's also the translations of S.P.E.W.
ParkLaineNext · 129 points · Posted at 02:30:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Spanish: PEDDO Dutch: SHIT
Edit: Dutch. Not Danish. My short term memory is also SHIT.
Biased_Dumbledore · 75 points · Posted at 03:20:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
10 points from Slytherin, PEDDO SHIT fans
KryptoniteDong · 9 points · Posted at 04:51:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ayy, this bot Savage af
AnestTsak · 13 points · Posted at 06:20:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
*Dutch
pcmeister · 5 points · Posted at 10:58:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Portuguese: BABE
Roobolt · 1 points · Posted at 12:07:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I had no idea haha this makes me want to read the Spanish versions now!
VoidWaIker · 13 points · Posted at 02:37:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Dutch translation... 5/7
Laytheron · 11 points · Posted at 08:09:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For the lazy, a direct link.
Edit: Formatting
CreativeCthulhu · 18 points · Posted at 02:07:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ok my big question now is how they determined the date to be 1994.
Andlat · 72 points · Posted at 02:25:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Chamber of Secrets, Nearly Headless Nick has his 500th death day and the cake says he died in 1492. Therefore, book 2 takes place in 1992.
VoidWaIker · 34 points · Posted at 02:33:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What u/Andlat said also, Lily and James' gravestone.
cnho1997 · 3 points · Posted at 12:55:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The first paragraph does a nice job summarizing it. http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Dating_conventions
Anaviocla · 6 points · Posted at 06:03:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow, Germany didn't even try. I'm disappointed in you guys.
MY-SECRET-REDDIT · 3 points · Posted at 06:21:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
is there any significance to the other languages having funny meanings to the title? like in some it means fart.
14pintsofpaella · 3 points · Posted at 10:54:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't they make a joke about the fact that SPEW means vomit? I guess with a joke title it's easier to translate their confusion over the name as well as the name itself.
Eazyyy · 2 points · Posted at 08:57:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A few of them mean spit, there's 2 vomit, 2 shit, a few farts, urine and snot.
Heltinne · 1 points · Posted at 10:27:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hebrew: "A.L.E.R.G.A" (אלרג"ה). Could easily be mistaken for "Allergy" (אלרגיה) and Ron jokes a lot about it.
I love the Hebrew translation, it's perfect.
SirZammerz · 1 points · Posted at 12:36:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Javik_N7 · 1 points · Posted at 14:39:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also exams probably were translated appropriately too, at least in russian books they were. I wonder if wiki has a list...
PainMatrix · 684 points · Posted at 23:04:09 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Vol de mort = theft of death
Aside from French, not sure how well this honestly could be translated.
pepincity2 · 336 points · Posted at 01:32:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But "Vol" both means "theft" and "flight" in french
Daiszzz · 355 points · Posted at 01:58:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Flight of death still sounds pretty sick
LeakyLycanthrope · 156 points · Posted at 02:32:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Better: flight from death, or theft from death. The preposition "de" can mean both "of" and "from".
Przedrzag · 17 points · Posted at 04:35:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hence the horcruxes
PunyPessimist · 18 points · Posted at 05:53:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It only mean flight in the sense of flying, not fleeing.
That's why Deathwing in Warcraft was originally translated as voldemort in a book.
Anyway, it clearly theft of death from a grammar standpoint.
LeakyLycanthrope · 2 points · Posted at 06:53:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah, thanks.
Mastyx · 5 points · Posted at 07:19:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In this context it can't really mean "from", only "of" though. So theft of death.
Kyle_Crafty · 32 points · Posted at 02:09:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Flight 180
titanfries · 3 points · Posted at 02:34:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
fuck
JpRimbauer · 2 points · Posted at 03:54:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Flight 815
Kyle_Crafty · 1 points · Posted at 04:06:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not to be mistaken for Vietnam Airlines flight 815
HeavenPiercingMan · 2 points · Posted at 06:41:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
no character development
violent deaths only
🅱inal 🅱estination
Kyle_Crafty · 1 points · Posted at 06:44:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know. That clear rivers had some story.. I can't say that with a straight face..
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:53:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
flight 370
KuntaStillSingle · 4 points · Posted at 02:31:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sounds like Sabaton lyrics
doormatt26 · 3 points · Posted at 02:13:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
cue electric guitars
VoidWaIker · 2 points · Posted at 02:30:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Flight from death would've been a really cool little Easter egg.
turd_miner91 · 2 points · Posted at 03:09:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And still somewhat relevant to his character
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 09:28:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
pixielf · 1 points · Posted at 11:15:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"S'envoler" means to "fly away" which is kind of like "to flee" (fuir/s'enfuir)
House412 · 2 points · Posted at 03:35:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So United Airlines?
xxmindtrickxx · 1 points · Posted at 03:28:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He could literally fly too
EpicLegendX · 1 points · Posted at 03:30:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sounds like a signature move
TigerP · 1 points · Posted at 05:33:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Flight of Death" sounds like a movie with Nicolas Cage.
Lamhirh · 1 points · Posted at 02:26:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/bandnames
vostok0401 · 59 points · Posted at 02:00:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Indeed. As a native French speaker, might just be because I was a kid but the only thing that struck me in his name was "mort" (because it means death), never bothered too much about the theft/flight part until I saw people talking about it online.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:56:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, that is exactly what he was trying to accomplish
To escape death
themathmajician · 2 points · Posted at 05:10:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well Voldemort flies around killing people.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:40:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It actually has even more meanings than that, like a machine used in theatre to lower people down onto the stage, or the word "swarm", or "flock", or the act of falconry being used for hunting. Although, these all seem to borrow from its use as the word "flight". Source
theniwokesoftly · 66 points · Posted at 23:38:35 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
In French it's Tom Elvis Jedusor and he's still Lord Voldemort.
TrueNorthernViking · 61 points · Posted at 02:05:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because it is actually a french name that JK Rowling used... and she apologized about it so my guess is that it's origin might be french Canadian...
http://metro.co.uk/2009/02/04/rowling-sorry-for-voldemorts-name-416158/
Red_Camellia · 37 points · Posted at 02:16:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
She appologized because (french) people might be offended that the evil character's name is in french. How in the hell does that relate to french canadian?
Ibrey · 20 points · Posted at 02:39:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Canadians are reputed to make a lot of apologies.
Epic_Meow · 2 points · Posted at 09:43:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What
Ibrey · 2 points · Posted at 17:13:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They truly have it down to a science up where the temperature is low.
Epic_Meow · 1 points · Posted at 18:20:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm a snow mexican myself. I guess in order to make sexual apologies you need to have sex in the first place...
fr1ck · 5 points · Posted at 03:54:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I assume from the apology
fat_fist_fister · 0 points · Posted at 05:18:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The québécois are known for overreacting...
CastIronHotDog · -3 points · Posted at 03:42:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because everyone knows French-Canadiens are evil.
BaggySpandex · 12 points · Posted at 02:30:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
She apologized for that? What is wrong with the world?
Ballz2You · 7 points · Posted at 02:20:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's nothing specifically Canadian aboot it so it's flat out French.
thegreatstranger · 8 points · Posted at 02:22:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't think it's a name, it sounds french for sure because it's formed by french words but I had never heard "Voldemort" as a whole before the HP serie.
TrueNorthernViking · 1 points · Posted at 15:08:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm french Canadian can confirm it's not a name and never heard of it before HP.. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
thegreatstranger · 1 points · Posted at 15:50:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Pas de trouble mon ami !
Kuwshi · 2 points · Posted at 16:15:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Je suis Lord Voldepoutine, tabarnack !
tunaMaestro97 · 7 points · Posted at 02:00:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Flight of death
asaneinsanity · 11 points · Posted at 02:08:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's actually intended as "Flight of death" in this context.
Source: am Francophone.
dlgn13 · 2 points · Posted at 02:50:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wouldn't it be flight from death?
NotDido · 1 points · Posted at 03:43:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think that would be vol du mort ? not 100%
Shaugan · 3 points · Posted at 04:42:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
de in this context can be both , or so I've heard.
ceytengri · 1 points · Posted at 05:00:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm pretty sure it's "flight from death" since Voldemort is terrified of death and tore his soul apart to be immortal.
Source: am hardcore fan
asaneinsanity · 1 points · Posted at 14:59:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's what I said. Am also hardcore fan lol.
Zagorath · 1 points · Posted at 06:31:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rowling also actually intended it to be pronounced the same as French, with a silent t.
dlgn13 · 3 points · Posted at 02:49:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The intention is probably "flight from death".
PM_DAT_COOCH · 1 points · Posted at 02:35:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Stay woke 👀
reddit_user-exe · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It is explained that he is named after this since, you know, he escaped death like 8 times.
JeffCaven · 1 points · Posted at 04:51:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Exact same meaning with same words in Catalan.
willthegazelle · 127 points · Posted at 00:36:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Ruvel Doodler. Thank you Romania.
beespee · 90 points · Posted at 02:29:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lord Diddley Doodley Voldomort gosh darn it!
k0stil · 3 points · Posted at 07:46:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lord Nedflanders
permareddit · 8 points · Posted at 02:30:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sounds like some distant wizard relative to The Dude
Not_A_Chick · 2 points · Posted at 02:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He prefers Doodlerino. He's not really into the whole brevity thing.
ZeCactus · 3 points · Posted at 02:38:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait what is that an anagram of?
permareddit · 3 points · Posted at 03:32:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Eu, Lord Voldemort
ThatOneUpittyGuy · 3 points · Posted at 05:21:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shouldn't it been "Eu sunt Lord Voldemort?"
MonkeyEatsPotato · 2 points · Posted at 07:49:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah it should. They translated it as "I, Lord Voldemort".
MouseyN1 · 3 points · Posted at 10:24:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Where does this come from?
In Romanian his name is Tomas Dorlent Cruplud which is an anagram for Sunt Lordul Cap-de-Mort which roughly translates to I am Lord Head-of-Dead.
Source: I read the book in Romanian about 13 years ago
6F7762 · 1 points · Posted at 11:34:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The wiki link lists both; they must have made a new edition and changed it.
willthegazelle · 1 points · Posted at 14:01:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not sure...it said it was an alternate for the main Romanian translation in the list in the link. I can see why it was an alternate...
SammathNaur · 1 points · Posted at 09:09:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Stai... Si ce anagrama iese din asta? :))
RubberBummer · 1 points · Posted at 10:32:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm not one for clever jokes. This is the first time I've laughed on reddit in months
Ksianth · 194 points · Posted at 00:27:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It was a very clean translation to turkish : tom marvoldo riddle. Just needed to add one "d" to produce "adım lord voldemort".
PM_ME_YOUR_SELF_HARM · 29 points · Posted at 03:10:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Adım" has a dotless i. Did they take out the dot in "Riddle" as well?
uysalkoyun · 74 points · Posted at 04:39:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They wrote it in capital letters:
TOM MARVOLDO RIDDLE
ADIM LORD VOLDEMORT
Problem solved, kinda.
PM_ME_YOUR_SELF_HARM · 7 points · Posted at 05:54:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That capitalized vs. lowercase I would always fuck me up when using a Turkish Q keyboard.
Turkish F all the way
Fangsnuzzles · 8 points · Posted at 02:55:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Should have added an extra d to Riddle and the name would be the exact same.
Dravarden · 1 points · Posted at 22:43:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ridddle?
Fangsnuzzles · 1 points · Posted at 01:13:41 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
No, Rdiddle. What else?
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 03:24:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Aren't i and ı different letters?
martensit · 3 points · Posted at 04:02:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yes
ongunb · 3 points · Posted at 05:58:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait, the original name is Marvolo? I am fkin blind.
mimibrightzola · 2 points · Posted at 07:11:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or dyslexic
justaslave1 · 1 points · Posted at 10:04:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Estonian they only added an N (Marvolon). The thing that bugs me is that in the later books the name is Marvolo not Marvolon.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 08:08:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except you maintained the English "Lord" instead of adding a suitable title in your own language.
I__________________2 · 6 points · Posted at 09:19:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think this way is better, localizing a story that clearly takes place in UK is unnecessary.
It would suck if it said ADIM VOLDEMORT PAŞA or something.
Ksianth · 5 points · Posted at 10:24:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The word "lord" is in our dictionary as it is. Using a suitable title which has roots in our own language would make it sound like Voldemort was an Ottoman noble.
Sailor_Jupiter_ftw · 54 points · Posted at 02:20:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The best part is that in French his middle name is Elvis
Ghi102 · 3 points · Posted at 11:34:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When reading the books in their french translation, I liked the name Elvis as a middle name. It makes Voldemort almost more human, a regular ass middle name.
Mongo_the_Wet_Fart · 625 points · Posted at 01:39:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In chinese his name translates to "number one lucky snake man"
xavis · 197 points · Posted at 02:18:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thsi suddenly makes me want a backstroke of the west type dub for the harry potter movies. that nice dramatic reveal in the chamber will suddenly becomes hilarious instead.
[deleted] · 202 points · Posted at 02:38:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HE WAS SENIOR BIG SNEK ALL ALONG?
Shovel_Ship · 70 points · Posted at 02:56:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This may interest you
SirPuffnStuff · 20 points · Posted at 03:43:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL The Melon Bleed.
rrssh · 9 points · Posted at 04:09:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
man-made products misusing institute Hogawalz
Anaviocla · 8 points · Posted at 06:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did you ever think that I separate the departments
letsgolittledarling · 9 points · Posted at 08:15:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For whatever reason "Professor Mike" had me laughing so hard I cried
FuturamaSucksBalls · 3 points · Posted at 12:33:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Professor Mike XXL
DarkJarris · 7 points · Posted at 08:36:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
dont you just hate it when you get a yelling email?
MightBeJerryWest · 6 points · Posted at 09:48:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy shit I thought Hugalouz was hilarious but seeing the melons here and there as I went through the gallery had me dying
AP246 · 4 points · Posted at 07:43:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When it literally says 'I am Lord Voldemort' on the screen, how do you still get the translation wrong?
Eazyyy · 4 points · Posted at 08:45:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shup up, dirty name of my melon father
AnimeAndComputers · 4 points · Posted at 08:53:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I have melon
Epic_Meow · 5 points · Posted at 09:51:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
you dirty melon
prooveit1701 · 19 points · Posted at 02:56:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do you fuck on I?
[deleted] · 7 points · Posted at 03:08:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Puninteresting · 9 points · Posted at 04:43:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mr speaker, we are for the big
-iamyourgrandma- · 5 points · Posted at 07:18:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
DO NOT WANT
Esmesqualor · 5 points · Posted at 04:42:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm not gonna lie I'm a little drunk but I still can't stop laughing about this
Greg636 · 5 points · Posted at 04:48:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Friend you are crazy.
[deleted] · 7 points · Posted at 06:22:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
伏地魔 - fudemo Actually means something like "prostrate devil"
Biased_Dumbledore · 5 points · Posted at 03:19:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
10 points from Slytherin
PerfectNemesis · 5 points · Posted at 05:16:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No it doesn't
Anthrosi · 5 points · Posted at 05:20:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HE WAS NUMBER ONE MR. KRABS
Rakshasa_752 · 4 points · Posted at 06:01:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Here's a little lesson in wizardry, this is going down in history
eatcitrus · 1 points · Posted at 05:49:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Transliterated:
"Soup Mother - Horse Rich Net - Inside Virtues You"
lack_of_ideas · 1 points · Posted at 10:44:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love it that the Chinese word for "demon" actually looks like a grinning demon.
john_jdm · 87 points · Posted at 23:35:33 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmm the Indonesian seems wrong.
The name is: TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
But the anagram is: AKULAH LORD VOLDEMORT
At first I thought it was cool that it was the same as English but then realized there are missing letters like H. But overall this is amazing!
nefrmt · 16 points · Posted at 04:32:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Best I can come up with is:
TOM ARRVOLLO DALEK, DUH!
I suck at anagrams
SuddenlyFeels · 5 points · Posted at 06:09:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So a space nazi instead of Magic Hitler; close enough
Murderous_squirrel · 2 points · Posted at 12:09:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
EX-TER-MINATE
cassis-oolong · 27 points · Posted at 02:43:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And K and U....
That's pretty lazy!
FUTURE10S · 10 points · Posted at 03:20:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And where does the I go?
TurkeyHunter · 9 points · Posted at 03:27:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Am Indonesian can confirm, they didn't change shit in the Indonesian version of the book.
dtracers · 10 points · Posted at 02:48:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
should have just done AKUH TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE.
Then he can also be the villain in samari jack
universalhat · 5 points · Posted at 05:21:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Came here looking for this comment, leaving satisfied.
kekekmacan · 6 points · Posted at 02:25:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I shall tell you that it doesn't even give a fuck about making an anagram, because it's literally impossible.
WazWaz · 15 points · Posted at 03:31:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why? Can't they always just smoosh whatever letters remain into a stupid-sounding middle name, just as JK did with "Marvolo"? Only the first and last need to sound reasonable.
Nurstin · 3 points · Posted at 11:37:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
First thing I did after reading the article was to go back here, Ctrl+F, "Indones"
Hmm... That was far down, and only one hit. The flaws of the muggle eye must be many.
silentnoyze · 2 points · Posted at 04:40:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's what i thought. The most glaring is the letter U and H. They didn't even bother to try
DialsMavis · 408 points · Posted at 23:52:57 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except in English. That one was easy cause luckily it already is an anagram for that!
[deleted] · 103 points · Posted at 02:09:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Halluciphant · 18 points · Posted at 02:23:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah damn
Neilson509 · 3 points · Posted at 03:35:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Give it a week. Someone will make it a thing.
Ardub23 · 2 points · Posted at 05:04:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/stillnotasubreddit isn't a thing
DroolingIguana · 123 points · Posted at 02:25:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But "philosopher" had to be translated to "sorcerer."
Biased_Dumbledore · 53 points · Posted at 03:18:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Man, people on the wrong side of the Atlantic
Amirite?
10 points from Slytherin
[deleted] · 35 points · Posted at 04:09:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As an American, that change always irked the fuck out of me.
rsvpbyfriday · 31 points · Posted at 04:16:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It always struck me as kind of insulting to you guys, like for some weird reason the us has never heard of philosophy...
404waffles · 20 points · Posted at 05:25:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They changed it to "Sorcerer's Stone" because the publishers thought that kids wouldn't want to read a book about philosophers.
samygiy · 5 points · Posted at 08:38:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They changed it because the philosopher's stone is a thing from British mythology and it wouldn't translate well.
EDIT: So on further googling, the philosophers stone was part of alchemy the world over.
ScottieKills · 7 points · Posted at 10:44:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Former brazilian kid here
I thought everyone knew about the legend of the philosophers stone
DiamondIceNS · 2 points · Posted at 14:20:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Burgerland here. I can assure you that I could ask literally anyone to tell me what the Sorcerer's Stone is based on any they will shrug confusedly.
Plenty of people have a basic grasp on alchemy and the whole "metals to gold" thing but nothing ever specific.
tanketom · 3 points · Posted at 10:50:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To your edit: Yeah, it's a well-known object. Called "De Vises Sten" in my language (The Stone of the Wise), so that's what the first HP book is called.
404waffles · 1 points · Posted at 09:09:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That too.
calgil · 1 points · Posted at 12:15:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well...I mean...that's also technically American mythology too?
Tasgall · 0 points · Posted at 08:47:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That... is actually pretty reasonable.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 12:45:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It has nothing to do with philosophy and everything to do with how obscure a reference the Philosopher's Stone is to a country as large and culturally diverse as the United States. I can understand Scholastic's decision. "Philosopher" doesn't sound as magical as "Sorcerer" but the reference to an obscure branch of ancient European science is lost. And I guess in a pre-Google, pre-Wikipedia age it's a cost-effective loss. It's just a MacGuffin. They didn't realize how BIG Harry Potter would be and how could they?
But nowadays, there's no real excuse I can think of that stops future editions of Book I to be titled The Philosopher's Stone.
Gathorall · 1 points · Posted at 22:28:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Philosopher's stone is probably by far the most famous single idea in the history of magical pursuits in the world.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 23:22:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tell that to the editors at Scholastic in the late 1990's.
rsvpbyfriday · 1 points · Posted at 04:44:22 on July 10, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sweet, learned something new!
MrMockRock · 12 points · Posted at 05:32:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It actually got left as Philosopher in Canada, I remember coming across an American copy as a kid and thinking it was a sequel.
are-you-kidding-me-_ · 2 points · Posted at 03:27:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hell yeah you're right...wait.
ARegularHorse · 9 points · Posted at 03:24:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean really what the fuck is a philosopher.
mise92 · 4 points · Posted at 04:16:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
lover of wisdom
Puninteresting · 3 points · Posted at 04:41:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah but I've never even seen someone sorcer anything
Winged_Echo · 5 points · Posted at 05:47:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've not seen anyone philosoph something, either.
ScottieKills · 7 points · Posted at 10:44:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You just did
Esmesqualor · 4 points · Posted at 04:44:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I remember reading about Harry and Ron putting on jumpers as an American and being like "what the... MOMMM??? why are Harry and Ron wearing dresses?" Apparently in the later versions they translated it.
punking_funk · 11 points · Posted at 06:52:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WAIT wtf does jumper mean in the USA?
rootedphoenix · 3 points · Posted at 07:18:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's something like a sleeveless dress that you're meant to wear over a shirt/blouse.
punking_funk · 6 points · Posted at 07:38:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So you guys don't have the kangaroo-sheep joke? :(
(What do you call a kangaroo crossed with a sheep - a wooly jumper)
rootedphoenix · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:16 on July 11, 2017 · (Permalink)
lol I wish we did. I really like that joke. :)
(edited for clarity)
rootedphoenix · 1 points · Posted at 02:38:06 on December 23, 2017 · (Permalink)
Regrettably, no, we don't have that joke. It's a good one. :)
Esmesqualor · 1 points · Posted at 09:31:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's kind of like a dress that's meant to be worn over a shirt. The top sometimes looks similar to the top of overalls but the bottom is a dress.
AP246 · 3 points · Posted at 07:45:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All this time I had no idea the word jumper doesn't exist with the same meaning in the US.
Esmesqualor · 2 points · Posted at 09:32:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah I said this to someone else, it's like a dress you're meant to wear over a shirt. A lot of catholic school dresses are jumpers.
grobo555 · 0 points · Posted at 05:19:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well duh!! This is America!! Wtheck is a philosopher??
/s
pointlessbeats · -2 points · Posted at 06:35:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not in smart countries.
HodorFirstOfHisHodor · 139 points · Posted at 23:47:18 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
His name was Tom Mervolo Gus Dolder
His name was Tom Mervolo Gus Dolder
[deleted] · 57 points · Posted at 02:20:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Biased_Dumbledore · 7 points · Posted at 03:19:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's your name, man?
TheActrician97 · 7 points · Posted at 05:38:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TOM MERVOLO GUS DOLDER
Saeito · 6 points · Posted at 04:05:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
r/unexpectedhamilton
_-BURN-THE-WITCH-_ · 2 points · Posted at 03:30:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't understand why the Hamilton reference.
emorythemagician · 13 points · Posted at 03:42:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Never not a Hamilton reference.
LordOfCows · 2 points · Posted at 08:36:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Never throw away your shot.
this_is_original1 · 2 points · Posted at 03:11:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Vomit on his sweater already.
Mushtang68 · 3 points · Posted at 03:42:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In death, members of House Mayhem have names.
His name, was Tom Mervolo Gus Dolder
kimmburlya · 2 points · Posted at 01:51:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hahaha. Perfect
Juudaas · 1 points · Posted at 11:39:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Always hated the Swedish version, "Dolder" is a stupid name
DankSoulsIsLife · 32 points · Posted at 05:12:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Voldemort Voldemort, ooh Voldie Voldie Voldiemort
Roobolt · 5 points · Posted at 12:08:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You missed a Voldie :(
DankSoulsIsLife · 2 points · Posted at 12:17:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's 2 voldies and a voldiemort isn't it? I had to edit it though haha.
Roobolt · 3 points · Posted at 12:18:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
3 voldies! Just watched the video lol
DankSoulsIsLife · 3 points · Posted at 12:20:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well fark me I haven't seen it in so long, I do apologize dearly!
Roobolt · 3 points · Posted at 12:24:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's ok, I have to admit thanks to you I watched it for the first time in years
Flying_With_Lux · 25 points · Posted at 06:55:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They couldn't come up with one in Swedish so they went with Latin instead
Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder
Ego Sum Lord Voldemort
Interestingly enough it could've been used in every language but looks like the Swedish translation is the only one
Augustusxxii · 3 points · Posted at 16:32:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dov-Märta Drogjoller.
DidYouFindYourIndies · 1 points · Posted at 13:14:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love it. Very smart idea. Especially with some spells and jinxed that (I think?) reference latin.
[deleted] · 17 points · Posted at 04:02:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
One day, Tom Marvolo Riddle was writing out his full name, like he always did, when he rearranged the letters and, crossing them out one by one, realized they spelled out 'I am Lord Voldemort'.
Huh, he thought. I like that. That could come in handy some day.
And so it did.
mcmanybucks · 16 points · Posted at 02:49:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Danish, his name is "Romeo G. Detlev Jr.", which becomes "Jeg er Voldemort" meaning "I am Voldemort"
Now imagine Harry calling Voldy "Romeo"
digitaleJedi · 1 points · Posted at 17:30:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Also, as far as I can see, the only one that includes "Jr" which is funny, since he is a Jr
atomfullerene · 16 points · Posted at 02:12:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Reminds me of how Tolkien left detailed instructions for how to translate different bits of Lord of the Rings properly, especially names.
pdf if anyone cares
QuarterOztoFreedom · 139 points · Posted at 22:53:26 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's... That's incredible
reticulatedtampon · 197 points · Posted at 23:08:44 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
This sentence is an anagram for:
"It's a stretchable hind." 't
[deleted] · 51 points · Posted at 02:01:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your turn!
"A A A A: Reinforcements Signs Nth"
So cool
PMME-YOUR-TITS-GIRL · 75 points · Posted at 02:11:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your loco! Or nuts
Thisisdom · 23 points · Posted at 02:32:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
U simmer potty girl
KuntaStillSingle · 7 points · Posted at 02:47:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hm do it sis
[deleted] · 13 points · Posted at 03:06:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
KuntaStillSingle
Lit nut ass leg link
I'm crying
BeewilderBeast · 3 points · Posted at 06:20:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hunt 'n' burned dry
Tasgall · 2 points · Posted at 08:50:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
breeast bile dew
That second e fucks it all up
smarvin6689 · 3 points · Posted at 02:46:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do his mist!
Vintage_Tea · 6 points · Posted at 02:34:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your turn! So cool
Gramer_Natze · 2 points · Posted at 02:32:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What about my loco?
KuntaStillSingle · 1 points · Posted at 02:36:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
PITY-OUR-GRIT-SMMEL
ciberaj · 1 points · Posted at 02:39:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're jk lolll
malvim · 0 points · Posted at 02:29:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Holy crap, this was GOOD.
Garizondyly · 0 points · Posted at 03:44:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your turn! So cool
theassassintherapist · 3 points · Posted at 02:32:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tours your colon!
And I got a relevant username for that too!
Halluciphant · 6 points · Posted at 02:23:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Someone needs to make an anagram bot
Biased_Dumbledore · 2 points · Posted at 03:22:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Huh
10 points to Gryffindor........u/reticulatedtampon.......
10 points from Slytherin
narumikaiko · 1 points · Posted at 03:03:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For a split second I thought this comment was a bot, and I was gleefully excited at an anagram bot, but then reality returned and I was sad.
reticulatedtampon · 2 points · Posted at 06:38:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think you're on to something.
myredditlogintoo · 1 points · Posted at 04:17:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Didn't the anagram appear in one of the later books? Did she disclose this to the translators when the first book came out?
DiscOH · -3 points · Posted at 23:31:12 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's really trivial when you get to chose what his name is.
F_Deity_Link · 10 points · Posted at 01:32:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Maybe, but I doubt Rowling chose the name with translating it into 68 languages in mind
rab7 · 4 points · Posted at 02:25:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fun fact: RAB's identity was spoiled because the initials were changed depending on what Black's name translated to
DiscOH · 6 points · Posted at 02:02:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And it's really apparent: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Tom_Riddle#Translations_of_the_name
The first, middle, and last name all change. As does the anagram's meaning. It's all similar, but it's not any complex work of planning.
itslevi · 1 points · Posted at 02:27:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, you're not wrong.
TheAdventMaster · 0 points · Posted at 03:14:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Red bin hats that ticles.
missbusybeth · 21 points · Posted at 02:36:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Vox did a good video on this. Not only did the anagram need to be translated, but there was also other play on words (i.e Diagon Alley) that had to be translated too.
kingofallbugs · 22 points · Posted at 04:00:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What if I just realized Diagon Alley was a play on words thanks to this post...
We_are_all_monkeys · 22 points · Posted at 05:28:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Then Knockturn Alley should really blow your mind.
Nukemarine · 19 points · Posted at 06:04:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
GOD DAMN IT! Twenty fucking years not picking up on that.!
[deleted] · 6 points · Posted at 05:13:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
ThatOneUpittyGuy · 10 points · Posted at 05:23:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Diagonally
Nukemarine · 7 points · Posted at 06:03:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
SON OF A BITCH!!!!
MY-SECRET-REDDIT · 3 points · Posted at 06:24:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
10 years after and i finally get it...
Professor_Pun · 5 points · Posted at 07:45:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ten points from Ravenclaw.
RM_Dune · 2 points · Posted at 06:36:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah so many words and names were translated. I read the first 5 books in Dutch because I was a kid, but when the 6th came out my English had gotten good enough to read HP so I read it in English 3 months before the Dutch version was released. I constantly had to figure out what places or who people were based on context because the names were different.
Diagon alley for example was De Wegisweg; weg means both road and gone.
AANation360 · 1 points · Posted at 03:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Darn you beat me to it
rigers · 20 points · Posted at 02:27:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Albanian they translated 'Lord Voldemort' to 'Lord Fluronvdekja' which translates to 'Lord Death-flow'. They messed it up in the first book and couldn't really do anything about it in the 2nd book. They simply pretended that Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram of 'Unë jam Fluronvdekja' (I am Voldemort); but we knew...
itsgallus · 2 points · Posted at 11:50:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dan Mërvulo Van Fjujk
2truthsandalie · 11 points · Posted at 02:12:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Polish - TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE -> JESTEM LORD VOLDEMORT ....no J or a few other letters not an anagram QED
Xaolong · 4 points · Posted at 09:02:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the book I have it is just I AM LORD VOLDEMORT, no translation no footnote. But I guess english is so prevalent in Poland that if kid is old enough to read this book it is old enough to understand basic english. And there are also a few words from the translator at the end of the book explaining some choices, which were very interesting to me as a kid.
g-towers · 1 points · Posted at 09:09:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There are a few points where the Polish translator has made some strange choices. I couldn't really work out why they thought Zgredek was an appropriate name translation for Dobby - the appendix at the end had some weird explanation about old women that made no sense to me.
slopeclimber · 3 points · Posted at 06:15:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I thought it was JAM LORD VOLDEMORT?
Hollowsong · 11 points · Posted at 04:49:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Portuguese, they named him "TOM SERVOLO RIDDLE"
My last name is "Servello" and my wife is Brazilian (speak Portuguese)
So... I just realized I could name my kid Tom Riddo Servello, and it would be an anagram for "EIS LORD VOLDEMORT"
SuzLouA · 5 points · Posted at 09:17:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Please don't.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 10:16:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do it!!
[deleted] · 37 points · Posted at 23:44:04 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Ourfury · 9 points · Posted at 03:14:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love Billy and mandy
becoruthia · 15 points · Posted at 03:48:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And 'Avada Kadavra' is translated 'Arriba Andale'.
Shadows802 · 4 points · Posted at 02:10:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I thought it was Lord Valdomera...
BaggySpandex · 10 points · Posted at 02:32:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's actually Wilmer Valderrama.
BowsersBeardedCousin · 1 points · Posted at 11:31:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I need to play Grim Fandango again.
bugxter · 3 points · Posted at 02:29:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fucking hell man lol
G2_Rammus · 1 points · Posted at 03:54:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
(It's a joke, of course)
slayer_of_idiots · 29 points · Posted at 01:57:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I prefer the Danish "ROMEO G DETLEV JR" myself...
infinitelyExplosive · 9 points · Posted at 01:45:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I actually came across this when reading the spanish version and got super confused until it did the swap, then I was super amazed.
prufrock2015 · 10 points · Posted at 02:57:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh yeah? but do they also scramble to "Armored Vomit Doll" in other languages too?
RadBadTad · 312 points · Posted at 23:31:46 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always hated that little twist. So cheesy and clumsy.
cydril · 178 points · Posted at 02:08:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, Tom Riddle made up the anagram when he was a teenager so I guess you would expect it to be a little stupid? Imagine if you had to be named after your first email address forever.
ChickenBaconPoutine · 51 points · Posted at 02:18:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mostly still use my hotmail account from way back then.
I soon learned I need another one with a more 'professional' address, that I pretty much only use for emergency "Can I have an email address to contact you?" kind of question.
Otherwise, a grown ass man telling someone their email is LolGetRektNoobHeadshotYourMom69@hotmail.com (dramatization) is a bit embarassing.
lumpyoatmeal · 2 points · Posted at 04:39:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I refuse to give up on my hotmail account. It's vintage!
That-Beard · 8 points · Posted at 02:29:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
RexDOOD91@earthlink.net would be a pretty badass villain.
RadBadTad · 5 points · Posted at 02:09:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh boy. Sarcast55@hotmail.com would not make a very good villain.
spyson · 4 points · Posted at 02:51:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bro mine was aznhardass@yahoo.com, I cringe so hard.
RadBadTad · 6 points · Posted at 02:52:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Please make my entire life by telling me that you aren't Asian.
spyson · 2 points · Posted at 02:58:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Haha, no I am.
RadBadTad · 1 points · Posted at 02:59:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Damn it. Oh well, still pretty great.
Tasgall · 1 points · Posted at 08:51:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know what you're talking about, it would be sooo cooool.
carlmango11 · 205 points · Posted at 00:33:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Particularly the "I am" bit.
[deleted] · 143 points · Posted at 00:49:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, the "I am" is kind of cheating. The twist would feel less forced if it'd kept that out.
danivus · 241 points · Posted at 01:28:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No doubt Rowling couldn't figure out a name she liked without those extra vowels, much in the same way she couldn't give quiddich rules that made sense.
WormholeVoyager · 11 points · Posted at 02:33:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The quidditch rules are, hands down, the most frustrating thing about the entire harry potter series
I_Work_For_The_GovT · 36 points · Posted at 01:48:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which quidditch rules didn't make sense?
danivus · 389 points · Posted at 01:54:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Catching the snitch awards 150 points and ends the game.
Effectively unless one team has a 15 goal lead, the entire rest of the game is pointless. No other position matters, except arguably the beaters protecting the seeker.
It was written so Harry could be the big hero and endlessly provide big comebacks for his team, which for a child reading it is fine and exciting but it's still stupid.
It's annoying because the game can easily work if catching the snitch just ends the game but awards no points, making it more of a strategic action and giving the rest of the game meaning.
kuilin · 259 points · Posted at 02:16:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
From my absolute favorite HP fanfic, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.
Iorith · 47 points · Posted at 02:58:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love it, but the book is really preachy at times, and isn't for everyone. If he had a version without the soapbox, it would be my favorite thing ever. The early chapters are solid gold however.
Yamist · 15 points · Posted at 03:13:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's how I felt as well. Didn't take to me, I was there for Harry Potter, not logic!
Iorith · 14 points · Posted at 04:19:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hell, just summarize the explanations, don't make me read a thesis every other chapter. Some of it is cool, but I just want to get back to the army battles and poking apart plotholes.
kosievdmerwe · 7 points · Posted at 07:03:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, overall I liked it, but it's got some of the worst aspects of rational fictions. Smart-alec MC and a disdain for emotions and feelings. The latter being pretty bad to me since these are the primary levers used to influence groups of people* by politicians and nobles.
In general I feel the kind of rationality espoused in HPMOR is the cult of rationality rather acting in a pragmatic/logical way.
* That is, obtain power. Large groups of people supporting you are the only ways you can realistically gain power/influence in most settings. Exceptions being settings where individuals can get enough power to wipe out armies by themselves.
Iorith · 2 points · Posted at 12:54:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which sucks, because they open up so much potential for awesome stories and are amazing deconstructions of the source material. Not to mention he had a great sense of humor early on that slowly gives way to long winded explanations on why everyone else is stupid.
kosievdmerwe · 1 points · Posted at 19:32:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I really wish I could have more stories that use the scientific method (which I would consider the basis of rationalism*) in fantasy settings. But sadly those stories are very rare.
The best one I know of is "A Hero's War", but it doesn't update very frequently.
Though maybe, "pure" rational fics aren't for me. I like pragmatism and the scientific method too much rather than extremely logical characters who shunt aside emotion.
* Without the scientific method, that is experimentation to derive the state of the world, you're just creating a different kind of lie about reality.
Though that could be a complaint about rational fiction in general as well, one of the traps "rational characters" can fall into is assuming current science is complete and correct when science is both incremental and subject to human failures and biases. For instance, I've heard a lot of grumbling about the misuse of statistics in real-world science, which might lead to mistaken conclusions.
This probably means that to be really rational, you have to be open and willing to concede that you can be wrong, rather than arrogantly asserting you know the way the world works.
Aemilius_Paulus · 1 points · Posted at 07:43:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Preachy? I read the series because everyone around me did, I didn't give the serious much thought after I read it and kinda forgot most of the stuff by now.
Can you think of any major examples?
Cheesemacher · 2 points · Posted at 10:00:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are you talking about the fanfic?
Iorith · 1 points · Posted at 12:52:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A lot of the logical thinking and his views on morality. The entire witches vs bullies thing was filler of the worst kind.
IveGotABluePandaIdea · 26 points · Posted at 03:23:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When I was a teenager I thought "fanfiction" automatically meant porn because of sites like grangerenchanted. Then I stumbled upon stuff like this.
Still jerked off though.
kuilin · 1 points · Posted at 04:58:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/hpmorkinkmeme nsfw-ish?
llamaAPI · 15 points · Posted at 02:33:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That was quite fun to read.
ZiLBeRTRoN · 14 points · Posted at 03:21:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I started reading thinking you quoted a rebuttal in the books and was like damn, you told him, but then I didn't remember reading any of that, and then I got to the end.
honig_huhn · 7 points · Posted at 02:45:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I.. I'm afraid to ask, but does this really exist?
Aemony · 16 points · Posted at 03:05:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.
One of the most famous fanfiction of the Harry Potter franchise. It's long (~650k words) and mostly dwelves into a study of magic, its rules and applications. I don't think I ever finished it myself (due to various minor issues it have) but some chapters and "mini-stories" are great, such as the ones where Harry gets a hold on a Time-Turner and does various time-based experiments.
Nulono · 5 points · Posted at 05:47:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
*delves
Iron_Nightingale · 9 points · Posted at 02:51:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes.
AtomicFreeze · 9 points · Posted at 03:03:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That sounds more like Hermione than Harry.
tylerjarvis · 12 points · Posted at 03:56:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
God, MOR Harry is a self-important little prick. I'm reminded why I couldn't make it through the first 100 pages.
kuilin · 2 points · Posted at 04:58:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's a plot-reason for why he is, though, but spoilers...
HS007 · 1 points · Posted at 05:54:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Its a wowzer of a fanfic to read. One of my favorites too, but I would be lying if I said I understood all of Harry's explanations in that one!
ClassyChickens · 1 points · Posted at 11:02:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Perfect
PronouncedOiler · 1 points · Posted at 16:41:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly, just buying a clock would probably be good enough, if game times were kept low (30 min or so). As long as the seeker doesn't always get the Snitch (say maybe only 1/3 of the games), he's not that broken.
Alternatively, you could have a point total endgame (i.e. first to 300). That way the Chasers aren't completely irrelevant.
fullforce098 · 24 points · Posted at 02:36:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It works for the first book because the first book is written for younger kids but as the series matures and begins taking itself more seriously, the sport's broken rules become more glaring (along with some of the other world building elements introduced in the first few books). If the series had stayed as whimsical as that first book was no one would really care, they'd just accept it as another odd part of an odd world for kids to read about, like Willy Wonka's factory.
The first one also has a lot of wish fulfillment in it. Famous, born into money, star of the sports team without even needing to practice, has all the best stuff, breaks the rules but gets rewarded for it, gets special treatment, Harry is a prepubescent school boy's fantasy in the first book. So when the team sport turns out to have a mechanic that allows him to almost effortlessly win the whole thing for his team, that fits in well with the pattern of that wish fulfillment. But then the books become more about Harry's struggles and the world no longer being awesome for him. The wish fullfilment ends, but the rules of the game remain.
vostok0401 · 59 points · Posted at 02:01:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm guessing she tried giving a counter example at the World Cup, having Ireland win but Viktor Krum catch the snitch but yeah, even then it was the final game of the World Cup and it was unexpected. Definitely wouldn't happen at school-level, so bad rule indeed.
xhandler · 71 points · Posted at 02:06:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And I can promise that no athlete would ever do what Krum did. Except if they were match fixing.
ChickenBaconPoutine · 23 points · Posted at 02:14:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's basically scoring an own goal on purpose in overtime.
danivus · 23 points · Posted at 02:06:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah if I remember correctly at the World Cup there was a while where one team was trying to avoid catching the snitch because they were more than 150 behind. It was super contrived.
ChickenBaconPoutine · 24 points · Posted at 02:15:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well that shouldn't be too hard.
It's like a NFL coach telling his QB: "Hey, make sure you never throw a completion, okay?"
"SURE CAN DO, BOSS!"
danivus · 20 points · Posted at 02:23:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I suppose you'd be actively trying to fuck with the opposing seeker too by say, diving like you had spotted the snitch to try and lead them in the wrong direction.
Swibblestein · 3 points · Posted at 03:01:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But the other seeker could just ignore you - if you had actually seen the snitch, and you were diving after it to catch it, then the other seeker's team would win - he has no reason to interfere with you.
Aelthas · 3 points · Posted at 03:03:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the book, what was happening was the Bulgarian Seeker was by far the better player, so when he dove, the Irish Seeker followed assuming Krum (the Bulgarian) was right, and then Krum would nearly crash into the ground and the less skilled Irish guy would face plant, essentially even further removing him from the game. Eventually it became clear that the Irish scorers were too good and Bulgaria would never manage a comeback so Krum caught the snitch so they could win with dignity or whatever. Still stupid.
Swibblestein · 2 points · Posted at 03:08:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know, I've read the books... God, probably three times now? The earlier ones even more than that. Because I'm a terrifyingly huge nerd.
I was just saying that this sort of logic doesn't apply after the lead has been won, only before.
Aelthas · 2 points · Posted at 03:13:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh shit yeah you right my bad. That'll show me to try to pretentiously but still nonchalantly show off my Harry Potter knowledge (and Harry Potter disdain) at 11 PM after a few drinks.
Cheers mate!
(Also I've read them probably upwards of like eight times oh god what's happened to us)
namegone · 7 points · Posted at 02:19:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
OH HE'S TRYING!!
Antares777 · 8 points · Posted at 02:25:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wouldn't you stop the other seeker from catching it too, making it still a goal to fight over? The 150 point lead sucks but they did say games could last days and shit.
Wubdor · 17 points · Posted at 02:13:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actually, I believe in one of the books Harry wasn't allowed to catch the snitch until his team had scored a certain amount of goals so they'd win the league on goal difference or something like that. I may be remembering it wrong. I'm trying to find it.
Edit: Ah yes, here, in Harry's 3rd year, from the HP wiki, 93/94 school year:
On the first Saturday after the Easter holidays Gryffindor played Slytherin. Gryffindor had trained every day in preparation for the game. Slytherin were leading the Championship by exactly 200 points, meaning Gryffindor needed to win the match by 210 points to claim the Quidditch Cup.
[deleted] · 26 points · Posted at 02:13:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
27brian · 27 points · Posted at 02:35:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As an Irish man its my favourite piece of Harry Potter lore because we actually won a fucking world cup in something
Dr_XP · -1 points · Posted at 02:55:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm sorry, but I think China or India own that one.
Pomnom · 3 points · Posted at 02:22:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What else could he have done? Their chasers was at least 15 times outdone by the other team. And this guy has been playing with his team since forever, he knows how good his team is even if if he doesn't know how good the other team is (and you bet they are pretty damn good at the very least - they made their way to the world cup)
The sooner he catches the snitch, the less bad his whole team looks. If he catches it fast enough, he may even win the game for them.
NecroNarwhal · 6 points · Posted at 02:12:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But it does happen at the school level. In the 5th book, Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor, (1995 - 1996 school year http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Inter-House_Quidditch_Cup ) Hufflepuff wins with 240 points despite Gryffindor catching the Snitch and ending with 230 points.
squigs · 2 points · Posted at 08:40:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That didn't really make sense either. The two top teams in the world - even if it's a fairly small contest - would be a lot closer than that.
Jlarson16 · 2 points · Posted at 12:41:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Brazil vs Germany 2014 world cup comes to mind, but its still pretty contrived
squigs · 3 points · Posted at 13:05:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
True. Although if that happened in fiction, nobody would have believed it either.
rab7 · 8 points · Posted at 02:21:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The year long school season is based on cumulative points. In the 3rd match of the 3rd book, Harry had to wait for Gryffindor to build a 5 goal lead before he could start pursuit
azthal · 24 points · Posted at 02:28:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It does make sense if you look at it from a league point of view instead of a cup.
We only really see Quidditch in two places in the books, the World Cup Final and a very small league in Hogwarts.
From the way we see it in Hogwarts, we already know that it doesn't matter how many games you win - it's about how many points you get over the season.
If we assume that the normal league works the same as the Hogwarts league then win/loss ratio doesn't matter, and you only go by the amount of points at the end of season (+/-) it actually creates an interesting dynamic.
If you have strong outfielders that score many goals, you want to avoid catching the snitch too soon. You want the game to last longer in order to have time to score more goals. On the other hand, if the other team is stronger, your main focus it on getting the snitch as fast as possible.
This would also explain other oddities such as professional games lasting for days when a Hogwarts game seem to be over in very short times. The leading team is actively sabotaging for the trailing team, and not actually trying to catch the snitch.
I don't know if this is how Rowlings planned it (I'm fairly convinced that she just don't really care about sports and didn't think it through), but it works.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 11:10:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Another thing it kind of makes sense is that Quidditch is an old game. However, we see that broom "technology" is something that gets better and better over time.
It makes sense that games used to last a lot longer, with much higher scores before the Snitch was caught.
SGoogs1780 · 6 points · Posted at 02:08:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No dude, in the quidditch world cup the snitch didn't decide the game so clearly it does make sense. /s
But yeah, I can forgive a ton of stuff in those books because hey, it's magic young adult books, all things said they're pretty fucking impressive for what they are. That kind of world building hasn't happened in children's books with such popularity since Narnia. But quidditch just never sat OK with me.
danivus · 8 points · Posted at 02:19:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah she's great at world building, just not fantastic at logic or thinking ahead.
Iorith · 8 points · Posted at 03:02:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I actually think it was brilliant. It shows just how backwards wizards are, they rarely have to figure things out like muggles, they just wave a stick. They never think logically because they never need to.
HP is fantastic with a really cynical tint. I don't know how much is just me looking too hard into it, however.
narumikaiko · 2 points · Posted at 03:06:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ooh, I like that reasoning! Thanks!
Iorith · 3 points · Posted at 04:17:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Check out HPMOR if you haven't already. It's a fantastic (if preachy) take on the series.
narumikaiko · 2 points · Posted at 13:03:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks!! I will absolutely check it out. Have you heard of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text? They explore ideas like this each week, I love it!
InfinitySparks · 2 points · Posted at 02:08:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wasn't there actually a case at the world cup or something where one team was down 150+ points and the Seeker on the losing team just caught it to end the game?
SoScared_Throwaway · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well I think it makes sense if you think more about how a leauge works, first theres win lose, but they have tire breakers like point differential. So if you were a lot more than 150 down you'd catch it to end the game and stop them from racking up points
Antares777 · 1 points · Posted at 02:26:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But the snitch is still contestable because you have to play keep away with the other team seeker to give your team time to catch up. They did say games could last days. Seems pretty eccentric like everything else in the wizarding world.
Rumertey · 1 points · Posted at 03:09:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The game is not pointless because you still need those points to win the cup, if two teams won the same amount of games the team with more points wins.
CheezItEnvy · 1 points · Posted at 03:52:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If I were a quidditch captain I'd have two goal tenders to post up on the rings, two beaters, two seekers, and a wild card player to play the field as they saw fit. In theory, it would half the points scored against, and double or triple the odds of catching the snitch.
If the game were played competitively it probably have to evolve overtime as certain strategies proved to be overwhelming dominant...like how basketball ball has changed by widening the key, and adding the shot clock, and the three point line.
Epic_Meow · 1 points · Posted at 10:02:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would probably change the sport to make it so that the seeker is another chaser, but also catches the snitch to end the game.
AnotherKramer · 1 points · Posted at 04:52:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not to mention, the snitch must be caught to end the game. That means if your team is losing by more than 15, your seeker has no incentive to end the game with a lose. To add to that, how would you feel to be the seeker on the leading team? "Finish the game, seeker! Ya twat! We did our job!" ...or something more British, I don't know.
Alternatively, the only other way for a game to end is by the captains agreement.
http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Golden_Snitch
Cheesemacher · 1 points · Posted at 09:57:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always thought that was the point. That it's a deliberately silly game that makes little sense. Pretty much Calvinball.
mostdope28 · 1 points · Posted at 11:34:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
To fix this all they would have to do is make it so the snitch is worth 0 points and just ends the game. That gives the chasers meaning because their seeker can't catch the snitch until they get you the lead
danivus · 1 points · Posted at 11:37:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep. That or a very minor amount of points, like say 20 or 30, so a seeker could swing a very tight game and didn't need to worry quite so much about the score changing right as they were about to catch the snitch.
Ekudar · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, makw it worth 7 or something fucking game is stupid and pointless
Konekotoujou · 2 points · Posted at 03:23:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The problem is that it ends the game. Meaning no team losing by more than 150 should ever catch it. The part where it's worth so much hardly matters.
Albireookami · 0 points · Posted at 02:37:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know it probably isn't that well told, but isn't catching the snitch not happen a bunch? I imagine many games could go without it being caught, but that's just my thought on it.
dlgn13 · 9 points · Posted at 03:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's the only way for the game to end.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 03:13:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
danivus · 1 points · Posted at 03:18:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Right but not 15 extra points and also dictate when the game ends. The swing is way too big, and the power of ending the game combined with it is too much.
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 02:07:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
JK Rowling did it on purpose to annoy people. It's a magical world after all.
danivus · -2 points · Posted at 02:20:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There is a quote where she claims quiddich was to annoy men, but I'm not sure if that's actually her way of covering her mistake or not.
TheBroJoey · 2 points · Posted at 02:53:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's even worse.
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:41:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I give her the benefit of the doubt. I hope she's not that dumb to design a game and not realize it's deeply flawed in very obvious ways.
TheycallmeHollow · 88 points · Posted at 01:56:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Catching the snitch automatically wins the game. Might as well have a team full of seekers then.
It would be like playing soccer (foot ball) and regardless of how many goals are scored the guy who spots "Where's Waldo" in the stadium wins the game.
I_Work_For_The_GovT · 18 points · Posted at 02:00:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wouldn't that mean if there's a team with a badass seeker, you bolster your Bludgers and keeper? Also it ends the game but doesn't guarantee a win. You can just score a shitload of points and let the other team catch the snitch and still win.
But yeah I get why it was written so Harry is always the hero. Could've been written differently, like football on brooms. That'd be dope.
237FIF · 3 points · Posted at 02:29:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But why would you ever catch the snitch of your team is behind by enough?
thesithman · 5 points · Posted at 05:46:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Iirc this happened at the World Cup (book 4) and the rationality was that krum wanted to curb the embarrassment his team/country was suffering.
alose · 2 points · Posted at 03:06:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Make it like Cribbage where if you are too far behind, it is a double loss. So better to take a single loss, than a double loss.
BiaxialObject48 · 3 points · Posted at 02:30:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Catching the Snitch doesn't win the game, it just ends the game and gives the team that caught it 150 points. This doesn't mean that they always win, and this was seen in the Quidditch World Cup (Book 4) where even though Krum caught the Snitch, Ireland still won the game.
So if there was an entire team of seekers, yes, it would be possible for that team to win, but they would have to find and catch the Snitch before the other team's Chasers score 16 goals. And since that Chaser could just keep making loops through the goal, those goals would be quick work.
PS: I'm not sure if that looping is legal play but I kind of remember Montague the Slytherin Captain doing that, although those points didn't count due to something else happening on the field that Madame Hooch was attending to, so those goals were invalidated.
Esmesqualor · 1 points · Posted at 04:45:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unless you're Viktor Krum
NecroNarwhal · -1 points · Posted at 02:16:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If Waldo were moving around the page, if the page was a lot fucking bigger, if there was no time limit and the game ended when Waldo was found, and Waldo was only worth 15 goals, then it might be an accurate analogy.
TheycallmeHollow · 2 points · Posted at 04:38:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Playing where's Waldo with all the people sitting in the stadium, which is thousands of people. Doesn't sound that easy to me.
NecroNarwhal · 1 points · Posted at 05:14:45 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
Since when can thousands of people catch the snitch for a team?
TheycallmeHollow · 1 points · Posted at 15:41:19 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
I know you out are just trolling now, but for the sake that English isn't your first language. One human person dresses up in a red and white striped shirt and red hat sits in the stands in the stadium. Out of all the people and all the seats in the stadium finding one person dressed liked "where's Waldo" would be challenging especially from viewing at field level on the ground.
Miamime · -2 points · Posted at 02:04:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No it doesn't. They give examples in the books of teams catching the snitch to end the game but that didn't win.
This comes up every time.
Edit: because people think that losing teams don't give up in "real life":
In tennis and match play golf, players "retire" down significant margins all the time citing injury but really to end the game.
In baseball, a team down many runs will send in a utility player to pitch as opposed to using a relief pitcher.
Basketball and football teams routinely pull their starters down big margins.
Football teams will run the ball late in the game down a seemingly insurmountable lead instead of attempting to score quickly.
double edit
Y'all motherfuckers have never played monopoly and only owned all the shitty properties and are just getting creamed and said fuck it and gave up? Sure you could sit there playing all night trying to win but it's not worth it.
[deleted] · 9 points · Posted at 03:02:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In real life, no one would catch the snitch if they were behind by more than 150 points
Iorith · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Especially with no ending. They'd just hope the other team passed out first.
Miamime · 0 points · Posted at 03:14:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Of course they would. If a team was getting absolutely slaughtered and the game had gone on long enough (which is the exact situation described in one of the books), they would chose defeat over playing forever.
In tennis and match play golf, players "retire" down significant margins all the time citing injury but really to end the game. In baseball, a team down many runs will send in a utility player to pitch as opposed to using a relief pitcher. Basketball and football teams routinely pull their starters down big margins. There are literally countless examples in sports where a losing team waves the white flag and chooses defeat over injury and further embarrassment.
FatalTragedy · 1 points · Posted at 03:33:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Football and basketball have set end times. With only a minute left, it makes sense to pull.your starters cause it may be impossible to win. Quidditch has no set end time. It could last for days. It makes no sense to take a guaranteed loss now when you might potentially be in the lead tomorrow.
Miamime · 1 points · Posted at 03:43:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ok let's say football had no set end time. They're in Day 3 of a marathon game, and Team B is losing to Team A by 100 touchdowns. Team B's starting and backup QB along with the starting RB have been knocked out due to injury, Team B's defense has been unable to stop Team A all day, everyone on Team B is completely exhausted, and now it started to torrentially downpour rain. Do you really truly believe that the head coach of Team B, if given the option of pressing a button to end the game, would not press it? Of course he would. Get your players healthy and play another day.
The golden snitch is only worth 150 points, not 150 million points. If a team is down a ridiculous amount and the players are exhausted it makes complete sense to mercifully end the game.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:09:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Miamime · 2 points · Posted at 03:18:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For the reasons I listed here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/6lx8bh/til_tom_marvolo_riddles_name_had_to_be_translated/djxltlz/
Why does a football team run the ball down a significant margin when it needs quick touchdowns to win? At some point you accept defeat.
FatalTragedy · 0 points · Posted at 03:31:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Just because in Rowling's universe some teams.did that, doesn't mean it actually makes any sense for them to do so, nor does it mean teams would do that if quidditch existed in the real world.
Miamime · 1 points · Posted at 03:32:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I literally just gave a million examples in my other posts. Smh
Edited for your assistance.
blex64 · 46 points · Posted at 01:56:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The fact that 6 other people play a completely unrelated game while the Seekers fly around doing the only thing that matters?
cebolla_y_cilantro · 11 points · Posted at 02:11:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm currently reading the series, and this confuses me so much.
blex64 · 15 points · Posted at 02:17:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rowling knows it doesn't make sense. She just wanted a sport where she could make Harry a ridiculous hero. The obvious fix is to just remove the Seeker and Snitch and have Harry be a Keeper or something...but idk.
daBroviest · 1 points · Posted at 04:19:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It would have been way better to have the snitch simply end the game, thereby giving the seekers some sort of competition for ending the game when THEIR team was in the lead. Would introduce all sorts of blocking and interesting mechanics in the meta.
Izeinwinter · 1 points · Posted at 12:20:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yup, and since it is a tourney with accumulative points, could play with it - "Oh noes, our beaters out sick, and the first year subs suck, finish the game fast before the Slytherins accumulate 500 points kicking our asses up and down the field" ect. And also just make normal matches far more confrontational - half the time the job of a seeker would be to be a blocker - to fly interference against the other seeker. Heck, for extra fun - No scoreboards that the players can see, so you got to keep tally. While seeking and blocking.
[deleted] · 59 points · Posted at 01:57:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Frankly the Seeker thing or whatever Harry is. That entire aspect of the game is fucking retarded. You mean one team can score like fourteen times while the other licks their cunts, and one dude finds a golden pingpong ball and the cunt lickers win?
NecroNarwhal · 6 points · Posted at 02:15:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, but only if the Seeker manages to find and catch something the size of a golf ball flying around in the giant ass stadium before their team is behind by 15 goals, at which point they are almost entirely useless.
TheMusicCrusader · 4 points · Posted at 02:17:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well when you put it that way..
azn_dude1 · 8 points · Posted at 01:55:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The snitch is too good
Lootman · 12 points · Posted at 02:01:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
After playing Quiddich world cup on gamecube i can say that the game of quiddich doesnt matter, its a game of catch the snitch and you win
milkhotelbitches · 6 points · Posted at 02:23:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's not true! If you get a big enough lead you basically get an entire highway of golden boost to ride along essentially guaranteeing you catch the snitch.
Vide0dr0me · 9 points · Posted at 02:01:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Doesn't every match basically become a snitch chase will all other aspects not amounting to much?
NecroNarwhal · 3 points · Posted at 02:18:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nah, because if everyone looks for the snitch then the other team will just drain point after point. Somehow in one of the books Harry is injured and when his team tries to help him the other team scores like 50 points immediately (no time outs, no resetting of the ball?).
HabeusCuppus · 16 points · Posted at 02:00:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Arguably all of them, but realistically the snitch.
It's a giant macguffin to make one character a Mary Sue
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 02:24:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
MortalBean · 3 points · Posted at 03:03:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the first book he DEFINITELY is and still retains Suish tendencies throughout the series.
ihadanamebutforgot · -6 points · Posted at 02:18:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cool it with the tvtropes bud. I don't get why people are so fascinated by a bunch of fanboy jargon.
Iorith · 8 points · Posted at 03:16:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Useful terms to speed up conversation and get to your point quicker.
IAmGerino · 2 points · Posted at 02:24:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HTTP://hpmor.com
Highly recommended, somewhere within 2000 pages it addresses quidditch as well xD
SilasX · 2 points · Posted at 01:56:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
... all of them...?
Vectoor · 0 points · Posted at 02:13:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Get rid of the snitch, or at least have the snitch award no points, and it should work.
TheAdventMaster · 1 points · Posted at 03:17:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Everyone is mentioning the snitch thing as a fatal flaw, and I would agree, but I thought they were supposed to be like... really hard to catch?
So it's not a rule you'd put in a very serious game, but I thought it was still an exciting concept.
Let's say 9/10 games end with no snitch caught. Then in the final round, someone catches the snitch.
Everyone would feel really shitty and like complete and total losers who wasted their time training for nothing.
See? It's perfect.
A_Naany_Mousse · 3 points · Posted at 02:57:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or figure out a better ending that didn't involve an in depth and overlong description of horcruxes and their properties, followed by the same lengthy discussions of the hallows
squigs · 1 points · Posted at 09:03:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mr. Dodo Revolt? It would at least explain why he went evil!
wayfaring_stranger_ · 1 points · Posted at 12:13:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly I think the Lord should have been left out also. I think it would have been best if the anagram just unscrambled to Voldemort and then he decided to call himself lord Voldemort later. Either way, the books are entertaining and I don't mean to be too critical.
RadBadTad · -3 points · Posted at 00:42:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Precisely
DiceRightYoYo · 10 points · Posted at 02:27:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait what? I don't get what you mean. You didn't like that his name was an anagram for the name he later gave himself?
RadBadTad · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't like that it included the "I am" in it. It seemed super contrived and like the writer struggled to find something to do with these extra letters, while trying to come up with something after the fact.
DiceRightYoYo · 4 points · Posted at 03:01:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Interesting. I kind of liked it, I read it as him declaring his new title from his given name, like it's a statement. I AM Lord Voldemort, not Tom Riddle. I dunno, I guess I never thought about it too much from the writing standpoint she probably was stuck with those extra letters
RadBadTad · 0 points · Posted at 03:02:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He also put the name lord in there, but that's believable for an edgy pre teen, if XBox Live has taught me anything. So many xX_Lord_Dark_Skull_Xx squeakers.
zorton213 · 7 points · Posted at 03:06:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
http://i.imgur.com/3HgJWYx.jpg
Deathraged · 7 points · Posted at 02:34:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I read these as a kid, it was kinda surprising and I was like "NO WAY!"
RadBadTad · 2 points · Posted at 03:01:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It wasn't so much the twist, but the implementation. The "I am" part just makes it so... forced, to me.
hexleviosa · 5 points · Posted at 03:09:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah, I wasn't too fond of how forced it was, but I really do believe that by adding the story of the Gaunt family in book 6 and expanding on the origins of the name, she added a lot more credibility and believability to the name.
znk · 8 points · Posted at 02:23:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But totally something an arrogant SOB would do. Tauntingly hiding in plain sight.
WormholeVoyager · 5 points · Posted at 02:32:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Really glad other people share this thought. Everyone i know in person say im being too critical but Harry Potter is suppoaed to be one of the greatest stories in recent years! Adding that lame ass "twist" really brings it down a notch
SmartAlec105 · 2 points · Posted at 02:45:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey, if you were an edgy teen you'd do the same thing.
ImperialSympathizer · 2 points · Posted at 07:32:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The twist is lame from the reader's perspective, but it makes FAR less sense from Voldemort's perspective. Not only did he create his evil identity as an anagram of his given name (silly), but he did it with the letters left over after removing "I am Lord." That's fucking batshit.
A_Naany_Mousse · 1 points · Posted at 02:56:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I fuckin hate it. I'm at best neutral as to how I feel about the HP series, but this is really stupid.
RadBadTad · 1 points · Posted at 02:57:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not yet, but they're building an extended universe now, so it's always a possibility! His brother shares the last name though, so it would be quite unexpected. (His first name is Albus)
A_Naany_Mousse · -1 points · Posted at 03:03:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sorry, deleted that part of my comment after thinking more about it.
Of cour$e they're building an extended univer$e. Harry Potter gives me a real sense that it's all a cash grab anyway. Which is fine, but it is what it is.
Mynamebaby · 1 points · Posted at 15:03:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So what should she have done instead?
RadBadTad · 1 points · Posted at 15:39:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Chosen a name that worked a lot better with "voldemort" or skipped the clumsy explanation either way. The reveal is that Tom Riddle grew up to be Voldemort. Great. That is the twist, not the weird ridiculous cringe-worthy anagram.
Mynamebaby · 1 points · Posted at 15:40:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like what? You still haven't come up with anything.
RadBadTad · 0 points · Posted at 15:44:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like:
Mynamebaby · 1 points · Posted at 15:47:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lame contribution, really.
RadBadTad · 1 points · Posted at 15:49:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
sort of like you suggesting that I'm not allowed to dislike something, and that my opinion is unacceptable? Lame contribution yourself.
Mynamebaby · 1 points · Posted at 15:51:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're allowed to dislike it. I'm likewise allowed to dislike your lame contribution. LOL
RadBadTad · 1 points · Posted at 15:53:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How about this - instead of doing the super stupid letter reversal thing, requiring the name to be translated into 68 languages while still being an anagram for "I am Lord Voldemort", why not just have Tom wave his wand in front of his face, and have it slowly transform into Voldemort's face? It's not cringe worthy, it takes no translation, and it communicates the exact same reveal.
CheezItEnvy · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What I really hated (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is that his middle name isn't even mentioned or used at all until he writes it out in the air as a part of the reveal. If the point (and fun) of an anagram is to hide something in plain sight the reader needs to see all the letters involved well before the reveal otherwise there is no investment into the 'ah ha' moment.
Had his middle name been revealed earlier the anagram would have been too obvious (because what kind of a name is Marvolo? It was clearly just the letters she was left with) but that's why it was a bad bit of story telling to begin with.
Edit: Not to compare him to Rowling, but a good example of how to use an anagram as a plot twist is in Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' with "so dark the con of man."
DrMrJordan · 8 points · Posted at 03:54:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All that effort and consideration for someone who shall not be named.
AsthmaticMechanic · 56 points · Posted at 22:54:45 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kind of like the Hodor/hold-the-door thing in Game of Thrones.
ThatWasFred · 115 points · Posted at 00:27:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That one is a little different because it didn't work in all languages - he was already called Hodor in every language, but it was years before anyone found out why. So some translations pulled off a decent explanation for how they got to "Hodor," but some languages had to pretty much give up because there was no way to make it work.
In Hebrew it's particularly hilarious - the sentence for "hold the door" has absolutely none of the right syllables, so they just gradually compressed the sentence down and then abruptly switched to "Hodor."
[deleted] · 30 points · Posted at 02:06:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They should have just acted like his name was Hodel and call him that for the rest of the series.
תסגור את הדלת
סגור הדלת
הדלת
הדל
Obviously I should be a translator.
Dravarden · 1 points · Posted at 22:50:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
but תסגור is close, not hold (תחזיק)
TheDwarvenDragon · 7 points · Posted at 02:18:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
At that point, I feel as if they should have kept the original English and included a translation note. Either way isn't good, but hopefully "Hold the door" and "Hodor" sound close enough that the switch makes sense.
blobblet · 1 points · Posted at 08:18:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A translation note doesn't work well at all in a TV show.
The "hold the door"/Hodor thing was not in the books (yet), although G.R.R. Martin has allegedly been planning for this since the first book.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except the Harry Potter thing also didn't work in all languages, they gave up for Chinese according to another commenter
ThatWasFred · 6 points · Posted at 03:22:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
True, but what I meant is they had the advantage of getting "Tom Marvolo Riddle" and "I Am Lord Voldemort" in the same book, so they could plan ahead by making Tom's name different. If we found out about Tom Riddle in Book 2, but didn't find out about the anagram until Book 5 or 6, it would've been the same problem as with Hodor.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:25:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As someone who hasn't seen an episode of GOT, wat
ThatWasFred · 1 points · Posted at 07:04:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
GAME OF THRONES SPOILERS:
Long story short, there is a seemingly mentally-challenged character who has been there since the beginning of the series, and who only says the word "Hodor." He is revealed, late in the series, to have become this way due to a kind of seizure in which he could only repeat the phrase "hold the door" until the words slurred together. There's more to it than that, but that's the essence of it.
Schootingstarr · 1 points · Posted at 10:21:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Was that in the latest season of the TV show? Because I haven't seen that and can't remember that being mentioned in the books
TheOfficialTluds · 1 points · Posted at 11:22:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yes, season 6
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 23:00:29 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
AsthmaticMechanic · 3 points · Posted at 23:03:54 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
¿Que?
[deleted] · 11 points · Posted at 01:57:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[removed]
CARNIesada6 · 5 points · Posted at 02:09:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh shit, I don't know how I feel about this bot.
krurran · 2 points · Posted at 02:20:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Doing the Lord's work here
PieterjanVDHD · 1 points · Posted at 03:13:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Actualy for Dutch there would be no need.
Houd de deur, works fine as a direct translation.
PegasusTenma · 6 points · Posted at 02:17:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HI I AM MARK NEELSTIN
🎙️ industrial86 · 10 points · Posted at 03:10:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Words of wisdom: turn iPhone notifications on Reddit off if you make frontpage.
MaverickZer0 · 4 points · Posted at 03:14:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
well maybe don't produce an awesome post next time :P
Ranock · 5 points · Posted at 01:14:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Elvis marvolo jedusor in french ... we have the fucking King as voldemort !
DickPinch · 4 points · Posted at 03:10:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you remove the first and last letter of Voldemort (oldemor) it means great grandmother in Norwegian.
Suzushiiro · 5 points · Posted at 03:59:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Reminds me of the end of book six, which has the locket with the note from "R.A.B." In book seven we find out that this is Regulus Black, but a lot of fans put that together beforehand because the initials were changed in other versions to match how the name was localized when it was mentioned previously.
Redstar22 · 1 points · Posted at 10:45:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It didn't help that "rab" means "prisoner" in Hungarian. The theories on Hungarian forums about how it somehow related to a prisoner is Azkaban were endless...
Brandonmac10 · 9 points · Posted at 04:50:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wouldn't Tom Riddle in say, Japanese, be "Tom Riddle" and same with Voldemort? Names dont change in different languages and it's not like when we're watching a movie about China or something we change all of the Changs to Chads. I'm not gonna call a little English boy Kunta Kinte because of where the viewer lives.
Vagar · 7 points · Posted at 06:01:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's because in the books there is a scene where the name is rearranged in writing. As such, this has to work with the sentence construction of "I am ..." in the language the book is in.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 08:01:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But Japanese can just use: "アイアムロードヴォルデモート(Ai amu roodo vorudemooto)"
Brandonmac10 · 1 points · Posted at 06:07:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Again, it's based in England. Wouldn't it be weird to watch a white kid writing his name in Chinese or whatever? Pretty sure english is known around the world well enough for people to be able to understand "I am". It'd be like watching a movie based in South America and everyone spoke fluent English.
Vagar · 1 points · Posted at 06:15:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I get what you mean, the name should ideally still sound English but also work as anagram.
Brandonmac10 · -1 points · Posted at 06:25:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But if you keep the name the same, the anagram is the same. Its just that the characters background is English so we assume he'd speak, write, and be named in his native language. So like they dub his lines to be in spanish or whatever language but when quoting something actually written, like out of a little English emo's diary, it'd be in the characters' native language since they wrote it.
Kind of like speech is just something you hear and translate into thoughts, but something written, like a book, physically exists in one language. Like you could see it written right on there and he would've written it in English unless if Voldemort is secretly a communist or something looking to conquer land for mother Russia.
Honestly, now that I'm thinking of it what was Voldemorts goal? I get immortality, but he got that and then started the dark Lord thing. Did he just want power and to rule everything? And yeah I know he needed to chase Harry for the prophecy but if he wasn't such a dick they wouldn't of had to fight to the death.
Royaq · 4 points · Posted at 06:43:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not everyone speaks English anyone who didn't speak English would miss out on the neat anagram trick he pulled. So they translated it so everyone could have that experience of realizing how clever his name is.
Brandonmac10 · 2 points · Posted at 06:57:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not really clever. She made the name Voldemort in book one and then used that to make the kids name in book two and had it as a twist at the end. If you're gonna try to become a dark Lord you can choose whatever name you want, you wouldn't realistically limit yourself to things that can be spelled by rearranging the letters of your birth name.
It seems amazing because it's something that could only happen in fiction where the writter can go and make backstory after the fact and be have fans be like oh, so he's such an asshole because of x, it explains why he doesn't like this, always does this, says this, etc. Not because it's clever and all fits in but because the writer already knows the present, so they could say anything happened in the past at any moment and act like it's something that's been hidden from you the whole time. Basically they write history and the characters' past/backstory as they go so they can make anything seem like it was planned all along because it's all make believe anyway.
Royaq · 1 points · Posted at 00:38:17 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
She had every character that is mentioned in the books with a full backstory family tree and other stuff before she ever finished the first book. She created the world, and then wrote her story based around the people she had invented, and the way they would react based on their history. Even some characters we don't see have large backstories if she thought they might come up at some point. We don't see everyones backstories ,but she has mentioned on pottermore and other sources that she had everything about the characters created during the creation of the first book. She created a world not just a book the same way Tolkien did.
Brandonmac10 · 1 points · Posted at 00:55:21 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
I never read the books but from what I hear they are more in-depth than the movies so maybe I have a skewed opinion of her work. Not that I don't like Harry Potter. I loved one through 3, but then it just got a bit too much about random girls that you never even knew existed until 5 minutes ago. Like I wanna watch magic being performed in a vibrant fantasy world, not watch the wizarding world of twilight.
Royaq · 1 points · Posted at 05:40:53 on July 9, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's more depth to Harry Potter than just magic. That's the kind of thinking that causes movies that are just constant explosions. Teens being romantically involved doesn't automatically mean it's Twilight absolutely none of their romances actually work out, and their dissolution resolves itself in a believe-able manner rather than just going "oh we're fated to be together just have to have a few mishaps along the way." It shows that often ignored part of life. The pain involved in a real, non-magically pre-ordained, relationship. It humanizes the characters in ways just shooting magic off in a fantasy world ever could. Hell the main female doesn't even end up with the main male which happens far too often in movies ,and books.
SuzLouA · 1 points · Posted at 09:12:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like, say, Evita?
These books were aimed at children, and when this reveal was written, the series was still relatively unknown. It's easier to translate the twist so all children understand it (there's no reason little kids will be able to necessarily say anything in a foreign language). When "Voldemort" became so big it was just part of pop culture, they may have wished they'd left it, but it was too late.
rooood · 5 points · Posted at 02:12:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some of them don't even try, wtf:
This last one almost work, but is still off. I get that the languages where they use a different alphabet this won't work, but come on these two
BiggerJ · 5 points · Posted at 02:55:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Even Mad Magazine did it. Tom Marcurko Riddler = I Am Lord Druckermort (a nod to Mort Drucker, Mad's resident caricaturist and the reason they have so many movie and TV parodies).
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 06:47:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Slovenian: Mark Neelstin - Mrlakenstein. I like the sound of it. Ominous af.
what_is_life_anymore · 4 points · Posted at 07:43:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm Russian and our translation of Harry was so bad we had to sign a petition against it.
Petersaber · 2 points · Posted at 09:40:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I like to think that Tom Riddle wanted an anagram for "I am Lord..." and then had to make some shit up with remaining letters, and randomly ended up with "Voldemort" because it sounded OK.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 11:03:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle is also an anagram for Mr. Tom a dildo lover or Mild doormat lover. :')
meiyoumayo · 3 points · Posted at 12:41:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But are any of them also an anagram for Mr. Tom, a Dildo Lover?
Morigyn · 7 points · Posted at 01:02:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They did it by changing his name to something totally different, at least with the language I read it in. I had no idea his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle until I saw the fourth movie.
meep12ab · 3 points · Posted at 02:36:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They kind of had to change it to something completely different. There's so many different spellings of "I am lord Voldemort" that trying to base all on his English name every time would be impossible.
beelzeflub · 2 points · Posted at 03:36:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mentioned this in another comment, but if Rowling had constructed his name to be a Latin anagram, translators might have avoided a bit of mess translating into other languages; then it could be explained in-character, like a dialogue.
Character 1: Što znači ego sum voldemort?
Character 2: To znači Ja sam Voldemort.
(I used Croatian as an example)
nwgrower · 26 points · Posted at 22:57:45 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
But it takes place in an english-speaking country so why not just explain the translation?
[deleted] · 116 points · Posted at 23:10:31 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Translator here. The practice of explaining instead of rolling with the text is highly frowned upon, at least in French, as it deprives the reader of the immersive experience.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:43:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Indeed. It depends on the culture (in Chinese, most translations love using footnotes, but that's also because of how far removed the languages and cultures are. If there were more English translations of Chinese books, I'm sure similar things would happen,) but it really gets annoying when you get to a page and the footnotes occupy more space than the actual content does.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not to mention some publishers simply give their translators the instruction not to use footnotes.
Feroshnikop · 6 points · Posted at 23:28:43 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well.. I mean names are still the same no matter what language you speak so things relating to one's name would make sense to keep in the language of the name no?
Was Voldemort not an English dude if you read the book in France?
Vitztlampaehecatl · 32 points · Posted at 23:36:00 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
How many French people know English well enough to understand "I am Lord Voldemort"? If it's anything less than all of them, then that fails as a translation.
Feroshnikop · -15 points · Posted at 23:39:52 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
But it wouldn't be a translation is my point. Since the anagram is based off of the character.. who is an English school kid, it seems like more of a plot-hole for that english kid to be trying to come up with an anagram for "Je suis Seigneur Voldemort" than it does for a french reader to not understand the sentence "I am Lord Voldemort"
thatwasdifficult · 15 points · Posted at 02:54:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do you not know how translations work? Who cares about the country it's supposed to be set in, people just want to enjoy the plot. By this logic, everyone should see the movie in English because they somehow "take away" from the story when English kids are speaking another language.
ThatWasFred · 15 points · Posted at 00:14:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If this bothers you, then shouldn't it bother you that they are even speaking French in the first place? It seems that you would be against the idea of translations as a concept.
UrbanDryad · -4 points · Posted at 01:53:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I read books all the time where it just says: "Blah blah blah," the character stated in French. Or whatever the assumed language is to be.
lackofcommitme · 10 points · Posted at 02:01:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would assume the use of another language in this context would be relevant to the story. Like Oh he said something in French that's important that the reader knows but other people in scene dont understand it.
But if I'm reading Les Misérables in English it's totally unnecessary to put "Blah blah blach" Jean Valjean said in French after every sentence
UrbanDryad · 3 points · Posted at 02:14:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, no! I certainly didn't think for every sentence or if it was a common thing.
InfinitySparks · 2 points · Posted at 02:10:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Please point me to a book that does this. Serious request here.
UrbanDryad · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I just finished reading 'The Invisible Library', by Genevieve Cogman. The character flits through alternate worlds as part of her job quite frequently, and as such has to know dozens of languages to keep up. Instead of actually putting the new language it would just note when she switched as part of the general scene descriptions.
InfinitySparks · 3 points · Posted at 02:14:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Right, but that's changing the local language within the book. You wouldn't do that for a translation.
lackofcommitme · 30 points · Posted at 23:53:02 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like you have totally missed the whole concept of a translation.
Feroshnikop · -5 points · Posted at 00:36:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
to translate the story.
That doesn't mean changing the story to make rhymes or language nuances fit though. If a poem rhymes in french and was properly translated I wouldn't expect it to rhyme in English.. that would require a different poem which wouldn't be a translation but an entirely different poem.
lackofcommitme · 22 points · Posted at 00:58:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They're not changing the story. The Name "Tom Marvolo" is only relevant, important and drives the story because it is an anagram of "I am Lord Voldemort" changing the name to something that fits "Je suis Seigneur Voldemort" doesn't change the story it keeps it the same.
It's story altering if the character randomly starts speaking a foreign language.
Feroshnikop · -3 points · Posted at 01:38:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why do people keep saying that drives the story?
It doesn't drive the story at all, it's simply a reveal that explains the origins of the name "Lord Voldemort".. it isn't the reason behind any of Lord Voldemort or Harry's actions though, which would be the driving force of the story.
[deleted] · 13 points · Posted at 01:51:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You have two choices. Either break the pace and flow by explaining what 'I am' means to French speakers, or change the name to make it fit the French anagram. They went with the latter. Both options are fairly inconsequential.
lackofcommitme · 8 points · Posted at 02:24:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's a totally irrelevant point of my comment and your rebuttal to it does nothing to advance this thread, your arguing semantics not content. Remove the term "drives the story" and my comments point remains unchanged
Translating it allows a foreign audience to experience the story in the most similar way to the original.
reachling · 19 points · Posted at 01:20:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think you're forgetting the reader demographic.. I know I sure wouldn't have understood why an English sentence appear in a dramatic point of the book I was reading at like 10-11 years old in my native language. And kids from counties much less exposed to English as I was would have been really confused and missed the point entirely. A foot note would have killed the immersion of a scene as important at that one is.
themeatbridge · 44 points · Posted at 23:40:00 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
For the same reason that Shakespeare rhymes in English despite the stories being set in Denmark, Italy, Rome, Spain, France, Greece and Austria.
Gemmabeta · 28 points · Posted at 23:57:47 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Funnily enough, Shakespeare did write an entire scene where the characters speak in untranslated (and somewhat mangled) French in Henry V. For the express purpose of sneaking in a "fuck" and a "cunt" pun.
Tsorovar · 1 points · Posted at 04:01:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not to mention Scotland
Feroshnikop · -5 points · Posted at 23:43:45 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
So when Shakespeare is written in French all the words are changed so it can still rhyme? The characters all have different names?
Shakespeare rhymes in English because it was written in English originally.
edit: Also.. that's not the same thing at all. If Harry Potter was written in French originally and rhymed in french despite being about English characters that would be the scenario you described. Except that hypothetical book, when translated into English (the scenario we are talking about, translating a book out of it's original language), wouldn't still rhyme..
elboltonero · 7 points · Posted at 01:17:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope. And it's way easier to read in French, because it's translated to modern French.
Feroshnikop · -3 points · Posted at 01:33:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ok.. so that agrees with my point then right?
That generally translating to any language that something wasn't written in doesn't change the words and names.. which was what I said.
elboltonero · 9 points · Posted at 01:39:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But the point of the name is that it's an anagram. The only way to preserve that in French is to change the name. Words get changed, the meaning is what's important.
Feroshnikop · 3 points · Posted at 01:40:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Which also wouldn't be changed by leaving the name the same.
elboltonero · 9 points · Posted at 01:44:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Only if the reader speaks English or there's a footnote. It's less clunky to just change the name, I think.
jvwy · 4 points · Posted at 02:36:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They're trying to avoid having to use stuff like footnotes. This isn't rocket science.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:54:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes, he was. All of them are as English as scones. But then if you kept his real name (Tom Marvolo Riddle), you'd be in great difficulty when coming up with an anagram. In French, his name is Tom Elvis Jesudor, which gives "Je suis Voldemort" ("I am Voldemort"). If you have real names (or fictional names that could potentially be real names) that had no influence whatsoever on the story, then of course you'd keep them. In Harry Potter, you have the added difficulty of wordplays on top of the rest, like with Hogwarts or Longbottom, and Jean-François Ménard made the choice of translating as many of them as possible for comical effect, while keeping an English ring to his translations.
Johannes_P · 2 points · Posted at 08:34:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Today, translators don't change the settings of a children's story.
However, before the 1980s, translators frequently changed the names and the localisations of the stories they had to translates: for exemple, Nancy Drew became Alice Roy.
memerider · 1 points · Posted at 02:56:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Names are tricky to translate.
Sprout, Heather => I guess the literal Arabic version would be something very different. Rose, maybe. Honor => Victoria, the best recognized alternative Slavic languages are able to provide.
memerider · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Some concepts are untranslable; the resulting product, while providing some immersion, is probably far from both author and reader's POV. Literary adaptation is not translation.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 07:46:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Funny you should mention that, as it is an entirely different question. The "concepts [that] are untranslatable" you mention can be transferred, while not "translated" per se. With them, translators are bound to use adaptation strategies at a micro level (such as indeed the footnote, but also transcription, translitteration, explicitation, explanation, functional equivalent, etc.) while still being perfectly able to produce a translation (full text, tone and message, level of language, etc.).
That being said, what defines a translation and an adaptation is very much a matter of norm within the receiving language. Otherwise you'll end up conluding that all translation of literary texts is impossible (or exclusively limited to languages that pertain to the exact same culture, but I have yet to find a pair that would meet that criterion), and yet, we translate.
It is a fascinating topic. I have dedicated the past six years to a PhD in translation studies on culture-bound items as markers of permeation of a foreign culture in literary translation. I was working on two neighbouring languages with a long history of cultural exchanges, and I am still surprised at the variety of strategies used by the translators I have examined. If you are interested in the topic at all, may I recommend you to have a look at Vlahov & Florin (1969/1986/1993), Jan Pedersen (2011), Ritva Leppihalme (2007), and Barbara Cassin (2004)?
Edit: Wow! Gold! Thanks a lot!
pLesur · -4 points · Posted at 02:19:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
More like French people can't handle something that's not in French. Unless it's at the end of an ad. Man do we love those English slogan, which are then badly translated in a footnote.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:56:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I could throw stuff at the idiot box when I see those ads.
🎙️ industrial86 · 34 points · Posted at 23:01:17 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Identifies with people more, im sure, if it's In their own language. More effective, like answer to a riddle they didn't see in front of them the whole time. Caring about details like this makes it special for the audience.
SEI_LA_PORRA · 10 points · Posted at 23:48:37 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because it was a book aimed for children I guess, and not all of them could speak english. I didn't know english back then.
I didn't know english back then when I read the book and young me found that play with words to be pretty fucking neat. If it was just a footnote explaining it, the impact certainly wouldn't be the same.
DrBubbleBeast · 5 points · Posted at 23:01:24 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Cause that's not magical
Urabutbl · 2 points · Posted at 08:04:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Check your privilege, Anglobro!
...joking aside, that's like a cardinal sin of translating fiction. You're supposed to give the reader the exact same experience as a reader in the original language. The anagram being "solvable" for the reader earlier on is a huge part of the experience; being randomly told at the end that "btw, in English this guy's name meant something if you messed with the order of the letters, but you couldn't because you don't speak English" is a giant cop-out.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 08:04:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
me me big disappointment
TheAmazingKoki · 2 points · Posted at 08:45:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Becaue you're reading a book that happens to be translated, not some kind of documentation of what Rowling wrote. I don't think it being set in the UK was very important to the story.
illegalbikini · 7 points · Posted at 02:30:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As someone who just finished reading the second book I am so glad this didn't get posted one day earlier.
keenanpepper · 3 points · Posted at 01:21:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Uhhh... am I missing something? There's no S in the first one...
Not_A_Chick · 3 points · Posted at 02:53:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle is 16 characters and Sayalah Lord Voldemort is 20...so something's kinda' screwy with that one.
Psykerr · 3 points · Posted at 02:31:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo G. Detlev Jr sounds like he'd be in Morris Day and the Time or Prince and the Revolution.
Jake_Steel423 · 3 points · Posted at 02:37:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Heeheheheheh
Oh shit.
therealsix · 3 points · Posted at 03:14:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So glad they got the Esperanto translation.
themouseandthemask · 3 points · Posted at 04:01:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL some people don't know what an anagram is
eternalexodus · 3 points · Posted at 06:48:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
to be fair, marvolo isn't a real name. rowling conveniently made up something with a v in it so it could translate to voldemort. doesn't seem like it would be that difficult to do in other languages.
FairlySmellySock · 3 points · Posted at 08:35:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Danish his name is "Romeo Gåde Detlev Jr." Which is an anagram for "Jeg er Voldemort" which, you guessed it, translates to "I am Voldemort". Some of the translators did a really good job
TheJoker1432 · 3 points · Posted at 09:05:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Vorlost Riddle
teal_flamingo · 1 points · Posted at 10:35:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
German, right?
TheJoker1432 · 1 points · Posted at 12:24:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
yep
Heltinne · 3 points · Posted at 10:11:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Hebrew it's "Tom Vandrolo Riddle" (טום ואנדרולו רידל) which translates to "Ani Lord Voldemort" (אני לורד וולדמורט).
Jackretto · 3 points · Posted at 10:58:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Italian it's the same as english
szyy · 3 points · Posted at 11:42:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Poland, every Harry Potter book had "translator notes" at the end. I used to love to read them. HP had a lot of unique names created by JK Rowling or rooted in Anglo-Saxon legends and tales that didn't have Polish translations. So the translator (Andrzej Polkowski) would write the original name and its meaning (and that was some seriously deep explanation, he would decompose each word and explain its old-English origin and stuff) and then explain why he chose to translate it the way he did. For example, the Moaning Myrtle was translated to "Jęcząca Marta" (Moaning Martha) because myrtle is masculine in Polish so he had to find a similar feminine name instead. He has also translated given names only, leaving surnames intact (with a few exceptions, for example Cornelius Fudge is called Korneliusz Knot in Polish translation).
With Tom Marvolo Riddle he decided to keep the name because action takes place in the UK so in his opinion there was no point in translating it because it would feel artificial. And everyone knows what "I am" mean so there was no problem with the readers.
Unfortunately, this high-quality translation had one little fault - Polish translations took very long, usually at least 1-1.5 years after English version was published.
j_itor · 1 points · Posted at 12:20:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
1-1,5 years is pretty standard for a translation, isn't it?
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 12:27:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 14:29:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And it's still set in Britain?
umirinos · 2 points · Posted at 14:34:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes, I believe so. They wouldn't go as far as changing the name of the city Harry lives in, and the streets are all still the same.
McDave1609 · 4 points · Posted at 04:41:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He's called Elvis in France.
EDIT: His middle Name is Elvis to be presice.
YataBLS · 4 points · Posted at 06:28:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I imagine him dueling Potter and singing "A little less conversation, a little more action please"
McDave1609 · 1 points · Posted at 10:15:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Only if he wears the matching outfit.
[deleted] · 4 points · Posted at 02:32:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
His middle name was Elvis in the French version.
SpongeBobSquarePants · 7 points · Posted at 03:34:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
When they translated it from English to American what name did they use?
GreatBigBagOfNope · 3 points · Posted at 09:44:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Glock Deagle Burger Truck"
swng · 2 points · Posted at 01:56:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The anagram wasn't revealed until the second book, so they would've had to stick with whatever they used for "Voldemort" in the first book, and come up with something, right?
Still doable (obviously, since it was done 68 times), but it'd be easier if translators had the freedom to modify both sides. The "Voldemort" side seems more flexible because it's not limited by language; as a name, it just has to be pronounceable and not sound too weird. Kudos to all the people who had to come up with different anagrams, they probably had more work to do than Rowling.
svldsmnn · 3 points · Posted at 08:24:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Russians did that. Renamed Voldemort into Volan-de-mort to fit the anagram in the second book, then went back to the first book and renamed him there as well in the second edition. O.o
dbulger · 1 points · Posted at 02:43:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I suppose most of the translations were started after the 2nd book was released. It seems to me that it was shortly before the release of the 3rd book that it really started going viral; that's when I first heard of it, anyway.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The first book was published in 1997 in Britain and 1998 in US. The second was released in 1998 in britain and 1999 in US. The second book was already about in Britain by the time the first book reached the top of the NY best sellers list in America. Probably doubtful that they were translated into many, if any languages before the release of the second book.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:14:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What a riddle that must have been...
tripletstate · 1 points · Posted at 02:25:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That anagram "surprise" was the dumbest part of the books. Nobody would ever do that.
TrickyPistola · 2 points · Posted at 02:27:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hi, I’m Mark Neelstin.
Greych12 · 2 points · Posted at 02:41:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yo soy lorde Voldemort
EmpoleonsTARDIS · 2 points · Posted at 02:42:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
His middle name ended up being Elvis in French to make the anagram of Je Suis Voldemort
krankes_hirn · 2 points · Posted at 02:44:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I find it more amazing to see that Harry Potter has been translated to Latin and Esperanto. Also in French his middle name is Elvis
ladykatey · 2 points · Posted at 02:46:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Portuguese TOM SERVOLO RIDDLE
Nooooo, Tom!
laughterwithans · 2 points · Posted at 02:49:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"He who must not be named".... except for those 68 times...
🎙️ industrial86 · 2 points · Posted at 02:50:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Glad I didn't post it a day earlier! Not trying to take anyone's enjoyment out of it. Love those books
tomjim04 · 2 points · Posted at 03:05:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It kind of breaks down if you use 'Thomas' instead of 'Tom,' though. It throws in an extraneous 'has' in the mix which makes the sentence nonsensical no matter where you place it. That, or he'd have to rename himself something like 'Lord Delshomatrov.'
BreAKersc2 · 2 points · Posted at 03:56:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
With subtitles it's so much easier to display the meaning by saying [in english this means _____]. Source: I have an undergrad inChinese language and literature.
rd1994 · 1 points · Posted at 06:55:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the german film itis actually unchanged on screen but a subtitle is put in place. In the books the name is changed entirely.
hopie324 · 2 points · Posted at 04:00:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My friend and I had the biggest crushes on Tom Riddle for years.
ForceBlade · 2 points · Posted at 04:01:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What a lie lol.
shibakevin · 2 points · Posted at 04:27:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Imagine a convention of all these guys, and everyone just rolls their eyes when Mark Neelstein walks in.
Royaq · 1 points · Posted at 06:49:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
haha I was just thinking to myself Mark Neelstein has to be dorkiest name of them all!
JoshSidekick · 2 points · Posted at 05:01:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait. He named himself "I am lord Voldemort"? That's a little on the nose, don't you think?
Fattybatman3456 · 3 points · Posted at 05:23:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
flightypidgn · 2 points · Posted at 05:17:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
👃
creamypouf · 2 points · Posted at 05:09:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Harry Potter and the translator's nightmare - Vox
rutabaga_slayer · 2 points · Posted at 05:47:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hodor
PanicBlitz · 2 points · Posted at 05:54:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL they translated Harry Potter into Esperanto.
AVulcanJedi · 2 points · Posted at 06:14:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And there's our new Rosetta Stone. Acceptable.
OrangeDit · 2 points · Posted at 07:12:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow, this article alone is so large it's some kind of a spin-off.
Morshmodding · 2 points · Posted at 07:44:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Vorlost Riddle - > Ist Lord Voldemort.
German version
Johannesboy1 · 2 points · Posted at 07:58:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fuck that wiki on mobile, jesus christ
leo-skY · 2 points · Posted at 08:14:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because "I am Lord Voldemort" translates to "Io sono Lord Voldemort" in Italian
Procyonalotor · 2 points · Posted at 08:33:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hebrew:
Tom Vandrolo Riddle - טום ואנדרולו רידל Ani Lord Voldemort - אני לורד וולדמורט
Jirachi93 · 2 points · Posted at 09:21:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In german it is just tom riddle. in fact i hear about the second name mavolo for the first time... so i guess there is an example where it doesnt work...
Nehrovin · 1 points · Posted at 12:57:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It´s Tom Vorlost Riddle in german. The anagram is "...ist Lord Voldemort".
herecomesthepolice · 2 points · Posted at 09:27:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Helps that Voldemort and Marvolo are gibberish names.
Kompanion · 2 points · Posted at 10:34:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This reminds me of how Hodor's name was translated into different languages in game of thrones while still being short for "Hold the door" in the respective languages.
Julio225 · 2 points · Posted at 10:47:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Elvis Jedusor - The French one is top.
Also, I'm glad the Spanish one was only changed up a bit, the other ones are a bit outlandish for me :P
It is really awesome, though. I don't remember if the anagram was important in the books since it's been years since I last read them, but anyways.
Shaggythemoshdog · 2 points · Posted at 11:39:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In English it is Mr Atom Dildo Lover
NESMission · 2 points · Posted at 11:56:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Would be more impressive if Marvolo was a common name. Seems like they just needed those letters and whipped it together.
curebaldness · 2 points · Posted at 12:23:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL that voldemort is only bald because society views all bald men as evil and repulsive; Darth Vader, Bane, Dr. Evil, Lex Luther, Gollum, etc.
Thanks Hollywood, for creating the stereotype.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 14:30:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Vin Diesel is usually a good guy.
Iris_8 · 2 points · Posted at 12:29:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't know if anyone's commented it yet, but in Greek the name was translater entirely differently as Άντον Μόρβολ Χέρτ (Anton Morvol Hurt) which was an anagram for an archaic form of lord Voldemort, meaning Ruler Voldemort (Αρχών Βόλντεμορτ)
s_rl14 · 2 points · Posted at 16:26:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo G. Detlev Jr. & Mark Neelstin had me laughing my ass off. All the times when Dumbledore addresses Voldy by his real name, "Romeo" would've just been too much. Mark Neelstin on the other hand sounds like a quiet IT guy.
loverockyou · 2 points · Posted at 18:40:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
His middle Name is Elvis to be fair, marvolo isn't a real name. rowling conveniently made up just to do so, because the initials were changed in other languages.
wojtynaman · 4 points · Posted at 02:29:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Man I love speaking English
shapu · 4 points · Posted at 02:38:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love that there's a Latin translation. Like, who's reading that? Cloistered monks?
ZDTreefur · 4 points · Posted at 02:00:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I like the Portugese one.
Heeeeeeere's Voldemort!
topredditbot · 3 points · Posted at 02:31:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey /u/industrial86,
This is now the top post on reddit. It will be recorded at /r/topofreddit with all the other top posts.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:23:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am drunk
SirJefferE · 2 points · Posted at 06:11:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Using foreign translations is a pretty good way to confirm some clues scattered throughout books.
Minor Kingkiller Chronicle spoilers below:
As an example, it's a pretty common fan theory that Natalia Lockless is Kvothe's mother. One bit of information supporting this theory is in a line sung by Kvothe's father:
"It's worth my life to make my wife not tally a lot less"
That alone doesn't mean much, it just hits the same beats as 'Natalia Lockless'. But along with the other clues, it's a pretty big hint. Is it intentional?
Well, let's check the Hebrew version:
"al menat shetyah ishty, nataltiyah lee lsevach veleklass"
The German version:
"Trotz ihrer Fehler ist es so, dass Ich nie im Leben In meinem Streben Zu lieben locker lass..."
The Italian version:
"per lei le mie pecche vorrei cancellar né tali aver sì mai più."
When the name is hinted at in one version, it might be a coincidence. When the wordplay is preserved across translations, you know there's intent behind it.
myhihi1 · 5 points · Posted at 01:53:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why can't his name stay the same? Names don't just change between languages usually and I don't think it would matter if it's an English phrase.
Cakellene · 15 points · Posted at 02:14:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The I Am part wouldn't match in other languages.
beelzeflub · 2 points · Posted at 03:30:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If she had just made his name to re-anagram into Latin, then she could've avoided the mess. No one speaks Latin, but it's fairly common knowledge across the globe (at least in the developed world) that Latin is a strong root in most European languages. Then she could just have in translated in-prose and dialogue between characters
artgriego · 13 points · Posted at 02:39:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Names don't change between languages? Meet my friends Pedro, Peter, Pierre, and Piotr.
BlokeDude · 3 points · Posted at 09:35:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey, we could introduce them to my friends Petrus, Pietari, Petteri, Piers, Per, and Boutros.
SpurpleFilms · 12 points · Posted at 02:20:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It would kinda matter if you're a 8 year old Italian kid and the big reveal has the villain randomly changing his language to say a phrase you can't read.
Kougeru · 13 points · Posted at 01:57:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Exactly this. It reminds me of old anime dubs where they're still set in Japan but all have western names like in Sailor Moon, Usagi's name was changed to Serena.
DerQuincy · 3 points · Posted at 02:52:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
cough 4Kids anime dubs. Especially all forms of Yugioh.
Johannes_P · 1 points · Posted at 08:52:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
French dubs did this too, albeit with less mutilation of the original work while doing so.
VoidWaIker · 3 points · Posted at 02:40:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
On the other hand if they kept the name the same it would be like the, thankfully few, anime dubs where they still use a butt-ton of Japanese words, ONEE-CHAN, Baka, you get the idea.
Personally I prefer everything translated just to keep me immersed in the show/movie/book/whatever else but to each his/her own.
cassis-oolong · 2 points · Posted at 02:53:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Where I'm from, Usagi's name was dubbed even more literally: "Bunny." Preserves the quirkiness of the original. I like it!
Johannes_P · 2 points · Posted at 08:52:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the French version of Cardcaptor Sakura, the main character was renamed from Sakura Kinomoto to Sakura Gauthier.
wOlfLisK · 1 points · Posted at 02:59:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't forget YuGiOh's Joey "I'm walking here" Wheeler!
hidden_secret · 5 points · Posted at 02:33:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thing is in Harry Potter, lots of names carry meaning (like "Hogwarts" or "Slytherin"), so you either leave everything as is, and someone not familiar with English will lose a ton of the subtleties. Or more likely, you translate as best as you can.
thatwasdifficult · 1 points · Posted at 02:56:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The anagram wouldn't work, which is pretty much the whole reason for the name.
TheAmazingKoki · 1 points · Posted at 08:53:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because of immersion. In the Dutch translations, all the names that didn't sound good in dutch were changed, and if there were puns or anything they were either translated or changed, in a lot of cases better than the original. I fucking love the dutch translation because of that.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:28:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the French version of the book, the wands are called baguettes.
mikkeldaman · 1 points · Posted at 08:48:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
hon hon hon
JMDeutsch · 4 points · Posted at 02:39:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wouldn't even consider "I am Lord Voldemort" an anagram because Marvolo is a completely made up name i.e. Doesn't exist outside of Harry Potter, as a surname or otherwise.
I love Harry Potter but the contrived/forced nature of this anagram has always bothered me.
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:42:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But it is his name in the books. It exists in that world.
JMDeutsch · 2 points · Posted at 04:36:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I get that and it wouldn't bother me if not for the anagram
For example, if he was Lord Xylophone, then think of how contrived his name would need to be.
I'm all in favor of creative names, but I always felt like the creative process on this one was:
Book 1: Translate "Flying Death" from English to French.
Book 2: Perform Sunday Newspaper Word Jumble and make "I Am Lord Voldemort" into something resembling 3 actual names, if possible.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 14:39:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't really see the problem, but to each their own.
TheAdmiralCrunch · 3 points · Posted at 02:45:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
See people are impressed when they hear stories of these mass translations, but I always feel like it's super cynical to put so much effort into changing your storytelling for the sake of maximum worldwide distribution
Cacafonix · 4 points · Posted at 02:21:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Dutch translations of the names in Harry Potter are the reason I refuse to read books that are translated from English to Dutch. The names were so unbelievably stupid and childish, they took me out of the story. There is no reason to translate the names, people know enough English to understand what I am lord Voldemort means...
WazWaz · 8 points · Posted at 03:36:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle is stupid and childish in English (it sounds like a made-up clown name), so the translation is faithful.
Graaf_Tel · 1 points · Posted at 12:48:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
After reading some of these i'm pretty sure we have the best translation out there. I don't really get why you think they're so childish?
Cacafonix · 1 points · Posted at 21:56:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, it might have something to do with the fact I'm Belgian and the names are very Dutch rather than Flemish making them feel really forced to me.
Paterno_Ster · 1 points · Posted at 17:06:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Dutch translation of Harry Potter was seriously well done. The 'childishness' is just the style of the HP universe, with its Longbottoms and Slughorns
YouAreSignedIn · 6 points · Posted at 02:21:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It seems like it would be a lot easier if he just introduced himself as "I am Tom Marvolo Riddle, which by the way is an anagram for 'I Am Lord Voldemort' which in English, because this whole story is set in England, by the way, means 'however you say 'I Am Lord Voldemort in your language'."
tl:dr Why not just explain that it works in his and every other character in the books' native language?
memerider · 2 points · Posted at 02:42:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because then it'll be required to explain why the people incapable of reading the prose (or, watching the movie) in the origin language do exist.
Translations are adaptations for the alternatively wise people. And translating a book where half of the names is bound to a dictionary (professor Sprout) is a choice between making a poor adaptation, spending few points on Literacy and replacing all names/lore, or keeping the original names along with some hints for not-so-dumbass readers.
P.S. More examples: Robin Hobb has quite a speaking names for ALL of the characters. Translation kills the intended sound of the names, they just feel different. David Weber has Honor, and that makes a hell for every Slavic translation because we have no native name of that meaning, well guess what happened to first printed edition, they've swapped Honor to Victoria and kept it past the 7th book.
thatwasdifficult · 1 points · Posted at 03:00:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's an anagram for "I am I am Lord Voldemort" though...
lunalives · 2 points · Posted at 02:04:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've always wondered about this!
Portuguese speakers: eis? Not sou?
LiarfromBeyond · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I guess they forced "eis" to make it sound cooler.
lunalives · 1 points · Posted at 02:19:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, is it a contraction of Eu sou?
LiarfromBeyond · 2 points · Posted at 02:23:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Nope. It's more like "Here is", but it's rarely even used anymore.
lunalives · 2 points · Posted at 02:28:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks!
LiarfromBeyond · 2 points · Posted at 02:29:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're welcome! :)
LordLoko · 2 points · Posted at 03:44:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Eis" can be translated to "Behold"
"Behold Lord Valdermort"
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:19:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
LiarfromBeyond · 2 points · Posted at 03:23:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Sure, that's why it's cool.
Kraigius · 2 points · Posted at 02:13:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm still puzzled why he has a french name in english (Voldemort -> Vol de mort == Deathwing).
In World of Warcraft Deathwing is Deathwing which is the correct literal translation of its french name: Voldemort.
I mean, anagram beside, why was this particular name chosen?
Ghraim · 4 points · Posted at 03:39:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Vol de mort" can also be translated as "flight from death" which is probably what Rowling was going for, since attmepting to escape death is a crucial part of Voldemort's character.
Kraigius · 2 points · Posted at 17:14:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, yes! It makes so much sense now. My years long question finally has an answer. Thanks :D
redberg12 · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No. Not because of wow. HP is older than deathwing
Kraigius · 1 points · Posted at 17:14:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That wasn't my point...
redberg12 · 1 points · Posted at 18:38:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Your English is flawed. Your post makes no sense then.
Kraigius · 1 points · Posted at 18:57:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh, ok.
BLaZuReS · 2 points · Posted at 02:16:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's a second level of word of word play that isn't getting credit in the footnotes or here. Voldemort isn't just the leftover letters sounding okay as a name. It translates literally to "flying death" or "death flight" (I like to interpret it as overcoming death).
Redstar22 · 1 points · Posted at 10:46:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It means theft/flight of death, not necessarily flying death.
LucidLethargy · 2 points · Posted at 03:30:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can we take a second to talk about how stupid this reveal was? This added literally nothing to the story.
tarrach · 0 points · Posted at 05:28:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Establishing Voldemorts real name is very important for the last books. It could have been done in book 6, but book 2 would have to change quite a bit then.
LucidLethargy · 1 points · Posted at 06:15:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's not what I meant... What I meant is that it didn't need to be revealed with a silly anagram. It wasn't even a clever anagram...
thxxx1337 · 3 points · Posted at 23:25:07 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's so much work. Impressive.
zeabasharani · 4 points · Posted at 02:02:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mind fucking fucked
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:01:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is actually common knowledge among most hardcore Harry Potter fans. I see something about this about once a month.
napolneon · 1 points · Posted at 02:23:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In French it's "TOM ELVIS JEDUSOR". His middle name is Elvis. I'm screaming.
beelzeflub · 2 points · Posted at 03:37:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Danish one though
ROMEO G DETLEV
It sounds like an anime character
napolneon · 2 points · Posted at 03:50:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hahahaha! OR when you put them together it sounds like they're separated at birth twins who know nothing about each other's existence until ROMEO G DETLEV is revealed as TOM ELVIS's evil twin who is secretly the father of TOM ELVIS's wife's baby that she is pregnant with on this week's episode of the latest spanish telenovela!
GreatAide · 1 points · Posted at 01:53:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i guess this is too common knowledge to be considered a spoiler anymore :P
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:04:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How did they do it in Chinese?
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 02:50:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Like how anything that requires the use of an alphabet is translated in Chinese: footnotes.
Reading a book translated into Chinese from a western language involves looking through a lot of footnotes.
crischu · 1 points · Posted at 02:04:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wonder what will the translators do with 'hold the door' in a song of ice and fire. It only works in english.
Blueburger1223 · 1 points · Posted at 02:07:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You know as far as I know they could have lied about it being an anagram and I would've been to lazy to check.
fighteracebob · 1 points · Posted at 02:11:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How about a spoiler alert!?!? Some us are... um... jeez, 2 decades behind.... wow, I should really get through my reading list.
marzipanrose · 1 points · Posted at 02:12:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love the Serbian one. "Here we are, Lord Voldemort". Totally read that to the tune of Queen's Princes of the Universe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnrXiaPVeHY
J9suited · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
just sitting here laughing at "Romeo G Detlev, Jr., threatening evil supervillain"
Matrozi · 1 points · Posted at 02:13:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yeah in french we had "Tom Elvis Jedusor" (Je suis Voldemort).
Fucking ELVIS.
redberg12 · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol
FrankieFastHands17 · 1 points · Posted at 02:14:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What? I see proper nouns left alone in many languages. How do you translate thar?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:18:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Here's a list with every translation.
Tebasaki · 1 points · Posted at 02:21:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Smooth, rich, Marvolos. I'm inflavor country!
ozu_loves_you · 1 points · Posted at 02:21:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except Russian?
Isokelekl · 1 points · Posted at 02:22:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The Malay language version is just flat out wrong, it doesn't even have the letter S or Y
BreakPrison · 1 points · Posted at 02:26:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Too much textual intercourse?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:29:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Sorvolo sounds like a Chinese Tom Marvolo knockoff
Penguin_Out_Of_A_Zoo · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But in spanish, rather than "The Dark Lord," They called him Senor Tenebroso, or "Mr. Spooky."
gingerbreadxx · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As someone who hasn't seen HP, massive spoiler alert on this TIL.
But as someone who probably won't if they haven't already, meh
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thank you sweden
TheRealLT · 1 points · Posted at 02:30:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm curious as to why it's translated into Latin on the page. Fun? Or is there a practical purpose I've been missing out on all this time?
ntk_poe · 1 points · Posted at 02:35:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the Portuguese version, the name is kept in the original English, with the translation in parentesis. We are very conservative with translations and subtitles unlike the rest of most European countries who dub pretty much everything.
SptTablo · 1 points · Posted at 02:42:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I wonder what happened in Korean translation.
gojaejin · 1 points · Posted at 02:44:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What do they do to the name of Professor Wolfboy Wolflike to preserve the plot twist, in languages where you don't need to know mythology or Latin, but just need to know your language's word for "wolf"?
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:45:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Does anyone have the list?
Edit: Nevermind, I found it
Btw TOMAS DORLENT CRUPLUD
TOM RUVEL DOODLER
Romanian...
hirakjk · 1 points · Posted at 02:47:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oowaaaooo
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:48:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm curious on how they did it in Korean
Boyburnsgrey · 1 points · Posted at 02:48:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Who has to do the legwork to figure out how to make an anagram for his name in every different language? Surely not Rowling?
tractorferret · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
dosent quite have the same ring to it in anything but the english language
raghav1212 · 1 points · Posted at 02:50:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's frustrating how these posts lose their original intent with the comments
Iwatobikibum · 1 points · Posted at 02:52:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Except in Korean, where they just made his name the same as English (볼드모트/ bol-deu-moh-teu) and there is no anagram
Doorknob11 · 1 points · Posted at 02:53:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Son of a bitch I had to scroll all the way to the bottom to find this shit.
legomyeggopls · 1 points · Posted at 02:54:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Uh, but how bout the real TIL from this page, Harry Potter was his distant cousin??
nasa258e · 1 points · Posted at 02:55:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Always shortchanging the Polish
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:57:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:57:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[removed]
[deleted] · 2 points · Posted at 03:08:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[removed]
Ilovefrench · 1 points · Posted at 03:03:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ugh this thread is hurting my brain! its just confusing me so much with all the languages and such!
DJSpekt · 1 points · Posted at 03:04:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
this is actually really interesting. It never even crossed my mind how that would translate to other languages.
_upnadam_ · 1 points · Posted at 03:05:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Polish they left it as Tom Marvolo Riddle ... guess they couldn't find a working name with Jestem Lord Voldemort
slopeclimber · 1 points · Posted at 06:16:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wasn't it JAM LORD VOLDEMORT?
_upnadam_ · 1 points · Posted at 06:49:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
nah Jam isn't 'I am' in Polish ... Jestem is
Tom_Haley · 1 points · Posted at 03:06:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"I am Fody."
oath2order · 1 points · Posted at 03:06:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Interestingly enough, Malay, Polish, and Indonesian are the same as the English version.
Estonian gets credit for having one extra letter, Marvolon.
whyteout · 1 points · Posted at 03:08:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's up with the Slovenian? Why is it so different?
aggressivekiwi · 1 points · Posted at 03:14:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What about the languages that don't use the Latin alphabet?
SilverKylin · 1 points · Posted at 03:17:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And then there is the Chinese translators that said: F??k this s??t, I'm not paid enough to do this. Let's just use the original line.
Cessnaporsche01 · 2 points · Posted at 03:18:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How is no one commenting on the fact that there are Esperanto and Latin translations of Harry Potter? Who reads those!?
[deleted] · 5 points · Posted at 03:43:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It wouldn't surprise me terribly if teen and preteen fiction were often translated into Latin specifically so that junior high Latin classes could buy and teach from material that would appeal to their students.
Esperanto, I couldn't tell you.
ThatOtherGuy_CA · 1 points · Posted at 03:22:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fuckin Trevor Delgome
Deluxe_Flame · 1 points · Posted at 03:22:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love Tom Riddling my npc's in D&D.
Isaac Tate Clymer
Crag Pernopod
fiqar · 1 points · Posted at 03:25:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Very clever! Hats off to the translators for being skilled enough to accomplish this in other languages.
firmkillernate · 1 points · Posted at 03:26:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Quickly, someone do Klingon!
itisacircle · 1 points · Posted at 03:28:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Danish children grew up reading about Harry Potter battling a guy named Romeo
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:28:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is actually a popular urban legend.
Stratusfear21 · 1 points · Posted at 03:30:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Voldemort is a play on Latin. It means wantofdeath or wantfordeath
rd1994 · 1 points · Posted at 06:58:47 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It actually comes from french: Vol de mort = Cheater of death..just look at the last few books.
Stratusfear21 · 1 points · Posted at 07:02:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It could be. But French comes from latin, and considering all of the spells are latin. I would go for Latin but who knows.
rd1994 · 2 points · Posted at 07:11:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Rowling herself said that the name was french. She apparently envisioned his name to be pronounced as french, but since nobody was informed of it on time..so we have what wehave.
Stratusfear21 · 1 points · Posted at 07:28:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fair enough. Guess you were right
MpMerv · 1 points · Posted at 03:36:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Late to the game but Vox did an excellent piece on this subject. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdbOhvjIJxI&ab_channel=Vox
kaduceus · 1 points · Posted at 03:42:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Question: Do all this different last name's in these languages mean "Riddle"?
The character you knew was of importance or some key player to SOMETHING because his last name was "Riddle", just wonder if that connotation was the same in the other languages
escequi · 1 points · Posted at 05:27:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Obviously not, thugh as you can see they tried to keep the last name intact
tigermelon · 1 points · Posted at 03:44:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Det var dumt af dig at komme her i aften, Romeo
PingaTorsida · 1 points · Posted at 03:46:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Somehow Indonesia pulled a k out of Tom Marvolo Riddle???
NovaVore · 1 points · Posted at 03:46:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did they translate it appropriately in the other books too? Because the diary of Tom Riddle is found in the second book...
evasivewallaby · 1 points · Posted at 03:46:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could I get a list of all of them?
pspahn · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Voldemort, that's a Harry Potter guy, right?
Is this thread a giant spoiler? Was I not supposed to know who he was?
Ah well, I feel like I got the gist of the story on that roller coaster in Florida anyway.
Garathon · 1 points · Posted at 08:56:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol! There's no such thing as a spoiler if it's 15 years old.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 03:47:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's just something about "TOM GUS MERVOLO DOLDER" that makes me giggle.
Noalter · 1 points · Posted at 03:49:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/SummerReddit
jltime · 1 points · Posted at 03:51:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i mean... duh.
oxilite · 1 points · Posted at 03:53:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Woah hey, spoiler alert!
Gwar123 · 1 points · Posted at 03:54:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bump
SamsAdams · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Means nothing though
Fisher3309 · 1 points · Posted at 03:55:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
One of the most stupid plot points I've ever read in a book.
evr487 · 1 points · Posted at 04:10:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Many See Me Roc Tru Evil
SillyMind69 · 1 points · Posted at 04:11:03 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not true for Romanian. He was mentioned as Tom Riddle, and instead of Lord Voldermort in the first couple of books, he was "Lord Cap-De-Mort" that translates into "Lord Head-Of-Dead"
Then they switched back to Lord Voldemort later.
twitchosx · 1 points · Posted at 04:11:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Don't care about this guy at all. Fairly weak. Dude from The Time Machine and Blade was better.
MachineFknHead · 1 points · Posted at 04:12:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo G. Detlev Jr. was my favorite
fuckfaceprick · 1 points · Posted at 04:12:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Whoooaaaaaa, spoilers! I haven't gotten that far yet!
thebangzats · 1 points · Posted at 04:12:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If you scroll down some of the anagrams just aren't true. The Malay "Sayalah Lord Voldemort" is still "Tom Marvolo Riddle".
TheWereCatia · 1 points · Posted at 04:20:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Slovak: Tom Marvoloso Riddle -> A som i Lord Voldemort -> "I am also Lord Voldemort"
I like how the name was actually exactly the same as original
tarrach · 2 points · Posted at 05:16:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Exactly the same, except for the bit where it isn't
ShelbyLeeDee · 1 points · Posted at 04:22:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I love knowing that in Icelandic he shares a name with Neville's toad.
peeharveyoswald · 1 points · Posted at 04:23:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Tom Riddle's name was an anagram.
plagues138 · 4 points · Posted at 04:27:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
its not really apparent unless you've seen the movies....or read the books....
spoilers..hes also the bad guy
andygchicago · 1 points · Posted at 04:25:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They cheaped out with Catalan. TOD MORVOSC RODLEL: Morvosc isn't exactly a familiar word in our language. However, "Rodlel" translates to "Roller" in our language, so while it's not a last name, it's definitely at least a word.
Also: Voldemort (technically vol del mort) in Catalan means "flight of the dead."
rd1994 · 2 points · Posted at 06:53:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For the last bit, its the same in french and thats the reason he has that name.
sexyfrenchboy93 · 1 points · Posted at 04:31:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
French: TOM ELVIS JEDUSOR ....... nice.
rkhbusa · 1 points · Posted at 04:42:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No one said it had to be pretty lol
sexyfrenchboy93 · 1 points · Posted at 04:49:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm a fan
chadork · 1 points · Posted at 04:33:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
But what is an anagram for "I am Tom Marvolo Riddle"?
rkhbusa · 4 points · Posted at 04:36:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am lord Voldemort I am
chadork · 2 points · Posted at 04:43:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Henry the 8th?
YataBLS · 2 points · Posted at 06:31:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am Lord Voldemort.....am I?
Coliteral · 1 points · Posted at 04:58:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hodor
SatansCatfish · 1 points · Posted at 05:09:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Man, he makes the best wafers.
abclop99 · 1 points · Posted at 05:13:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
andreich1980 · 1 points · Posted at 05:22:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Russian: «Том Марволо Реддл» -> «Лорд Волан-де-Морт»
slopeclimber · 1 points · Posted at 07:26:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why is д doubled when English never has doubled consonants?
andreich1980 · 0 points · Posted at 07:42:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"riDDle". What do you mean?
slopeclimber · 1 points · Posted at 08:18:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[ˈɹɪdəl]. I'm not talking about the orthography. Unless you pronounce it as rid dell.
andreich1980 · 1 points · Posted at 09:48:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
We also pronounce single д
YourWizardPenPal · 1 points · Posted at 05:26:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
A true optimization problem
NightTickler · 1 points · Posted at 05:33:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait who speaks Latin?
SubzeroNYC · 1 points · Posted at 05:44:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The ultimate example of a good problem to have
c0de_junKie · 1 points · Posted at 05:50:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And here I am also Lord Voldemort
OktoberStorm · 1 points · Posted at 06:08:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Harry Potter is translated to a dead language.
Honzas4400 · 1 points · Posted at 06:09:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If I remember correctly, then in Czech it was Tom Rojvol Raddle, resulting in "Ja Lord Voldemort". Which, with a bit o imagination, can easily be "Já, Lord Voldemort" meaning, of course, "I, Lord Voldemort". And with a bit of context, the "[I] am" is simply there, between the lines.
arenttheyall · 1 points · Posted at 06:10:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kinda feel like I got the actual books?
wildwalrusaur · 1 points · Posted at 06:11:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Harry Potter has been translated into 68 languages
fuckin a
elbatalia · 1 points · Posted at 06:19:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Greek his name became Andon Morvol Hert translating to Arhon (Αρχων (Lord)) Voldemort
witcher222 · 1 points · Posted at 06:20:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
well there is no translation in Polish, he is still tom marvolo riddle
odacaesar · 1 points · Posted at 06:28:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep. In the French version, they made his middle and last name so that the letters could form
"Jedusor," btw, is apparently a homophone for the French phrase "jeu-de-sort" ("game-of-fate"), which describes someone forced to undergo trials due to the harsh circumstances of destiny—that is, Riddle/Jedusor, Jr.'s 'half-blood' status within the eugenicist Gaunt family.
Here's an article about this and more from the Harry Potter Wiki: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Harry_Potter_in_translation
Nyx_Antumbra · 1 points · Posted at 06:28:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why does wikia have to be such a garbage website :(
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:28:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Did no one translate the first book before the second one came out?
patrol95 · 1 points · Posted at 06:35:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Polish uses original, what a waste.
gongmong · 1 points · Posted at 06:39:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Japan, his name is just the original version, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Making Vordemort with a Japanese name is probably impossible.
platyhelmyth · 1 points · Posted at 06:53:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So is the Chinese version. It made no sense from the table in the link.
frixxo · 1 points · Posted at 06:41:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In swedish it's Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder. It's an anagram for The latin ego sum voldemort, which means i am lord voldemort. But Dolder accually means something along The lines of The hider. Which makes litte sense.
But noone ever watches the swedish version, we just watch movies in english with subtitles.
Doit4thewhine · 1 points · Posted at 06:48:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What the hell is going on with the Polish one? It says Tom Marvolo Riddle but Poland managed to get a J, 3 E's and 2 M's outta that.
kr3w_fam · 2 points · Posted at 06:57:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They didn't translate it but made an appendix what english sentence means
koopcl · 1 points · Posted at 06:52:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Harry Potter has been translated to Latin.
Mort_Twain · 1 points · Posted at 06:52:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Dolder in the swedish version.
Dimensional13 · 1 points · Posted at 06:53:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I german it's Tom Vorlost Riddle.
browsib · 1 points · Posted at 07:06:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The best is easily the Danish, Romeo G. Detlev jr.
TheTurnipKnight · 1 points · Posted at 07:16:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Polish they just stuck with the original name and written a translator's note on that page. And good.
tchefacegeneral · 1 points · Posted at 07:22:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Just one quick look at it makes me think its all bullshit. Indonesian TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE -> AKULAH LORD VOLDEMORT
That's not an anagram. There is no "K" for example in TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
benh141 · 1 points · Posted at 07:26:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Never read the potter series but I assume Voldemort is probably a smart guy, why would he make his fake name an anagram stating his real name?
Sahqon · 3 points · Posted at 08:33:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's your problem.
greatguysg · 1 points · Posted at 07:26:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Chinese his name was 汤姆･马沃罗･里德尔, which became hanging cliff, bad persona, does not translate.
helenalovett · 1 points · Posted at 07:27:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I would think they could have reused the Swedish version given how we were stuck with the anagram being in Latin. No special name for us :(
'Tom Gus Mervolo Dolder' → 'Ego sum Lord Voldemort'
antor419 · 1 points · Posted at 07:30:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
nc
eporter · 1 points · Posted at 07:33:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
so, in those books is Marvolo gaunt named with differently to match?
teal_flamingo · 1 points · Posted at 10:42:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yep
Sergeant-sergei · 1 points · Posted at 07:35:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm pretty sure Georgian translation didn't.
Tirayaa · 1 points · Posted at 07:35:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Jedusor in French. :)
SuzLouA · 3 points · Posted at 09:05:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Come on, you missed out the best bit. He's not just Tom Jedusor. He's Tom Elvis Jedusor.
Tirayaa · 1 points · Posted at 10:00:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I noticed that just after posting. Too lazy to edit. Thanks to correcting me and my laziness. :)
SuzLouA · 1 points · Posted at 10:07:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Haha! No worries. I just love the mental image of him in a white satin rhinestone studded jumpsuit :D
Tirayaa · 2 points · Posted at 10:12:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks, now I can't see Voldemort in another way than this.
SuzLouA · 1 points · Posted at 10:13:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It makes some of the more distressing scenes cheerier.
wholetonescale · 1 points · Posted at 07:37:29 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What's up with the Malay? TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE =/=SAYALAH LORD VOLDEMORT. :(
BaklazanKubo · 1 points · Posted at 07:38:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fun fact: In Slovak they helped themselves by altering his name to Tom Marvoloso Riddle.
emppeng · 1 points · Posted at 07:40:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
His name stays as Tom Marvolo Riddle in Korea. When the riddle was discovered in the movie, there was an explanation about the names' spelling in the subtitle.
Nugasta · 1 points · Posted at 07:41:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Polish they didn't even bother to try to make it fit one with another. :(
Kelloa791 · 1 points · Posted at 07:43:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why didn't they just explain that the rearranging only works in English? After all, the story is set in the UK.
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 08:01:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's the beauty of translation. You have to make it work.
Javin007 · 1 points · Posted at 07:46:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Those Bulgarians can fuck right off.
Orchid-Flower · 1 points · Posted at 07:49:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Italian is tom orvoloson riddle. Was so cool when I learned that!
Heliax_Prime · 1 points · Posted at 07:51:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Whosever job that was needs a raise cause they prolly don't get paid enough. FUCK THAT
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:54:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TFW you're the only country that went with Mrlakenstein instead of Voldemort
teo314 · 1 points · Posted at 07:55:34 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Love that the anagrams is something of the line of "i am lord voldemort", except in norwegian. There he is voldemort the great. Hipp hipp hurra for dette landet.
tomwello · 1 points · Posted at 07:56:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
cmon, how about a spoiler alert? I haven't seen the movie yet!! ;-)
everyfin_was_taken · 1 points · Posted at 08:00:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, how about that
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 08:20:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Iceland: Trevor Delgome
Sounds more like Iceland's #1 Hispanic porn star.
cmasc966 · 1 points · Posted at 08:24:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why would a characters name have to be translated?
Sahqon · 2 points · Posted at 08:28:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because children that don't speak English would just raise their brows at the big revelation of "I am Lord Voldemort" and it probably didn't switch to anything acceptable in their language.
cmasc966 · 1 points · Posted at 10:30:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marvolo Riddle is pretty universal wether its english or even spanish. Its the same!
Sahqon · 1 points · Posted at 10:34:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What part of "I am" being in English instead of the kid's language is not clear to you?
cmasc966 · 1 points · Posted at 10:33:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
non-english speakers will still know whats going on.
teal_flamingo · 1 points · Posted at 10:39:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Eh, I have a Spanish translation that only put a parenthesis behind the sentence.
This is in latin America. When I first interacted to the fandom i was really confused because Spanish people called Voldemort "Sorvolo" (Tom Sorvolo Ryddle - > yo soy lord Voldemort)
Sahqon · 1 points · Posted at 10:44:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In the same (?) vein, we got the Hobbit translated to Hungarian with all names translated (well, changed to sound more Hungarian-peasant), then later the Lord of the Rings, with nontranslated names. They had to release the Hobbit's nontranslated version later.
But in this case it's only Tom Riddle's name that had to change, and only because of the riddle.
teal_flamingo · 1 points · Posted at 10:49:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not all, in other countries there is more names translated.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_in_translation
The idea behind this is that the etymology of the name isn't lost. I imagine is the same in The Hobbit
IAreSpatz · 1 points · Posted at 12:12:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Be like Sweden, translate the name so it makes an anagram in latin
Sahqon · 1 points · Posted at 12:23:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If it made an anagram in Latin in the first place, it probably could have stayed. But if you change it, you might as well go all out.
Rahrahsaltmaker · 1 points · Posted at 08:25:24 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Silly op.... that's Jonjo Shelvey.
Garry__Newman · 1 points · Posted at 08:27:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I feel like the Chinese ones don't work really, even on a phonetic level
PC__LOAD__LETTER · 1 points · Posted at 08:34:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow, that must have been pretty tough to do to keep up the standard that was the middle "name" Marvolo following a three letter first name. How do they do it?
MensPolonica · 1 points · Posted at 08:40:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why translate it though? Everyone knows the book takes place in the UK, so obviously the anagram should only make sense in English.
nittun · 1 points · Posted at 08:44:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
except in denmark, they dont give fuck.
Rktdebil · 1 points · Posted at 11:20:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Be like Denmark.
Srekcalp · 1 points · Posted at 08:55:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Romanian it's Tomas Dorlent Cruplud to make Lordul Cap-de-Mort which literally translates to 'The Lord Death Head' (I think, my Romanian isn't great).
Killspree90 · 1 points · Posted at 09:00:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's clear Jk Rowling did not.anticipate this which who would really
bgkq · 1 points · Posted at 09:03:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Polish they didn't even try, they just translated the anagram and left the original name
Tankyenough · 1 points · Posted at 09:06:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Finnish, it's Tom Lomen Valedro. I was confused at first when I realized his original name wasn't Valedro but it makes sense.
Tom Lomen Valedro - Ma olen Voldemort (an old-fashioned poetic way to say I am Voldemort)
Cheers
takkakynttila · 1 points · Posted at 09:21:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ma Olen Voldemort
matinap · 1 points · Posted at 09:21:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Greek, they changed the name to "Anton Morvol Hert" (Άντον Μόρβολ Χέρτ) to create the anagram Άρχων Βόλντεμορτ (Archon Voldemort). "Archon" is basically a fancy way of saying "Lord" in Greek.
ringmancz · 1 points · Posted at 09:29:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
ITT people who don't care that there are other languages than English. Don't you understand that literature, even translated, is a part of the culture? If you leave it like it is, there will be nothing unique about the text. Which is why I'm grateful for Czech translation of HP. It is not without its mistakes, but still very imaginative and creative. Unlike the Slovak one...
mattcrick · 1 points · Posted at 09:31:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Either whoever wrote this wiki forgot to write the equivalent of Tom Riddle for Malay, or whoever translated it into Malay just totally gave up
Edit: Also for Indonesia
BluJayMez · 1 points · Posted at 09:34:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Curious about the large number of names not listed. In Japan, all the characters have the same names as the English version, but are rendered into phonetic Japanese (meaning you couldn't rearrange the Japanese to get the same anagram). I wonder if the book just spells it out in English and gives the translation.
Krante11 · 1 points · Posted at 09:35:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL harry potter have been translated in latin
teal_flamingo · 1 points · Posted at 10:32:45 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Only the first. Ancient Greek too
oyvho · 1 points · Posted at 09:36:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And also this had to happen before they knew that fact too.
thebigjamesbondfan · 1 points · Posted at 09:38:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Άντον Μόρβωλ Χερτ -> Άρχων Βόλντεμορτ
GreatBigBagOfNope · 1 points · Posted at 09:43:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
How did they do it in non-phonetic, or non-alphabetic languages like Japanese and Chinese? Or did they just not? That would be so interesting to find out!
teal_flamingo · 2 points · Posted at 10:34:46 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They did change the name, i don't remember what it was. I find the whole thing fascinating tho, look https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_in_translation
bluesam3 · 1 points · Posted at 09:50:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Polish TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE JESTEM LORD VOLDEMORT
Glares at the "J".
blodskjegg · 1 points · Posted at 09:53:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not sure if its true in Norwegian. His name is Tom Dredolo Venster. ofc you can spell "lord voldemort" with those letters, but there are more left and in norwegian he is called fyrst (lord) voldemort.
nvm.. It's "Voldemort den store" aka voldemort the great
Caergwyn · 1 points · Posted at 09:55:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This is irrelevant but Voldy has some unnaturally pretty blue eyes for an evil guy 😂😂😂
teal_flamingo · 2 points · Posted at 10:31:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Say that to the book description lol
sonicandfffan · 1 points · Posted at 09:59:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait, Tom Riddle is Lord Voldemort?
I'm still only partway through the second book :(
AlbaNera · 1 points · Posted at 10:05:08 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom orvolosan riddle in italian : io sono lord voldemort
MarjorieBenett · 1 points · Posted at 10:17:07 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://youtu.be/YvNxgHTWIlo
leroy12345678 · 1 points · Posted at 10:31:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Vorlost Riddle ... ist Lord Voldemort.
in german there is no pronom in the anagram :(
TheOnlyArtifex · 1 points · Posted at 10:39:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I've said it once and I'll say it again (even though this thread is already way too old and no one will see it):
The Dutch translation is incredibly good. I prefer English as a language myself, but the Dutch Harry Potter books are so good that I almost prefer them over the original English version.
The translator managed to incorporate every meaning of every word, name or anagram perfectly well, while also sounding logically Dutch. He even added some better words I think!
surrealbot · 1 points · Posted at 10:41:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The French name is quite kickass..
antiwargirl · 1 points · Posted at 10:42:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thank you for the link! This is really cool!
T8BZ · 1 points · Posted at 10:42:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Lomen Valedro in Finnish
MagicManUK · 1 points · Posted at 10:51:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Still a pointless McGuffin whatever the language...
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 10:53:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
As someone who has never seen/read Harry Potter, can someone explain how The guys name translates to that? I don't get it..
Patcheresu · 4 points · Posted at 11:00:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's an anagram. You can rearrange the letters for the answer.
The title is saying that other languages of Harry Potted had to have the localized name of Lord Voldemort also unscramble to the phrase 'I am Tom Marvolo Riddle' but in that language as well.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 11:32:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ah okay, thank you!
Ribenadrinker · 1 points · Posted at 11:03:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL His name is an anagram
madhi19 · 1 points · Posted at 11:44:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That must have been a fucking pain in the ass for somebody.
cougar2013 · 1 points · Posted at 11:45:30 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
/r/movietrivia
Tuguar · 1 points · Posted at 11:48:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For Russians it's Lord Volan-de-Mort.
chitokens · 1 points · Posted at 11:50:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol this is so weird, just seen this post whilst watching chamber of secrets on tv the exact moment he writes his name .
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 11:52:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I am Spartacus.
Maedas · 1 points · Posted at 11:55:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I always found the Swedish version very pretentious for going with latin (Ego sum lord Voldermort) but reading this I'm kind of happy with the solution we got! (he was named Tom Dolder in Swedish).
Tom_Dolder · 1 points · Posted at 12:03:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Can confirm, am Swedish Voldemort
lepontneuf · 1 points · Posted at 12:08:20 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why?
Tomhap · 1 points · Posted at 12:15:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Marten Villijn in dutch which works because Vilijn resembles the english villain.
clatterore · 1 points · Posted at 12:16:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Unnecessary
Big-Cheddar · 1 points · Posted at 12:21:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Lord Voldemort will decide your fate" Tom: I AM Lord Voldemort! (Spinning intensifies)
Fatyolk · 1 points · Posted at 12:22:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait does Tom Riddle's name mean "I am Lord Voldemort"?!?
ProJumz · 1 points · Posted at 12:23:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Polish translator didn't give a fuck xd
ffffruit · 1 points · Posted at 12:23:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Greek: Άντον Μόρβολ Χέρτ (Anton Morvol Hert), you can sort of see it coming.
carcar134134 · 1 points · Posted at 12:25:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So in the books was the reveal that Tom Riddle was Voldemort important? Because the movies basically just told us they were the same person.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 12:26:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think you have to drop the "Lord" from the title.
pastthe83 · 1 points · Posted at 14:20:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Soy Lord Voldemort" .. .only had to change 3 letters lol
CircleToShoot · 1 points · Posted at 14:40:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why didn't they just leave the translation as English (I am Lord Voldemort) and then put in a sentence afterwards in the native tongue? The reader knew he was English
TheRealFender · 1 points · Posted at 15:23:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom
Tom
Tom
Tom
...
MARK NEELSTIN (What?)
...
Tom
Tom
Tom
XennaNa · 1 points · Posted at 17:36:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's been like a decade but if i remember correctly, in finnish it's Tom Lomen Valedro which becomes Ma Olen Voldemort (I Am Voldemort)
Gibodean · 1 points · Posted at 18:43:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I like it Catalan his name is "Tod".
I couldn't take that seriously, imagining "The Todd" from Scrubs....
Nyxbar · 1 points · Posted at 22:26:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TOM RUVEL DOODLER is his Romanian name? I sure hope Doodler means something serious in that language, because it's really quite adorable in English.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 07:18:24 on July 10, 2017 · (Permalink)
Romeo Detlev...i like it
UrbanDryad · 0 points · Posted at 01:49:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait a minute. Wasn't Hogwarts always set in England? So wouldn't it make much more sense in the universe of the book to keep the characters home language as English?
VoidWaIker · 3 points · Posted at 02:43:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ya but his name had to be an anagram for I am Lord Voldemort, changing the name keeps the immersion and makes it better for any readers who wouldn't know what I am means.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 05:00:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Nehrovin · 0 points · Posted at 13:40:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
First of all it´s a book for children. And as a child I didn´t think a single time about the fact that this plays in Britain because the whole story could really play anywhere. They get to Hogwarts from Kings Cross, but as a non-english child Kings Cross could be a made up place as well. You don´t think of the people in the books as british, they are just people. So it would be way more immersion-breaking to suddenly have a translators note explaining the english sentence and the wordplay, instead of just changing a middle name that is a completely made up fantasy name and also has no significance in the story except for this wordplay anyway.
mcmanybucks · 0 points · Posted at 02:57:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I thought hogwarts was in scotland?
villar97 · 2 points · Posted at 02:01:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I didn't even know his name was an anagram for that. Impressed.
theflyingcrowpv · 15 points · Posted at 02:10:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Dude it was in the Chamber of Secrets
BelgianPainter · -11 points · Posted at 23:32:36 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not that impressive. The name changes in each language to make the anagram work. In Slovenian the name is "MARK NEELSTIN", hardly a translation of Tom Morvolo Riddle...
XeroMotivation · 46 points · Posted at 00:14:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's the point.
[deleted] · 15 points · Posted at 00:43:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He who shall not be named... Mark!
Harpies_Bro · 19 points · Posted at 01:40:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, Tom is not exactly exotic.
Not_A_Chick · 1 points · Posted at 03:03:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shoulda' gone with Hercule.
ThatWasFred · 12 points · Posted at 00:16:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think the dedication to preserving the anagram is more impressive than the actual work done. And if you don't find any of it impressive, then presumably it is at least interesting.
NotMyFinalAccount · -3 points · Posted at 02:27:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's not impressive nor interesting
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 02:46:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ofc. It's a classic question for a translator of what to sacrifice:
do you choose to just put a footnote and lose the joke, in return for using the recognisable name? OR:
Do you sacrifice the recognisable name in order to give your readers a more immersive experience.
It is a talent though. As other people have mentioned, the translation of Voldemort's last name into "Jedusor" sounds similar to "jeu de sort," which is nice because that means "game of fate" and is yet another layer to the story. So some of these translations are quite impressive.
NBAmodsSuck · -2 points · Posted at 02:16:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WHHHOOOOSHHHHHH
A_Naany_Mousse · 1 points · Posted at 02:51:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This kind of makes me dislike HP even more.
CarelesslyFabulous · 1 points · Posted at 04:32:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WHY would it need to be translated, exactly? My name is the same no matter where I go. Why wouldn't his be?
rkhbusa · 4 points · Posted at 04:42:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
An anagram is when you rearrange the letters and spell a different functional name/sentence. "I am lord Voldemort"="Tom Marvolo riddle" they wanted the word play to work in different languages hence the change.
capn_morgans_revenge · 1 points · Posted at 02:10:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Grr, where's the tumblr post that talks about "Mr. Tom, a dildo lover"?
redditors2013 · 1 points · Posted at 02:20:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Somebody mine explaining? Not sure I follow this one.
contrabasse · 4 points · Posted at 02:25:49 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
"Tom Marvolo Riddle" can be rearranged to spell "I Am Lord Voldemort" and it's a big dramatic revealing plot point in the second book/movie. If those things can no longer be rearranged to form the same words, that big reveal is lost. Therefore, in each language, the translations for Tom Riddle/Voldemort's name have to be strategically chosen from the get-go in order to lead up to that moment and yet still sounding even remotely similar to both Lord Voldemort and also Tom Marvolo Riddle, often leading to hilarious things (in the French translation, that terrifying big-bad-villain's middle name is ELVIS...)
redditors2013 · 1 points · Posted at 14:21:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks!
Actually_a_Patrick · 2 points · Posted at 02:25:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In English, "Tom Marvolo Riddle" can be rearranged to "I am Lord Voldemort". Tom Marvolo Riddle was Voldemort's name before he became a big bad guy. In other languages, they wanted his name to still be able to be rearranged to say "I am Lord Voldemort" in those languages, so his name had to be changed slightly.
For example, this could be "Me llamo Don Voldemort," "Yo soy Voldemort," "Mi nom re Es Voldemort" or one of several other ways in Spanish. So they changed the name "Tom Marvolo Riddle" in the translations to something using those combinations of letters instead of the English phrase.
redditors2013 · 1 points · Posted at 14:20:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks!
greenisin · 1 points · Posted at 02:27:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What does I am lord Voldemort mean?
jen1980 · 2 points · Posted at 05:30:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a minor character from a series of books from a woman name Rowling.
red_cap_and_speedo · 1 points · Posted at 02:41:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If I was one of the translators, I would have just made it boner.
KaraiPepper · 1 points · Posted at 03:11:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't see the anagram for Chinese.
Fingerman2112 · 1 points · Posted at 03:33:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I'm sorry what am I missing? Does the setting change in the translated versions so that it doesn't take place in England? Like in the Vietnamese version Hogwarts is in Vietnam? What can't they just explain that it's an English name and the letters rearrange to an English sentence?
Am I being an idiot? They don't translate the names of Dostoevsky characters. They didn't make Don Quixote into Donny Quickoat. I don't get why this was an issue.
kiskoller · 1 points · Posted at 03:39:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You don't need to translate the name (although the names were translated as well), you need to translate the sentence.
Fingerman2112 · 1 points · Posted at 03:42:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Do you though? Aren't there clues in Latin or something in the Dan Brown books? If in another universe a really popular series originated in the Spanish language and a key plot point involved an anagram of "Yo soy Lord Whatever" and I read that verbatim but in an otherwise English translated version I wouldn't think anything of it.
kiskoller · 1 points · Posted at 06:11:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Harry Potter is aimed for children, don't forget that.
But yeah, you don't have to translate it, but then the whole revelation loses its edge.
tarrach · 1 points · Posted at 05:22:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's a kids book, not translating that would be confusing
AnimalTooner · 1 points · Posted at 04:18:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Damn. Now that's amazing. That's a lot of effort. I have respect for the people who translated it yet still were able to make it form "I am Lord Voldemort" in multiple languages. That must've taken time. Dedication.
shawn0fthedead · 1 points · Posted at 06:06:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
HODOR?
thatonedudeguyman · 1 points · Posted at 10:52:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That's so lame that his name spells out his future name.
yaaas8762 · 1 points · Posted at 11:01:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
My attempt at making a Japanese version. I will have to use only Hiragana so that it actually works.
おも ぼろだもると です。(Rorudo Borodamoruto desu/ It's Lord Voldemort, or, in context, I'm Lord Voldemort).
ともす もぼろお るらで。(Tomosu Moboruo Rudeda)
radiantbutterfly · 3 points · Posted at 11:38:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
IIRC Lord Voldemort is "Vorudemo-to kyou" in Japanese, if they had already translated the first book at this stage they would be stuck with it.
Also he probably wouldn't say "desu". I believe in the official translation it's "ore wa ~ da" but the other option would be something grandiose and literary like "ware wa Vorudemo-to Kyou nari"...
yaaas8762 · 1 points · Posted at 12:33:22 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hmmm.... how about this?
Tomowa Navokyore Rideruuwa
edit: ともわ なゔぉきょれ りでるうわ
なぼきょれ (<- If you wanna make the "vo" into a "bo". I'm not sure how the original translation does it)
btw I'm using the grandiose and literary one because he's a pretty grandiose character, and also it's easier to create an anagram. It probably looks crazy to someone who speaks Japanese, however, but I have no idea. How does it look?
radiantbutterfly · 2 points · Posted at 14:20:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's ヴォルデモートきょう with a "vo" in the Japanese.
Honestly it's pretty gibberish, but a lot of terms in Harry Potter become katakana gibberish in the Japanese translation. One thing that does get kinda lost in translation is the difference between the things meant to sound silly like "Hogwarts", "muggles" "flubberworms" etc and the things meant to sound serious like "Crucio*" "Voldemort", etc. As English speakers, the ones with Greek and Latin roots generally sound more fancy, but it's all equally foreign to Japanese readers.
Okay I'm just totally screwing around now, and I want to point out that I ABSOLUTELY endorse the original translator's decision to leave it in English and NOT attempt a Japanese anagram, for reasons that will soon become clear.
ハウレト ヴォデナリ キョワモール Howlet Vodenari Kyowamore
...that is TERRIBLE, but I'm going to use it to point out a few things about what makes a name sound cool-foreign to the Japanese. First, ending with "to" or "ru" gives the impression that the original name ended with a "t" or "r" (common in foreign names). "Vo" is good because it definitely doesn't exist in native Japanese. However, "wa" and "kyo" are found in Japanese far more than English, in fact we don't even pronounce "kyo" right (how many people pronounce Tokyo "To-ki-yo"?)
Therefore it is my opinion that there is no cool sounding "foreign" name that could be made with these characters, and the original translator's solution was the best possible.
*Though luckily "Crucio" does sound a lot like "kurushii" (agonizing) and "kurushimeru" (to suffer), so at least that one gives a suitably ominous impression
[deleted] · -2 points · Posted at 00:40:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
noctis89 · 15 points · Posted at 01:03:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You are missing something, because it is.
Megatron480 · 8 points · Posted at 01:16:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Whoops! Yup sure is. Sorry guys!
Megatron480 · 6 points · Posted at 01:22:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Whoops! Thanks for calling me out. No/s
iamasecretthrowaway · 0 points · Posted at 12:59:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I just realized that Dumbledores entire "we should call him by his name and not you-know-who" is extra silly since voldemort isn't his name. Now it just seems like calling him voldemort at all is trying to placate him. Dumbledore should've gone around calling him Tom. A name that doesn't strike fear into the hearts of anyone.
joseconseco999 · 2 points · Posted at 14:47:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
He called him Tom to his face
elchivo83 · -1 points · Posted at 02:26:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Jesus, is that really a Harry Potter plot point?
Cheesecakeisnotcake · 0 points · Posted at 01:58:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow. A new fun fact for me to blurt out when I'm feeling awkward!
poolerboy0077 · 0 points · Posted at 02:50:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom Marlboro Riddle
bcgibson2 · 0 points · Posted at 02:51:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
suc lord voldemort lol
MasonWyatt · 0 points · Posted at 03:03:09 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Danish, Dutch and Slovenian
Sietemadrid · 0 points · Posted at 03:09:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Are the movies good? I am trying to figure out if I should watch them.
Korona123 · 0 points · Posted at 03:15:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Honestly this is not very impressive... The name completely changes in most languages lol.
VuittonQuan · 0 points · Posted at 03:15:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
https://soundcloud.com/fuckboyquan/sets/evilme-2x
mrbrightside2003 · 0 points · Posted at 03:39:17 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wait so how is he Voldemort if he was once a student from the past? Wasn't he in siltherin? Wasn't he a follower? Or was he actually him? As in the spirit? I was so confused when I found that out and I still am
mbene913 · 4 points · Posted at 03:43:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom grew up and became voldemort.
What confused you?
mrbrightside2003 · 1 points · Posted at 03:57:54 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
So Tom was Voldemort the entire time? What about the fact that the first 4 founding wizards were the ones that established the houses and the first siltherin guy was voldemort?
mbene913 · 2 points · Posted at 04:03:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tom was always voldermort.
He was never the founder of slytherin house. That guy as named Slytherin
mrbrightside2003 · 1 points · Posted at 04:23:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
And tom was the only one to open up the chamber of secrets right? I'm a bit iffy on his past since I'm rewatching the first 2 and watching from the 3rd onwards for the first time.
mbene913 · 2 points · Posted at 04:24:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Yes. Or something like that. He took over ron's kid sister but I usually fell asleep when she was on screen
mrbrightside2003 · 2 points · Posted at 04:30:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks for the clarification mate
mbene913 · 3 points · Posted at 04:36:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
All credit goes to my wife for explaining it all into my ear while we watched the movies. She was big on the books. First time I saw her get "nerd rage" was when she saw how Hermione looked. "Not like the books!" She yelled.
She's the best
mrbrightside2003 · 2 points · Posted at 04:40:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lmfao I heard that i should have read the books before I watched the movies. I saw some BTS on the collection I have and I know what she's on about. Anyways cheers to her too
rigers · 1 points · Posted at 04:04:14 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What book did you read mrdarkside2003?
skycoaster · 0 points · Posted at 03:46:56 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Long shot here... but does anyone know what it is in Albanian? I've Goggled my guts out and just can't seem to find it. I have a friend that did an LDS mission there and read the first book to practice the language, but he never found a copy of the second so we couldn't find out what they did with Voldy's name.
rigers · 1 points · Posted at 04:01:59 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lord Fluronvdekja translates to Lord Death-flow
skycoaster · 0 points · Posted at 04:41:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Thanks! Do you know his real name (Tom Marvolo Riddle equivalent?).
rigers · 1 points · Posted at 21:46:01 on August 5, 2017 · (Permalink)
It was Tom Marvolo Riddle, no translation if recall correctly
lannisterstark · 0 points · Posted at 03:47:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This site is mobile cancer. Goes to random places while scrolling.
Puninteresting · 0 points · Posted at 04:38:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lmao
SheriidiiaN · 0 points · Posted at 04:58:43 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
In Polish his name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Well, our translators just doesn't care about it
no_gold_here · 0 points · Posted at 05:48:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
His English name is "Marvolo"‽ Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!
jkrys · 0 points · Posted at 05:52:18 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Omg spoilers!!
huntmich · 0 points · Posted at 06:51:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Spoilers, dick!
[deleted] · 0 points · Posted at 07:41:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Gerald_89 · 1 points · Posted at 08:23:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ist Lord Voldermort
Godspeedingticket · 0 points · Posted at 13:45:35 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Tbh Marvolo is already a bullshit weird made up just to do this anagram. Not rocket science to make up fake names to accomplish this :)
NewClayburn · 0 points · Posted at 17:33:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why?
Diqqsnot · -11 points · Posted at 02:18:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
No it did not HAVE to be, could have said fuck off, learn english, the one true global language.
accounttoarguewith · -12 points · Posted at 02:10:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Hey assholes - how about a [SPOILER] tag the next time you wanna ruin one of the key clues to one of the biggest book series in the world?
Ummagummas · 8 points · Posted at 02:27:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
This spoiler is over a decade old...
accounttoarguewith · 1 points · Posted at 01:19:01 on July 11, 2017 · (Permalink)
If I tell you it was earth all along I'm still an asshole.
Ummagummas · 1 points · Posted at 01:25:26 on July 11, 2017 · (Permalink)
Bruce Willis is dead in the Sixth Sense too. Sorry :/
accounttoarguewith · 1 points · Posted at 01:30:45 on July 11, 2017 · (Permalink)
Keep 'em coming. You're just digging out a karma abscess.
Ummagummas · 1 points · Posted at 01:38:48 on July 11, 2017 · (Permalink)
Lol your post was downvoted and mine was upvoted though? Cassius betrays and stabs Caesar, is that one too fresh?
accounttoarguewith · 1 points · Posted at 12:48:59 on July 13, 2017 · (Permalink)
TRY THE CHURROOOOHHHHS!
downvote_all_IMHO · 1 points · Posted at 14:36:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Calm down, they are just books written for tweens.
geforce2187 · -1 points · Posted at 02:12:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That wiki page is longer than all of the Harry Potter books combined
memerider · -1 points · Posted at 03:04:15 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
People are OK with changing names and literaly editing the stories from other languages due to one simple reason: innate suspension of disbelief about their death.
Thinking about own death is never easy, but it's easy to ignore the fact that the world goes on and we're like snowflakes.
Now, holding a book written in foreign language, which is expected to be based on different upbringing, on different cultural and behavioural patterns - is a huge step towards recognizing the existence of other .. presences? points of view?, and the eventual limits of the own existence. (Also, it will trigger many other cultural reactions, including all the political BS). People, even when not acting lazy, do want to stay safe and happy, no hard feelings or thoughs.
SmarmySmurf · -1 points · Posted at 05:25:23 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't understand the point of these kinds of translations, in any medium. The setting is still England and Scotland in these foreign versions, no? So keep English names (and in this case, the one anagram) with footnotes. I understand changing everything else, but Voldemort should be Voldemort in every version. Same with other languages translated to English. Learning some foreign names isn't going to kill anyone.
MrGodzillahin · 5 points · Posted at 05:43:51 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If his name was Tom Marvelo Riddle in, let's say the Spanish version, it wouldn't be an anagram for "I am Lord Voldemort", in Spanish now would it?
SuzLouA · 3 points · Posted at 09:10:38 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I think it's because they're for children (and don't forget, when book 2, which reveals this, was written, the series was still relatively unknown). It's a lot more confusing for children to make them suddenly randomly learn English, so they adjust the name
SmarmySmurf · 2 points · Posted at 09:23:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You know... I'm pretty embarrassed just now that I didn't think of this fact. Erase my words from your minds! This never happened!! Obliviate!
SuzLouA · 2 points · Posted at 09:24:44 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Ha, don't worry about it mate. Fwiw, if they were for adults, I'd agree with you. Does a body good to learn new things. (Also lol @ Obliviate)
Dimakhaerus · 2 points · Posted at 10:31:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
For the same reason that Pokemon names are translated to english. For example, the original name in japanese for the Pokemon you call Bulbasaur is Fushigidane.
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 05:30:42 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Or tell the other languages to fucking deal with it.
tankpuss · -1 points · Posted at 06:14:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why bother translating it at all? If it was his name, surely that'd suffice. I was rather irked to see Gaston Lagaffe books translated into English changed his name to "Goof".
rd1994 · 2 points · Posted at 06:47:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Because his name is meant to be an anagram. ANd if the anagram makes no sense in the original language..well yeah.
Tyestor · -1 points · Posted at 06:28:48 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I don't understand why you would translate a name.
kyu_hee · 0 points · Posted at 06:35:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
They just said why... read the title :)
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 07:28:58 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Shouldn't have bothered. It would have been a good way of getting people across the globe learning the chosen language through Harry Potter.
have_sex_with_yellen · -1 points · Posted at 11:00:36 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What can't they just had to sign a petition against it.
nwgrower · -5 points · Posted at 01:00:02 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
If a name is changed so it fits the plot according to the language, then are English expressions changed also? I don't imagine a direct translation for "blimey".
InfinitySparks · 2 points · Posted at 02:11:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Isn't it roughly equivalent to "Geez!" in American English? I'm sure there's some expression or other.
nwgrower · 1 points · Posted at 04:02:52 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Right that makes sense I typed before I thought that one through lol
solsangraal · -19 points · Posted at 23:12:40 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
i know that most people who were ever going to read the books should have read them by now, but i'd still say that's a pretty big spoiler you dropped there
🎙️ industrial86 · 7 points · Posted at 23:32:11 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
probably.
[deleted] · 6 points · Posted at 01:15:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
There's a statute of limitations on spoilers. After 5-10 years or whatever, nobody really cares if you point out that Darth Vader is Luke's father.
solsangraal · 1 points · Posted at 01:18:21 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i feel lucky then-- i finally got around to reading the harry potters around dec. last year, never had anything spoilt. it's a good feeling experiencing the story from the author's story instead of elsewhere
edit: harry potter came out the year i graduated high school and blew up a couple years later, right around the time i was way too cool to be reading YA novels. so yea, didn't read them until i was 37 lol
[deleted] · 3 points · Posted at 01:22:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I mean, yeah, but you have to admit that when a fabulously popular book/movie is approaching two decades old, it stops being reasonable to expect people to be careful about discussing it.
solsangraal · 2 points · Posted at 01:24:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
valid point-- i didn't mean to give the impression that i'm upset about it
noctis89 · 3 points · Posted at 01:07:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The movie where this is revealed is 15 years old. If you haven't seen it by now, that's your fault.
Also, Darth Vader is actually Luke Skywalkers father.
solsangraal · 2 points · Posted at 01:11:00 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
i think i came across as giving way more of a shit than i actually do. i'm so sorry
w1n5t0nM1k3y · 2 points · Posted at 23:35:42 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
The only reason to not have read the books yet is if you are too young to read them. In which case, what are you doing on Reddit?
solsangraal · 5 points · Posted at 23:48:17 on July 7, 2017 · (Permalink)
also, snape killed dumbledore because dumbledore asked him to, and harry named his son albus severus
edit: albus severus, not just severus
The_Derpening · 1 points · Posted at 01:54:26 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
*Albus Severus
To honor two of the greatest men he'd ever known.
solsangraal · 1 points · Posted at 01:57:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
thank you
The_Derpening · 3 points · Posted at 01:54:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That or if you haven't yet gotten around to reading them but are still planning on it.
solsangraal · 1 points · Posted at 02:05:13 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
this was the sort of person i had in mind
exelion · -13 points · Posted at 01:40:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Kinda feel like this is stupid.
Give him the same name in every book, and say "in english (you know, the language of the country he's from), his name is a riddle that means 'yo soy voldemort'" or whatever.
ryte4flyte · -9 points · Posted at 02:01:19 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You should probably grow out of this...
Kiriye · -3 points · Posted at 02:14:27 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
was that... was that not obvious?
bityfne · -2 points · Posted at 02:36:01 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
TIL Tom Marvolo Riddle is Vordamort
DominicPurcell · -3 points · Posted at 02:37:41 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
and most of the people who cause trouble for homosexuals don't know what a homophone is.
wannabe_in_la · -2 points · Posted at 02:38:33 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
What kind of kook reads Harry Potter in Esperanto?
[deleted] · -12 points · Posted at 02:26:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
The definition of poor writing, and relying on tricks instead of substance.Fuck this series, period.
mac_and_book · 3 points · Posted at 03:32:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
You're late to be a Harry Potter's hater
[deleted] · -1 points · Posted at 04:36:25 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Not even a hater necessarily. Just saying its a very lazy, predictable, almost comical shtick
ginkomortus · 6 points · Posted at 02:29:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Wow, you don't like Harry Potter? You're so cool.
Truth-Addict · -12 points · Posted at 00:06:53 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Mark this as a spoiler. I haven't seen this yet.
Crisp_Volunteer · 11 points · Posted at 00:41:28 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
I hate it when that happens, last week someone posted that Darth Vader is Luke's father too.
OldDirtyMerc · 3 points · Posted at 01:57:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
WHAT
DeeDeeInDC · -5 points · Posted at 02:09:11 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Well, if it's "something of equal meaning", that doesn't really make it challenging any more. if you just said they HAD to keep the same letters, or something, that would be interesting.
[deleted] · -4 points · Posted at 02:32:55 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
garykanary · 2 points · Posted at 02:40:32 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Where are you getting confused?
[deleted] · -4 points · Posted at 02:43:05 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
garykanary · 3 points · Posted at 02:48:04 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Why " why the fuck not just:"
"instead of:"
[deleted] · -2 points · Posted at 02:49:39 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
garykanary · 1 points · Posted at 03:11:12 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Could've been " I'm upsets and will punch your dogs face"
2storyory · -4 points · Posted at 02:47:57 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Strange, I only see one R in toms name... must be magic
EDIT: Oh wow! There is definitely another R there. Sleep deprivation is to blame, I repent dear redditors. (Crowd murmurs for a moment only to be pierce by "BURN HIM!" And the torches are lit).
Vampirial · 4 points · Posted at 02:49:40 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
It's two R's. Marvolo and Riddle.
2storyory · 1 points · Posted at 02:08:17 on July 12, 2017 · (Permalink)
Oh wow! yea thanks for pointing that out, and TIL Redditing while falling asleep isn't a wise choice
KZ72 · -5 points · Posted at 02:57:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
eh... spoiler alert?
[deleted] · -5 points · Posted at 04:14:31 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Brandonmac10 · 2 points · Posted at 04:44:06 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
That was like the big twist of the second book/movie (I only watched the movies). The book Harry has been carrying around and trying to figure everything out with was possed by Voldemort and Harry was actually reading about little Voldemort's experiences at Hogwarts the whole time throughout the same movie.
JK Rowling might not be the cleverest, especially since she reskinned that same plot point for a big twist towards the end of the series but you cant disagree that she made a decent, practical coming of age story about a child learning he's a wizard and going to a crazy school in a castle to become the savior of the wizarding world blah, blah, blah. It's exciting and it sells, it doesn't need to be War and Peace.
[deleted] · 1 points · Posted at 06:09:10 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]
Brandonmac10 · 0 points · Posted at 06:16:50 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Obviously I haven't read it, but don't act like your against violence and an activist for world peace if you have patriotism for a land of bullshit and governments that decide to fight each other. Bunch of people with nothing better to do than start a mess so other people will notice them.
But anyway, Harry Potter is a Young Adult, fictional, fantasy novel. Expecting it to be compelling, insightful, and meaningful is like going to Mickey D's and being pissed you didn't get a 5 star meal. It's entertainment for kids, man. And it did that plenty well. Sometimes being the best or most complicated doesn't get you anywhere if the whole point was supposed to be to entertain people and let them pretend there's a world full of magic and adventure.
You only get so much of that wonder before you grow into a jaded adult who can't find a reason to give a shit about anything.
compson31011 · -8 points · Posted at 01:36:37 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
Fake news
[deleted] · -9 points · Posted at 01:38:16 on July 8, 2017 · (Permalink)
[deleted]