Some more literal translations of the Mandarin in Shang-Chi [spoilers obviously]
Okay so there are lots of nuances missing from the subtitles in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings movie and I know some decisions are for ease of reading but for those interested, here are some more literal translations of some of the Mandarin in Shang-Chi, based on my interpretation:
Above, the Chinese is 火山口, which is specifically a volcanic crater, not any sort of crater.
Above, the meaning of the second line is actually completely different; the emphasis is on the fact that already conquered so much yet wanted more; not what he was chasing.
The proper pinyin of Ta Lo is “Taluo”, which I’ve used here.
Same here, Shang-Chi is actually “Shangqi” in Chinese pinyin.
This one is extremely simplified in the subtitles, not sure why because it can’t be a speed thing, she says three separate sentences that they could have translated.
Not sure why this wasn’t subbed lol
I think this difference is interesting because the subs imply the guy was almost misleading, i.e. you have to sign this to get in the building, but the actual Mandarin is very vague, all he says is to sign there.
The last phrase here is “你别把我扔在这”, with the “扔” meaning “throw”, so even more literally it translates as “don’t throw me away here”. It gives an extra sense of abandonment that the subs don’t capture.
Don’t move your head, Wenwu
Guang Bo’s line here is harsher in Mandarin, and I think hits especially hard in light of how “Go back to where you came from” is classically thrown at Asian immigrants. There’s intense irony in the line coming from the other side, that the subtitles don’t convey.
English subs censored his swearing lol
Here Guang Bo says “混账”, which is an insult, usually used when someone has just said something extremely disrespectful.
Here Wenwu calls him “小子”, “小” meaning “small”. “Young man” is a much too polite translation of the phrase there. Then his last line is a Chinese idiom, “我吃的盐比你吃的饭还多” which is used to show how much more experience one has than the person you’re talking to.
I prefer “Come back alive” tbh
Anyway I hope this was interesting, translating is obviously not an easy art so this isn’t meant to suggest better subs, I just wanted to share what non-Chinese speakers might have missed out on because the experience was truly better being able to understand both languages. It’s so refreshing seeing such a bilingual movie come out of Hollywood, and this coming from someone who isn’t even really a Marvel fan.
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