#translation analysis

[wegog]

sorry for this random question... but did you get the whole shika's plan at the end of the new chapter? because firstly when i was reading some fan's translation of the chapter he planned to separate the team into two groups or sm... like he wanted to accompany hima. but in the official translation he said that hima needs to be with them all. so then i don't understant the whole point.

Okay, Anon... I'm actually quite intrigued by your ask.

But I'm afraid that I can't help you here, because there are certain subtleties of translation. And I only speak Japanese in my dreams.

But I tried to figure this issue out! And this is what I have...

There're 3 different translations (only what I was able to find)

The first one that can count as an official, I suppose (or just of good quality)

Translation #1

(by Mari Morimoto)

And also I found a very similar translation that was made before

Translation #2

(by SALADSANDBOLTS)

And I suppose I understand what is bothering you... Like Shikadai told: "As long as Himawari with us... They probably won't unleash this attack again"

So, it actually doesn't make any sense... Because Jūra already attacked them. And he clearly reported them that InoShikaCho won't be an obstacle. Unfortinatelly, by this time, the team 10 isn't able to protect Hima and themselves (that's why Himawari will rescue them). What about another translation... My guess is that the person who did this may have used Google translate (or something like that because their translation is more literal). And when I used it I got a similar result.

Translation #3

(that was on https://ww9.readnaruto.com/, but right now I can't find the author, I'm sorry)

Despite that, I agree that the whole idea with a division souds more logical. Because if they'll become two different groups, there will be more opportunity to throw Jūra off the scent. Thus he will think that Hima flew away on a bird, for example, while she will go in opposite direction with Shikadai.

After all this question is not so trivial...

That's why I decided to check the original text and ascertained if I can understand something (a spoiler: I can't)

 I used G-translate and I think I found a part you noticed when you read the translation #3

Honestly, I was trying to find a context in which the speakers can use this (and there's only one thing that almost what he said, but with る instead of り at the end. And we can translate it as 'I'm next to you' or 'I'm beside you')

I translated remaining text. I tried to analyze every Hiragana character and their compatibility. But it didn't help me to understand exactly if Shikadai was talking about a group of him and Himawari or about the whole team. Maybe, if enyone who speaks Japanese read this, they can give us their comments and interpretation. However, it's still possible the kids will follow Shikadai's strategy and we will see what he really meant.

Also I believe skilled translators see all necessary details and there's a reason why they transmitted it as Shikadai's talking about the whole team 10. Yet it still can be misunderstanding.

Anyway, if is it important for the story? I'm not sure. I'm just a weird language nerd who would like to analyze as many details related to Hima as possible.

Thanks for this random question!

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

So I HAVE REALIZED that all y'all English speakers do not realize what mastery the Polish version of Zero to Hero from Disney's hit movie Hercules (1997) is and that is simply unacceptable

But do not worry as I, in a fit of sleeplessness, decided to deliver you from this misery

First of all a link to the song with the lyrics in the descryption

And now onto my incoherent swooning over Polish language

Okay so first of all they managed to keep the visual pun of “Herc was on a roll” by using “mówię wszem, wkoło to co wiem” (I tell to all, around what I know) with “wkoło” literally using the word circle and just y’know, fits

“Spoza kulis” – “from behind the stage” they refer to the theatre and you know, it’s Ancient Greece

“A dziś contra plures wyrusza w bój” WE START THE GOOD STUFF. Literally they sing “and today he goes fight contra plures” which is an obvious and delightful reference to the Latin quote “Non Hercules contra plures”

And here maybe I’m reaching bUT- They sing “nie jest mu obcy żaden znój” (“he’s not a stranger to any toil”) and the word “znój” here is the key, because it can be used as synonym to “work” so twelve works of Hercules mayhaps???

They mention Croesus! They sing that Herc could rival him in terms of riches

(Also they call Herc “this god of heroes” using the word “heros” that usually is used to mean specifically “Greek half-god hero”, so like “god of half-gods” lol)

“Taki chłop ze stali stale trafia sto na sto” THIS DEAR SIR IS MASTERY OF WORD

AND I really think that we need to all show respect to the translator for translating the lines “And this perfect package packed a pair of pretty pecs” and keeping the alliteration. Sure, he changed the sound from “p” to “b” but those are literally almost the same sound in the scientific sense, just one is voiced and the other is voiceless, so I don’t want to hear any critique is that clear 🔪 Also “bóg bohater biegły w bojach bogom prawie brat” sounds extremely cool (god hero experiences in battles almost a brother to the gods)

“Widział kto mężniejszego męża?” again, fantastic wordplay, the closest example in English I can think of is “manly man” only if “manly” meant “brave” or “daring”

Appreciation for the line “not a douche who’d slice bread with an axe” <3

“Mięśnie ma herkuliste” he sure has very herculesous those muscles

“Mister of beauty” you know, like the peagents

“Strong like a Pillar of Hercules” more references!

“The dice long time ago iacta est” obvious reference to “alea iacta est”, of course

“Who doesn’t dieeeeeeeeee… is alive!” I couldn’t sum it up better myself

Thank for reading I love this song goodnight

[watch-grok-brainrot]

What’s in a name? CQL vs MDZS

To not repeat things others have said, read @hunxi-guilai‘s post to understand the possible meanings of the chinese name for cql and what mdzs means in chinese. 

I realize I have a tiny bit to add to this discussion. 

hunxi mentioned that  令 means command and it can refer to the flute commanding all. But I think there’s another point to add! By changing the name from MDZS to CQL, the writers of the show indicated both major changes they made to the story. 

If you haven’t watched the entire show, please stop reading because spoilers ahead. 

Ok, you’re still with me. 

Other than all the Xue Chonghai and Yin Iron stuff that makes WWX not the grandmaster of demonic cultivation (taking away the name MDZS), the other major change in the plot is the addition of Su Sh*t getting to use the sound of a flute to control puppets. So the other ADDED plotpoint is about CHENQING’s COMMAND.

I rewatched episode 43 today. WWX and LWJ are sitting in JingShi talking about the SECOND FLUTE SOUND at Qionqi Path and at Nightless City. The other Chenqing like COMMAND that screws up Wen Ning’s focus, that takes the puppets from WWX, that causes all of WWX’s grief! This is the other flute sound that is the key to the entire story! The reason behind so many problems and misunderstandings! 

So I fully believe the naming of the show isn’t a “song/poem to present my feelings” but Chen Qing’s Command. The writers put it in there to let the audience know the expected plot changes. It’s BRILLIANT. And I have NO IDEA WHY I MISSED IT THE FIRST FIVE TIMES I CONTEMPLATED THE NAME OF THE SHOW! 

[thestudyingneverends]

ever wish an analytical essay would just write itself?

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

It's way too late but who cares! Here is my analysis of the Polish translation of the first song from Encanto, Family Madrigal!

Just a headsup, this song is one of the "just good" ones, so dont expect any fireworks like with WDTAB (we'll save those emotions for What Else Can I Do because boy)

*I'll start by noting that I really like how in the og version they made "drawers" rhyme with "floors" and "doors" even though it shouldn't be possible

+ Then again, Mirabel's Polish VA balances it out by having more enthusiasm in her voice when she sings this part than her English predecessor had

+ I have to say I prefer "time for the show" over "let's go", and this is also a good example of when using a macaronism/slang term works really well

-"Here's the family" I know "my family" wouldn't fit but it just sounds weird x)

+ "We're all here thanks to her" I think sounds a little better, sweeter maybe than "She led us here so many years ago"

+ "It's better (for us) with each new day" > "every year"

+ And here I'm conflicted, because "I'll tell what I know from this story" just sounds better to me, like more in character? But it's kinda far from the original "There's just a lot you've simply got to know". Though at the end of it I think I like the dubbed version better

= "And it's okay" instead of "We're on our way" I know it was made to fit the sound of the original but it's a very interesting choice I'm not convinced about

= "This is my family Madrigal" instead of "I'm part of". For me Mirabel's constant assurances that she's part of the family were quite unnatural but I mean, I guess that was the point and part of her characterization/foreshadowing of her problems so

+ Coffe got diminuted into "kawka" <3

*I just wanted to make a note that if you can follow an og line with a dubbed line and it still sounds fine, then you know the translation is good

+ I'm not going to translate the whole line but I think the internal rhymes in the line "her recipes are remedies for real" work even better in Polish

+"It's not a dream, it's something fantastical, somthing magical/It's my family Madrigal" again we loose the foreshadowing but it sounds better

+Okay here are the fireworks I just love how the part about Felix and Agustin got transalted, just, the internal rhymes in "wój mój" and "za to tato" (the use of tato in Nominative is so informal <3) and it sounds even faster than in the original despite having the same if not less syllables it's just *mwah*

*I feel like I should say something about the use of "pocisnę" which is very slang, and "time sheet" (like you have in school) but I don't know what so here

-"Camilo changes (himself)" sadly we don't have a verb to shapeshift 😔

+"Antonio will find out his gift today" instead of "get", I like it, it implies they all already have it and the ceremony only like, outs it (And if you want to go the angsty route, this might've been what made Mirabel think she's talentless, the ceremony didn't out any gift cause she never had any)

-"She makes a flower carpet in seconds" no sass for Mira here

+ "Her brain and lion heart" lion heart <333

-"Look for me in the family Madrigal" I... absolutely don't understand this line

+ I like the use of the word biographical in the og line, but Polish one is more natural, kinda like she's no longer really singing a song, but just speaking normally and fitting into the melody and rhythm simply by the laws of musical

+ English: Julieta, better, arepa; Polish: Julietę, arepę, lepiej

+ Also the town chants "talk aabout yourself, Mirabel!" so again, more direct

-We lose the meta joke about Dolores hearing the chorus

+ Instead of just "what are you doing" abuela uses a stronger word (so not "robisz" but "wyczyniasz")

+ And finally I don't know why but just, Dolores' line is much more funny to me in Polish XD Maybe it's because of the archaic/poetic word order, maybe it's the delivery, but yeah

So generally, even though I've noted out many strong points, these are the kind that I only noticed now during this analysis, so I guess they've added a lot, but still in general it's just, equally good.

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

Alright "Waiting on a miracle" let's goooo

+ Mirabel doesn’t tell herself what to do, but instead convinces herself that that’s what she feels (”I’m not sad” instead of ”don’t be sad”)

+ I wasn’t convinced to it at first, but I have to admit that ”tak mi źle” just hits harder than ”I’m not fine”

*I’d love to give it a plus but the line ”I won’t bring flower fields to life” is straight up poetry and simply leaves the og no chances. I think it also works for my theory that in translations thy just can’t allow themselves to say things literally and that’s why it’smore poetic

= I’m on a tie here, on one hand, ”hoping I could finally shine” makes Mirabel sound more selfish, but on the other I really like this line…

- I love you Ms Szczepaniak but Ms Beatriz’s voice break is simply superior to your voice tremble 😔

+ ”I don’t want to stand alone” instead of ”stand on the side”

- ”Look at me here” instead of ”open your eyes” alas

* Though I have to admit, somehow the Polish lyrics flow better here, since I feel like Ms Beatriz had a little problem with connecting ”eyes” and ”open”

+ You can hear Ms Szczepaniak smile in these next lines I’m ajekjwjkwaj

+ ”Someone just show the road to [my] dreams” is absolutely superior to ”where do I go” I’m not sorry

= And here is this interesting phenomena, where they changed the lyrics completely, but like, they work. So ”I would heal what's broken/Show this family something new” got exchanged for ”I want to give something the family/And wake the hope once more” so??? I love it??? But also???

- I really love ”na jakiś cud, na szczęścia łut” (a miracle, a lucky chance) but it’s not ”so here I go”

+ ”Enough of this waiting patiently without a word” slay queen

And that's it! Man this song is shorter than I remembered XD In conclusion, there's barely any difference, good song, 10/10 Ms Szczepaniak absolutely slayed it and the translation is Fine™

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

Hehe I'm on a roll, time for "Surface Pressure"

+Let’s start by mentioning that the title got translated to “Armor – pressure” and I mean how cool is that?

+ ”And I act naturally” it’s just even more unnatural XD

* Hm I might be wrong since I don’t have the most musical ear, but I think Ms Szymańczyk’s voice is a little softer than Ms Darrow’s?

* Except for the “woah”s those are clearly and fantastically hoarse

* WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE OKAYS AND WHY DO I PREFER THE POLISH ONE LIKE I HEAR IT BUT I CAN’T TELL WHAT IT IS

* Tutaj napomknę, że jak pierwszy raz oglądałam byłam pewna, że zrymują kaplice z bice i ciągle mnie to bawi XD

+ Kobita <3 Folk colloqialisms my beloved <3

+ She feel’s ”fear” not ”berserk” when she uses the tightrope metaphor which I think makes more sense? Because I mean, why would it make her feel berserk? Isn’t that like, anger, rage fury and all that?

+ I’m very glad they didn’t use the ”yo” this slang absolutely would bother me

- Though I’d say that “the beast of fear” for Cerberus is a little too fancy

- We completely don’t get the line “I'm pretty surе I'm worthless if I can't be of servicе” :((((

*This line does sound really good though, with a lot of internal rhymes

= We also don’t get the reference to “straw that breaks the camel’s” back, but that’s simply because we don’t really use this saying in Polish and it got really skillfully replaced

+ “kap kap kap” instead of “drip drip drip” which is the translation of this onomatopoeia, but also in the place where there was “stop” in English, there’s “w trop” in Polish *chef’s kiss*

+ “łapy”! A colloquial augmentative that works perfectly here and again “pop” turns into “stop”, talk about music to my ears

+ “And it won’t let go” got exchanged for “will I survive it?” which just hits harder

+ And here’s something I absolutely love, they kept the “tik tik tik” onomatopoeia but changed its meaning from a ticking bomb into breaking glass! Fantastic

+ Oh my beloved part, the original verses here get exchanged for a reference to the Polish saying “where devil can’t go he’ll send a woman” in “we’ll send her where the devil can’t” (I’d say this is to balance the lack of the English saying with the camel)

+ And the visual reference is kept with Luisa singing “[what will happen] when I break (off)” just as the cliff breaks of

+ She’s nervous she’s going to hurt them, baybe no 🥺

+ Hm I feel like the implication of this line is a little different in Polish than English? The whole part goes like this:

“And in my head

There are ice bergs

But I can’t change my course”

And I just feel like it makes it more tragic? Like she sees that she can sink any moment now but can’t do anything about it, instead of assuring herself she’s not going to break. Unless I understand the og line wrongly.

+ And here’s something I never understood? Why does she sing “light wind blows”??? When it’s clearly a hurricane, which is the word they use in the Polish dub.

= And… here I’m torn. Because in Polish Luisa sings clearly “Depression keep’s growing cause the pressure keeps falling on me” and I mean wow they openly mention a disorder that’s unheard of and good I suppose, but I just… wouldn’t say that depression specifically is Luisa’s problem? x) I don’t know, perhaps I’m just nitpicking

= On one hand “it doesn’t hurt” is a fantastic line, on the other “she has practice” [in handling the family burden] is one too

= Instead of “never breaks” there’s “still doesn’t break” interesting…

+ “Nie myśl se!” FOLK COLLOQUIALISM “SE” MY BELOVED

+ “Don’t think so much about if you’d stand this pressure” so she implies Mirabel is already thinking about it at least a little…

- Though we loose “Who am I if I don't have what it takes?” to “Who else could handle this here?” so less “this is the only thing I can do this is who I am” and more “I have to do this because no one else would”, still an existential crisis but a different one

+ “Without a word”

+ I am SO ASHAMED of myself that at first I didn’t realize they snuck in a pun into the second to last verse, literally meaning “for an A” (grade) but making it sound like the Polish word for “pressure”

And that's the song! Now that I analysed it, it doesn't seem much better than the original, I think this is the most equal one, but I still clearly prefer Polish dub over English ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

The time has finally come! Welcome to the analysis of the last song from Encanto – All of You

- And we’re starting on a negative note, because why did the translators think that it’d be a good idea to change the line “But we’ll get by just fine” to “Nothing [in life] comes for free”

- This is a minor nitpick, but “You’re more than just your gift” is in Polish “There are more things that count” which is the closest translation, but it’s less direct :(

= I have to say “A mistake grew from my love” is a beautiful line, but it’s still not the same as “Just so afraid I’d lose you too”

*They juggled singular and plural “you” in a very smart way here I have to say

+ All of you is so smartly translated! Since “all” is gendered in Polish, they simply take the chance that it’s repeated and use first the feminine version, then the masculine, hence “Cała ty, cały ty”

+ “Yes, does anyone want to talk about Bruno?/Then maybe I’ll go!” hsbvhjsbchs

= “wyszło” and “wszystko” is a really nice rhyme

- But other than that, Bruno’s part isn’t the best in terms if exact translation? Honestly I don’t really understand what he was trying to say, like, I have the lyrics before my eyes and I don’t get the meaning so maybe that’s a problem with me. I’m also not sure if “Mam ten gest” was supposed to be a Frozen reference like in the original or not? Though it reminds me more of “It’s hard to be a god” but this one is definitely a problem with me

+ Felix’s voice sounds extremely weird here and he’s barely audible but he says “szwagier” (brother in law) so yay

+ Bruno’s informal contractions are conveyed in him saying “siory” instead of “siostry” to his sisters :>

+ “Hey, we're just happy that you're here, okay?” turned into “You’re finally where your home is” 🥺

= No mention of them being triplets, but personally I’m glad, it would sound weird

+ “Nothing’s gonna stop us!”

+ HBHCBSHDCBSHDCB “cała wieś” hzbdhjbsc why is it so funny to me XDD

* He literally says the whole village is coming but like, Encanto was always called a town and the sheer word village is just so funny to me in this context

+ “SO MANY ROADS (SO MANY ROADS) LEAD TO THE HOME’S TRESHOLD” 😭

+ “Strength or not but I have my reason” I really like it :3

+ “Let’s plant something may it grow/ To the stars and you too/ Fly there” I like it, it’s a nice callback to Isa’s song and I think it even makes more sense than the og line of “C'mon, let's plant something new and watch it fly/ Straight up to the sky, let's go” because why would the plants fly XD

+ “Though the stars are burning, the constellations will glow” I love this line and also the implications

+ Mira uses a colloquial idiom “to be in a ditch” which has the same meaning as “to be blue” :D

+ The difference is very slight but Szczepaniak really just pronounces the line “Have you met Dolores?” with such sweet curiosity (and contrariness?? Like the tone you have during bantering I guess) in her voice :3

+ “Papa” with a strong p is such a good substitute for “g’bye”

+ Okay I’m going to translate the entirety of Dolores’ part because I just prefer it y’know, I genuinely like it better

“You have such a voice/ You take care of your mom just a perfect son/ And you write lovely poems in the evenings right before bed/ So maybe you’d wake up and maybe you’d notice me?” “Dolores… where had I had my eyes?” “Talk to me like that”

I just- It’s better

Fight me

Though I have to admit I never understood what’s the deal with “I see you/I hear you” like?? Is this a reference to something? Is this a thing people say to each other in the US?? Why is this a big deal she literally heard him all the time

+ Just “It’s our home” instead of “Home sweet home”, I suppose I like the use of sayings in the characters’ lines, but well, first of all we don’t really have this one here, second it stays as the reference to “The Family Madrigal” and three, I just think this simple line really works here

= Instead of “celebration” Alma says something similar to “chaos” though a little more affectionate XD

+ Bruno’s voice when he says “We need a doorknob”, really, you just have to hear it, it’s like “well duh” but good natured XD

+ The line “For you, please take it” itself and the way Antonio says it 🥺

+ “You have such fire [embers?] within/ Such bravery you have inside”

+ “Open the door” “And your eyes too”

- We don’t get “Abre los ojos” :(

+ “ Do you see anyone?/ Is someone there?” “Oh yes… it’s me” ijwegqijugqhu 😭

And on this note we officially finish our translation comparison journey! As for “All of you” itself, I’d say it starts pretty weakly, but it really picks up to the point that there really are some parts I like more in the dub, so really a perfect song to end this movie.

I hope you enjoyed all the analysis posts and you’ll enjoy them for other media as well!