wombat1138 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wombat1138) wrote2012-01-19 09:15 am
wombat1138) wrote2012-01-19 09:15 am
Entry tags:
random translation issues
Well, perhaps not all that random-- specifically, I've become fascinated by looking up different translations of the Costa Concordia transcript line, "Vada a bordo, cazzo!"
Language Log points out that one aspect lost in English translation is that De Falco is using the formal "you" pronoun/verbs throughout the conversation.
The reputably-sourced translations of "cazzo" in this context mostly seem idiomatic rather than literal-- emotional/rhetorical emphasis, rather than a personally-directed insult. There are some exceptions, though.
English versions from various news media are mostly sentence-final words/phrases: "Get back on board, dammit!"; "...for God's sake!"; "...for fuck's sake!".
Japanese: 船に戻れ、畜生 (chikusho) or "船に戻れ、ばか野郎" (baka yarou)
German: "Gehen Sie verdammt noch mal an Bord!"; "Gehen Sie an Bord, verflucht nochmal!"
Dutch: "Ga aan boord verdomme!" or "Ga aan boord, klootzak!"
French: "Bon sang, retournez à bord !" (Paris); "Allez à bord, bordel de merde!" (Quebec).
Brazilian Portuguese: "Volte a bordo, porra!!" (from online headlines; no link) or “Volte a bordo, caralho!”
European Spanish: "¡Suba a bordo, coño!"
Russian: "Идите на борт, черт побери!"
Ukrainian: "Быстро вернулся на борт, бл...ть!"
Hebrew: "חזור לסיפון זין!"
(I can barely limp through Cyrillic script one letter at a time and can't read Hebrew at all, so I have no real idea what those say.)
If anyone wants to contribute more, I'd love to see them.
Language Log points out that one aspect lost in English translation is that De Falco is using the formal "you" pronoun/verbs throughout the conversation.
The reputably-sourced translations of "cazzo" in this context mostly seem idiomatic rather than literal-- emotional/rhetorical emphasis, rather than a personally-directed insult. There are some exceptions, though.
English versions from various news media are mostly sentence-final words/phrases: "Get back on board, dammit!"; "...for God's sake!"; "...for fuck's sake!".
Japanese: 船に戻れ、畜生 (chikusho) or "船に戻れ、ばか野郎" (baka yarou)
German: "Gehen Sie verdammt noch mal an Bord!"; "Gehen Sie an Bord, verflucht nochmal!"
Dutch: "Ga aan boord verdomme!" or "Ga aan boord, klootzak!"
French: "Bon sang, retournez à bord !" (Paris); "Allez à bord, bordel de merde!" (Quebec).
Brazilian Portuguese: "Volte a bordo, porra!!" (from online headlines; no link) or “Volte a bordo, caralho!”
European Spanish: "¡Suba a bordo, coño!"
Russian: "Идите на борт, черт побери!"
Ukrainian: "Быстро вернулся на борт, бл...ть!"
Hebrew: "חזור לסיפון זין!"
(I can barely limp through Cyrillic script one letter at a time and can't read Hebrew at all, so I have no real idea what those say.)
If anyone wants to contribute more, I'd love to see them.