Maden Dino

(Almost) English subtitles from a TV show I have been watching today:


- A den in the day, it's all about her.

You can propably guess it really was -> at the end of the day, it's all about her.
Curiously enough, the same line was, in another scene, subtitled:

- Remember, another day, it's all about her.


Subtitle:
- Just because she and me now alone...
Spoken line:
-> Just because it's you and me alone now...

- I have a little Babylon, here.
->I've got a little problem here.


- I din't know nice is an exaggerate world.
-> I don't know if nice is the exact word.


- Hanke is father a legand father.
-> Hank is the father. Alleged father.

- Right a child I will love it as my own.
-> I'll raise the child and I'll love it as my own.

- All right Mars...
-> All right Marcy...

- I hope you are right
->... or hump your leg // ANd would some one please tell me how they came up with "I hope you are right"?

- Great old guy got to the coma.
-> Great! Old guys go to Tacoma.

- Tell me I will send you. // Like how could that even be a sentence?
-> Tell them who sent you.

- It is my pleasent.
-> No time like the present.

- This is the Maden dino what is shake you
-> Well if it isn't the madre of my bambino. What's shaken sweet duck?

These are just random picks, from one episode, so it was no effort to gather these, really. And there were plenty more.

This kind of humour just remarkably amplifies the viewing pleasure of ANY programme :o)

I wonder what they pay for the translators around here...

Names

In China it is quite common for people working for international companies to pick an "english name". It is (supposedly) easier for the non-Chinese to remember "Ann" than Wang Zhi Chuo. (I didn't want to use anyones name I know, so that is a propably not a real name.)

But the thing is, that e-mail addresses are often only in the form of the Chinese-name. So, all of us need to remember both the English name, which is used in conversing, documents etc., and the Chinese name. And, to top that of, you never know if the e-mail address can be found starting with Wang, or with Zhi, or with Chuo, or with Ann, if we use the example above. OK, so this is a little additional work, but I guess it is a good practice to activate your memory cells. They say, long term, that helps to keep sharp. (Then again I presume you (and by "you", I mean "I") should be sharp to begin with, to "keep" sharp...)

But why I really started to write this post is the humour these "English names" bring to my life. The thing is, that in Finland we are rather concervative with the names choices. You cannot even give just any name to your kids. It actually should be a name.

In China, the name should traditionally associate with good things. Money, beauty, something nice. Like my Chinese name is something about memory of orchids and a character that refers to "girlie" things, and sounds somewhat like my western name. My colleagues wife suggested it. (I had no idea how to pick a Chinese name, considering I did not know much Chinese.)

Apple, Joy, Venus and Jenny are very popular among the Chinese ladies I've met and can be recognised to be names. But then, many Chinese decide to go creative when they decide their "english name". Or, do you, in the western world know many by the name "Tomato"? "Chocolate"? Or perhaps "Junion"? How about "HiSense"? Think of all the possibilities! Darn, why don't we get to pick an English name. I would follow the path of HiSense and immediately become Nonsense :o)

Linglingtsii

You have got to check out this blog: I Spy Shanghai. It is seriously funny, with some pretty good capture-shots of Shanghai. And, right now, Ispyshanghai offers you a small portion of excellent chinglish. Would you like to try an absolutely delicious "Dyadic Bittern of a Tide Goose Movie"?

In the above mentioned posting (and comments) few opinions of the new 007 ([ling-ling-tsi], på kinska) flick. We went to see that too a week ago. Seems other people share my view: it is not a bad movie, in its genre, but it just wasn't "Bondy" at all. It was like watching any other action movie. The new Bond himself is not Bondy, I you ask me, so what can you expect then... Violence was not on short supply, that's for sure. Some non-Bond-friends seem to like the new Bond (Daniel Craig), but I would prefer something of a Sean Connery-Pierce Brosnan-hybrid.

In our movie theater the Bond was on about 30 times a day (actually more, it was on in about 7 screens, and all day through) and the only other english speaking movie shown at the moment was "To the center of the Earth", with "George of the Jungle" in it :o) Well, I wanted to see the Bond at some point anyway, so it didn't bother in that sense, but just to demonstrate the huge selection available.

There is also something else I need to grumble about: they only sell sweet popcorn! I had decided to get a huge bucket of popcorn already hours before, but sweet popcorn! No way. Out of the question. Next time I'll bring my own. It is, of course, not allowed, but since for example the couple sitting next to us brough with them two full bags of Kentucky Fried Chicken's offerings, and munched well over the first hald-an-hour, I will make big noise if I cannot bring my own popcorn.

I haven't figured out why James Bond got to come to China only one week after international premier, but Batman had to wait months... I guess this just shows James is a though guy, and would beat Badman if they ever had to figth... Of course they don't, since they are both goodies, and fight against the baddies, not each other. But good to know whom to turn should a need arise.

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