Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________ WHY SUBTITLES STINK BY CYNTHIA JOYCE (03/23/98)

I thoroughly enjoyed Cynthia Joyce's article regarding the abominable state of movie subtitles, since it reminded me of an experience I had when I was living in Japan. I went to see "Annie Hall" at a theater in Tokyo, and of course was perplexed at the fact that I was howling with laughter while most of the Japanese viewers were sitting in their seats like stones, only to laugh later at what seemed to me to be inappropriate places. I decided to watch the movie a second time just to see if I could keep up with the subtitles. At one point in the movie, just after Woody Allen and Diane Keaton have met, he compliments her on the nice hand-knitted tie she is wearing, and she mentions that it was a gift from her grandmother. He responds by saying, "My grandmother didn't have time for knitting, she was too busy being raped by Cossacks." Anyone familiar with Jewish humor (and history) will immediately appreciate the mordant gallows humor displayed here. Imagine my surprise when I read the subtitle, which informed the Japanese audience that Allen's grandmother didn't have time for knitting since "she was too busy reading pornography." I have never really trusted subtitles since.
-- Earl Hartman
Thirty years ago, I co-translated two Swedish films and, on the basis of that limited experience, wish to clarify and, in some sense, disagree with, Cynthia Joyce's article.
As she notes, translators work from a script annotated with time markings ("spotting list") -- and must keep their writing to a minimum. After all, it's a movie, not a novel, and each line or two must stay on the screen long enough to be read.
The subtitles carry the plot, but it is the actors' responsibility to provide the emotional content. Furthermore, the subtitles must contend with the destination country's censorship requirements. One notable example: An early translation of Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night" omitted several minutes of dialog when two women compared their spouses' anatomy, and I don't recall that the secret ingredient in the champagne toast was ever revealed to the tender sensibilities of the English speaking audience, even though it is central to the ongoing night's activities.
Luis Manuel Rodriguez is to be commended for his effort to make a film about American politics understandable to a Spanish-speaking audience.
-- Martin Minow
SALON | March 25, 1998

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_______________ WHY SUBTITLES STINK BY CYNTHIA JOYCE (03/23/98)
	I thoroughly enjoyed Cynthia Joyce's article regarding the abominable state of movie subtitles, since it reminded me of an experience I had when I was living in Japan. I went to see "Annie Hall" at a theater in Tokyo, and of course was perplexed at the fact that I was howling with laughter while most of the Japanese viewers were sitting in their seats like stones, only to laugh later at what seemed to me to be inappropriate places. I decided to watch the movie a second time just to see if I could keep up with the subtitles. At one point in the movie, just after Woody Allen and Diane Keaton have met, he compliments her on the nice hand-knitted tie she is wearing, and she mentions that it was a gift from her grandmother. He responds by saying, "My grandmother didn't have time for knitting, she was too busy being raped by Cossacks." Anyone familiar with Jewish humor (and history) will immediately appreciate the mordant gallows humor displayed here. Imagine my surprise when I read the subtitle, which informed the Japanese audience that Allen's grandmother didn't have time for knitting since "she was too busy reading pornography." I have never really trusted subtitles since. -- Earl Hartman Thirty years ago, I co-translated two Swedish films and, on the basis of that limited experience, wish to clarify and, in some sense, disagree with, Cynthia Joyce's article. As she notes, translators work from a script annotated with time markings ("spotting list") -- and must keep their writing to a minimum. After all, it's a movie, not a novel, and each line or two must stay on the screen long enough to be read. The subtitles carry the plot, but it is the actors' responsibility to provide the emotional content. Furthermore, the subtitles must contend with the destination country's censorship requirements. One notable example: An early translation of Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night" omitted several minutes of dialog when two women compared their spouses' anatomy, and I don't recall that the secret ingredient in the champagne toast was ever revealed to the tender sensibilities of the English speaking audience, even though it is central to the ongoing night's activities. Luis Manuel Rodriguez is to be commended for his effort to make a film about American politics understandable to a Spanish-speaking audience. -- Martin Minow SALON \| March 25, 1998