stop the translation

STOPTHETRANSLATION says: play with the bounceicles. click them, drag them, bump them around. they're crazy!

Friday, August 25, 2006

Stop the translation, 2

I'm not a big fan of translated dialogue. Here's why. Try to remember any WWII English language movie, where German officers talk to each other in English with a German accent. And they are all american actors. Now, whether they want us to believe those Germans actually had knowledge of English language or they think the movie sounds more realistic, that's just silly. It became a trend, it caught up and I don't think it will stop anytime soon. Asking actors to cover certain accents where the character actually has one will always backfire one way or another. Unless it's Meryl Streep in "Sophie's choice" or Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doubtfire" it's a lost cause. Think about poor Renee Zellweger in "Cinderela Man" telling Jim Braddock "you are the pride of Bergen and the champion of my heart" with a silly Joysey accent. People were slapping their knees and choking with laughter just when the movie was supposed to deliver a dramatic moment. How about the unbearable accent of Lena Olin in "The unbearable lightness of being"? Beautiful novel, decent movie, hard to follow Sabina. And the beat goes on. I will go as far as saying that you don't even need to display an Elvis voice and look if you play the part. Unless you're one of the flying Elvis impersonators or a "do Elvis, no, do Bush, wait, do Nicholson" party clown you should stick to your craft and be someone more than a talking wax museum character.

Signing off, STOPTHETRANSLATION.

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