What are considered bad Eva translations by ADV and Manga?

V

Eva Yojimbo wrote:

V wrote:

I'm not arguing with you but what's the specific "list-o-things we consider bad translations?"

I don't know of any list, but I remember reading about constant screw-ups when I first got into the series. You might start a new thread and ask about it because even though I've seen most of the dub it's been a long time and most of what I remember about it comes from people who quote it instead of the platinum subs.

what are the "infamous bad ADV translation errors?" that is, if I'm watching it with friends who are themselves new to it, what is it vital I point out is badly translated?

for that matter just for myself or something: I keep hearing everyone say "ADV made horrible translation errors" but what SPECIFICALLY was bad, off the top of your head?

The only one I can think of, and it was pretty bad, was the Adam/Lilith/Angels/humans mixup during Misato's monologue explaining the relationship between humans and Angels during End of Eva. They really got that wrong. (and yeah, they ADDED a line of dialogue or two "Hit 'em again!" etc; and also the 2 F-bombs, which I feel, were actually entirely justified given the situations)

but otherwise, what are the infamous things that ADV either got really wrong, or simply, that while not "wrong" per se, are drastically drastically different from the original Japanese script?

(as for the "we thought Kaji getting shot sounded like a slap"....because it WAS a slap and it was a transitional scene! thing from Death and Rebirth....that's not what I'm talking about....although seriously, that apparently wasn't in the Director's Cut Platinum DVD's (in which it was still a gunshot).....and honestly, who actually sits down and watches Death and Rebirth recreationally? I just go straight from the series to End of Eva.

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Eva Yojimbo · Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 10:38 pm Post subject:

Here's one from the debate I had with someone on IMDb about whether or not Misato killed Kaji:

I wrote:

He wrote:

Kasuragi when she was given back her gun and her badge, asked: "Where is he?" the Seele agent said he did not know and could not tell her that.

Exact quotes:

MAN:
Thank you very much for your cooperation.

MISATO:
Is it over?

MAN:
Yes, the problem has been resolved, so...

MISATO:
I see.
What about him?

MAN:
I do not know.

The relevance of this is that "Where is he" made the other guy think that she was asking where Kaji was because she was going to go and kill him. "What about him" changes this completely. This is one of the more minor ones, but it's a clear example of how even small changes can have a huge effect on how someone perceives any given scene or line.

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SeanTucker · Gaghiel Joined: 04 Aug 2008

I thought Mangle translated Death/Rebirth and EoE. Wouldn't that mean the burden is off ADV for those?

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V · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:13 am Post subject:

I'm trying to computer regular 1-20 to Platinum 1-20

thanks for the note on the Misato scene but that's Director's Cut 21' I believe...

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Eva Yojimbo · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:00 pm Post subject:

V wrote:

thanks for the note on the Misato scene but that's Director's Cut 21' I believe...

I'm pretty sure that scene was in the original, but it's been so long since I saw it it's hard to recall.

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http://www.cinelogue.com/ <- Contributing as Jonathan Henderson
We're all adrift on the stormy seas of Evangelion, desperately trying to gather what flotsam can be snatched from the gale into a somewhat seaworthy interpretation so that we can at last reach the shores of reason and respite. - ObsessiveMathsFreak
Warning! Approaching terminal agreement! My god! The absolute discrepancy barrier is breaking down! Soon, individual entities will be unable to perpetuate incongruous discourse! Coherency is congealing into form and certainty! - Merridian
When you are a bear of very little brain, and you think of things, you find sometimes that a thing which seemed very thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it. - Winnie the Pooh

Zerogoki · Sachiel Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Location: Taffland

V wrote:

The only one I can think of, and it was pretty bad, was the Adam/Lilith/Angels/humans mixup during Misato's monologue explaining the relationship between humans and Angels during End of Eva. They really got that wrong.

As much as I'd love to blame ADV or Mangle for that one, it wasn't them. The original Seiyuu misread the script and put in a comma/pause where there shouldn't have been one, changing the meaning of the sentence. It wasn't picked up, and was subsequently translated over into the English version.

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thewayneiac · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:18 pm Post subject:

In the dub of Ep. 23, ADV mis-translated Misato's line "This is all I can do for you" as, "I want you to know that I'm here for you", completely covering the fact that she was trying to seduce Shinji. (The line is correct in the subtitled version.)

In their original translation of Ep. 26, ADV mis-translated Misato's line "The real world isn't so bad" as "this world isn't so bad." This lead some people to believe that she was trying to persuade him to remain in Instrumentality, when the opposite was actually true. In the Platinum subs ADV has corrected the line to "This world of reality isn't so bad.", but if I recall correctly the line is still wrong in the Platinum dub, which has only a few changes.

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**Sachi** · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:20 pm Post subject:

What about the infamous "Side Dish" line by Asuka in EoE?

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V · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject:

I do believe the "side dish" line was a mistake by fansubbers, not ADV (i.e. Asuka says "I won't be your side dish!", "side dish" being a euphemism in Japan for "porno", you know like calling it "my special treats" or "my dessert" etc. etc. But I don't think ADV did that

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Who is "Codename V"?....
I'm pleased to meet you and I hope you guessed my name, but what's puzzling you, is the nature of my game...so catch me if you can!! (0:50)
"Superior ability breeds superior ambition" -- Spock, Star Trek TOS episode 1.24 "Space Seed"
You say you say you want a REvolution?...
-->It was only after I lost everything, that I realized: I was free to do anything...

thewayneiac · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:38 pm Post subject:

V wrote:

I do believe the "side dish" line was a mistake by fansubbers, not ADV (i.e. Asuka says "I won't be your side dish!", "side dish" being a euphemism in Japan for "porno", you know like calling it "my special treats" or "my dessert" etc. etc. But I don't think ADV did that

Yes, the fansub group in question translated the line "I know you've been using me as a side dish" as "I know you only think of me as food", which made it make no sense at all. It's not proper to translate highly idiomatic phrases like that straight, because they lose their meaning. Remember, the accurate translation in the one that means the same thing as the original; this isn't always the same as saying the same thing. In Japan, the phrase side-dish can be used to mean material one uses while (ahem) pleasuring ones self; this is the meaning Asuka was using. As most of you know, I'm no fan of Manga Entertainment (remember, they did EOE, not ADV), but in this case they were correct in changing the line to "I know about your sick jerk-off fantasies of me", because it gets the original point across. Even if the fansubbers had used "side-dish" instead of the ridiculous rendering "food", no one outside of Japan would have known what she was talking about.

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A shining sky; a deep red sun, Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar! Our Jaguar! When the earth is in danger And the bad guys come, Let's Punch! Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! They are the friends of Justice. Whenever something happens, hit it straight on. Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar! That's Jaguar! No fear of space monsters, Sea monsters get thrashed. Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! Everything falls to the wayside of these two.
Though only a robot built like man, Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar! He's the coolest, Jaguar. There he goes to protect the peace. Everyone's amazed by the courage he displays. Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! Don't cry, for neither will we. Keep standing tall.

Zuggy · Banned Joined: 18 Jun 2005 Location: UK

Americanisms. What the fuck does "Toji looks so carpet bagged" (episode #26) mean?

It would be nice if ADV bothered to go through their subtitles and correct the American misspellings, American grammar and American phrases into their equivalents in English before releasing their DVDs in the U.K./whichever countries of the commonwealth it applies to.

JimmyWolk · Matarael Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Location: here

Wondergirl, three stooges, baloney pony, shiest (more mangled German in general)...

First-Fifth Child... >_>

Nitpicking, yes, but I hate such things.

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Dr. Nick · Minion Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Location: Finland

JimmyWolk wrote:

First-Fifth Child... >_>

That's not a mistake, it's a translation strategy.

V · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 10:46 am Post subject:

JimmyWolk wrote:

Wondergirl, three stooges, baloney pony, shiest (more mangled German in general)...

well....those aren't translation errors so much as decisions, I mean "three stooges" etc, and I like "wundergirl", shiess, etc. they're not really distorting the meaning..."Baloney pony"? When was that? (probably the last 2 episodes I tend never to rewatch them)

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Who is "Codename V"?....
I'm pleased to meet you and I hope you guessed my name, but what's puzzling you, is the nature of my game...so catch me if you can!! (0:50)
"Superior ability breeds superior ambition" -- Spock, Star Trek TOS episode 1.24 "Space Seed"
You say you say you want a REvolution?...
-->It was only after I lost everything, that I realized: I was free to do anything...

Action_Bastard · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:03 am Post subject:

JimmyWolk wrote:

shiest (more mangled German in general)...

Actually it is Scheiße or Scheiß, unless it sounded like "shiest" in the first place.

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**Mr. Tines** · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:08 am Post subject:

Sachi_13 wrote:

What about the infamous "Side Dish" line by Asuka in EoE?

Old, old, VHS fansub where Japanese idiom -> literal Chinese -> "WTF does this mean?" English.

JimmyWolk · Matarael Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Location: here

V wrote:

JimmyWolk wrote:

Wondergirl, three stooges, baloney pony, shiest (more mangled German in general)...

well....those aren't translation errors so much as decisions, I mean "three stooges" etc, and I like "wundergirl", shiess, etc. they're not really distorting the meaning...

Well, the title is "What are considered bad Eva translations by ADV?" and that they did it on purpose rather than by mistake is exactly why these things are badly translated. Diverging from the original on purpose because they thought they're funny or can do it better is not a good thing in my book.
As for "Scheiße" - if you have to see a rather simple word in thousands of sometimes hilariously wrong variations in fanfics and the like, it would bug you too. XP

V wrote:

"Baloney pony"? When was that? (probably the last 2 episodes I tend never to rewatch them)

Yes, in the Ep.26 AU; RIAO asks Asuka if she was "riding Shinji's baloney pony", when she actually just asked if they're a couple.

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**Sailor Star Dust** · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 12:36 pm Post subject:

Quote:

The original Seiyuu misread the script and put in a comma/pause where there shouldn't have been one, changing the meaning of the sentence. It wasn't picked up, and was subsequently translated over into the English version.

Actually no. Just because there was a comma/pause with speaking doesn't mean Mangle didn't make a mistake. Looking at the script, Misato WAS saying how Lilith and Adam are separate but equal beings so there was no excuse for them to get that translation wrong just because what they heard sounds different from what's actually WRITTEN: http://www.evaotaku.com/misatolines.html

Also, fixed the topic title since Mangle and ADV translations are being discussed.

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thewayneiac · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 4:22 pm Post subject:

Zuggy wrote:

Americanisms. What the fuck does "Toji looks so carpet bagged" (episode #26) mean?

Is that from the dub? It doesn't look familiar. (Though maybe I'm just growing forgetful.)

Quote:

It would be nice if ADV bothered to go through their subtitles and correct the American misspellings, American grammar and American phrases into their equivalents in English before releasing their DVDs in the U.K./whichever countries of the commonwealth it applies to.

Actually, American English is closer to English at the time of colonization than is British English. You changed; we remained steadfast. Besides, there's a lot more of us. When foreign countries teach their students English, they teach them American English. Similarly, the one or two times I've glanced through Portuguese primers, they said up front that they were teaching it as spoken in Brazil, because there's a lot more people in Brazil than there are in Portugal.

_________________
A shining sky; a deep red sun, Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar! Our Jaguar! When the earth is in danger And the bad guys come, Let's Punch! Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! They are the friends of Justice. Whenever something happens, hit it straight on. Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar! That's Jaguar! No fear of space monsters, Sea monsters get thrashed. Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! Everything falls to the wayside of these two.
Though only a robot built like man, Jet Jaguar, Jet Jaguar! He's the coolest, Jaguar. There he goes to protect the peace. Everyone's amazed by the courage he displays. Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! Don't cry, for neither will we. Keep standing tall.

V · Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject:

historically, Americans weren't trying to be part of "international linguistic conformity" which is actually very beneficial in my mind for standardization purposes

instead, in the 19th century, Americans were trying to DISTINGUISH their young country from Britain as much as possible, so presented with the fact that (lets face it, uneducated hicks) people living in America were using alternate spellings from what Britain was using.....Webster & Co. intentionally listed the alternate American spellings.

So "American English" was for a time heavily promoted to try to show how "independent" America was and had its own culture independent of Britain

the problem is that relations eventually cooled, but now we've been using American spelling for so long it would be difficult to transition

***It's alot easier in Lord of the Rings fandom: because its a British book, written by a British Oxford professor, its universally held that the proper spelling of entries on LOTR websites, encyclopedias, or in-universe fiction, etc. should be in British-english (i.e. "Ent-draught" is never "Ent-draft")

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Who is "Codename V"?....
I'm pleased to meet you and I hope you guessed my name, but what's puzzling you, is the nature of my game...so catch me if you can!! (0:50)
"Superior ability breeds superior ambition" -- Spock, Star Trek TOS episode 1.24 "Space Seed"
You say you say you want a REvolution?...
-->It was only after I lost everything, that I realized: I was free to do anything...