MovieChat Forums > Woman in Gold (2015) Discussion > German Subtitles

German Subtitles

posted 9 years ago by mail-2217
2 replies | jump to latest

I know it's a niggle, but the English subtitles of the German aren't so great. Anyone else notice this?

OTOH, the hottie who plays Adele? WOWZA! With looks like that? WHO CARES WHAT SHE'S SAYING?

Sorry. Got carried away. But I wish the translation carried a bit more of the flavour of the language. A bit dry.

One other super small thing... a lot of the German speakers aren't speaking with a Viennese accent... either in 1941 or in the present. I know it probably seems anal, but they spend zillions on sets and costumes and people in Austria sound as different from, say a Berliner, as an New Yorker would from a Texan.

Why? I came into this game for the action, the excitement... Listen, kid, we're all in it together.

[–] TxMike 9 years ago

I speak English but also learned both German and French growing up. When I watch movies in either of those languages and turn on the English subtitles it is very common to read something different from what is being spoken. I don't believe that is a "mistake", I believe it is a conscious choice. It reminds me of the dialog in the 2005 "The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman where she explains the difference in "translation" vs "interpretation."

I believe when subtitles are not entirely faithful to the translation it is because they are using an interpretation instead. Sometimes terms and descriptions translated faithfully don't convey the meanings as well as interpretations.

..*.. TxMike ..*..
Make a choice, to take a chance, to make a difference.

[–] 9 years ago

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