{"id":4076,"date":"2017-02-06T17:21:44","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T17:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=4076"},"modified":"2017-08-17T17:03:18","modified_gmt":"2017-08-17T17:03:18","slug":"badly-translated-tv-show-titles-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/badly-translated-tv-show-titles-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Badly Translated TV Show Titles Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there is one true thing that brings us all together, from whichever corner of the globe we reside in to whatever we do to fill our days, surely it is something that is noble, profound, the kind of thing that gets us up in the morning, puts a spring in our step, and shines a little ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day.<\/p>\n

We are talking, of course, about our favourite television shows. Who doesn't get a rush of togetherness when discussing those<\/i> scenes in Poldark, or theorising just who the next person to meet Lucille might be? Thanks be to the translators around the world, who generally do not hear enough singing of their praises, for without them, how would we adequately spread the word that Winter Is Coming<\/em>, or the reminder to never forget that we must Trust No One<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Of course, as the saying goes, things are often lost in translation. But the truth may also be the opposite: because without attempts to take the words of our characters and give them entirely new tongues, how would we discover the hilarity that is the translation fail? To give you a sample, here is a look at some of the most creative translations of TV show titles: enjoy!<\/p>\n

\"badly-translated\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Let's hear it for Hungarian...<\/b><\/p>\n

...for who knew these mostly seriously-looking folk could provide us with some of the best examples of what we're looking for? Let's start off tame:<\/p>\n

Arrested Development becomes The Verdict: Family<\/i>,
\nand Married... With Children \u2013\u00a0A Terribly Nice Family<\/i>.<\/p>\n

There are some overly literal translations too, with True Detectives \u2013 On Behalf Of the Law<\/i>,
\nand Parks and Recreation \u2013\u00a0Urban Development Departmen<\/i>t.<\/p>\n

But then we have these gems:
\nRaising Hope \u2013 Foster Care Enough<\/i>
\nWeeds\u00a0\u2013 Nancy Sitting on the Grass<\/i>
\nDoctor Who \u2013\u00a0Who Are You, Doc?<\/i><\/p>\n

And our very favourite: Breaking Bad - Total Suckage<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Heading north...<\/b><\/p>\n

\u2026 of Europe at least, where we have two translation treats in store for you! Estonian that brings us:<\/p>\n

Raising Hope \u2013\u00a0Unexpectedly, the Father Of<\/i>,
\nAnd Married... With Children \u2013 Pigeons<\/i>;<\/p>\n

And Finnish, proving truly delightful with:
\nThe Big Bang Theory \u2013\u00a0Spectacles Fogged Up<\/i>,
\nHart of Dixie \u2013\u00a0Heart Countries<\/i>,
\nDesperate Housewives \u2013\u00a0The Perfect Women<\/i>,
\nHow I Met Your Mother \u2013\u00a0At First Glance<\/i>,
\nAnd Pretty Little Liars - False Seducer<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Learning a new language? Check out our\u00a0<\/b>free placement test<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>to see how your level measures up!<\/b><\/p>\n

To German...<\/b><\/p>\n

...whose translations are funny because they are so very lacking humour:<\/p>\n

Dynasty \u2013 The Denver Clan<\/i>,
\nThe Fall Guy \u2013 A Colt For Every Purpose<\/i>,
\nWeeds \u2013 Small Deals Among Neighbours<\/i>,
\nCurb Your Enthusiasm \u2013 Lass is Larry<\/i>,
\nAnd Scrubs \u2013 The Beginner<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

GIF via Giphy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

And also Portuguese...<\/b><\/p>\n

...that gives us so very many to choose from:<\/p>\n

Arrested Development \u2013 From Bad To Worse<\/i>,
\nHow I Met Your Mother \u2013 So What Happened Was<\/i>,
\nIt's Always Sunny In Philadelphia \u2013 It Never Rains In Philadelphia<\/i>,
\nNew Girl \u2013 Jess and the Boys<\/i>,
\nSix Feet Under \u2013 Shores Of Paradise<\/i>,
\nAnd Burn Notice \u2013\u00a0Spy Out Of His Game<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Another thing we like about Portuguese translations is that, like Spanish, there is the possibility for even more translations because the titles are different in each of the Portuguese-speaking countries: our favourite is The OC, where, in Portugal, it is the Land of the Rich<\/i> and in Brazil, A Stranger In Paradise<\/i>.<\/p>\n

And whilst we're in Brazil, here are a few more:<\/p>\n

30 Rock \u2013 A Crazy On TV<\/i>,
\nBeverley Hills 90210 \u2013 Barred from the Dance<\/i>,
\nThe Good Wife \u2013 On the Right Start<\/i>,
\nAnd Mad Men \u2013 Inventing Truths<\/i>.<\/p>\n

A gluttony of interesting choices we think you will agree!<\/p>\n

Over to The East...<\/b><\/p>\n

...where we have such greatness as:<\/p>\n

Japanese: <\/span><\/p>\n

Buffy The Vampire Slayer \u2013\u00a0Beloved of the Crucifix<\/i>,
\nAnd Jersey Shore \u2013 with the politest translation being Macaroni Rascals<\/i>;<\/p>\n

Vietnamese: <\/span><\/p>\n

Game Of Thrones \u2013\u00a0Kingship Game<\/i>,
\nFreaks and Geeks \u2013 Peculiar and Eccentric<\/i>,
\nAnd Six Feet Under - For After Earth Land<\/i>;<\/p>\n

Chinese: <\/span><\/p>\n

Doctor Who - Mysterious Professor<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

GIF via Giphy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Some of our other favourites...<\/b><\/p>\n

But it's tough knowing even where to begin.<\/p>\n

Bulgarian: <\/span><\/p>\n

Breaking Bad \u2013 In the Shoes of Satan<\/i>;<\/p>\n

Arrested Development \u2013\u00a0Company Monkey Business & Construction<\/i>;<\/p>\n

Polish:<\/span><\/p>\n

Gilmore Girls \u2013\u00a0Dear Trouble<\/i>;<\/p>\n

Serbian:<\/span><\/p>\n

The Walking Dead \u2013\u00a0Surrounded by Dead<\/i>,<\/p>\n

Or French:<\/span><\/p>\n

With the wonderfully dramatic translation of The X Files \u2013\u00a0At the Boundaries of Reality<\/i>.<\/p>\n

And this is but a taster of translation treats: next time, we'll be giving the same treatment to some of our favourite films. Until then!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If there is one true thing that brings us all together, from whichever corner of the globe we reside in to whatever we do to fill our days, surely it is something that is noble, profound, the kind of thing that gets us up in the morning, puts a spring in our step, and shines(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":4080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1,9],"tags":[617,618,46,470,479,164,222],"class_list":["post-4076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-humour-offbeat","category-uncategorized","category-technology","tag-bad-translation","tag-cultures","tag-languages","tag-learn-languages","tag-pop-culture","tag-translation","tag-tv"],"yoast_head":"\nBadly Translated TV Show Titles Around the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Things are often lost in translation. 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