imwalde

Today was awesome outside, it was 14C! (That's mid-50s ish.) After weeks and weeks when it was a high temp of 0C and I was psyched last week when it was 5C and I didn't have to button my coat. Today I didn't need a coat, whooo! I walked around in a sweatshirt over a t-shirt and it was perfect. And it's been getting dark later. Whereas it used to be pitch black at 1630, now it stays light until almost 5!!! I cannot wait for spring.

I am more convinced than ever that Europe needs to employ me to check over their translations of English-language pop culture when they dub it into German or French. Here are a bunch of translations, some good, some bad, from things I have watched recently.

From Veronica Mars:

"water under the bridge" is "Schnee von gestern," which literally means yesterday's snow. I love learning German expressions this way.

"Dad, deine Nutte ist hier" is "Dad, your hooker is here." Heee.

They rendered the "I'll be there when I'm there" during the car makeout scene as "Ich bin gleich bei euch," which means I'll be right there. NO NO NO. The one is, fuck off, I'm making out with my girlfriend, maybe I'll join you, there other is, I'll be right there? NO. Totally changes the scene.

From Harry Potter:

First of all, they say "Chamber of Horrors" (Kammer des Schreckens) instead of "Chamber of Secrets," which no. As it turns out, yes, there are horrors inside the chamber, but that isn't known at first. Geheimnißkammer, how hard is that, translators?!

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good" is "Ich schwöre feierlich, ich bin ein Tue-nicht-Gut." Close, but it says that I *am* a ne'erdowell (a Does-no-good, literally), implying it's a constant, not that there is just mischief to be accomplished.

Mißtat begangen for Mischief managed. I have no complaints, for once.

Sie-Wissen-Schon-Wen for You Know Who. Hee.

Schleimblut for Mudblood. It literally means Slimeblood, but I think it works really well.

Seidenschnabel for Buckbeak. Heee. It means silkbeak, but it's so fun to say, and it's not like buckbeak means anything anyway.

Chemiebau for Potions. Heeeee. It means building with chemicals. Heheh.

From The Fellowship of the Ring:

"You SHALL NOT pass" was "Du kannst nicht vorbei." Hahahahaha! Also, NO NO NO. It means "you can't get by," but it's so casual! It's what you would say if like, they like had blocked off a hallway in your building because they were carpetcleaning or something. Not remotely as imposing or awesome as you shall not pass. At the very least they could have said, "du darfst nicht vorbei" which means you may not pass.

From A Fish Called Wanda:

"You touch his dick and he's DEAD" was "Ein Griff an der Schwanz, und er ist tot." Haahah, perfect. (One grip on his dick, and he's dead.)

"Fick ihr den Verstand aus" is "fuck her brains out." Heeeee, awesome. Learn this one before your next trip to a German-speaking country, kiddies!

From Batman Returns:

This one is a big mistake! "It's true I was their number one son... but they treated me like number two!" They didn't understand the pun. They said "zweitgeborene" which means second-born. ORLY, Germany? Throwing your penguin freak baby is treating him like a second-born? Hahaha. Happily I don't know the German equivalent if there is one for "number two" but if there is none they could have just said shit.

I watched the final episodes of "State of Play" last night. So, so good! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, JOHN SIMM! Also, James McAvoy. And the girl from Trainspotting (Diane?) all grown up! Anyone else seen this? It's one of those UK tv shows that only last 6 episodes for some infuriating reason. I've preordered the DVD, can't wait to watch it in English.

And I watched Amazing Grace, rented from iTunes. It never transfered to my iPod, which I thought was going to be allowed, but I had planned to watch it on my laptop anyhow. It was really good, made me all teary. I was a little nervous at first when I saw Ioan Gruffudd looking all old and sick, but then when I realized there would be lots of flashbacks of young and vibrant Ioan, I was relieved. Mmmmm, Ioan. Did William Pitt really become British prime minister at 24? Holy crap. The movie was really good, I thought. Romola Garai was so alive, it's hard to believe how much she damped that down in Atonement. Also hard to believe that the actor who played William Pitt (and he was in Atonement, too) is named...Benedict Cumberpatch. Ha! That's not a real name, that's the name of someone from Harry Potter! Hehehe.

I like the rentals from iTunes, but the countdown is a little nerve-wracking. Once you hit play, it gives you this pop-up warning you that you have only 24 hrs to watch it. And then after the countdown starts, you can see in iTunes that the movie expires in 8 hrs or whatever. It means rewatches will be hard, but it's better than not seeing these movies at all, I guess. I've rented "Once" but haven't started the countdown clock yet. Maybe tonight.