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ed4444
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
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 Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:37 am Post subject: Dumbing Down in Korean Subtitles |
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I was watching Million Dollar Baby at the weekend with Korean subtitles.
For anyone who hasn't seen it, here is a quick summary of parts relevant to this post.
Clint Eastwood is a boxing trainer/gym owner. In the movie his main hobby is studying the Irish language and the poems of W.B Yeats. Therefore he gives Hillary Swank, who is of Irish extraction in the movie, an Irish language nickname and a green robe for her flights with a shamrock on the back.
The bright individual who did the Korean subtitles decided that it would be a good idea to change all references to Ireland into France in the movie.
So now any Korean people watching the movie may think that Yeats is a French poet, green is the national colour of France and the shamrock is a symbol of France.
And we wonder why our students are so culturally unaware!!!! |
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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:57 am Post subject: |
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first of all that sounds illegal!! cant miramax sue for that?
and WHY, HOW did that translator even get HIRED!!! |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:12 am Post subject: |
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Really? I just watched the DVD the other day. I'll ask the wife, who watched it this past weekend avec subtitles, if that's true. If so, that's really a strange one.
BTW, 'Million Dollar Baby,' as well as more and more DVDs these days, are being released -- due to a new licensing agreement, I suppose -- by Korean companies rather than the US studios. MDB was released by KD Media. As another example, 'The Aviator' was released by Korea Pictures. Personally, I hope this stops, as the title menus and packaging tend to be poor; as do, I suspect, the overall picture and sound quality.
Sparkles*_* |
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ed4444
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:27 am Post subject: |
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I watched it with the girlfriend. It was her who pointed it out to me seeing as I am Irish.
I just think it is an insult to Korean intelligence that the translator thought that the change was necessary. It made me wonder about other changes of that ilk. Anyone notice any? |
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OCOKA Dude
Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:06 am Post subject: |
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| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
Really? I just watched the DVD the other day. I'll ask the wife, who watched it this past weekend avec subtitles, if that's true. If so, that's really a strange one.
BTW, 'Million Dollar Baby,' as well as more and more DVDs these days, are being released -- due to a new licensing agreement, I suppose -- by Korean companies rather than the US studios. MDB was released by KD Media. As another example, 'The Aviator' was released by Korea Pictures. Personally, I hope this stops, as the title menus and packaging tend to be poor; as do, I suspect, the overall picture and sound quality.
Sparkles*_* |
What you are talking about are distribution rights. The aforementioned Hollywood flicks were not "released" by Korean companies; they were released by their respective Hollywood studios.
The local distributor has the distribution rights, as per contractual agreement with the studio. It is deemed by many foreign studios, including major Hollywood studios, more cost effective to distribute their products into foreign markets via local distributorships.
Obviously, larger and more established Hollywood studios, like 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., who command a larger market share, are not daunted by the the associated risks and high costs of entry into foreign markets, which is why they usually forego dealing with local distributorships and distribute directly, e.g., through their own distribution network like 20th Cent. Fox Korea or Warner Bros. Korea .
Smaller -- and more risk-averse -- studios, such as DreamWorks Pictures -- usuallly opt to deal with a local firm to facilitate distribution in foreign markets.
CJ Entertainment is a perfect example of a distributorship & studio relationship. CJE, the largest Korean multimedia company by revenues, has owned an 11% share in DreamWorks SKG since 1995.
Accordingly, it has exclusive distribution rights to all DreamWorks Pictures films and ancillary products (DVDS, merchandise, etc.), in Korea and China, including Hong Kong (I know this b/c I researched and edited CJ Entertainment's 2002 English-language annual report). |
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Zyzyfer
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Location: who, what, where, when, why, how?
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:19 am Post subject: |
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| itaewonguy wrote: |
first of all that sounds illegal!! cant miramax sue for that?
and WHY, HOW did that translator even get HIRED!!! |
You know, I ask myself this question 5 days a week. |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 5:23 am Post subject: |
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It's like the movie "Wasabi" (sp?) with the French actor Jean Reno. He's the guy who starred in "Leon" (French), a movie which Korean people seem to love. The Korean title for "Wasabi" was "Leon 2" even though the two movies had nothing at all to do with each other except for the main actor - Jean Reno. 
I notice translation errors all the time and they do bug me quite a bit. Some are trivial (like someone saying 'a quarter of an hour' and the translation is '25 minutes' - which I saw recently), but others are attrocious and really affect the understanding of the movie.
What I would like to know is how wrong the English subtitles in Korean movies are. |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| OCOKA Dude wrote: |
| Obviously, larger and more established Hollywood studios, like 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., who command a larger market share, are not daunted by the the associated risks and high costs of entry into foreign markets, which is why they usually forego dealing with local distributorships and distribute directly, e.g., through their own distribution network like 20th Cent. Fox Korea or Warner Bros. Korea . |
However, 'Million Dollar Baby' is a Warner Brothers film, yet it was distributed (thanks for the clarification) by KD Media. This is the growing trend that I dislike so much.
Sparkles*_* |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:31 am Post subject: |
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Oh yeah, I asked the wife just now how the Gaelic name Frankie gives Maggie was translated. She said, and I quote:
"It's Irish."
Close enough for government work for me. Maybe the OP was watching a bootlegged copy.
Sparkles*_* |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| Hanson wrote: |
What I would like to know is how wrong the English subtitles in Korean movies are. |
Check out Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (�����³��ǰ�). One of the main plot points is the guy's sister killing herself and leaving behind a suicide note, but there are no English subs while the note is read, leaving the viewer confused.
Sparkles*_* |
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ed4444
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 6:38 am Post subject: |
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| The copy was from Yongsan but I am sure the subtitles were the same. I don't think they bootleg subtitles. |
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intro
Joined: 28 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 7:48 am Post subject: |
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| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
| Hanson wrote: |
What I would like to know is how wrong the English subtitles in Korean movies are. |
Check out Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (�����³��ǰ�). One of the main plot points is the guy's sister killing herself and leaving behind a suicide note, but there are no English subs while the note is read, leaving the viewer confused.
Sparkles*_* |
Yes, if any one would like to shed some light on what that note said I would be grateful. I have always wondered why she did that. Feel free to PM that if you are worried about spoiling anything. |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 7:53 am Post subject: |
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| Tiberious aka Sparkles wrote: |
Really? I just watched the DVD the other day. I'll ask the wife, who watched it this past weekend avec subtitles, if that's true. If so, that's really a strange one.
BTW, 'Million Dollar Baby,' as well as more and more DVDs these days, are being released -- due to a new licensing agreement, I suppose -- by Korean companies rather than the US studios. MDB was released by KD Media. As another example, 'The Aviator' was released by Korea Pictures. Personally, I hope this stops, as the title menus and packaging tend to be poor; as do, I suspect, the overall picture and sound quality.
Sparkles*_* |
Wow, that explains why some NEW movies I'm seeing are burned on 4.7 gig disks from the factory, and the video looks so compressed. I took one video back and complained that it was an illegal street-purchased copy, even though it had all of the right labeling and box... the guy thought I was nuts. Well, this explains it. I wish I could remember the title of that movie, but it was a newer one with Alec Baldwin as a bad guy (not aviator).
Also, yeah, you're right about bad menus and poor quality. I've also had a poor audio mix or two. I'm quite particular about that, since I have a good enough system to pick up that kind of crap. |
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peony
Joined: 30 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Derrek wrote: |
I wish I could remember the title of that movie, but it was a newer one with Alec Baldwin as a bad guy (not aviator).
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'the Cooler' ? |
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little mixed girl
Joined: 11 Jun 2003
Location: shin hyesung's bed~
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| Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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i noticed some subtitles that seemed pretty blah when i saw spiderman 2 last summer.
there's really no reason to change irish>french.
but it seems with big movies that use subtitles, they really don't care about getting the best translation...just getting something kinda close is ok...  |
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