Subtitles and new languages

Every time I watch a drama and read the subs I ask myself how much of the original subtleties I'm missing. It's an evil that can't be avoided, of course, unless I finally learn the language myself.

Having said that, there are recurrent expressions in the subs which I had never read or heard before I became an Asian drama addict. Clearly, these new expressions derive from translating the language literally, and I'm pretty sure there's a lot to understand about the original idiom from the way it's translated into English; in short, this subtitles world is creating its own, at times very weird language.
And it won't be long before we will start talking that way - at least those among us whose mother tongue isn't English (some already do).

From the top of my mind: "I'll leave first".
I have read this at least 100 times. Why first? Can't they leave now? Or at once? Or second? :p

Share the weird, funny, unusual expressions you've learnt from watching... ehm, reading too many dramas. ;)

Well, I am english native but i'm not American I am from England which explains my disliking for some expressions which I know deep down that the subs aren't explaining them well. What piss me off the most is badly expressed subs, sometimes I watch a drama with two different subs but with the same scene; I get to have Two different translations so I end up going crazy thinking wich one is right (especially in k-dramas bcz I don't have problems with Japanese raws) As english speaker, I have to say that some dramas expressions (I clearly can't think of one right now) are "Wrong" to the english language and to viewers in general.

soracantabile wrote: i never found "i'll leave first" as something weird too... :D

for me...maybe the word "fighting!"..
english is not my native, so i might be wrong..but i don't think "fighting!" is grammatically correct..and please correct me if i'm wrong.. :P
because i think "fight!oh!" (like what yankumi always said in gokusen) is more correct..
is it?lol..not sure too.. :P

I'm not English mother tongue either, but I am quite certain you're right about the "fighting" thing. It may be used, but it can't possibly be correct to use a gerund as if it were an imperative.
Fight-oh! was great, hahaha. :D

How about the subs almost always using the present tense when talking about the past?
"Your ancestor is a great man!" "When I was a kid, I always play with dolls" and so on.

soracantabile wrote: i never found "i'll leave first" as something weird too... :D

for me...maybe the word "fighting!"..
english is not my native, so i might be wrong..but i don't think "fighting!" is grammatically correct..and please correct me if i'm wrong.. :P
because i think "fight!oh!" (like what yankumi always said in gokusen) is more correct..
is it?lol..not sure too.. :P

With the "fighting", I think that "do your best" or "keep going" would actually fit this better, but since it is said in relative English, the translators just leave it. In English, fighting means to have and altercation, so in my mind it just doesn't suit.

Other than that, I really can't think of anything other than all the "omo's & aigoo's" those still don't totally compute with my brain..

phoenixtearz9 wrote:
Other than that, I really can't think of anything other than all the "omo's & aigoo's" those still don't totally compute with my brain..

is there no english word that has close meaning with "aigoo"??
for "omo", it's like.. "omg"...isn't it?...

amrita828 wrote: Uh, a little note. Please don't think I opened this thread to criticize the hard work of subbers! I am more than grateful to them for what they do and I'm in awe of their good job in most instances.

In my intentions, this is just a light-hearted chat about weird expressions. :D

sure!!subbers are angels, indeed.. :D

amrita828 wrote: Uh, a little note. Please don't think I opened this thread to criticize the hard work of subbers! I am more than grateful to them for what they do and I'm in awe of their good job in most instances.

In my intentions, this is just a light-hearted chat about weird expressions. :D

Subbers, are great, and if I made it seem that way in what I said sorry.

soracantabile wrote: is there no english word that has close meaning with "aigoo"??
for "omo", it's like.. "omg"...isn't it?...

That's kind of what I think it would be, at least when I am listening or reading, just not exactly sure. As for "aigoo" it kind of sounds like one of those things exasperated grandparents say kind of like "What now?"..

and since I forgot to clicky the multi quote on this one as well.. I agree with you amrita, that it is hard and nearly impossible to translate exact feelings... and lol at the "right", but here in America lately the use of either "right" or "I know right" have become very popular, I even find myself doing it sometimes, and then have to stop myself.

I totally agree with you CH that is what I always thought was behind the term "fighting" "I will leave first" I always saw this as a sort of excuse me I must leave expression its asking permission of the other person to leave. There are idiosyncrasies in every language & that is what makes it all so special. In my mother tongue for example the word for yesterday & tomorrow is the same "kal" so in order to verify which one you mean its read in the context. I think what is lost in translation is the expression/idioms which in order to avoid confusion the subbers tend to translate into the basic meaning Eg. "Its like looking for a needle in a haystack" would be translated as "Its difficult to find"....I would prefer the literal translation & work it out for myself the odd times I have seen these proverbs/sayings literally translated I have understood the gist behind them & its fascinating to see how other cultures sayings differ (or not as the case may be ) from yours.....