| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] > | Poll: Do you understand songs and films in your source language(s)? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Paulo Melo 
Brazil
Local time: 15:32
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| That is an interesting question | Jan 8 |
If you mean the lyrics or the dialogues, yes, I understand the linguistic/contextual/cultural features most of the time, but I find it is often a little difficult to understand what is being sung or spoken, either because of the melody/pace etc. of the song or because of the quality of the sound. Delivery matters.
| | | | | I do not understand Norwegian and Swedish films | Jan 8 |
While Christopher is more used to Swedish, I live in Denmark, and have the converse problem.
I watch quite a lot of Swedish television, but can really only understand it when there are Danish subtitles. The same applies to Norwegian. I simply cannot understand the news broadcasts, which are not subtitled. I have Swedish relatives, and practise listening to Swedish with them, but we occasionally resort to English just to be quite certain we understand each other! But at Christmas we ... See more While Christopher is more used to Swedish, I live in Denmark, and have the converse problem.
I watch quite a lot of Swedish television, but can really only understand it when there are Danish subtitles. The same applies to Norwegian. I simply cannot understand the news broadcasts, which are not subtitled. I have Swedish relatives, and practise listening to Swedish with them, but we occasionally resort to English just to be quite certain we understand each other! But at Christmas we happily sing each other´s songs around the Christmas tree, with song books so we can read the text.
In writing, Norwegian bokmål is close to written Danish, while Swedish is slightly different. I can read both fluently, with reservations for false friends and idiomatic expressions which I have to check up separately. So in fact I can translate from Swedish and Norwegian, but don´t ask me to speak the languages!
If I read slowly, I ´hear´ Norwegian text more or less as Danish, while Swedish sometimes ´sounds´ more like German in my head. (Apologies to both Swedes and Germans!)
I actually understand German (Hochdeutsch) better if I have to manage without subtitles, but I only catch all the jokes and subtleties with the subtitles, especially where dialects are spoken.
[Edited at 2024-01-08 13:51 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Becca Resnik
United States
Local time: 14:32
Member
German to English
+ ...
| Character-based languages | Jan 8 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
To me, spoken language and written language are not separable. You can't have written language without hearing something in your brain while reading or writing it. And surely you would not be hearing something else than what native speakers of that language would normally say anyway, right? I mean, when I read English, I hear the English, and I hear it IN ENGLISH. The English that I hear when I write or read English doesn't sound like Dutch or German or Russian or Japanese... it sounds English. Isn't it like this for all translators? Are there really translators (of modern languages) who can only read a language, but not understand it when they hear it?
I understand that some students of ancient languages may not be able to speak it even though they are able to "read" it and do "translation exercises" with a dictionary in hand, but that's something different. Those people are not translators.
At the very least, this neglects character-based languages, which are not orthographically phonemic – the written language does not indicate the pronunciation. There are thousands of Japanese kanji I know the meaning but not pronunciation of, essentially because I only translate and do not interpret.
| | | | | I must be a bad translator | Jan 8 |
Spanish, Catalan and German - yes, more or less. However, some songs are impenetrable. I often find that lyrics I've been singing for years are completely wrong after reading the lyrics. Shakira comes to mind.
My Russian is rather rusty after a long period of dormancy, but I still translate from it now and again.
My spoken French is rather clumsy and I've been told I sound as if I'm a Spanish speaker. However, I translate from French regularly and enjoy reading French n... See more Spanish, Catalan and German - yes, more or less. However, some songs are impenetrable. I often find that lyrics I've been singing for years are completely wrong after reading the lyrics. Shakira comes to mind.
My Russian is rather rusty after a long period of dormancy, but I still translate from it now and again.
My spoken French is rather clumsy and I've been told I sound as if I'm a Spanish speaker. However, I translate from French regularly and enjoy reading French novels and magazines, have done since I was 11 or so. ▲ Collapse
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Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 20:32
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| no need to know pronunciation for translators | Jan 8 |
Becca Resnik wrote:
There are thousands of Japanese kanji I know the meaning but not pronunciation of, essentially because I only translate and do not interpret.
Exactly.
I think you can translate any language without knowing how the words are pronounced.
Of course this is rarely the case, but it is basically realistic.
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Tom in London wrote: "Do you understand songs and films in your source language(s)?" Obviously yes. I would expect all translators to give the same answer.
Why? Several of us have already said we don't.
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Samuel Murray wrote:
I do not regard Danish as an "ancient language", though. I meant really, really ancient languages, like the ones that are no longer spoken.
OK, but I don't see any real difference between me translating Danish and me translating Latin, or get why you think people who translate hieroglyphs etc are not translators.
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I do not believe at all the results of this survey so far. Sometimes we do not even completely understand songs and films in our own language.
Yes, completely. 44.2%
Yes, mostly. 40.0%
Yes, partly. 11.1%
No, not really. 3.1%
Other N/A 1.7%
Total votes: 360
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I really envy those people who answered that they understand songs and films "completely" in their source language.
I'm a well-educated native English speaker of pensionable age and I don't "completely" understand all songs and films I hear in my target language, English. The same applies to my source language, Greek.
I've seen English-language movies where I needed to read subtitles in order to make sense of what was going on. As for songs, sometimes it's hard e... See more I really envy those people who answered that they understand songs and films "completely" in their source language.
I'm a well-educated native English speaker of pensionable age and I don't "completely" understand all songs and films I hear in my target language, English. The same applies to my source language, Greek.
I've seen English-language movies where I needed to read subtitles in order to make sense of what was going on. As for songs, sometimes it's hard enough to figure out what the words are, let alone what they mean when put together. Did Hendrix really sing "Excuse Me While I Kiss The Sky", or "Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy".
So well done all you people (currently 43.5% of answerers) who understand everything they hear "completely". ▲ Collapse
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 21:32
Member
English to Turkish
It took me more than 3 watches with the subtitles on to fully understand and appreciate Deadwood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ1Em1rrUTE
I also find it difficult to understand "Dutch/German/European English", which accounts for about 60% of the stuff I receive for translation.
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I understand French and Spanish without problems, for English it depends.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:32
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Here's a good reason to learn Italian | Jan 9 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxIS1T8NQ6s
[Strofa 1]
Senza fine
Tu trascini la nostra vita
Senza un attimo di respiro
Per sognare
Per potere ricordare
Quel che abbiamo già vissuto
[Ritornello]
Senza fine
Tu sei un attimo senza fine
Non hai ieri
Non hai domani
Tutto è ormai nelle tue mani
Mani ... See more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxIS1T8NQ6s
[Strofa 1]
Senza fine
Tu trascini la nostra vita
Senza un attimo di respiro
Per sognare
Per potere ricordare
Quel che abbiamo già vissuto
[Ritornello]
Senza fine
Tu sei un attimo senza fine
Non hai ieri
Non hai domani
Tutto è ormai nelle tue mani
Mani grandi
Mani senza fine
[Strofa 2]
Non m'importa della luna
Non m'importa delle stelle
Tu per me sei luna e stelle
Tu per me sei sole e cielo
Tu per me sei tutto quanto
Tutto quanto voglio avere
[Ritornello]
Senza fine
Tu sei un attimo senza fine
Non hai ieri
Non hai domani
Tutto è ormai nelle tue mani
Mani grandi
Mani senza fine
[Strofa 2]
Non m'importa della luna
Non m'importa delle stelle
Tu per me sei luna e stelle
Tu per me sei sole e cielo
Tu per me sei tutto quanto
Tutto quanto voglio avere
[Outro]
Senza fine
La la la la la la, la la la...
[Edited at 2024-01-09 08:55 GMT]
[Edited at 2024-01-09 08:56 GMT]
[Edited at 2024-01-09 09:50 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 20:32
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Philip Lees wrote:
I really envy those people who answered that they understand songs and films "completely" in their source language.
I suppose we mean different things by "completely". I, for one, assumed that the question relates only to content that is audible. I did not count speech or songtext that is inaudible. If the reason I don't understand a character who is mumbling is precisely BECAUSE he is mumbling, and not because of my level of skill in that language, then that don't count in my book. I interpreted "completely" in the question to mean "just as well as a native speaker".
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 14:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:32
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Christopher Schröder wrote: Tom in London wrote: "Do you understand songs and films in your source language(s)?" Obviously yes. I would expect all translators to give the same answer. Why? Several of us have already said we don't.
I don't care what "several of 'you'" have already said. Are you an organised cult?
PS
I'm beginning to think that previous warnings may need to be reiterated
[Edited at 2024-01-09 18:42 GMT]
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