Quick task: Name someone who has NEVER worked with subtitling, is completely clueless about the process involved but loves to criticize subtitles in foreign movies and TV series. Well, I don’t know who came to your mind, but I certainly fit the description… Hahaha!
I just love to watch the US sitcom Friends, and even bought all the DVDs of the series. I can never forget an episode about “Paul, the wine guy,” someone Monica was going out with. After hearing the expression “Paul, the wine guy” over and over, Phoebe comes up with “Does that mean that he sells it, drinks it, or complains a lot?” You’re probably wondering about the translation, right? Here you go: “Isso significa que ele vende, bebe ou reclama demais?” Obviously, this kind of play on words (wine X whine) is completely lost in Portuguese; and no matter how awful I found the translation to be, I still could not think of a better one.
I know some people who have experience in subtitling and I am quite aware of how tough it is to juggle with time management, character limitation, synchronization and the jokes that only work in English! Especially when it comes to US sitcoms…
Thank u a lot.
Not ‘wine’ just ‘whine’ – thats right?