#SFTH Translation

[sfthvnfanpage]

Hi Tumblr!

I’m Shirley, someone who’s lucky enough to be making and translating subtitles for Shoot From The Hip.

While I’m having fun translating, I’ve met with so many challenges. As expected, translating comedy is never easy. Word plays are among the hardest parts, that’s for sure, but aside from that, humour is a very cultural thing. Some jokes are very specific to Western cultures, for example, the yo mama joke, or the “That’s what she said” joke, or even bald jokes. Why? Vietnamese men don’t go bald that early or that often, so we just don’t see young bald people on a daily basis, and we just don’t have that type of joke, at least not as much as Westerners.

Real footage of me with SFTH’s contents, restored, colourised.

There has been fun, there have been tears, there have been sleepless nights trying to figure out how to translate Tom’s word plays and AJ’s mistakes. That’s an exaggeration for sure, but there’s some truth to it. I’m starting this blog to share my experience in translating comedy, specifically SFTH’s improv. Each language has its own quirks, so it’s hardly transferable to another language, but I’m sharing regardless, maybe it’ll spark some interest in Vietnamese? 😄Worst case scenario, we’ll be having interesting conversations, so that’s a win.

Let’s get started. First episode coming up soon: Translating Letters.

[postrzal-z-biodra-sfth-pl]

Cześć!

Hello people, my name is Joanna and I am part of the Polish translation team! Inspired by Shirley and her blog @sfthvnfanpage I decided to copy paste her idea and I am going to discuss the challenges our team faces when translating the boys' videos! I didn't want to make this side blog so soon cause I am still balls-deep in @sfthbattleroyale but I was summoned today by Shirley so I thought, alright, it's show time :p there is no law saying 3 sfth blogs is too many, so here it is, folks. What you can expect from this blog? Tears of frustration about AJ's chaotic language use, screaming about Tom's word plays, complaints about the language of the British Isles, thinly-veiled linguistics rants and unintended Polish lessons :)

[a-mysterious-ghost]

As always, the description under their videos are top quality. Luke, your Dutch gibberish was incredible.

[eldritch-train]

[littletonomanners]

I’m so starved for multilingual SFTH content .. 💔 I’ve exhausted Luke’s Death for a Dollar, AJ’s French Nonsense and Oh My God Is This A Joke?! I need MOAR!!!!

[je-lurk]

After reading one too many fic with Google Translate French, I hereby offer my translation services to literally any fic writer that sees this post.

Please, I am begging you to take me up on my offer, I can’t take this anymore

[not-an-idiot]

I again have crossover ideas.

What if the guy from the dinosaur translator game was Chip from The Cardboard Stegosaurus?

[sfthvnfanpage]

*when you thought everything’d go smoothly after figuring out “today embarks on change” but “spectre” and “spectator” hit you like a truck so you’re doom scrolling instead*

[postrzal-z-biodra-sfth-pl]

I got distracted while translating.

Try to guess which longform I am doing right now based on this image (it's a tricky question). Whoever wins gets a virtual cookie.

[i-dont-know-how-this-site-works]

Are you one of the sfth translators? I saw ur blog via the Star Wars fandom but I just saw one of the other translators at you, if so that’s kinda crazy that I saw ur blog before knowing

Yes I am, I translate some of their videos into my native Polish! I had no idea someone from the SW fandom would also cross into SFTH AND recognize me haha I also now made a side blog where I will talk about translation more extensively, it's called @postrzal-z-biodra-sfth-pl if you are interested!

[towersofviolet]

v's sfth toki pona translation #1

i decided to smoosh two hyperfixations together and translated one of shoot from the hip's improvised sketches into toki pona. this is "heinous crimes of treason" from "completely improvised sketches #11", a.k.a. luke as a draconian monarch sending people down into the crocodile-infested waters below. it's literally just a transcript so won't make much sense without the accompanying video.

musi sin nanpa 11: ike a tawa lawa

jan Ton: tenpo ni la mi pali e musi tawa sina. musi nanpa wan la mi wile e toki open. ken la ni li kama tan ma ni. ni li toki open.

jan mute: [kalama mute]

jan Ton: ni li seme?

jan: a! mun li len e suno. ni li suno a!

jan Ton: a! mun li len e suno. ni li suno a! pona a. o pana e ijo tan ma ni.

jan ante nanpa wan: mi moli e waso.

jan ante nanpa tu: o tawa e ona lon anpa.

jan ante nanpa tu wan: mi kama mama.

jan Ton: “o tawa e ona lon anpa.” ni li toki sina anu seme? lukin sina li pana e suno. ni li nasa a. “o tawa e ona lon anpa.” ni li pona tawa mi. ni la jan ante li jo e nasin ante mute. mi open kepeken ni:  “o tawa e ona lon anpa.” jan ale o kalama luka suli tawa open!

jan mute: [mu]

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan San: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan San: ona li anpa, lawa mi o. jan sin li tawa lon lupa pi akesi suli.

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa] ni li pona tawa mi. ona li pali ike a.

jan San: jan ni li seme, lawa mi o?

jan Lu: mu… ona li kalama musi tawa mi.

jan San: lon.

jan Lu: sina pana e sona seme kepeken nimi “lon”?

jan San: taso… mi kute e toki sina. ni li lon.

jan Lu: mi lukin e ni: sina sewi e linja pi sewi lukin sina.

jan San: [kalama musi]

jan Lu: sina kalama musi tawa mi. ni li tan seme?

jan San: mi kalama musi ala tawa sina. mi pilin ike tan ni. mi-

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan San: a! o tawa ala e mi lon anpa! o tawa ala e mi lon anpa! o tawa ala e mi lon anpa!

jan Ese: [mu]

jan San: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan Ese: jan sin li moli, lawa sina- mi o.

jan mute: [kalama musi]

jan Lu: sina toki e seme?

jan Ese: mi pilin ike tan ni. tenpo mute la nasin toki mi li kama… nimi ante. mi toki e ni: jan sin li moli, lawa si- mi o. ma mama mi la…

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan Ese: ala, ala! o awen! o awen! o awen! ala!

jan Ton: [mu]

jan Ese: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan Ese: [mu]

jan Ton: ona li moli, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: lon! ni li pona tawa mi. ona li pali ike a.

jan Ton: lon, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: sina lukin e mi tan seme?

jan Ton: mi kute taso e sina, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: ni li pona tawa mi lon tenpo ni.

jan Ton: ni li wowa* ala tawa mi, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: ni li seme tawa sina?

jan Ton: ni li wawo* ala tawa mi, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: wowo*?

jan Ton: ni li ike tawa mi. mi wile e ni: mi ante e ijo. taso, mi sona e ni: mi pakala!

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa a!

jan San: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan San: [kalama musi sama] lawa mi o, mi pali tawa sina. ni li pona tawa mi.

jan Lu: jan sama weka o!

jan San: lon! mi lon! tenpo sike mute pini la sina tawa e mi lon anpa. sina sona ala sona e ni? [kalama musi nasa]

jan Lu: [kalama monsuta]

jan San: [kalama nasa]

jan Lu: sina li lon sin tan seme?

jan San: weka la mi pilin ike, jan sama o. ni la mi en akesi suli en jan meli mute en jan lili mute en jan awen mute li lon. ona li lon tan ni: sina tawa e ona lon anpa. mi pilin ike tan ni: mi ken ala toki tawa jan.

jan Lu: a! sina walo tawa mi. sina monsuta tawa mi, jan sama o.

jan San: ni li tan ni: mi monsuta.

jan Lu: [mu monsuta] a! ala!

jan San: mi la sina sona e wile sina.

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan San: sina ken ala tawa e monsuta lon anpa. mi tawa sewi. [mu]

jan Lu: lon.

jan San: sina ken taso weka e mi tan ni: sina lukin e sijelo mi. sina kama jo e… sijelo moli mi.

jan Lu: o tawa e mi lon anpa!

jan San: … mi monsuta.

jan Ton: ni li tenpo pini! o kalama luka tawa ona!

jan ale: [kalama luka a]

[trashdumper]

I had some great laugh and some deja-vu…absolutely amazing props are GREAT

[sfth-fanpage]

Happy new year !

[sweaterwearinghare]

taking this opportunity to share some dad lore, not the most insane thing he said but he refuses to elaborate and it drives me up the wall (and he knows it too): my father is banned from u-haul.

This play’s been GREAT so far!! Especially sam’s miming segment

[dereks-unrelenting-heart]

Recurring Character Archetypes of Each SFTH Member

Tom

1) Oddly Mature/Self-Aware Child (Janae, Peter Stevens, Alexa, really got the whole gender spectrum here-)

2) Actually Intimidating Villain (Locomotion, Witchfinder General, Krampus)

3) Sexy (Sexy German Woman, Xavier, Magnus O Puss)

Bonus! Guys named Derek that are just so in love (The Unrelenting Aubergine, Blancmange Flurry)

Luke

1) Tired Wife/Mother (Jemima)

2) Attractive Woman (Sarah)

3) Gremlin (Scottish Robin, Little Krampus, Male Nymph, etc.)

Bonus! Grieving Fathers (Geppetto, Marty Sr.)

Sam

1) Old Lady (you know who I’m thinking of)

2) Child That Pisses People Off (Marty, The Boy Witch, Kid from Too Big To Be a Jockey)

3) Any and All Creatures (Mario, Bertie, Miffles, etc.)

Bonus! Sapphic (Thirsty Vamps, Bus Stop Lesbians)

AJ

1) Innocent Children (Priscilla, Hugh, Rupert)

2) Naive Adults (Bobby/Clive from The Lighthouse)

3) Plot Twist Villain/Murderer (Belly-Boots, Juliet)

Bonus! The Local French Translator (OMGITAJ)

Notes and Specifications

Tom’s Child category was gonna be ‘traumatized child’ but that was before I realized 3 of the 4 play children pretty often and every single one is traumatized

Yes the Witchfinder General is hilarious and absurd in concept, but so is Locomotion and even Sam admitted he was terrifying. Idek if I’ll have people arguing this, I’m just covering all my bases-

Krampus is purely there because they have this man a microphone and he became far too powerful

If there’s only one example listed, it means I know it’s happened more than once, but I can’t think of the others off the top of my head

Except for AJ’s bonus, I just always thought the was funny

Yes, ‘child that pisses people off’ ranges from being a little annoying to actual murder, but they both count

I used the phrasing ‘creatures’ instead of ‘animals’ on purpose, and I don’t think I have to explain why

[scattered-stardust]

my reaction as dutch speaking person (belgian) to sfth speaking "dutch"

sfth is doing a translator game with dutch so oooh boy

"holland also known as the netherlands" sam NOOO wrong. three seconds in. (holand is 2 provinces, north and south) belgians do call the netherlands holland but that's because we think it's funny

oh god this does not even vaguely sound like dutch

that's just your "swedish" said a little weird luke oh my fucking god

a slip of a dutch accent there wonderful luke

aaaand it's gone immediately

a hard g wonderful luke great job👍

and we say goodbye immediately after

his place names on the other hand, great job!

the "dutch" words he makes up, those... are not words.

also hamsterdam

must be because of the "jus d'orange" (the not realising he's not in france. not we do not say france like that in dutch "Frankrijk" instead)

heet bol? bitterbal uit the muur? (type of fried snack, you can buy out of a wall)

his hard G's!!!! like for half a moment i actually believe he will say something dutch

love the subtitle: "dutch". indeed my best subtitler "dutch" indeed

conclusion of the day: luke thinks dutch is swedish with sometimes a little german mixed in and he can say dutch placenames like he lives there