#english puns

[strabius-berry]

Feel free to ignore but I just need to rant for a moment.

I'm really annoyed with the way English subtitles are being handled lately. This is gonna focus on the anime Komi Can't Communicate, licensed by Viz Media, but I've also noticed this with animes licensed by Funimation like Boku no Hero Academia. Lately, English subtitles for the Japanese versions are jumping right into adapting their jokes or sayings into something the English speaking audience would understand, and this is normally okay since it makes for less having to explain the joke to an audience that wasn't brought up on it. But the thing is this should only be done in the English dubs, which are already meant to adapt the language and ways of speaking to an English audience. The point of subtitles is so we can understand what they are saying in their own language, even if it involves having to explain the joke in translator notes. But many times I have found myself having to look up what the onscreen text was saying when it was clear to me from first glance that it wasn't what the subtitles were saying. Case in point: Komi's joke.

This reads "futon ga futton da" which translates directly as "the futon flew off". The joke doesn't translate into English but phonetically you can tell it's a Japanese pun.

In the English dub, they adapted this joke to one that fits in our language with "the bedbug bugged the bed", which hits just as well as the Japanese version. It would be fine if this was only in the dub, but when watching the Japanese version, the subtitles kept the dub's translation and not the accurate one. This creates misinformation for those who don't have a basic understanding of the Japanese language and could lead them to think "futon" means "bedbug" when it doesnt.

Second case in point: Ochako getting flustered.

The text surrounding her do not say what she is saying, and even she herself is not saying what the subtitles say. The joke in this scene is that Mina accused her of being in love, or

恋/koi, and her reaction is to question what her meaning is with "鯉/koi" "故意/koi" "濃い/koi". Every single word on screen is pronounced "koi", so it's like she's asking for clarification on what Mina means by saying "koi", even though she clearly knows what she meant.

Yes, the "love? shove? dove?" translates faster and is just as effectively into English, but it works better in the dub, it's not accurate to the meaning of the Japanese language in sub.

Look, I don't know if this is a result on dubbing/subbing companies wanting to spend less time/money into adapting or whatever, but I can remember watching a fansub of the original Digimon Adventure for the first time, and the translator notes took the time to explain the reason Koushiro performed stand up comedy to his parents after they asked him through his bedroom why he was speaking in a particular dialect, was because at the time his digimon Tentomon spoke in kansai dialect. As an English speaker, I would have never understood that, so the translator notes provided knowledge that would have gone over my head before.

Likewise, fansubs for the japanese version of the game Sonic Colors had lots of moments when explaining the joke to me came in handy with increasing my knowledge. For instance, when Tails tries using his device to translate what Yacker was saying, it first translated it's name to "soccer", and when he does get it right, Sonic jokes "are you sure his name isn't yakyuu?" Which is the japanese word for "baseball", while providing the motion of hitting a ball with a bat. The joke is how similar Yacker and yakyuu sound together, and the fact that soccer and baseball are both sports; it's punny. Sure, it doesn't translate into English, but that's not the point. We should be more eager to explain the jokes from other languages so that we can expand our knowledge. Most non-English languages dont know "no prob, Bob" is an English speaking pun. We take these things for granted since it comes so naturally to us, but I am always excited to learn and understand the puns and jokes in other languages, and I want to believe I'm not alone in that despite the shallow translations from big dubbing companies.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

[e-von-dahl]

Wait so is it common knowledge that the name Käärijä is a pun or do some people have no idea?

Basically käärijä means like, a candy wrapper, and y’know, he’s a rapper

[thearcanearts]

when it became painfully clear he could not have chosen a dumber man on earth to fall for

pray for them

[silvermoon424]

I used to hang out on the Serebii forums as a preteen/young teen, back in the days when Pokemon games were released in Japan months earlier instead of the simultaneous international releases we have now (we're so spoiled).

Anyway, as a result a lot of hardcore fans would get attached to the Japanese versions of Pokemon names before the English versions would be revealed. And when the English names would be revealed, a lot of them would throw a fit. idk why but I have such fond memories of chronically online Pokemon fans being like "NOOOOO!!!! THEY CHANGED THE JAPANESE PUNS TO ENGLISH PUNS!!!"

[seawitchkaraoke]

Fun fact about Doc and Ren's "big balls" bit. In german the word Bälle (balls) isn't slang for testicles like it is in english. You know what word IS slang for testicles?

Eier.

Meaning eggs.

[the-clintster]

No matter how good you drive, trains drive goods.

[savi-shiji]

hey guys how does Abraham make his tea

He brews

[sugaaz]

@ANIMANGACREATORS CHALLENGE 19 ☆ COMEDY GENRE funniest character: izuki shun

[ded-lime]

[thatswhywelovegermany]

Person 1: Ich bin ein Experte!

Person 2: Ach, dann waren Sie früher mal ein Perte?

Person 1: I'm an expert!

Peeson 2: Oh, so you used to be a pert?

[bloctg4]

I think we missed out on a great opportunity by not translating "Hiberno-English" as B-Éire-la

...

is tusa an duine is clistí ar domhan. ar DOMHAN

[abbeyofcyn]

Hell yes I live for angst

I live in angst every day

And still I want more...

[wronghands1]

[twilight-zoned-out]

“If he be Mr. Hyde,” he had thought, “I shall be Mr. Seek.”

1000% convinced Robert Louis Stevenson named his character Edward Hyde just to make that pun.

[saelterlude]

Us, In(tense)

Summary: On a random day in the studio, high school seniors Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang are studying for their exams. The subject they’re studying? English. 12 short prose, exploring Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang’s thoughts and relationship through the English tenses.

Read my new fic!! I worked really hard on it. Click on the title!

It is exactly what it said on the tin, a Link Click fic seen from all the 12 English tenses.

It's a little bit of slice-of-life with a flavor of humor, fluff, and angst. Right before shiguang fluff week starts in 2 weeks.