Comments on: Bad Translation

By: PapaScott

PapaScott — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:09:15 +0000

A few seconds before, the show mentions Kwanzaa, which the German soundtrack didn't try to translate and called "Kwanzaa".

That suggests another probable cause. The translators didn't understand or know about America's tic with alternative winter holidays, and were blindsided by the "Christmas special" making references to Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:03:44 +0000

Maybe the translators are graduates of the “English with Lothar” school. “Hello, togezzer. No one learns you English like I.”

By: Christoph Rummel

Christoph Rummel — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:14:49 +0000

I wouldn't be so sure about everyone knowing the word Menorah - I learned it in school, when we had a look on all toe other major religions in religious education class. I guess it depends on which school you go to.

Anyway, the Menorah-pattern on the gown in that picture might be mistaken as a tree, the vertical trunk with three twigs on each side. Just saying... Although I really had to think very hard about that, because it clearly was a Menorah to me.

By: Russ Taylor

Russ Taylor — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:51:29 +0000

Hi, bumped into your blog looking for a guide to using magpie. Just my 2p worth, but I’d no idea what the candle thing is or represents, and to me the brown thing on the kids cloak does look like a tree with no leaves, maybe the translators genuinely thought it was a tree with candles on it (like a traditional Christmas tree).

At least I have a better idea of what a menorah is thanks to their bad translation

By: ann

ann — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:13:10 +0000

I’m gonna go with Martina on this one. Even thought German adults might be clued in on Hannukkah, kids wouldn’t be (or are much less likely to be) and there generally isn’t a whole lot of room in a cartoon for a “teaching moment”.

By: Martina

Martina — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:30:52 +0000

Hmm… it may be just a bad translation, but i suppose it’s more a cultural problem than anything else. Most Germans don’t know what a menorah (or Hannukkah for that matter) is. There isn’t a german word for menorah either, so a meaningful translation is difficult. This reminds me of the time when American Football was virtually unknown in Germany and “touchdown” was regularly translated as “Tor” or goal which of course made no sense at all.

By: christina

christina — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:40:36 +0000

Oh my. Poor Harvey Hanukkah. Are they letting monkeys do the translating these days? You’d think that Germany of all countries would be paying a bit more attention.

By: tqe | Adam

tqe | Adam — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:59:28 +0000

Geesh, and as a “menorah” goes, it is missing a couple of candles–Menorahs should have 8 candles plus the center one.