BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Germanfans

Whisky · December 9, 2013 8:30 pm

Oh new vocabulary, didn't know "dubbing" so far, I always assumed it's just called synchronization. Ha, great.

Interesting thoughts
Well, "I owe you a fall" ... I liked the german translation because I've always understood it more as a promise for a further case (forcing s.o. to commit suicide is a crime anyway, so that works). I would have preferred the wording "Ich schulde Ihnen ein Verbrechen" though (I owe you a crime/case).
I don't even hear the implication of a real fall (as in falling down) in the German version though. I think the word would have been "Sturz" then. I don't think we would use "einen Fall" for falling off a building.

With the translation, I agree it's more in the general feeling of the episodes, rather than actual mistakes like twisting the meaning.

I do like the "Sie" for the "work relationship" that Sherlock and John have in the beginning. John helping Sherlock out as the doctor he is, because Sherlock needs him as such. It's not about friendship then... not yet, of course.
Also, not all flatmates become friends, and it would be right to continue formal if they're just sharing because of money saving.
But, as we all know, it's not just work, and not just sharing a flat. So, I would have preferred a change as soon as John isn't only colleague or flatmate, but also friend. Latest when John shoots the cabbie - I wouldn't say "Sie" to address my friends grave, but I also wouldn't say "Sie" to someone who kills only to save me.

And first names and formal "Sie" is something I really don't know from everyday life. I think we used it in school for the last two years, to get used to formality, but with first names because teachers knew us already. But I cannot think of any other situation.

But the "Sie" also annoys me when Sherlock and Moriarty meet. It sounds alright for the first interactions, but in the rooftop scene, it feels just wrong. "You are me" feels far more personal than "Sie sind ich".

I wonder about chemistry. I don't know how synchronization, ahm dubbing... is done. But depending how it's done (e.g. seperately?), it must be kind of hard to keep the chemistry within in the language. I don't know... but I guess there's always more to a voice when interacting. I wonder if that could be it.

Edited to add:
There is something I prefer in the german episodes. It's the relation of voices/dialogues and background sounds/music. It's a general thing, I think. English films always have quite loud backgrounds, whereas german ones have louder dialogue. Is there a reason for that?

Last edited by Whisky (December 9, 2013 8:38 pm)

Davina · December 10, 2013 12:10 am

'You are me' is definitely more personal than 'Sie sind ich', there is a whole implied depth to it. The difference in balance between dialogue and music/background is an interesting observation. The use of the word 'fall' in English would, I think, always imply a physical or some other kind of fall.

English used to have (in some areas/dialects still does have) the equivalent of the familiar 'du', 'deine' u.z.w. I would agree however that in modern standard English it is the phraseology & intonation combined with physical gestures etc. that convey either the familiarity or distance between people.

fraudrhaase · December 10, 2013 9:23 am

Hey there, i'm from Bonn and i want to know if there are any other members from Bonn?
btw: where is the german chat room?

gently69 · December 10, 2013 9:31 am

Hi I'm from Cologne, working in Bonn.

fraudrhaase · December 10, 2013 9:36 am

DO u know if there is any Facebook Group for connecting german sherlock fans? :D
Or Maybe we can start one for Bonn/Köln?

I'm thinking about watching ne premiere of season 3 together?!

gently69 · December 10, 2013 9:37 am

I'm not in Facebook.

Schmiezi · December 10, 2013 9:56 am

fraudrhaase wrote:
DO u know if there is any Facebook Group for connecting german sherlock fans? :D
Or Maybe we can start one for Bonn/Köln?

I'm thinking about watching ne premiere of season 3 together?!

I'd like to be part of such a group, given that Much is not too far away from both Bonn and Köln.

Mary Me · December 10, 2013 10:53 am

fraudrhaase wrote:
Hey there, i'm from Bonn and i want to know if there are any other members from Bonn?
btw: where is the german chat room?

Nice to meet you

Harriet · December 10, 2013 11:44 am

See on top Chat Room and follow the links

Shenandora · December 10, 2013 11:55 am

Swanpride wrote:
But in the end, the main problem is that the english accent is just not translatable. I am ready to bet that most German obsessive Sherlock Fans are the ones who watch movies and series in english regularly.

Oh I so agree with you on both. As an obsessive English language fan I can't get enough of all the different accents. I rarely watch anything in German.

Since I'm also a big fan of Shakespeare I love listening to some of the greatest voices: Nigel Bennett, Geraint Wyn Davis, Patrick Stewart and now Benedict Cumberbatch. Such a great voice!

Shenandora · December 10, 2013 12:14 pm

Whisky wrote:
Edited to add:
There is something I prefer in the german episodes. It's the relation of voices/dialogues and background sounds/music. It's a general thing, I think. English films always have quite loud backgrounds, whereas german ones have louder dialogue. Is there a reason for that?

Interesting. I've never paid much attention to that. You just made me wanna check out myself. :-)

But as most will agree, nothing can ever top the original version. And I can only hope that those who are not so much into the beautiful English language will change their mind one day, learn it properly so that they will understand the differences between the OT and German version...

Mary Me · December 10, 2013 1:20 pm

It's kind of upsetting that most of you think so little of the german dubbing.
Whereas I greatly enjoy watching my favorite shows in the original version it's so much more fun for me to watch the dubbed ones with friends so we can understand jokes etc immediately. Movies are meant to entertain and connect people and german is simply my mother language and there is nothing shameful about it.

SusiGo · December 10, 2013 1:33 pm

Don't get me wrong, Mary. I have said more than once that the German version is quite good. I am a translator and I know how difficult this is. More so when you have to consider visual aspects like lip movements, etc.
My main point of criticism is the formal address between Sherlock and John. With my family I always watch the dubbed version and when I am alone I watch the original.

But it would be good if German viewers in general were a bit more open towards original versions with subtitles.

Criosdan · December 10, 2013 1:40 pm

My BF doesn't speak English very well so the stuff we watch together is dubbed. When I'm alone or with my best friend (who is anglicist) we watch in English.

gently69 · December 10, 2013 1:43 pm

SusiGo wrote:
But it would be good if German viewers in general were a bit more open towards original versions with subtitles.

That automatically happens if more foreign films and series are shown on TV in original versions with subtitles... like they do it on many other countries. In Scandinavia for example...

Mary Me · December 10, 2013 3:23 pm

I am not only referring to Sherlock... It's just that english movies are difficult to understand the first time. If there was a movie on television and it was in english I am not so sure if I would give it a try except it was a really good movie.
In my opinion you don't have to watch everything in english. It's just that when it comes to stuff you're obsessive about then the dubbing will not satisfy you. It is a positive motivator to put up with the english language and it doesn't feel forced at all. However, if they'd suddenly stop dubbing the stuff it would feel forced indeed. I am going to watch The Hobbit in german the first time but I definitely want to see it in english too... Benedict's voice.

Criosdan · December 10, 2013 4:48 pm

There are several movies or series which I never watched in German.
And I bought "The Lords of the North" read by Richard Armitage from BBC. (An I love it )

SolarSystem · December 10, 2013 4:55 pm

Well, I am a great believer in the fact that an actor does not just act with his body but also with his voice - maybe even especially with his voice! The voice is a very important part of every human being, it can tell you so much about other people. So, if you dub a movie or a tv series, an important part of what defines an actor is completely lost. And that's just a shame and one of the reasons why I'd always prefer the original over the dubbed version.

Shenandora · December 10, 2013 5:58 pm

I didn't mean to upset you, Mary. German is my mother tongue too, but for reasons I can't even explain myself I have a great passion for everything English, which started in my early twenties.

I agree, BBC Sherlock is by far one of the best dubbed tv showes. But I also agree that the actors' voices are playing a big part when it comes to giving their characters a soul.

stoertebeker · December 10, 2013 9:38 pm

I understand your point, Mary. I will watch the new episodes in January because I don't want to wait any longer. But I have to admit, I would prefer watching them in a dubbed version (at least for the first time) to be able to understand everything at 100%. Although my English is not bad, I am fairly sure that I won't understand everything in the episode. I had to watch the latest trailer several times until I understood every sentence proberly. So I am really afraid that I won't be able to enjoy the episodes due to language problems (I watched the Doctor Who anniversery episode and it was a disaster, I didn't understood much of the plot ).
I do watch series 1 and 2 only in the original version now and I also like to watch movies in the original version every now and then, but when I watch something for the first time it will be the dubbed version if I have the opportunity.
It's surely a matter of habbit because we are so used to dubbing.