BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / German air date

**Posted by mrshouse** April 29, 2014 12:15 pm

Good old-fashioned Prince charming and a damsel in distress

**Posted by SusiGo** April 29, 2014 12:20 pm

Sorry, but I am getting a bit fed up by now. English is not the only language on the planet and not every German translation is bad. There are lots of qualified professionals doing this job (including me). Maybe we are not that bad. Or have you never been glad to read books in German translation, maybe from languages you do not speak?

**Posted by mrshouse** April 29, 2014 12:22 pm

Actually, I have one movie which is even better in the german dubbing and that would be Milos Formans "Amadeus"! Never watch the original there, they could never copy that old-fashioned viennoise German!

**Posted by SolarSystem** April 29, 2014 12:23 pm

Sorry, copy and paste doesn't like me right now...

Here is another answer from the ARD.

That's what I wrote:

Sehr geehrte Frau Zivanovic,
vielen Dank für ihre schnelle Antwort.
Leider habe ich den Eindruck, als hätten Sie einige der von mir genannten Punkte überlesen, da Sie leider auf vieles gar nicht eingehen.
Ich würde aber davon abgesehen gerne wissen, was denn in den Augen der Übersetzer das von Ihnen erwähnte "Spannungsfeld zwischen Distanz und Nähe der beiden Protagonisten" sein soll - und vor allem, warum das "very british" sein soll. Sherlock Holmes und John Watson könnten sich näher kaum sein, trotz all der Charaktereigenschaften, in denen sie sich unterscheiden. Wer die Serie im englischen Original gesehen hat, hat schnell erkannt, dass trotz all ihrer Unterschiede eine so tiefe Freundschaft und ein großes Vertrauen zwischen Sherlock und John herrscht, das mit einem Siezen einfach nicht vereinbar ist.
In der synchronisierten Fassung wirken Sherlock und John deshalb leider eher steif und kaum "very british" (was auch immer das sein soll). Und von alldem abgesehen ist es einfach undenkbar, dass sich beste Freunde, die mehrere Jahre zusammen gewohnt haben, nach dieser Zeit immer noch mit "Sie" ansprechen - das hat nichts mit "very british" zu tun, aber sehr viel mit gesundem Menschenverstand, fürchte ich.
Ich möchte die Übersetzer also nochmals dazu ermuntern, bei einer möglichen 4. Staffel das Siezen ernsthaft zu überdenken.
Beste Grüße,
XXX

Die Antwort:

Sehr geehrte Frau XXX,
Ihren Wunsch geben wir gerne weiter an die Verantwortlichen.
Verstehen Sie uns nicht falsch – wir können Ihr Anliegen durchaus nachvollziehen. Sie haben immerhin die Möglichkeit, den Film dank Zweikanalton auf Englisch auch zu sehen.
Wir hoffen, Ihnen auch in Zukunft für Sie sehenswerte Sendungen anbieten zu können.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Daniela Zivanovic

**Posted by mrshouse** April 29, 2014 12:24 pm

Again, sweet nothings...

**Posted by gently69** April 29, 2014 12:28 pm

At least they answer very quickly. But that won't change anything, also not in the future in my opinion.

@Susi
You know how my criticism is meant, don't you? I am glad about dubbing and translating in general.

**Posted by SolarSystem** April 29, 2014 12:30 pm

Sorry, Susi, I didn't mean to sound like an obnoxious bugger and also didn't mean to say that every translation is bad. I'm sure there are lots of translators who do a brilliant job.

**Posted by Harriet** April 29, 2014 12:32 pm

Well, the first sentence is fine, that is what she can and should offer.
The rest - forget it...

Solar, tell them you're unable to follow the original version and want a proper translation!

EDIT: Tell them Susi is suited!!!

Last edited by Harriet (April 29, 2014 12:33 pm)

**Posted by SusiGo** April 29, 2014 12:35 pm

I also prefer the dubbed Life of Brian.

**Posted by SolarSystem** April 29, 2014 12:36 pm

You want me to be getting on their nerves, Harriet..? Okay. I'm an expert on that.
And brilliant idea, after all there are people who need the dubbed version.

**Posted by gently69** April 29, 2014 12:38 pm

My hubby does need it. Well, me as well, because otherwise I couldn't watch it with my hubby.

**Posted by Harriet** April 29, 2014 12:38 pm

Yes, there are many people who need a dubbed version! And they deserve a proper one, and to make a proper one is the team's job.
But I have to leave now, Laterz!

**Posted by Harriet** April 29, 2014 12:39 pm

Same here, gently! And I feel also more confident with a dubbed version, even though I will return to the original later again.

**Posted by mrshouse** April 29, 2014 12:40 pm

SusiGo wrote:
I also prefer the dubbed Life of Brian.

Yes, brilliant
In the english original I can't imagine a lisp being this funny!

**Posted by zeratul** April 29, 2014 12:42 pm

SusiGo wrote:
Sorry, but I am getting a bit fed up by now. English is not the only language on the planet and not every German translation is bad. There are lots of qualified professionals doing this job (including me). Maybe we are not that bad. Or have you never been glad to read books in German translation, maybe from languages you do not speak?

Well I understand your point.
It is always hard to translate stuff. And often something originally written or said in English sounds strange in German or the jokes get lost. This is totally the same thing the other way round.
I am happy for a translation of the Kalevala, but that's not quite the same.
Of course translations are important. But it is still strange to see English guys in London talking German ;). At least to me. When I watch something I become totally part of it.

Zweikanalton... Zweikanalton... Need to check this on the 3rd series...

**Posted by zeratul** April 29, 2014 12:50 pm

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zweikanalton

I wonder if they are using ancient stuff here ;).
At least with TBB there was no English available at "Entertain".

**Posted by TeeJay** April 29, 2014 12:51 pm

mrshouse wrote:
SusiGo wrote:
I also prefer the dubbed Life of Brian.
Yes, brilliant
In the english original I can't imagine a lisp being this funny!

I was just going to say: The Monty Python films are actually dubbed very, very well. To the point where the German version is almost funnier. And this is high praise because it comes from a person who positively tries to shun anything that is dubbed into German.

I don't really remember who had a lisp in the German version, but in the English version Pilate doesn't do the B and P thing, he can't pronounce the R and always says W, as in "Stwike him, centuwion, vewwy woughly." And Schwanzus Longus is called Biggus Dickus. But I guess that's a whole other conversation for a whole other thread.

**Posted by zeratul** April 29, 2014 1:02 pm

I like the dubbing of Malcom in the Middle, especially danish Otto ;).

The dubbing of "Underworld" is horrible btw ;). Wrong voice for Seelene and English sounds cooler and darker, sorry...

The dubbing of Lord of the Rings isn't that bad. Also for Star Wars.

But the more originals I watch, the worse I find the dubbings...

Btw was it MASH or Hogan's Hero (Ein Käfig voller Helden) which had a second dubbing because the first one flopped?

**Posted by mrshouse** April 29, 2014 1:13 pm

This does not exactly cover the problem, but somehow I make a difference between broadcasts in British and in American english. I'm fine with british accent but sometimes the american english is really hard to follow, IMO. Star wars for example, or Indiana Jones, there is no chance I can follow Harrison Ford talking... But I love James Earl Jones with his britishness as Darth Vader!

**Posted by zeratul** April 29, 2014 1:15 pm

Actually after watching and listening to much british stuff I need some time to follow american english again, because it is really different.