Problems of translating South American "Telenovelas" into Bahasa Indonesia?? Thread poster: RafaLee
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RafaLee
Australia
Local time: 14:52
Spanish to English
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Dear my fellow translators,
I´m very interested in problems of translating South American "Telenovelas" into Bahasa Indonesia or other Asian languages.
I´m wondering if there are any books or websites about that?
or anyone has experienced it?
Thanx
Rafa
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| Since I am brazilian, maybe I can act as your a consultant... (laughs) | Dec 8, 2003 |
Can you be more specific about your question/questions? I`d be very pleased to help.
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Parrot 
Spain
Local time: 06:52
Spanish to English
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| They're quite an international phenomenon | Dec 8, 2003 |
I believe they are "localized" to a credible extent. I am unable to tell you to what degree, since the only translated episode I saw was in a dentist's waiting room in the Philippines and my mind was on something else (the drill). However, Nadia Khouri-Dagher alludes to their presence in the Middle East in her book "Beyrouth au Coeur", where they are presented along with similar serials from Cairo, and people actually believe all the genre is produced in Cairo (great localization jobs). But char... See more I believe they are "localized" to a credible extent. I am unable to tell you to what degree, since the only translated episode I saw was in a dentist's waiting room in the Philippines and my mind was on something else (the drill). However, Nadia Khouri-Dagher alludes to their presence in the Middle East in her book "Beyrouth au Coeur", where they are presented along with similar serials from Cairo, and people actually believe all the genre is produced in Cairo (great localization jobs). But characters and credits aren't changed (I suppose place names would be substituted by generics such as "to town" if the original place is too obscure). The upshot has been a new generation of Arab babies with names like "Estrellita" and "Rubí"; I don't know if they call the boys "José Manuel Alfonso" or such things yet. ▲ Collapse
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| I've never had to translate telenovelas | Dec 8, 2003 |
but I've seen them in different countries in L.A.
The problem could be first to clearly understand them. Even if they are all in Spanish, as it is "spoken language", they are very localized. Usually, when they are created they are always targetted for the local market. To give you an idea, there has been a very successful Chilean telenovela that is going to be presented in Spain and now it's being "translated" (I mean it, not localized):-(.
[Edited at 2003-12-08 13:34]
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RafaLee
Australia
Local time: 14:52
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER | I just know a few | Dec 8, 2003 |
I just know a few of them. For example: the title "La piccarra soñadora" is translated as "gadis pemimpi" which means "La chica soñadora" because in the direct translation of "picarra" into Indonesian may mean "prostitute"
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RafaLee
Australia
Local time: 14:52
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER | and i would like to hear more this kind of stories | Dec 8, 2003 |
and I would like to hear more stories about the Spanish-Asian languages translation problems
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| Chilean "Telenovela" | Dec 8, 2003 |
Claudia Iglesias wrote:
but I've seen them in different countries in L.A.
The problem could be first to clearly understand them. Even if they are all in Spanish, as it is "spoken language", they are very localized. Usually, when they are created they are always targetted for the local market. To give you an idea, there has been a very successful Chilean telenovela that is going to be presented in Spain and now it's being "translated" (I mean it, not localized):-(.
[Edited at 2003-12-08 13:34]
Good morning, Claudia.
Maybe you mean the Chilean telenovela "Machos"? TVE broadcasting it last week and of course it wasn't "translated". No need for that, we all speak the same language. No latin american novel is ever translated in Spain, be it Argentinian, Venezuelan, Mexican or Chilean. Obviously, Brazilian novels are translated.
By the way, we are not used to Chilean accent in Spain and I've heard several people comment on how lovely it sounds. I agree. Very sweet.
Best regards.
Dominique
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| Yes, "Machos" | Dec 8, 2003 |
Dominique de Izaguirre wrote:
Maybe you mean the Chilean telenovela "Machos"? TVE broadcasting it last week and of course it wasn't "translated".
There are two versions, both done by Chilean people, so I think (I only heard the Chilean for Chileans version) that the accent will remain, but it has been cleaned of all the "chilenismos", and adapted for an international public.
No need for that, we all speak the same language. No latin american novel is ever translated in Spain, be it Argentinian, Venezuelan, Mexican or Chilean. Obviously, Brazilian novels are translated.
In the international award of San Sebastián in Spain a Chilean movie (Taxi para tres) won a price two years ago. It had been subtitled into Spanish from Spain.
I know and agree that we speak the same language and that with a little of willingness there's no problem for understanding. But I think that when it sounds too different, the common spectator won't identify himself to the characters and won't watch it as if it was a local production.
By the way, we are not used to Chilean accent in Spain and I've heard several people comment on how lovely it sounds. I agree. Very sweet.
So you'll watch it not as a telenovela, but as a cultural / linguistic case, and additionally we're exporting our "machos". Have fun
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| There are different kind of S.A. Telenovelas | Dec 9, 2003 |
Until a few years ago, there were four main types of soap operas in South America.
The Mexican Telenovela - Melodramas big time, the bad characters so bad that you think they have acid instead of blood, like the Alien , and the good so good that you feel like kick the *** out of them by being such a****s. Example: "The Rich Cry Too" and "The Right of Be Born". Of course, everybody older than 30 remembers "Viviana". ... See more Until a few years ago, there were four main types of soap operas in South America.
The Mexican Telenovela - Melodramas big time, the bad characters so bad that you think they have acid instead of blood, like the Alien, and the good so good that you feel like kick the *** out of them by being such a****s. Example: "The Rich Cry Too" and "The Right of Be Born". Of course, everybody older than 30 remembers "Viviana". My mother used to say that if you wanted to hire domestic help, you had to offer, besides the salary, board, bed and Viviana
The Venezuelan Telenovela - Partially copies of the Mexican, but with the Venezuelan accent "cónchale vale" "La Fiera" ("The Shrewd" perhaps?) and "Amazonas" -yes, I know they're old, but those were the last I saw, years ago.
The Brazilean Telenovela - The best type(IMHO), bad characters not so bad, good characters not so good, human people and real-life scenerios, with a great dosis of humor. "O Clone", "Terra Nostra", excellent! Currently I'm hooked to "Uga Uga".
The Argentinian Telenovela - You could recognize them by the reddish hue of the photography (of course, I'm talking about years ago) "Rosa de Lejos" and Andrea del Boca...remember her?
There have been trials from other countries, some successful, some not, e.g. "Betty La Fea" from Colombia and "Torbellino" from Peru.
Currently the differences are less obvious. I liked the different mindsets, from the human Brazileans to the exaggerated Mexicans.
How do I know? Well, since I work at home, and I don't like radio, and my wife watches them too loud....;)
Note added: Ok, I confess: It's nothing to do with my wife. I like telenovelas. I've sinned, I've sinned!
[Edited at 2003-12-09 01:45] ▲ Collapse
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Parrot wrote:
The upshot has been a new generation of Arab babies with names like "Estrellita" and "Rubí"; I don't know if they call the boys "José Manuel Alfonso" or such things yet.
That happens in Italy too. In the 80s there was a kind of "soap-opera-baby-boom": lots of babies were named after the characters of US soap operas (rather than South American telenovelas: Spanish names are not so exotic for us) such as Dallas or Dynasty and, in the 90s, Beautiful. These names included Ridge or even Geiar (the Italian way to spell J.R., I hope this is just an urban legend but It could well be true - the fact is, sometimes these people are so ignorant that they misspell English names, such as Maicol instead of Michael).
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aivars
Argentina
Local time: 01:52
English to Spanish
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| Whatever problem.. | Dec 9, 2003 |
feel free to ask us. We have translated into English many scripts that were plagued with South American slang.
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Parrot
Spain
Local time: 06:52
Spanish to English
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| Terra Nostra was a different category altogether | Dec 14, 2003 |
I'm plagued with a short attention span, but that series hooked me. Principally, it was the superb photography and the creation of the period atmosphere. Then, I couldn't help "sensing" a hand in the storytelling that was not unlike Jorge Amado's...
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| interesting.... | Dec 15, 2003 |
have you already asked at the mailing list for Indonesian translations: www.yahoogroups.com/group/bahtera ?
Or for Malay translations: www.yahoogroups.com/group/teraju .
You might find translators there who have done translations of Telenovelas.
if there are any books or articles on the topic, please let me know... this seems to be an interesting topic.
cheers,
Bettina
RafaLee wrote:
Dear my fellow translators,
I´m very interested in problems of translating South American "Telenovelas" into Bahasa Indonesia or other Asian languages.
I´m wondering if there are any books or websites about that?
or anyone has experienced it?
Thanx
Rafa
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| Brazileans are the best | Dec 16, 2003 |
Parrot wrote:
I\'m plagued with a short attention span, but that series hooked me. Principally, it was the superb photography and the creation of the period atmosphere. Then, I couldn\'t help \"sensing\" a hand in the storytelling that was not unlike Jorge Amado\'s...
I don\'t know how many Brazilean telenovelas you can watch in Spain, but Terra Nostra was just one of several of the same great quality. I think the Brazileans really know how to do them.
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Juvenal Neto
Brazil
Local time: 01:52
English to Portuguese
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| Localizing Brazilian Telenovelas | Dec 26, 2003 |
You answer to the question as a joke, but I agree: for localizing Brazilian Telenovelas one should stay as near of the source as possible.
[Edited at 2006-01-01 14:31]
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