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I like this Polish girl, but she doesn't get my... English sense of humor [124]
I study translation and I sometimes find it embarrassing to listen to the translations made for the TV.
One reason is that (in the past) many translations were not made from the original script, but from watching the original film, writing down the text and then translating. The sound quality of the original film was often a factor, as was the skill of the listener and translator. If the film is repeated and the text/narration not updated, in most case mistakes will certainly show up.
At the time copyright was a little different to the present. That was at the beginning of the 90's.
Another problem is that what is said in one language can take longer in another. So in order to fit the words in they might be changed, or even left out.
Nowadays, I have no idea how they do it. But I imagine that it's a more professional service. Certainly modern computer programs help.
I'm not sure how BBC Pime operated, but some of their translations were often at odds with what I was hearing in the original. My favourite mistake was in the theme song to Dad's Army. It was only one word, but it jumped out off the screen.
Shreck was not a direct translation. It was a professional translation to suit the Polish cinema goer.
All in all, I think most mistakes are petty and never noticed by the majority audience. It's just people like us, teachers or whatever, who have an ear for these things.
