That’s the consensus of the Sino-Foreign Audiovisual Translation and Dubbing Cooperation Workshop and Symposium where nearly 60 translators and filmmakers convened to figure out how to improve Chinese films for foreign audiences.

A March report released by Beijing Normal University said 70 percent of overseas audiences are confused by subtitles in Chinese films. Chinese film promoter Nussipzhanov Yertay said the quality of subtitles suffers if the translator doesn’t consider cultural context when writing them. “The quality of dubbing and translation needs to be improved. A good work shouldn’t be dragged back by dubbing,” said Yertay. “Frankly speaking, I don’t quite understand some parts.”

“To have quality subtitles, one will need to understand both Chinese culture and the culture of the foreign country,” said Luo Jun, deputy head of the AICCC. “We need Chinese who know foreign cultures well and expats who have an abundant knowledge of Chinese culture.”

Michael Sinterniklaas, founder of New York-based recording studio NYAV Post, said more money should be allotted to businesses like his. “When you spend so much money to shoot a film, it is equally important to spend money on dubbing for overseas promotion,” said Sinterniklaas.

Deputy director Tian Jin of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), who organized the event with the Ministry of Culture, said more cooperation is required between China and the West. “We should encourage exchanges in personnel, program production and research and development,” Tian said.

According to China Broadcasting Media president Zhang Shufang, Westerners and Chinese each have their distinctive roles to play in this partnership. “We don’t encourage foreigners to translate Chinese films. It’s difficult for them to capture some cultural meanings,” said Zhang. “However, the dubbed voice must come from a native speaker of foreign languages and the post production needs to be completed in their home countries.”

On the other hand, poor subtitles made for English-language Hollywood films don’t seem to affect China’s box office receipts. Last year’s release of Avengers: Age of Ultron was soundly criticized for having poorly translated subtitles, but went on to become one of 2015’s highest grossing releases in China at 1.46 billion yuan.

As it turns out, the resistance of Western audiences to accept Chinese films may be a problem that goes beyond poor subtitles. A survey that involved some 1,800 respondents from 46 different countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe found that 30 percent of those polled considered “the thoughts and logic of Chinese films difficult to understand”. Meanwhile, less than 40 percent identified with the “values” expressed in the films while a third of respondents simply said they weren’t interested in Chinese films.

The post Subtitles on Chinese Films Leave Foreign Audiences Scratching Their Heads appeared first on The Nanfang.

Some may call it “Chinglish”; it’s the use of English using a direct or literal translation from Chinese. Because of the large differences in Chinese idioms and grammar, the results are often unintelligible to people who, you know, actually speak English. But this is how languages evolve, right?

Last year’s big hit was “no zuo, no die”, which you can read all about on The Nanfang. But it’s far from the only example. Here is a Weibo post sent out by one user:

Did you get that? Any idea what “heart flower angry open” is supposed to mean? If not, read on. Here’s a brief rundown on some of the Chinglish phrases Chinese internet users are saying to each other:

1. Give you some color to see see (给你点颜色看看)
One of the oldest Chinglish phrases to hit the mainstream, this phrase is what you’d say if you wanted to teach your opponent a lesson. The “color” mentioned is to threaten somebody with revealing one’s hidden or restrained talent .

2. No zuo, no die (不作死就不会死)
This phase is basically the opposite of YOLO, and is used to deride others for taking bad risks or making stupid decisions.

3. You can, you up (你行你上)
This phrase means, “If you can do it, then do it yourself.” It’s a way to rebuff others for making wanton criticisms.

4. Heart flower angry open (心花怒放)
This is a Chinese idiom that would literally mean “the flowers of one’s heart will violently bloom”. It’s a way of expressing elation, or being really happy.

5. You have two down son (你有两下子)
The original phrase is a way of saying, “You really know your stuff,” or “You possess real skill” with the latter part referring to “tricks of the trade”.

6. Hello everybody! if you have something to say, then say it! If you have nothing to say, then go home (有事启奏，没事退朝)
Unlike the other examples on this list, this is not a literal Chinglish phrase as seen by its length and (mostly) proper grammar. Instead, this is a colloquial translation of something a king would say in old Chinese, akin to “State your business to the throne, otherwise withdraw.” The humor comes in making something so formal and stately into modern English.

It’s unclear where “Hello everybody!” comes from, but it fits the Chinglish all the same.

7. Watch sister (表姐)
The Chinglish way to describe your elder female cousin.

8. American Chinese not enough (美中不足)
This is a Chinese idiom that means “Everything is fine except for one small defect,” or to use the English saying, “a fly in the ointment”.

Another way to say this in Chinglish is “American Chinese no foot”, but that’s not as funny.

9. At the beginning of life, sex is good! (人之初，性本善)
The original old Chinese saying means “Man’s nature at birth is fundamentally good.” The mix-up comes as the Chinese character for “nature” is the same as “sex”.

10. One car come, one car go, two car pengpeng, one car died. (一个汽车来，一个汽车去，两个汽车“砰乓”，一个汽车死亡。)
Famous for being an early example of Chinglish, this is how Jackie Chan tried to explain to a foreign police officer what happened at a traffic accident in one of his movies.

11. Why is it you? Why is it always you? (怎么是你，怎么老是你？)
One of the problems with learning a new language is the tendency to use the vocabulary of the new language, but the grammar of the old one. This example is what happens when you translate “How are you? How old are you?” using the English grammar instead of Chinese, thereby changing the meaning to something else altogether.

12. You share rose get fun (鱼香肉丝盖浇饭)
This is another special case that isn’t a literal translation from Chinese into English. Instead, the Chinese pinyin of “Rice served with shredded pork in garlic sauce, Chongqing-style” is taken to mean its English-sounding equivalent.

Sound it out, and you can get in on the joke as well: Yú xiāng ròusī gàijiāo fàn.

This joke is like the mnemonic-type tricks Chinese students of English use to help them learn. For example, the Chinese pinyin equivalent of the English word “ambulance” (ān bù néng sǐ) gets the literal meaning of “I can’t die”, and the pinyin equivalent of “ambition” (ānbìshēng) literally becomes “I must win”.

Photos: baozoumanhua

The post English Takes On a Life of Its Own on the Chinese Internet, Confounding Native Speakers appeared first on The Nanfang.

The Atlantic has explained the success of the TV show as being down to its presentation of fathers taking an active role in their children’s upbringing, a very new trend in China. You can read a translation of the original English lyrics on Chinasmack.

Here’s the YouTube version of the video:

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