Sometimes translation is straightforward. Sometimes, especially in the arts and entertainment sector, translators make significant modifications to their source material. Compare the English and German versions of these titles of popular films from the eighties and nineties (back translations in italics).
The funniest German film titles are those that take a simple English title and turn it into a long, touchingly earnest explanation. Of these, the prime example is:
Airplane! = Die unglaubliche Reise in einem verrückten Flugzeug (The unbelievable ride in a crazy airplane). Thanks, translators – now I know exactly what to expect from that film!
Or they keep the English title but append a little explanation:
Backdraft = Backdraft – Männer, die durchs Feuer gehen (Backdraft – men who go through the fire)
Gremlins = Gremlins – kleine Monster (Gremlins – little monsters)
Top Gun = Top Gun – sie fürchten weder Tod noch Teufel (Top Gun – they fear neither death nor devil) (a common saying to describe fearlessness, and also used as the German title of the 1966 film “Lost Command”)
Sometimes they’re just very different:
Sixteen Candles = Das darf man nur als Erwachsener (Only adults can do that)
The Emperor’s New Groove = Ein Königreich für ein Lama (A kingdom for a llama)
Also amusing are those that are just way more prosaic than the original:
Saving Private Ryan = Der Soldat James Ryan (The soldier James Ryan) — whoa! That sounds exciting!!!
Meet the Parents = Meine Braut, ihr Vater und ich (My bride, her father and I)
There are, of course, also some that are exactly the same:
Back to the Future = Zurück in die Zukunft (Back to the future)
Among the films I searched through to compile this list, one jumped out at me, namely:
The Princess Bride = Die Braut des Prinzen (The prince’s bride)
Now…the book on which the film is based is called “Die Brautprinzessin” in German, so why did they change the film title? Wikipedia won’t tell me why, and what I’d like to think is that some loser just misheard or misread “Princess” as “Prince’s.” I’ll go on thinking that until someone tells me otherwise.
Why, you might ask, did I choose films from the eighties and nineties? Partly because I haven’t paid much attention to films since 2000, but also because it seems translation of film titles is becoming less frequent and, when it occurs, is more straightforward (or else it follows the pattern of Backdraft, Gremlins, and Top Gun, i.e. Real Title + Explanation). In these lists of Oscar-winning films from 2014 and 2015, you will see only a few titles were translated. Internet databases and constant international communication mean fewer unbelievable rides in crazy airplanes, and more Airplane!s. Ah, well.
Ooo, “Sie fürchten weder Tod noch Teufel” is new to me, that’s a great saying!
Also, despite my best efforts, I do not like the film “Meet the Parents,” and the German title leaves the same bitter taste in my mouth.
Now if only they had just left “Barfuß” in the original German version and gotten that one on Netflix instead of the remake, that’d be a coup. Also, “Vincent will Meer” is an excellent film title (and a fantastic film) that translates oddly well to “Vincent wants to sea” in English.
It’s a great feeling when you can find such a nice equivalent for a pun in the target language!
The worst I’ve seen was the title for the German-dubbed version of “Made in Dagenham”, which wasn’t even translated but simply re-titled as “We Want Sex”. That makes no sense at all, and I can’t imagine why anyone anywhere ever thought that might be a good idea.
On the other hand, I recently came across a DVD with the title “Die Gärtnerin von Versailles”, which I liked very much (both the film and the title), but the original title in English seemed so irrelevant, now I can’t even remember what it is.
“A Little Chaos”
Yes, that’s it. But I still think the German title is better.