movies Archives

Published On - January 27, 2018

K International Language BlogTags: movies, translation fails

28 Hilarious Movie Title Translations

Sometimes, the hardest part of a movie to translate is the title, and the results can be unintentionally hilarious. To prove it, here are 28 movie title translations, translated back into English. Can you guess the original titles? The answers are below the fold. He’s A Ghost! Vaseline The Hole of...

Published On - October 2, 2017

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Disney, Māori, Moana, movies, Polynesian, Tahitian

The Languages of Moana

If (like me) you’ve got kids of a certain age, you’ve probably seen Disney’s Moana more than once. In fact, you can probably sing the soundtrack from memory, or at least the parts of it that are in English. But what about the parts that aren’t? Have you ever wondered about t...

Published On - September 15, 2017

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: movies

5 Famous Movie Quotes in Other Languages

A good catchphrase can be the most memorable part of a movie. These little sound bites get quoted and thrown around so much, even people who’ve never seen the movie are often able to recognize them. They can even become a permanent part of the language. But translating them, whether for du...

An (Updated) Harry Potter Vocabulary Guide

Published On - November 25, 2016

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Harry Potter, Languages, Latin, movies

An (Updated) Harry Potter Vocabulary Guide

This year, Harry Potter fans are thankful for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The new movie, released last week, gives fans a chance to revisit the wizarding world. But this time, the action happens on the other side of the pond, in 1920’s New York. If you have friends who love ...

Cinelistics 30 Words Phrases and Neologisms Popularised by Film

Published On - September 29, 2016

Alicja Brady General Interest, Language BlogTags: movies

Cinelistics: 30 Words, Phrases and Neologisms Popularised by Film

Popular culture has always helped contribute to language development and be responsible for many little additions over the years. Cinema is one of the key delivery methods that has ensured new words and phrases have been given the chance of becoming adopted by a worldwide mainstream audience. While ...

Translating Eastern Cinema into Western Success

Published On - August 25, 2016

Richard Brooks Inside Track, Language BlogTags: movies

Translating Eastern Cinema into Western Success

If you have more than a passing interest in cinema, you may well have heard the rumblings surrounding a new film scheduled for release at the end of 2016. The film in question is called ‘The Great Wall’, a record-breaking 135 million dollar epic set entirely in China, with a huge all-star Chines...

Published On - October 23, 2014

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Chinese Translation, movies, Translation Fail

“Guardians of the Galaxy” Chinese Translation Fail

You’d think that if you were distributing one of this year’s biggest blockbuster movies in a market the size of China, you’d be willing to spend the money to get a good Chinese translation. Or not. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” was released in China last week...

Published On - January 24, 2014

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: Hebrew, movies

Movie Title Translations, Israeli Edition

Need something fun to kick off your weekend? Here’s a list of Israeli translations of American movie titles. Can you guess what the original movies were? Scroll down below the fold for the answers! “The Date That Screwed Me” “The Gun Died Laughing” “Crazy About th...

Published On - June 25, 2012

Richard Brooks Language BlogTags: movies

Alien Language in “Prometheus”

Have you seen Prometheus yet? If not, please consider this your spoiler alert and stop reading now if you don’t want this post to spoil your fun. The latest Ridley Scott flick follows a team of humans and an android as they travel through space in search of the alien race who created humanity....