Badly Translated TV Show Titles Around the World
If there is one true thing that brings us all together, from whichever corner of the globe we reside in to whatever we do to fill our days, surely it is something that is noble, profound, the kind of thing that gets us up in the morning, puts a spring in our step, and shines a little ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day.
We are talking, of course, about our favourite television shows. Who doesn't get a rush of togetherness when discussing those scenes in Poldark, or theorising just who the next person to meet Lucille might be? Thanks be to the translators around the world, who generally do not hear enough singing of their praises, for without them, how would we adequately spread the word that Winter Is Coming, or the reminder to never forget that we must Trust No One?
Of course, as the saying goes, things are often lost in translation. But the truth may also be the opposite: because without attempts to take the words of our characters and give them entirely new tongues, how would we discover the hilarity that is the translation fail? To give you a sample, here is a look at some of the most creative translations of TV show titles: enjoy!
Let's hear it for Hungarian...
...for who knew these mostly seriously-looking folk could provide us with some of the best examples of what we're looking for? Let's start off tame:
Arrested Development becomes The Verdict: Family,
and Married... With Children – A Terribly Nice Family.
There are some overly literal translations too, with True Detectives – On Behalf Of the Law,
and Parks and Recreation – Urban Development Department.
But then we have these gems:
Raising Hope – Foster Care Enough
Weeds – Nancy Sitting on the Grass
Doctor Who – Who Are You, Doc?
And our very favourite: Breaking Bad - Total Suckage.
Heading north...
… of Europe at least, where we have two translation treats in store for you! Estonian that brings us:
Raising Hope – Unexpectedly, the Father Of,
And Married... With Children – Pigeons;
And Finnish, proving truly delightful with:
The Big Bang Theory – Spectacles Fogged Up,
Hart of Dixie – Heart Countries,
Desperate Housewives – The Perfect Women,
How I Met Your Mother – At First Glance,
And Pretty Little Liars - False Seducer.
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To German...
...whose translations are funny because they are so very lacking humour:
Dynasty – The Denver Clan,
The Fall Guy – A Colt For Every Purpose,
Weeds – Small Deals Among Neighbours,
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Lass is Larry,
And Scrubs – The Beginner.
GIF via Giphy
And also Portuguese...
...that gives us so very many to choose from:
Arrested Development – From Bad To Worse,
How I Met Your Mother – So What Happened Was,
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia – It Never Rains In Philadelphia,
New Girl – Jess and the Boys,
Six Feet Under – Shores Of Paradise,
And Burn Notice – Spy Out Of His Game.
Another thing we like about Portuguese translations is that, like Spanish, there is the possibility for even more translations because the titles are different in each of the Portuguese-speaking countries: our favourite is The OC, where, in Portugal, it is the Land of the Rich and in Brazil, A Stranger In Paradise.
And whilst we're in Brazil, here are a few more:
30 Rock – A Crazy On TV,
Beverley Hills 90210 – Barred from the Dance,
The Good Wife – On the Right Start,
And Mad Men – Inventing Truths.
A gluttony of interesting choices we think you will agree!
Over to The East...
...where we have such greatness as:
Japanese:
Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Beloved of the Crucifix,
And Jersey Shore – with the politest translation being Macaroni Rascals;
Vietnamese:
Game Of Thrones – Kingship Game,
Freaks and Geeks – Peculiar and Eccentric,
And Six Feet Under - For After Earth Land;
Chinese:
Doctor Who - Mysterious Professor.
GIF via Giphy
Some of our other favourites...
But it's tough knowing even where to begin.
Bulgarian:
Breaking Bad – In the Shoes of Satan;
Arrested Development – Company Monkey Business & Construction;
Polish:
Gilmore Girls – Dear Trouble;
Serbian:
The Walking Dead – Surrounded by Dead,
Or French:
With the wonderfully dramatic translation of The X Files – At the Boundaries of Reality.
And this is but a taster of translation treats: next time, we'll be giving the same treatment to some of our favourite films. Until then!