Why don't people want to stick to their own language?

alternatefutures
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Post by alternatefutures » Sat Aug 10, 2002 11:48 pm

If I remember correctly, "Ah! My Goddess!" was NOT meant to be a parody of "Oh my God!", but rather the writer found it to be a happy coincidence and so, when the series was released in the US, the JAPANESE STUDIO choose to alter the name to "Oh! My Goddess". For the movie the JAPANESE STUDIO chose to keep the original title. So, you're still kind of correct Milo. Purists should use the English title 90% of the time because it's what the Japanese studio wants. And every purist wants to be in step with the Japanese studio... for some strange reason...

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UncleMilo
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Post by UncleMilo » Sun Aug 11, 2002 2:09 am

OK... I can't speak with absolute knowledge here, but I did base my post on the footnotes that came with the old VHS release of Oh! My Goddess from AnimEigo... they were the ones who said that the title was supposed to be a whimsical turn on the phrase "Oh! My God!"

They also included how the names of the 3 Norse Goddesses of Fate are the basis for the three Goddesses in the title (while Belldandy's name was the one that took a big hit, because I believe the Norse Goddesses was something like Vertendi... or something like that... I'd have to get the notes)

Both AnimEigo and Dark Horse released this title as Oh! My Goddess... but many items of merchandise from Japan that used English spelled it Ah! My Goddess...

AnimEigo went to great lengths explaining why "Oh! My Goddess" would be the more appropriate English translation of the title.

The movie was released by another company and THAT company stuck with the Japanese interpretation of English, giving us "Ah! My Goddess" for the movie title...

-Uncle Milo
There are two kinds of people in this world:
Those who divide people into two kinds of groups
and those who don't.

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UncleMilo
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Post by UncleMilo » Sun Aug 11, 2002 2:34 am

I understand some things.

For instance... I know that Akira, when spoken in Japanese has the accent on the A... AH - keera

but since most people say it here as a-KEER-ah, I know I'm just better off saying it that way...

However, I did hate back when Streamline did the dub and had it pronounced: Ah-keeeeeeeeeeer-ah. :D

They really over-killed the middle sylable.

A lot of people didn't want to say Kaneda's name correctly, since it sounds a lot like Canada... but it does sound that way....

As opposed to Ke-naaaaay-da...


I don't see anything wrong with people saying Magic User's Club, since that was the English name and it's easier to remember... but imagine if people said Maho User's Club...



I was more about people saying words from our own language correctly.

Like Evangelion. Someone said that it refers to the German word Evangelical... well that's true...

Look it up in an American Dictionary
Evangelical
Evangelist
Evangel

All of them have the g pronounced as "j" the soft j... people who think it sounds funny have to deal with the fact that funny or not, it is part of OUR LANGUAGE.




On another note... I hate to say this, but the song "I'm turnin' Japanese" is a song about masturbation. "Turning Japanese" was a slang term for masturbating. (On an odd side note, a friend of mine gathered up every song out there about masturbation and put all the songs on a single tape. It's a funny collection of songs.)


Oh... and trust me... just watch the JAPANESE version of Akira or Street Fighter and listend to how they say Ryu.

It's said with a quick "dy"... as if they were saying "you" with a very fast d on the front.... dYOU... as if the dY were one sound. It's one syllable.

A friend of mine who is a profesional translator has gotten on my case about that for a long time... and it took me a while to learn how to say it right.

I want people to say my name correctly and I think it is only courteous to do my best to say their names correctly as well.

-Uncle Milo
There are two kinds of people in this world:
Those who divide people into two kinds of groups
and those who don't.

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kthulhu
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Post by kthulhu » Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:13 am

I have to tell people how to spell my last name, which sucks because it is a common, English type name (Hedges,for those who care.Yeah,hunt me down and taste lead if you want).
I'm out...

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BigName
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Post by BigName » Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:59 am

[quote="flint_the_dwarf"]Have you ever heard that one song where that one phrase keeps repeating, "I think I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so"?

/snip
quote]

you do realize that THAT song is about masturbation and turning japanese in the song means that the face he makes as he's having an orgasm looks like he's turning japanese... put that in you pipe and smoke it...

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BigName
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Post by BigName » Sun Aug 11, 2002 4:03 am

jesus christ i'm a slow

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kthulhu
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Post by kthulhu » Sun Aug 11, 2002 4:07 am

*Masturbates*
Nope, don't see it. Better do another test run.
*Masturbates again*
Still nothing. One more time.
*Masturbates yet again*
Hmm. Inconclusive this time.
*Masturbates a fourth time*
Definitely don't see it. One more time!
*Gets stuck in a vicious cycle*
I'm out...

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Mroni
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Post by Mroni » Sun Aug 11, 2002 6:00 am

Ah my goddess is the correct title but when the Mr fujishima was told what it sounded like in english he expressed that he liked Oh my goddess and that's how it should be in english. Thats what animeigos liner notes say. So if Fujishima thinks that's what it should be I am in total agreement.

Mr Oni
Purity is wackable!
"Don't trust me I'm over 40!"

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SarahtheBoring
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Post by SarahtheBoring » Sun Aug 11, 2002 12:19 pm

So many points brought up. Whew. :shock:

In general I trace these back to two tendencies:

A) "Everything About Japan Is Inherently Superior To Everything About Every Other Country Ever Existing On Earth" would cause things like people frothing at the mouth if you say "Oh! My Goddess". It was so in Japan, ergo it is Good and Right and Holy.

B) "Tripping Over My Own Language-Bound Tongue" syndrome, in which people will habitually slur or change things so that they are more pronounceable within their own speech pattern.

JUST as Japanese speakers add vowels on the ends of words borrowed from other languages so that they are more pronounceable to them, so do English-speaking translators and fans alter pronunciations like "Ryoko" so that they fit more smoothly into their speech.

The points made sort of cancel each other out, don't they? You seemed to slam people who adhere AND people who change. It's confusing. I don't understand the overarching theme between the two. O_o;

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The_Digital_Phoenix
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Post by The_Digital_Phoenix » Sun Aug 11, 2002 12:49 pm

I love voice talents and I try to see if I can emulate the voice actor, and I usually can. ^_^ So I try to say things the way they are meant to be said. But sometimes it's too hard to wrap my tongue around a tricky foriegn word and I just do My best.
I say "Sa koo rah" and not "Sak' rah" (or whatever you said) and I don't say "Sa ker rah" either.
When I pronouce Akira I say "A ki rah" with almost a "D" sound before the "rah". I have heard Akira pronounce so many times that I can't tell which is correct anymore.
It bugs me to no end when people say "Po kee mon" *shudders* I say Po kay mon" which I feel is correct. But go figure I say "Di geh mon" and "Di gee mon" :?

In short I just try and say words the way they are supposed to be said or the way I think they are supposed to be said. And I don't care what people say 'cause all people are different and all people will say things differently.
Case in point: Take the word "Either". My whole family and all my neighbors, except my sister, all say "eether" and my sister and I say "eyether". The later would be the English pronouciation, so I have no clue as to why we would say "eyether"
OMG

OK! I'll shut up now!

No one needs to go on that long about that.

Bye!
^_^

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