The title of the film is the first thing that draws the attention of the viewer. The first contact with the motion picture determines the interest in it. It is the name that largely determines whether a person will watch the trailer of the film and whether he will go to the cinema to see it.
And if you consider that the film industry brings tens of billions of dollars to media corporations, then the names are selected carefully, based on trends, the reaction of the target audience and other marketing factors.
Films intended for global distribution are localized in dozens of countries. This is where the pandemonium begins. After all, often the names are translated completely differently than they were in the original. Sometimes this is a justified step, but there are options when the ânewâ name just doesnât fit on your head. We'll talk about this.
Why movie titles are adapted
Reason 1. Marketing
The main reason is very simple - so that the film sells better in a particular market. The features of the American, Russian and Asian film markets are very different, so localization is most often done by individual companies that are familiar with the specifics.
Marketing plays a huge role. Let's go back to the classics and take the blockbuster Die Hard. It was originally called "Die Hard".
In a pirate amateur localization, the title was translated as "Die hard, but with dignity." Pretty clumsy, you'll agree.Die hard is a phraseological unit that has the meanings: âresist to the endâ, âdo not give upâ, âunbendingâ, âtenaciousâ.
Official localizers have found an excellent match, which quite accurately conveys the original meaning of the name, sounds good and is easy to remember. Moreover, the phrase "hard nut" is itself a phraseological unit, which makes the adaptation almost flawless.
Often the names that "enter" foreign markets would definitely fail in Russian.
For example, the comedy "Mad SWAT" was originally called "The Men Who Stare at Goats". And we also believe that even George Clooney would not have pulled out a film called âPeople Who Stare at Goatsâ in the Russian box office.
On the other hand, marketers are very fond of mentioning sex - this is great for increasing movie traffic. That is why the comedy "No Strings Attached" was localized as "More than sex." Literally translated, the title would be "No Commitment", which seems to also hint at sex, but the target audience might not understand. Localizers decided to play it safe.
As for really cool marketing tricks from localizers, one of the chic examples can be considered the film "Public Enemies", which turned into "Johnny D." at the Russian box office. The main character of the film was John Dillinger, a famous American criminal of the 1930s, and his role was played by Johnny Depp. It turns out that the localizers hit several targets at once: the title suits the film quite harmoniously, referring to the main character, and the viewer gets a direct association with Johnny Depp.
A complete replacement of the original name is understandable and acceptable here. But, rather, this is an exception to the rule, because such a trick only works in isolated cases.
Reason 2. Cultural differences
This reason is especially relevant when American films are localized for the Russian market. American patriotism is often emphasized in films from the United States, especially action films and period films.
"American" has already become a brand in the US, because if something is called "American", then for US residents it is almost automatically considered good.
But in Russia, especially in the last 5 years, the word "American" evokes negative associations, so they try to bypass it. For example, the film "American Sniper" (2014) was translated as "Sniper". Apparently, the publisher was afraid that the word "American" in the title would have a negative impact on the box office.
Another case in point: Captain America Avenger (2011) is a fantasy film based on Marvel comics. It was originally called "Captain America: The First Avenger". "Captain America" ââjust disappeared from the title - and this despite the fact that Marvel has a strong tendency to mention the name of a superhero in the title of the film.
Previously, such cultural prejudices were much less pronounced. Here are a few films made before 2010 where the word "American" or its derivatives was left in the title without any problems, and this did not cause the rental to fail:
- American History X (American History X, 1998);
- American Pie (American Pie, 1999);
- American Beauty (1999);
- American Psycho (American Psycho, 2000);
- American Rhapsody (American Rhapsody, 2000).
Reason 3. Awakening interest and a few spoilers
The Russian film distribution market contains a very curious feature. Many visitors decide to watch a movie based on the poster alone. Yes, many choose carefully, watch trailers and read descriptions, but the percentage of spontaneous choice is very high.
To give at least some information about the film, localizers resort to tricks. Often they look like excesses, but they perform the function assigned to them. This is especially true for headlines, where only the names of the characters are indicated.
Here are a few examples:
- "Hitch" - "Removal rules: the Hitch method";
- "Alfie" - "Handsome Alfie";
- "Norbit" - "Tricks of Norbit";
- "Hellboy" - "Hellboy: Hero from Hell".
Yes, it looks like crutches. The method is controversial, but one of the acceptable. After all, "Hitch", "Alfie" or "Hellboy" does not help at all to know what the film will be about. And for a person who chooses cinema spontaneously, this is important.
And yes, localizers often go too far, so these "crutches" start to look absurd.
Examples of the most juicy jambs in the localization of movie titles
Let's move on to the practical part. In the Russian box office, the titles of films that were localized crookedly come across very often. In some cases, localizers have been chasing profits by neglecting the original name. In others, a lack of awareness about the plot and characters of the film played a role.
Therefore, we will analyze the names of films that were translated especially crookedly.
Silver Linings Playbook - My boyfriend is crazy
The film's title includes a rather subtle pun based on the saying "Every cloud has a silver lining". On the basis of this proverb, the phraseological unit "silver lining" was formed in English, which means "the bright side of something" or "an encouraging prospect in any difficulty."
"Playbook" has two meanings, which are also reflected in the film. The first is "a book containing scripts for dramatic plays," which alludes to drama. The second is âa notebook that contains descriptions and schemes of team play,â namely, the hero and his father earned money for a living by betting on sports.
It turns out that the phrase "Silver Lining Playbook" includes several different meanings at once, which reveal the essence of the film from different angles.
Russian localizers turned this great title into My Boyfriend Is a Crazy, which immediately evokes the association of low-brow American comedy. Yes, people will go for it, but the meaning of the original name is completely ruined.
Lawless - The drunkest county in the world
The film's original title literally translates to "Lawless", so the localized "The Drunkest County in the World" is entirely a translator's fantasy.
Such a marketing ploy misleads the viewer. The phrase "The Drunkest ... in the World" is associated with comedy, but in reality the film is a crime thriller, in which there is not too much comedy.
In pursuit of fees, marketers directly deceive the audience, slipping one genre under the guise of another, more massive and popular. Money doesn't smell.
Death Proof - Proof of death
Here there is a clear jamb of the translator, who chose the wrong one from several meanings of the expression.
The word "proof" has 17 meanings. One of them is âprotection from somethingâ. In Russian, this meaning is conveyed by a complex word. For example, "waterproof" - "waterproof", fireproof - fire resistant. By analogy, the title of the film should have been something like "Deathproof".
In the film, the main character says more than once that his car is âdeath proofâ, that is, extremely durable and resistant to breakdowns. However, the localizers did not understand the context, so the Russian title has nothing to do with the original.
Fair Game - Game without rules
Another obvious manipulation of the audience's expectations. âFair Gameâ is translated as âfair gameâ, but in localization we see a completely opposite meaning - âgame without rulesâ.
It is clear that a film called "Game without Rules" will collect more money than "Fair Game", but this approach is completely contrary to localization from a linguistic point of view.
With such success, when translating movie titles, you can not look at the original at all, but simply come up with âcool phrasesâ that will interest the audience.
We also see something similar in the film âAll is Lostâ, which was localized as âHope will not fade awayâ.
Constantine - Constantine: Lord of Darkness
The approach of the localizers is understandable: itâs just that âKonstantinâ doesnât say anything. But with the clarification, the translators seriously screwed up.
John Constantine, the protagonist of the film, was not a "lord of darkness" at all. Moreover, he actively fought evil and for this he was cursed by the true lord of darkness.
One gets the impression that the translators did not watch the film before localization, but simply looked at the poster. Then yes, the gloomy protagonist is quite similar to the "lord of darkness."
Intouchables - 1 + 1
The film's title means "The Untouchables" in translation, and there is a clear allusion to the main characters, who are essentially outsiders of society. No one is interested in a disabled aristocrat and a black man just released from prison - they are the untouchables of modern society.
Apparently, the localizers were afraid to translate the name directly, so as not to evoke associations with the Indian untouchable caste. However, this option would be better than "1 + 1", which has no practical value and does not correspond to the original in any way.
Identity Thief - Catch a fat woman if you can
In the humble opinion of EnglishDom teachers, this is the leader of the absurd. "Identity Thief" translates as "Identity Theft". It is the theft of credit card data that is the plot of this comedy.
But the distributors found it too difficult to adapt the title close to the original, so they just invented a new one. To make it clear that this is a comedy, and not some third-rate detective story. Moreover, they did it in such a way that even for an inexperienced viewer the name seems at least delusional.
In general, the localizers deserved the "Golden Raspberry" and "Mihaloskar" at the same time. This is truly the worst movie title in the Russian box office. At least among the ones we've heard about. If you have worse options, be sure to share đ
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