The language committee analyzed and presented information about the Armenian translations of the cartoons shown on the "5th channel" TV station.
Armenian airwaves mainly offer non-Armenian products to children and teenagers. Honest TV stations present this product dubbed in Armenian. But the important thing is not only that the displayed material is linguistically accessible. The translation must be proper and high-quality.
The committee wrote about this and presented the language slips written off the air, in order to prevent such in the future. Five cartoons were studied. Most of the linguistic slips written out are from the cartoon "Moomi Troll and the Winter's Tale".
The slips are below:
"The screen adaptation of Tuve Jansson's wonderful fairy tale should have been given its due by translating it into Armenian meticulously. The ideological base of this cartoon is the mystery of Christmas. The cartoon is translated from Russian, and the word Рождество is heard throughout. In the Armenian version, however, it says New Year's.
"The chestnuts can no longer hold their withered, rustling leaves" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale").
This is not about chestnuts. Chestnuts have no leaves. We are talking about the leaves of the chestnut trees, which have turned yellow and are falling off.
That's right: "Chestnuts can no longer hold their withered, shriveled leaves."
"Each day the sun sinks behind the horizon earlier than the day before" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale").
Using every instead of every does not make the speech more literary. These words are not always interchangeable. Here each not only sounds bad, it is also wrong, because it is not about every single day (see the dictionary explanation of each word), but about a gradual, day-by-day change. It is just as badly chosen as the day before.
It is true that "every day the sun sinks behind the horizon earlier than the day before."
Another case of misuse of each word.
"Every spring we find a letter of thanks" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale").
This is an artificial expression and is not used. It is true: "Every spring we find a letter of thanks."
Moomin Mew says: "You are very naughty. If you could make skis like your antics, they would be the best.'' There is a logical error here. Is Mew preparing her pranks? It is true, for example: "You are very naughty. If you could make skis as soon as you were naughty, they would be the best.'
"Mora walks more confidently in the field of Moomintrolls" ("The Moomintroll and the Winter's Tale"). They walk not through any place, but in another place. That's right: "Mora walks more confidently in the field of Moomintrols."
Same mistake, "Now Charuk walks our streets" ("The Mystery of the Toy Shop"). That's right: "Now Charuk is walking in our streets."
"A son of a race should not run through the corridors" ("Children of the Rain"). It is true, "A son of a race should not run about in the corridors."
"I wonder what happens to the sea during the winter" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). This is a mistake of the mentioned connection, it is a foreign language usage that is very common. It is true, for example: "I wonder what happens to the sea during the winter."
Same mistake, "What happened to the fish and the plants?" ("The Mystery of the Toy Shop"). That's right, "What happened to the fish and the vegetation?"
"Mother, what did they do to you?" ("Children of the Rain"). That's right: "Mother, what did they do to you?"
"And who is his comrade in arms? What have you done with him?" ("Children of the Rain"). That's right: "And who is his comrade in arms? What did you do to him?"
"You don't have to go far to see other worlds" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale"). This is also a common mistake. Not necessarily/not necessarily, but necessarily/not necessarily. It is true here: "You don't have to go far to see other worlds."
Dad says to Mumi: "Don't worry, we have nothing to fear, as far as I know" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). This is a wrong wording. That's right: "Don't worry, we have nothing to fear, as far as I know." Preferably, "Don't worry, as far as I know, we have nothing to fear."
The frost mistress freezes the squirrel. Mumi says: "Oh no, she froze him" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale").
In the translated language, this he and her, when they are close, do not interfere with each other. In Armenian, a different solution should be given in such cases. That's right, "Oh no, he froze the squirrel."
"Get up, open the windows, the New Year is coming" ("Moomi Troll and the Winter's Tale"). It is not true to say about the New Year. This expression is used in other meanings. "Get up, open the windows, where will the New Year come?"
"Everything will be much better, Moomin, don't worry" ("Moomin's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). More expresses a comparison that is not appropriate in this episode. That's right: "Everything will be fine, Mumi, don't worry."
The same mistake: "You go, I'll join you later." This is probably the most common mistake. There is no comparison here either. No one came late, no one was late, so no one can come later. That's right: "You go, I'll join you later".
Mumi enters the house and shouts. "Is there anyone here?" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). There are only animals in the mummies' house. Therefore, it is true: "Who is here?"
"The meaning of New Year is to be with your family" ("Moomi Troll and the Winter's Tale"). The thing is, the meaning is... These expressions are constructed with foreign language thinking. The definite article of the pronoun is doubly wrong: it is him. We talked about the New Year above. It is true: "The meaning of Christmas is to be with your family."
The same mistake: "Maybe that's the meaning of the New Year, to make everyone happy" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). That's right: "Maybe that's what Christmas is all about, to make everyone happy."
Mumi is looking for a creature in their house. "Maybe he is in the attic. He would feel at home among these antiquities" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale"). It is exactly home, and it is not correct to say that it would feel at home. It is true that he would feel at home. Preferably, she would feel good or like him.
"And so, my glasses," says Moomin's dad, putting on the glasses ("Moomin's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). The glasses are Anese in Russian and English. In Armenian, glasses means more than one pair of glasses. That's right: "And so, my glasses."
Mumi says: "I'll go and ask Tutiki" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). They ask Tutiki, and they learn from Tutiki.
That's right: "I'll go and ask Tutiki" or "I'll go and find out from Tutiki".
"Now I will be able to slide down the highest mountains and I will be faster than Hemen" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale").
It is a wording copied from a foreign language. In Armenian, they are not fast, but fast, agile.
Or, preferably, "Now I will climb the highest mountains (mountains) and I will slide faster than Hemen."
"I hope he won't be so hungry" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale").
In Armenian, there are so many expressions that have the meanings not at all or not at all. It doesn't have that much meaning, the incorrect form that has been popular recently. That's right: "I hope he won't be too hungry."
The same mistake: "Unfortunately, the reason for the meeting is not so good" ("Ninja Turtles"). That's right: "Unfortunately, the reason for the meeting is not very good."
"Yunk doesn't think about his wolf brothers anymore" ("The Wax Troll and the Winter's Tale"). This is a wrong wording. That's right, "Yunk no longer cares about his brother wolves."
"I'm in the mood today" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). What should a child listener understand from this "foreign language" sentence? That's right: "I'm in a good mood today."
"The trolls didn't know what was going on above their heads" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). If it is happening above the heads of the trolls, then not them, but them. He/they pronouns are often used instead of he/them. It's true, "Trolls didn't know what was going on above their heads."
Same mistake: "The King of Fighters was doomed to wander the earth forever, unable to either die or forget his terrible mistake ("Ninja Turtles").
It was the king of warriors who made the mistake, so it is wrong to say that it was his. There is also a linguistic error here: by country. This is not the case mentioned above on page 2, and we would be wrong to suggest the form in the country, because here we are not talking about any area, but the planet Earth. Here, earth means the world, and it is correct to be one with the Earth.
That's right, "The King of Fighters was doomed to wander the Earth forever, unable to either die or forget his terrible mistake."
"I thought Don had everything organized" ("Ninja Turtles"). This is a case of misuse of proximity. That's right: "I think Don arranged everything."
The same mistake: "I can't. I feel insomnia" ("Ninja Turtles"). It is true: "I can't. I have insomnia." "It will hardly work for me" ("The Flying Carpet"). That's right: "I hardly can."
"Who's there?" ("Ninja Turtles"). The recordings also had to be translated. The highlighted one is the Russian recording. That's right: "Who's there, hey/hey/hey!"
The same mistake: "It's not tasty, phew" ("Ninja Turtles"). That's right: "It's not tasty, tuh/tuh".
"Wow, there are treasures here" ("Children of the Rain").
"Wow/Oh/Paho! There are treasures here!"
"It's enough to play "Guardians of the Law" at night" ("Ninja Turtles").
The game is called "Defenders of the Law". They don't play at night, but all night or every night.
That's right: "It's enough to play "Defenders of the Law" all night/every night."
"Yes, run away just like that" ("Ninja Turtles").
The imperative of the mentioned verb is to escape.
That's right: "Yes, just run away."
"It's okay, I'm shockproof" ("Ninja Turtles").
It is not Armenian.
That's right, "It's okay, I'm hit-resistant" or "It's okay, I'm hit-proof/intentionally resistant."
"I'll be hiding behind your back until I come back" ("Ninja Turtles").
It is often found similar to за споной, this phrase is incorrect in Armenian.
That's right: "It will be hidden behind your back until I come back."
Same error:
"He escaped behind my back while I was chasing the other one away" ("The Flying Carpet").
Here it is correct: "He escaped secretly while I was chasing the other."
"The Soul Hunter envied cosmic harmony" ("Children of the Rain"). It has nothing to do with hormones. The correct form of the word is harmony, and it has an Armenian equivalent. That's right, "The Soul Hunter envied cosmic harmony."
"- Where are you going. /- Square. /-Wash your hands first" ("Children of the Rain"). At the beginning of going to the square? It is a bad translation. That's right: "Wash your hands first."
"To begin with, throw him in the dungeon, then we'll give him to the crocodiles" ("The Flying Carpet"). In the beginning, it is not a mistake here, but the connection for is used inappropriately. That's right: "First/Throw him into the dungeon, then we'll give him to the crocodiles."
"You risk your lives" ("Children of the Rain"). Although there are a few people who risk it, they are not risking their lives, but life. The word life is used in the plural only to mean people, to save lives. That's right: "You are risking your life."
"How I would like to be in their place" ("Children of the Rain"). This means being where they are. And in the cartoon it is about being in their place. In that case, it is true: "How I would like to be in their place!"
"A source, here, now that it's the peak of the dry season?" ("Children of the Rain").
Edit: "A source, right here, now that the dry season is at its peak?"
"Is he alive?" ("The Flying Carpet").
In the fairy tale, the carpet is not alive or dead, but breathing or inanimate. That's right: "Is he breathing?" "Is he talking?" is preferred here.
"May you and your countless wives live" ("The Flying Carpet"). The person of the indicated verb is chosen incorrectly. That's right: "May you and your countless wives live."
The prison guard says: "Void of Emptiness" ("The Flying Carpet"). Obviously, the phrase vanity has been mistranslated from vanity.
Unfortunately, the written errors are more than the ones presented. Here, we have not touched on the cases that are not linguistic mistakes, but are also not recommended in cartoons. There are quite a few of them. Let's mention a couple as an example:
"I haven't seen anyone survive the encounter with the wolves" ("Moomi's Troll and the Winter's Tale"). This is not a suitable wording for children.
We suggest: "I have never seen someone meet wolves and survive."
"You don't need to make heated decisions" ("Ninja Turtles").
It will definitely seem to the child that the decisions are heated. At least it should have been said, in a heated state. Preferably: "You don't need to make decisions when you are angry."
Dear TV company, suggest to your translators and editors to follow the rules of the Armenian language and use dictionaries. They will find useful materials in the "Terminological and Spelling Directory"[1], as well as on the official website of the Language Committee.
