“May the Force be with you,” the defining line from the blockbuster Star Wars film franchise has two variations in the Navajo tongue. When translated back to English they read, “May you walk with great power,” or “May you have the power within you.”
Five Navajo translators completed the translation of the Star Wars ‘A New Hope’ script in 36 hours. For them, the most difficult aspect of the job was translating technical terms that have no equivalent in the Navajo tongue. And today’s post takes a look at the process of translating popular films and TV shows!
Behind the Scenes of Translating Popular Films and TV Shows
Star Wars: A New Hope in Navajo
Lucasfilm and the Navajo Nation Museum engaged in the gargantuan task of translating Episode IV: A New Hope. This very first Star Wars movie, released to the public in 1977, changed the way movies are made and perceived forever. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was translated to Diné bizaad, the Navajo native tongue in the most accurate means possible.
The persons behind the project thought it was a great move to resurrect the Navajo tongue. According to Manuelito Wheeler, Navajo Nation Museum director, this project is a means of preserving the Navajo language. Wheeler approached Lucasfilm, Ltd. with the idea after recognizing the entertainment and educational value of Star Wars. With Star Wars, a revival may be at hand. English has become popular among the younger members of the tribe and fewer people speak the Navajo tongue these days.
Literal Translations
Not all translation of popular films and TV shows are as thorough or dedicated. “Psycho” the notorious Hitchcock horror classic was translated to “O homem que matou a própria mãe” in Portuguese or “The man who killed his own mother” which is very much in line with the plot, but not as foreboding as “Psycho.” Meanwhile, the Portuguese for the 1989 comedy “Weekend at Bernie’s” is “Um morto muito louco,” or “A very crazy dead man,” which is also very accurate, but might not bide well with audience sensibilities.
Adapt and Adjust
When translating popular television shows and movies, some translators choose to adjust and adapt the translation with regard to what is relevant to their own culture. Accuracy is sacrificed, and when the translation is translated back to English, it’s not the same anymore.
The popular television show “Meet the Robinsons” was translated to “La Familia de Futuro” in Spanish. The literal translation comes down to the family from the future. And as we all know, that’s not necessarily an exact translation. Linguists translated “The Flintstones” into “Los Picapiedras” or “The Rock Breakers.” The TV drama, “ER”, a show unparalleled in popularity in its heyday, turned into the rather redundant, “ER Emergencias.” And they translated “Ocean’s Eleven” into “La Gran Estafa,” or “The Grand Heist.”
21st Century Translation
So, what’s new with translation these days? Here’s something you might not have heard before. The latest addition to the Star Trek movie franchise, “Star Trek into Darkness” has inspired Bing. Microsoft’s search engine now features Klingon, an artificial language invented for the Star Trek series. And they regard the language as an integral part of their automated translator tool. Anyone looking to learn the language can master not just one but two versions of Klingon. One version in Roman characters and another in the Klingon alphabet as well!
