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Watching movies with subtitles has become much more common with the advent of DVD. In bygone eras, movies were either dubbed, or one had to know the original language. Then with the appearance of SBS, we were given access to foreign movies with subtitles so that one could still enjoy the story, or practice the language.
My earliest memory of foreign movies was the television show “Samurai” in the 1960s. It was a source of some mirth when the mouth of the actor would move for some time for only a few English words to appear or, more often the case, a few words from the actor and something approaching a political speech in English coming through the speakers. It was not until I studied another language at some depth that I began to understand and appreciate what was happening.
Some words and phrases in foreign language convey some detail with succinctness. To translate with a few words is not possible because of the richness of the language. So a much longer translation and interpretation is used. We know this sometimes through the use of idiom. “Das is für de katz” in German literally means ‘that is for the cats’ but figuratively means ‘that is all for nothing.’ Anyone who has read assembly instructions which have been directly translated from one language into another has encountered this absurdity.
When we encounter some of the great words of faith, we realise that the single word is not capable of easy translation. The word “love” has four different Greek words. And who can adequately explain ‘agape’ love without something more lengthy than a word? We might add the words ‘faith’ and ‘grace’ to this complexity. Simple words with quite meaty definitions and complex meaning.
The challenge facing the creator of subtitles is that facing the preacher, and also the person of faith each day: to make comprehensible the meaning of a life of faith.
Posted by gary at January 22, 2006 11:41 PM
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