Sxilderik
12-02-2005, 12:52 PM
Hello
I'm one of many of your french audience, and proud owner of the season 1 DVD; I'm a bit worried about the rather poor quality (and relevant supervision) of the french language used so far.
- the text of the "french transmission" sounds more like a student's homework, not like a genuine french text ["si qui que ce soit puisse entendre ceci", "veuillez nous aider" are (almost) grammatically correct, but not what we (french) would say]. (We here half expect a twist to explain later that this text was not initally written by a french.)
- the "territoire fonce" means nothing, "fonce" is not a french word, (except a slang word for "to hurry, to speed"). A more correct sentence would have been "le territoire foncé" (pronounced like in "fiancee", or "trebuchet" :p), but yet again, if "foncé" can mean "dark", it only pertains to a shade of color (like "rouge foncé", "peau foncée"). To use "foncé" for a region, it'd have to be on a map ("the area colored in dark shade"). Well, whatever, a correct translation would have been "le territoire sombre" ("sombre" bearing the same dark ominous feeling as "dark").
- the few lines Mira had to say in french, and her english fluentness (to french ears) are opposite to what I would have expected: we french are not widely known for our ease (and will) at learning languages, and most of the french (including myself) speaking english do so with a unmistakable accent... (samples of it can be heard in "Matrix 2" or "The whole 9 yards")
At this point, I can imagine things two ways
- either: there is actually a trick somewhere later which will explain why Danielle has been using broken french and is obviously better at speaking english, why grammatical mistakes or wrong translations have been used, possibly for concealing reasons? (even bad Navajo was a good and safe way to speak secretly in WWII :p)
- or: the crew doesn't really give a damn about it, and anything that would sound french enough to US audience would be good enough.
I dare hope I'm wrong when I can't stop myself thinking the second explanation is the right one.
Unless there are script mysteries about that broken french yet unknown to us for good reasons, and even though what has been done can't be undone and redone, I do hope for a better french supervision in the future.
Now, where do I have to sign this with my own blood?
(Kudos to Shannon, her "La mer" was great)
I'm one of many of your french audience, and proud owner of the season 1 DVD; I'm a bit worried about the rather poor quality (and relevant supervision) of the french language used so far.
- the text of the "french transmission" sounds more like a student's homework, not like a genuine french text ["si qui que ce soit puisse entendre ceci", "veuillez nous aider" are (almost) grammatically correct, but not what we (french) would say]. (We here half expect a twist to explain later that this text was not initally written by a french.)
- the "territoire fonce" means nothing, "fonce" is not a french word, (except a slang word for "to hurry, to speed"). A more correct sentence would have been "le territoire foncé" (pronounced like in "fiancee", or "trebuchet" :p), but yet again, if "foncé" can mean "dark", it only pertains to a shade of color (like "rouge foncé", "peau foncée"). To use "foncé" for a region, it'd have to be on a map ("the area colored in dark shade"). Well, whatever, a correct translation would have been "le territoire sombre" ("sombre" bearing the same dark ominous feeling as "dark").
- the few lines Mira had to say in french, and her english fluentness (to french ears) are opposite to what I would have expected: we french are not widely known for our ease (and will) at learning languages, and most of the french (including myself) speaking english do so with a unmistakable accent... (samples of it can be heard in "Matrix 2" or "The whole 9 yards")
At this point, I can imagine things two ways
- either: there is actually a trick somewhere later which will explain why Danielle has been using broken french and is obviously better at speaking english, why grammatical mistakes or wrong translations have been used, possibly for concealing reasons? (even bad Navajo was a good and safe way to speak secretly in WWII :p)
- or: the crew doesn't really give a damn about it, and anything that would sound french enough to US audience would be good enough.
I dare hope I'm wrong when I can't stop myself thinking the second explanation is the right one.
Unless there are script mysteries about that broken french yet unknown to us for good reasons, and even though what has been done can't be undone and redone, I do hope for a better french supervision in the future.
Now, where do I have to sign this with my own blood?
(Kudos to Shannon, her "La mer" was great)