Tactful Translation: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"I was soon relieved of my position. I had an unfortunate tendency to tell the truth in a country where no one ever says what they mean. So now I [[Exact Words|very accurately]] translate other people's lies."''|'''Simon Graham''' describes being a translator in ''[[The Last Samurai]]''}}
|'''Simon Graham''' describes being a translator in ''[[The Last Samurai]]''}}
 
It often happens that in international business, politics, or two sides meeting before a battle, that a translator is needed for the two (or more) sides to understand each other. It just as often happens that one side will either intentionally or unintentionally say something insulting, offensive, personally distasteful to someone on the other side, engage in a bit of [[Cultural Posturing]], or make an [[Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon|outright threat]] that would either sabotage the talks or needlessly aggravate the other side. As the translator what do you do? Do you repeat all that accurately and maybe end any chance of agreement, not to mention possibly pissing off your boss? ([[You Have Failed Me...|Generally not a good idea]] if you happen to be translating for the [[Big Bad]], by the way.)
 
No, if you're smart, you choose to do a [[Tactful Translation]], translating the spirit of what was said or is important, while leaving out all the insulting, offensive, or just plain stupid stuff that would only get in the way or complicate things. Odds are that afterward all the sides will go home feeling pleased with themselves or like they really showed those other guys, while only the translator(s) will know just why that whole deal worked out without turning into a bloodbath.
 
Often winds up looking like a case of [[Translation: "Yes"]]. May be the job of a [[Completely Unnecessary Translator]]. Contrast [[Translation with an Agenda]], which can turn out to be the polar opposite of this trope.
 
{{examples}}
 
== Anime and Manga ==
* This happens in [[Axis Powers Hetalia]] when America visits Japan in order to [[Baka|make friends with whales]].
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{{quote|'''Mochi:''' Get out of my sight! Holy Bitch!
'''translation:''' I'm glad you like it. }}
* An episode of ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]? Fumoffu'' features a 'negotiation' session between Sousuke, an ex-mujaheddin [[Child Soldier]] who tends to speak in [[Spock Speak]], and a [[Delinquent]] representing a gang who's kidnapped one of his friends. Sousuke is unable to understand the thug's street jargon and extremely heavy accent, prompting the [[Student Council President]] to step in and calmly translate it into [[Spock Speak]]. The show then goes on to invert the trope when Sousuke's equally formal reply flies right over the thug's head -- sohead—so the [[Student Council President]] ''translates it into a series of crude threats completely deadpan, using the exact same tone of voice he used when doing the formal translation''.
{{quote|'''Sousuke:''' I see. Then please convey this to him, if you would: My military might exceeds yours by an overwhelming margin, so attempts at revenge would be a mere waste of efforts.
'''[[Student Council President]]:''' Hm. ''**To thug**'' Now listen you punk, there is no way you'd beat me. So step off, 'cuz you ain't even got one chance in a billion, you loser bi-atch.
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{{quote|'''Translator''' (in Pashtu): "Get out of here, woman. This one prefers bullets to words!"
'''Wife''' (struggling): "You dirty traitor, tell this Russian pig to let my husband go!"
'''Translator''' (in [[Translation Convention|English (Russian)]]): "Sir, this woman respectfully requests you release her husband."<br />
'''Tank Commander''': "Ask him where the rebels are."<br />
'''Villager''': "Mujahadeen are all around you! They will kill every one of you!"<br />
'''Translator''': "He says he doesn't know."<br />
The tank commander isn't fooled, and drives over the villager. }}
* ''[[Black Rain]]''. Nick's partner Charlies does this as a [[Running Gag]] (e.g. '''Nick:''' "I like to be kissed before I'm fucked!" '''Charlie:''' "Foreplay") starting with this scene.
{{quote|'''Nick''': "I want a Japanese cop who knows the street, speaks English, and can find his ass with both hands!"
'''[[Da Chief|High Ranking Police Boss]]''': "WHAT did you say?"<br />
'''Charlie''': "He means 'a tough motherfucker'."<br />
'''High Ranking Police Boss''': "Ah, of course." }}
* Happens at the climax of [[The Russians Are Coming]]. One of the sub's officers understands both English and Russian, and so is the de facto translator. When the police chief tells the submarine captain that he is under arrest, and the officer translates, the captain laughs, then starts swearing in Russian. The officer translates this as, "He is very angry...he thinks you're an idiot."
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== Jokes ==
* A Soviet joke, that goes like this: an Italian movie has been translated into Russian. The very first scene gives us an angry naked woman lying on the bed and an embarassed naked man who is quickly getting dressed.
{{quote|'''The woman:''' Castrato! Impotento!
'''The translator:''' Go away, I don't love you anymore! }}
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* ''[[The Warlord Chronicles]]'' gives us a page quote when the [[Boisterous Bruiser]] Saxon warrior king Aelle faces off with a coalition of Briton princes, generals, and warlords. When called upon to surrender and offered mercy, Aelle responds with [[Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon|an incredibly long-winded and detailed set of threats, tortures and torments]] toward every notable figure on the British side. (Believe it or not, the version on the quote page is ''much'' shorter than the full thing). The translator's version is simply "He says no." The trope also gets lampshaded, as right after Derfel translates Aelle's speech, Meurig responds "[[Translation: "Yes"|Surely he said more than that]]?" The [[Old Soldier]] Sagramor, [[Seen It All|who has been doing this sort of thing for his almost his entire life]], just tells Meurig "[[You Do NOT Want to Know|You don't want to know what he really said]]."
* In ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', when Daenerys negotiates for an army of Unsullied in Astapor one of the merchants insults her repeatedly and uses [[Politically-Incorrect Villain|lewd and sexist comments towards her]], but his slave translates this much more politely. Of course, neither the slave nor the merchant realize at that point that [[Obfuscating Stupidity|Dany actually does]] [[Bilingual Backfire|speak their language]]...
** In an earlier book by the same author, ''Windhaven'', someone is ''executed'' for doing this. She was carrying very rude verbal messages between two places at risk of war, and made them a bit more polite. When her employer found out he had her killed, and though he was removed from his position for insanity shortly thereafter, he was considered within his rights to do so. They take the job of delivering the exact message seriously.
* A large part of Bren Cameron's job in [[C. J. Cherryh]]'s Foreigner-verse, as the ''only'' person authorized by treaty to translate between a human settlement and the government of the other intelligent species on the planet. Even when, as in later books, he's not the only person who can translate, his skill at tact and diplomacy is exceptionally valuable.
* Comes up in the [[X Wing Series]]. Wedge Antilles flies the fake ''Falcon'', ''Millenium Falsehood'' with Chewbacca as copilot, but since he doesn't understand the Wookiee, he brings along a translator droid. Chewbacca knows Basic and takes offense to Squeaky not translating the more colorful elements of his speech.
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** {{spoiler|It later transpires [[Completely Unnecessary Translator|the Red King speaks English perfectly well]] (and that said slave knew this); he was probably smacking her to put Harry off guard.}}
* ''[[Ephraim Kishon]]'' once did this for a fight between one of his Hungarian relatives and a shopkeeper. He did it so well that they made peace. At the end, he thought he should try the same thing with the USA and the [[Soviet Union]].
* The title character in ''[[Mara Daughter of the Nile]]'' tries to do this when the first meeting between the king and the foreign princess he is betrothed to doesn't go so well. Unfortunately for Mara, she forgot that the king also speaks Babylonian.
 
 
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'''Kev:''' He says you have a face like a goat, and your men play with dolls!
As the two officers growl at each other, nose to nose, Kev thinks, "I'm gonna ''enjoy'' this!" }}
 
 
== Tabletop Games ==
* [[Forgotten Realms]] adventure ''Fires of Zatal'' starts with this gag. Amnians aren't the nicest people in better circumstances, so even relatively "well treated" natives of Maztica get to put up with a lot. If PCs are natives, the aide of a petty noble "recruits" them thusly:
{{quote|"You there!" says the huge man in common. "You're coming to Drakosa's house. He has work!"
The Payit translates. "Lord Drakosa strongly invites you immediately to assist him in a matter of extreme importance."
"Move along, or I'll feed you to the hounds!" bellows the huge man, gesturing at the panting dogs.
"Speed is essential, and you will be rewarded for compliance," says the interpreter. }}
 
 
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** Lilly, however, ''is'' fooled once in Shizune's route, when Hisao translates one of Shizune's sarcastic comments into something completely different. He questions how ethical it is to do that, but they get through the fishing trip without fighting, which pleases him.
{{quote|'''Lilly''': I have no idea how to fish.
'''Shizune''': ''(signing)'' [How [[Sarcasm Mode|magnanimous]] of you, Lilly.]<br />
'''Hisao''': Shizune says you should at least try. It might turn out to be fun.<br />
'''Lilly''': Very well. Akira, how do you use this? }}
 
 
== Webcomics ==
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{{quote|'''Lady Ascha''': BRACCH SKRAAH!
'''Cole''': She encourages you to devour steel. }}
 
 
== Real Life ==
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'''Translator''': No can do, but there's pizza and ice cream (or, perhaps, a bonus) in it for you if you do the job. }}
* There's also a joke floating around that inverts this trope:
** A gangster takes a translator to visit the shop of a man, whose brother has just died. He had taken money from the gangster and hid it away somewhere - and the gangster assumed he had told his only living relative, his brother. But the brother only spoke Italian, you see, which is why a translator was needed.<br /><br />When the two got to the shop, the gangster asks the translator to translate everything exactly - so he does. "Do you know where your brother hid our money?", the gangster asks, and the man answers "No." This goes on for a while, the translator pausing to make sure he has everything correct before he translates. Eventually, getting fed-up, the gangster pulls out his gun and snarls. "Listen, if you don't tell me where that money is, I'll shoot you in the head!" The translator tells the man this, who confesses; it's in the back-yard of his house, beneath the apple tree, and the gangster can have it back; he doesn't need it!<br /><br />The translator pauses, and says, "He says you don't have the balls to shoot him, boss."
* A bit of office humor involves a miserable idea which gets lousy feedback among the workers ("It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh!") slowly being transmuted by tactful translation up the corporate ladder, until the CEO hears nothing but praise and declares it to be good. Thus the plan becomes policy; or to put it another way, shit happens.
 
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[[Category:Translation Tropes]]
[[Category:Language Tropes]]
[[Category:TactfulAlliterative TranslationTrope Titles]]
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