Do you have a favorite Disney translation? Another one I love is the German version of "Almost There" with Cassandra Steen: ruclips.net/video/oSySG4O8gqQ/видео.html
I was reminded of the “Adventures of the gummi bears” intro that I grew up in Danish. I had to look up the English version since I don’t recall hearing it before. Then I noticed they were quite different. In the original English version it says “high adventure that’s beyond compare! They are the gummi bears” whereas in the Danish version it says “Helt fortryllet når han tager sin tørn! Sådan er en bubbi bjørn” which roughly translates to “completely enchanted when he does his part, that’s how/who a bubbi bear is”. Tørn is derived from the English “turn” and implies work that involves several people. Instead of talking about how epic their adventures are, it’s about how they collaborate and stand together. Not only that but instead of stating that they are the gummi bears, the Danish version connects the chorus and makes it about the values the gummi bears hold. To be fair it is also quite difficult to find a word that rhymes with “bjørn”. Gummi bears has also been translated to “bubbi” bears. Most likely because the obvious play on “gummy bears” doesn’t really translate well. Instead we call it “vingummi bamser” which is roughly translated to “wine gum Teddy bears”. “Bubbi bjørne” is just more catchy haha
"Is there anything else that you want to say?" - one of the absolute best interview questions and I'm not sure why I don't recall hearing anyone else ever ask that... Sorry for the comment bombardment but I figure it's good for the algorithm monsters!
Looking at translations of Disney songs is something my uni professors had us do while studying translation, and I've found the way that they translate their music to be really fascinating! One of my favourite examples of French translations of Disney songs is the French version of "Surface Pressure" from Encanto. While French is a very flowery and emotional language, you dont expect to hear people directly addressing their negative emotions in this language, so it feels all the more urgent when Luisa is singing in French about feeling like she's nothing if she can't live up to her family's expectations, how she can only relax if she ignores her responsibilities, etc. It's honestly chilling. The very last lyric is a huge departure from the English, too: instead of "Who am I if I dont have what it takes? / No cracks, no breaks / No mistakes / No pressure" you instead get: "But I would like to (be able to) ask you / What it feels like / To just exist without pressure". (In my opinion the translations of the French lyrics into English that exist online don't capture the raw emotion of the lyrics very well, so I have a translation of my own i could share!)
I'm gonna miss this channel, i remember finding it in 2019, or 2020 and I think it was before you had 10k subs, sometime around the pandemic. You provided interesting takes on different parts of disney, and you also expressed your love and critisism of it as a whole. I think most of all, you provided a place for me that says something like "its okay to love childish things because you can look at them in a unique way and a different lense." Im glad i was here to see your journey on here and i hope to be there for the end of it and wish you well. Although you and your channel will part ways,(and the community likely too) I'm pretty sure the memories won't go away. So thank you for everything you gave.
Highly agreed. It's hard parting ways, but sometimes it's the journey and experience that matters- and I hope Marlene's pursuits post-Dreamsounds go well.
I grew up bilingual (German and English) in Germany, so I watched a lot of Disney movies in both languages as a kid. Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast mostly in English, Lady and the Tramp, Aristocats, Robin Hood in German. It was so interesting looking back on that childhood with thoughts on translations. I mostly watched German ones when I was around 10, so right when Frozen came out, and while I love certain songs in German in that musical, the ways in which some songs were changed in translations in Frozen irk me. They are much too literal instead of emotional, making the core of Elsa's feelings in Let it Go seem confusing in several parts. Also in Love is an Open Door, they changed it to "Liebe, sie öffnet Türn", which means that love opens doors, which is quite a different idea to the original but fits incredibly well with Hans using Anna's puppy love to his advantage. I personally love translating songs and have done so out of fun a few times, especially to show off Wise Guys (amazing German Acapella group) songs to my non-German friends. Their song Denglish is really fun and they have a few English songs too.
I love it, but in a melancholy nostalgic way. "Oh, I remember fishy fins... wow, look at all of those names - back before thingamabobs I remember us tossing around the idea of if/how to list patrons and now there's so many..." I'm very happy for you Marlene, but I *will* miss this space. I saw this channel mentioned again a few days ago and thought about how far it's come. But you're ready to stand, and *I'm* the last one to ask you to stay in the ocean. I just hope we'll get to hear your beautiful voice every now and then. Just a couple more to go...
The interview was very inspiring! I'm always so happy to hear from people who enjoy their line of work and promote language learning! Also, I grew up with the French version of Phil Collins' Tarzan songs and I thought it was so cool that he sang in many languages! It's not a Disney movie but I was also super impressed with Brian Adams singing in French for the Spirit soundtrack. They both definitely motivated me to learn English (and other languages) as a French Canadian kid! Thank you for the great video! ❤
My favorite Disney translation has got to be Drakken's rap from Kim Possible into German. The original contains a lot of slang and short verses that don't really fit in German, so they extended the verses and also added more rhymes/lyrical methods, which makes the song nicer to listen to. They also changed the meaning. In the English version, Drakken used slang in a "hip with the kids" kinda way, but the German version focusses more on how he is an evil person that's also hard to take seriously. However, the last line does convey a serious threat (imo) where it stays a bit goofy in the original.
I grew up in Croatia and a lot of croatian dubs of Disney renaissance era movies are absolutely spectacular. They flow with the melody perfectly and still maintain some feeling of the original lyrics. When live action remakes started coming out they redid all translations and the new ones are so clucnky and rough it's almost unlistenable. They often don't fit the meter, the rhyme scheme is all over the place and they're often way too literal for their own good. So yeah translations matter a lot.
I know two of the US-American cast members in this German production of The Lion King and I’ve loved seeing their experience being in the show and talking about the translations and how to memorize the various different tracks they perform as they are familiar songs but in a language they’re not yet fluent in, it’s super fascinating!
In the latam dub of arabian nights, the original song had the line “y si ahí les caes mal/te van a mutilar” (if they don’t like you there/they will mutilate you) in the part of the song that goes “cut off your ear if they dont like your face” in english. When the line was changed in the english version, the latam dub changed the lyrics as well, to “extensión colosal/esplandor singular” (collosal expanse, singular splendor). Just a little translation tidbit! Also they mistranslated the genie calling aladdin master into “professor” once, for some reason!
This video was amazing. I'm so fascinated by language and how they all connect to each other. I can tell this was such a love letter to disney, it's beauiful. This was such a cool video, and your editing is outstanding. I hope you'll one day be able to come back
I watched the Lion King Musical when I was in middle school with my sister and her friends family, it’s the only musical I’ve ever seen (that wasn’t seen bootlegged online), so it was really cool to learn more about it 💖💖💖
Bilingual here (English, Cantonese Chinese). I remember in early childhood watching bootlegs with a Cantonese dub track and simplified Chinese subtitles that I couldn't read. Even now, I might put on the Cantonese dub on D+, but I'm more drawn into the visual animation and how that propels the story. Mulan's Reflection holds a deep place in my heart, unsurprisingly. As an aside, how did the Donald Duck convention feel about Ducktales (2017)?
I’m so happy to see that your making videos again! I was sadden by your post a month back or so saying that you had to quit doing videos due to the financial aspect, but I’m glad to see that your back. May many more videos come in the future! 🥂 - your Cuban-American lesbian fan
I've always loved German as a musical language - it has so much texture, which is why it's so great for harshness (every Disney villain sounds nastier in German) but people don't realize how much more you can do with it - it can also be amazingly gentle and expressive. Listen to Drew Sarich's German version of 'Heaven's Light' from Hunchback and you'll see what I mean.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful interview with Mr Byrd! What a perspective, omg 👏 I've been thinking a lot recently about something sort of related to this topic, and while I wouldn't normally drop something peripherally-related in comments, given that we're nearing the end of your regular videos, I do sort of want to share? XD As multilingual singer like you, another thing I also think about when I think about Disney German translations is the "singability" of the translated text. Some Disney songs are just physically harder to sing - looking particularly at Let It Go (Lass jetzt los) here, which is a beast no matter how well it sits in anyone's voice - and while the German translation in particular of that song is good from an audience perspective, I find it really doesn't feel particularly... singer-friendly? When I personally try to sing it in German, my tongue feels incredibly tied, and it genuinely feels like the lyrics do to some degree prevent my sound from coming out to its fullest ability. Now, I'm no Willemijn Verkaik - she is one of the best to ever belt, imo! - but the way some of the translated words have been chosen in the German just makes the words hard to get out of the mouth, and while of course her recording is absolutely phenomenal, I feel like I've heard her shine even more brilliantly even singing the same exact song in different languages. Comparing this to "Into the Unknown" (Wo noch niemand war), which just FALLS off the tongue, is like night and day to me when it comes to singability! It's so singer-friendly in the mouth-feel of the German words that I feel like it may be even easier to sing than the original English. In fact, it's so singer-friendly that I originally sort of suspected that Willemijn may have had some involvement in the translation process! (I have no idea if that's true or not; I just left the German dub of Frozen 2 with that feeling in my gut, you know? And the fact that it struck me as "sing-able" so hard that that occurred to me is all I'm pointing out.) tl;dr: translating is an art form, and a multi-faceted one, with eight thousand things to think about. Thanks for coming to my only-peripherally-relevant TedTalk xDDDDD
If you release a vid of just these music clips, I'll listen to it constantly. Beautiful! I'm fascinated by this translation discussion from your perspective. Great video, cheers
Disney song translations are a master class of localization. First time I heard a Disney soundtrack in english was when I made my mom buy me the Lion King Soundtrack in Australia. I was confused, but still loved it. Now that I mostly watch them in english, the default has become the english version for me, except for "Probier's mal mit gemütlichkeit" from the Jungle Book. That song is just perfect in german.
I grew up with Brazilian dubs and even though I always prefer the original version of any media (be it in English, Japanese or whatever), some of the dubs are still fairly close to my heart, especially the Lion King and the Aladdin ones since they're my favorite Disney movies and the first CDs I got as a kid. Unfortunately, neither is on Spotify, just the dubs for the live action ones, which I don't care for. Great video as always. Also, how freaking amazing is Phil Collins for recording that soundtrack in a gazillion languages?
a.) As somebody who lives in Hamburg: NO, *Soho* is the Broadway of Europe. We mostly get translated BS Musicals made by the de facto monopolist "Stage" . b.) Cultural imperialism thru US-American culture is overall in Europe. Only the french have (kinda) resisted it, and good for them. (No, I don't hate American culture, I just wish it would not trample over the others thru corporatism and the arrogance of money) c.) Welcome to Germany! I hope you enjoy it here and are treated well.
I love lyrics translation because of the translations/changes music imposes on the lyrics and the literal vs. emotional approach; I did my paper for my Bachelor's degree in Translation on the subject (opera translation - because operas and their Victorian translations are public domain) LOVE 💓 that the subject gets more attention online
Recently I've been starting to watch Disney movies dubbed in French, since I'm at an approaching-fluent level, and it's so cool! I haven't spent much time analyzing lyrics yet, but I'm so interested! One thing I think is especially cool is that the opening song in Brother Bear actually has two different versions, for the French and Canadian French dubs. The other songs in the film are the same (and recorded by Phil Collins), but I really want to dive into the lyric differences for the two French versions and how each compare to the original English. Translation is so cool.
The Lion King is my all-time favorite movie/musical! I’ve seen it in NY, England, Paris, and Madrid. I tried booking a ticket in Hamburg last year but unfortunately it was very tricky to call (as a non German speaker) to book a wheelchair accessible seat. This video (another excellent one as always) has renewed my determination to try!
yes girl go get that sponsorship! also loooooved ur cover of Someday my Prince Will Come. your voice always sounds amazing but the Greek language adds to it even more (or mabye it's bc I can't speak it and that makes it even more mysterious, who knows). and great interview!
I was hoping you'd mention the German production of Hunchback - Der Glockner von Notre Dame - even if you don't speak the language I think the German stage soundtrack has so much more emotion and sincerity than the English movie version, and even the English studio version. Even the comedy songs seem to fit in more.
The German production of Hunchback is one of those subjects I had been planning to make a big video about at some point, but since the channel is ending, it got scrapped
RUclipsr Explanation Point has a 2-parter on Frozen's French translation that you would probably also find interesting if you're looking for more translation differences
recently i've happened to be listening to the french soundtrack for beauty and the beast a lot, and got really emotional about it. I'm not gonna talk about the whole thing, but Belle (Reprise) has a twist in the final verse, where "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere" is translated with a more lyrical "I want to fly out in the blue of the skies", which conveys the same sentiment but makes it clearer that it's about the fantasy of the adventure and the symbolic freedom. That line is then followed up with "I want everything I can't have / A friend who understands me / And books by the hundreds / Without the noise of people [gossiping/judging]" which, to me, sets up Belle's arc much better for the rest of the movie. I remember when Internet bad faith discourse about disney movies started to become a thing and I first ran into people saying "Belle never got the adventures she wanted" my reaction was "what? that's not what she really wanted, she wanted to be understood". Basically the french translation makes it easier to focus more on the "For once it would be grand to have someone understand" part of the original lyrics, rather than the adventure. Plus, her saying she wants a friend also frames her eventual relationship with the Beast in a completely different light, makes it clearer what she'll eventually see in him (furry jokes aside), and also feels like it heightens the queer reading of the movie, at least to me.
I personally think one of the coolest Finnish Disney translation stories is 1992 Aladdin. Vesa-Matti Loiri, the Finnish voice of the Genie, and the translator/director Pekka Lehtosaari, got a permission from Disney to the Genie's songs (A Friend Like Me/Ei kaveria parempaa and Prince Ali/Prinssi Ali) as well as the dialogue without having Loiri listen to Robin Williams' performance at all. Apparently if Loiri listened to it, it would be him just imitating Williams and not true 100% performance from Loiri himself as an actor, and thus not as funny. So he and Lehtosaari worked together with the written lyrics, general idea of what gags were about, mouth flaps/mute animation and the instrumental to come up with a translation that was very essentially Finnish, with Loiri, as a comedian, using his own repertoire of comedic characters (for example, June in Prince Ali is replaced with Tyyne, a comedic tv presenter character Loiri came up with in 1980s) to reference within the bounds of what was animated. Sadly he didn't reprise the role for the sequels. According to hiddenmickeys.org, Disney later deemed Finnish Aladdin the best dubbed Aladdin. Personally I just think this is all really cool. And the lyrics flow so well. I literally have no clue how the English lyrics go, even though I have heard the song in English.
I love Lion King! I've listened to the cast recordings from the Madrid production, Mexico City production, and the two different Spanish translations of the original 1994 film! My favorite Circle of Life is Ciclo Sin Fin from the Latin American Spanish version.. my favorite I Just Can't Wait to Be King, is from both Spanish musical productions.. My favorite Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Is actually a very strong tie between the Marta Sánchez pop recording from the 90's, the Elton John one..and any of the musical recordings that kept the super long crescendo to the finale of the song! Moana.. I have a strong preference towards the Latin American Spanish version.
ahhh thanks for another amazing video marlene!! i'm english and so grew up with english disney versions, but as i now have experience with french and spanish too as well as the odd bit of other languages, and listening to disney songs is a great way to learn and expand a language! i also don't speak any german or greek so it's great to hear these new examples, especially in your gorgeous voice! i'm just starting writing my MA dissertation on the EU french dub of encanto and how the song translations affect characterisation, there's so much interesting stuff to work with! recommend checking out those sub and trans videos for it, especially what else can i do, really interesting shift in isabela's perspective and journey imo
those greek lyrics for someday my prince will come changed everything for me lol - its a fine enough song in english but I just...don't care. like great, you're pining over a boy and want to marry him. good for you. but the greek lyrics are so much sweeter, and they give the boy in the lyrics more existence, since he isn't just a prince appearing to be married, he also has lovely laughter.
The Greek version of Someday My Prince Will Come is probably my favorite Disney translation ever. I was so astounded when I first heard it, it just communicates a beauty that isn’t present in the English one. The original is such a beautiful song as well, it’s just beautiful in a different way.
I have mixed feelings regarding the Danish translation of “Part of Your of World” called “Leve som dem” (To live like them). There are some really good lines, especially in the first part, but the translation has some weirdness to it. One example is during “looking around here you’d think. SURE. She’s got everything” which is translated to “Alle vil sige om mig. HUN savner ingenting” (everyone would say about me. SHE misses nothing) which just puts a weird emphasis on the word “she” without conveying the original emotion of the phrase. I would probably have phrased it like this “Alle vil sige, at jeg, TJA, savner ingenting” (Everyone would say that I, well, miss nothing). Also at one point, they make it sound like Ariel doesn’t know what rocks (sten) are because they couldn’t find a different word that rhymed with legs (ben).
👏 yay at more translation videos, subbed originally for original one x) In Disney musicals at least in finnish, there's a sad thing that songs are always re-translated because they don't have the rights for translated lyrics from the original, so watching musical like that is always "that was translated similar or original nostalgia doesn't get fulfilled exactly."
Please do a video on comparing the og and the german version of Hamilton! Disney songs used to be translated incredibly well, Lin Miranda's fast paced lyrical brilliance doesn't translate easily into german. Encanto made that very apparent. In Hamilton, the translations are oddly sexualised, especially everything Burr sings, which changes the vibes very intensely. (i.e. "shoot me dead, you're so hot I wanna chug your bathwater" as opposed to the og "I'm a trust fund baby you can trust me") I get that they had limitations, but translating "not throwing away my shot" to "I only've th'one shot left" doesn't work as it's not a thing that is being said irl. German has phrases that are gun focused that they could have gone with but didn't. Anyhow. There is a whole lot more to be said about it, it'd be interesting to hear your thoughts on that. 😄
It's not Disney, but having a bout of autistic obsession over 1997's Anastasia and its villain song, In The Dark Of The Night, sent me down the rabbit hole of translations and how they can fundamentally change a song. A recurring thing with that movie's dubs is how many dubs were more comfortable than the original English with outright stating that Rasputin is in Hell, not "Limbo". The Russian dub of that song even references Satan. It's neat how other cultures don't feel as strictly sanitized as the English so often does. Plus, many of the lyrics are possessing of a darker more infernal poetry that give the song heavier weight than the lovably corny lyrics of the original English (any dub which changes the lousy "Tie my sash, add a dash of cologne for that smell!" line automatically has a serious leg up over the original English) A disclaimer: I'm not even conversational in any of these languages. I'm just good enough to realize relying on Google Translate alone is a bad bad bad idea. What little I do know is based on brute force listening to many foreign dubs, translating them or looking up translations by people who DO know the language - which I heartily recommend doing, even if you can't speak the language! A strong performance can transcend the language barrier in a truly magical way that unites us in our commonalities as humanity.
Do you have a favorite Disney translation? Another one I love is the German version of "Almost There" with Cassandra Steen: ruclips.net/video/oSySG4O8gqQ/видео.html
I was reminded of the “Adventures of the gummi bears” intro that I grew up in Danish. I had to look up the English version since I don’t recall hearing it before. Then I noticed they were quite different.
In the original English version it says “high adventure that’s beyond compare! They are the gummi bears” whereas in the Danish version it says “Helt fortryllet når han tager sin tørn! Sådan er en bubbi bjørn” which roughly translates to “completely enchanted when he does his part, that’s how/who a bubbi bear is”. Tørn is derived from the English “turn” and implies work that involves several people. Instead of talking about how epic their adventures are, it’s about how they collaborate and stand together. Not only that but instead of stating that they are the gummi bears, the Danish version connects the chorus and makes it about the values the gummi bears hold. To be fair it is also quite difficult to find a word that rhymes with “bjørn”. Gummi bears has also been translated to “bubbi” bears. Most likely because the obvious play on “gummy bears” doesn’t really translate well. Instead we call it “vingummi bamser” which is roughly translated to “wine gum Teddy bears”.
“Bubbi bjørne” is just more catchy haha
I adore the Greek version of "I Won't Say I'm In Love"; I think it's a great example of a translation that leans more emotional than literal.
"Is there anything else that you want to say?" - one of the absolute best interview questions and I'm not sure why I don't recall hearing anyone else ever ask that... Sorry for the comment bombardment but I figure it's good for the algorithm monsters!
I agree 💜❤️
Looking at translations of Disney songs is something my uni professors had us do while studying translation, and I've found the way that they translate their music to be really fascinating!
One of my favourite examples of French translations of Disney songs is the French version of "Surface Pressure" from Encanto. While French is a very flowery and emotional language, you dont expect to hear people directly addressing their negative emotions in this language, so it feels all the more urgent when Luisa is singing in French about feeling like she's nothing if she can't live up to her family's expectations, how she can only relax if she ignores her responsibilities, etc. It's honestly chilling. The very last lyric is a huge departure from the English, too: instead of "Who am I if I dont have what it takes? / No cracks, no breaks / No mistakes / No pressure" you instead get: "But I would like to (be able to) ask you / What it feels like / To just exist without pressure". (In my opinion the translations of the French lyrics into English that exist online don't capture the raw emotion of the lyrics very well, so I have a translation of my own i could share!)
I'm gonna miss this channel, i remember finding it in 2019, or 2020 and I think it was before you had 10k subs, sometime around the pandemic. You provided interesting takes on different parts of disney, and you also expressed your love and critisism of it as a whole. I think most of all, you provided a place for me that says something like "its okay to love childish things because you can look at them in a unique way and a different lense."
Im glad i was here to see your journey on here and i hope to be there for the end of it and wish you well. Although you and your channel will part ways,(and the community likely too) I'm pretty sure the memories won't go away.
So thank you for everything you gave.
Highly agreed. It's hard parting ways, but sometimes it's the journey and experience that matters- and I hope Marlene's pursuits post-Dreamsounds go well.
I grew up bilingual (German and English) in Germany, so I watched a lot of Disney movies in both languages as a kid. Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast mostly in English, Lady and the Tramp, Aristocats, Robin Hood in German. It was so interesting looking back on that childhood with thoughts on translations.
I mostly watched German ones when I was around 10, so right when Frozen came out, and while I love certain songs in German in that musical, the ways in which some songs were changed in translations in Frozen irk me. They are much too literal instead of emotional, making the core of Elsa's feelings in Let it Go seem confusing in several parts.
Also in Love is an Open Door, they changed it to "Liebe, sie öffnet Türn", which means that love opens doors, which is quite a different idea to the original but fits incredibly well with Hans using Anna's puppy love to his advantage.
I personally love translating songs and have done so out of fun a few times, especially to show off Wise Guys (amazing German Acapella group) songs to my non-German friends. Their song Denglish is really fun and they have a few English songs too.
I love it, but in a melancholy nostalgic way. "Oh, I remember fishy fins... wow, look at all of those names - back before thingamabobs I remember us tossing around the idea of if/how to list patrons and now there's so many..."
I'm very happy for you Marlene, but I *will* miss this space. I saw this channel mentioned again a few days ago and thought about how far it's come.
But you're ready to stand, and *I'm* the last one to ask you to stay in the ocean. I just hope we'll get to hear your beautiful voice every now and then.
Just a couple more to go...
The interview was very inspiring! I'm always so happy to hear from people who enjoy their line of work and promote language learning!
Also, I grew up with the French version of Phil Collins' Tarzan songs and I thought it was so cool that he sang in many languages! It's not a Disney movie but I was also super impressed with Brian Adams singing in French for the Spirit soundtrack. They both definitely motivated me to learn English (and other languages) as a French Canadian kid!
Thank you for the great video! ❤
My favorite Disney translation has got to be Drakken's rap from Kim Possible into German.
The original contains a lot of slang and short verses that don't really fit in German, so they extended the verses and also added more rhymes/lyrical methods, which makes the song nicer to listen to. They also changed the meaning. In the English version, Drakken used slang in a "hip with the kids" kinda way, but the German version focusses more on how he is an evil person that's also hard to take seriously. However, the last line does convey a serious threat (imo) where it stays a bit goofy in the original.
I grew up in Croatia and a lot of croatian dubs of Disney renaissance era movies are absolutely spectacular. They flow with the melody perfectly and still maintain some feeling of the original lyrics. When live action remakes started coming out they redid all translations and the new ones are so clucnky and rough it's almost unlistenable. They often don't fit the meter, the rhyme scheme is all over the place and they're often way too literal for their own good. So yeah translations matter a lot.
I know two of the US-American cast members in this German production of The Lion King and I’ve loved seeing their experience being in the show and talking about the translations and how to memorize the various different tracks they perform as they are familiar songs but in a language they’re not yet fluent in, it’s super fascinating!
In the latam dub of arabian nights, the original song had the line “y si ahí les caes mal/te van a mutilar” (if they don’t like you there/they will mutilate you) in the part of the song that goes “cut off your ear if they dont like your face” in english.
When the line was changed in the english version, the latam dub changed the lyrics as well, to “extensión colosal/esplandor singular” (collosal expanse, singular splendor).
Just a little translation tidbit!
Also they mistranslated the genie calling aladdin master into “professor” once, for some reason!
This video was amazing. I'm so fascinated by language and how they all connect to each other. I can tell this was such a love letter to disney, it's beauiful. This was such a cool video, and your editing is outstanding. I hope you'll one day be able to come back
I watched the Lion King Musical when I was in middle school with my sister and her friends family, it’s the only musical I’ve ever seen (that wasn’t seen bootlegged online), so it was really cool to learn more about it 💖💖💖
Bilingual here (English, Cantonese Chinese). I remember in early childhood watching bootlegs with a Cantonese dub track and simplified Chinese subtitles that I couldn't read. Even now, I might put on the Cantonese dub on D+, but I'm more drawn into the visual animation and how that propels the story. Mulan's Reflection holds a deep place in my heart, unsurprisingly.
As an aside, how did the Donald Duck convention feel about Ducktales (2017)?
I’m so happy to see that your making videos again! I was sadden by your post a month back or so saying that you had to quit doing videos due to the financial aspect, but I’m glad to see that your back. May many more videos come in the future! 🥂
- your Cuban-American lesbian fan
Dreamsounds is still ending, this is just one of the videos before then. There will be 2 more videos before August 1st!
I’m glad you’re able to get bottom surgery Marlene 🎉❤🎉#TRANS LIVES MATTER
I've always loved German as a musical language - it has so much texture, which is why it's so great for harshness (every Disney villain sounds nastier in German) but people don't realize how much more you can do with it - it can also be amazingly gentle and expressive. Listen to Drew Sarich's German version of 'Heaven's Light' from Hunchback and you'll see what I mean.
Thank you for sharing that wonderful interview with Mr Byrd! What a perspective, omg 👏
I've been thinking a lot recently about something sort of related to this topic, and while I wouldn't normally drop something peripherally-related in comments, given that we're nearing the end of your regular videos, I do sort of want to share? XD
As multilingual singer like you, another thing I also think about when I think about Disney German translations is the "singability" of the translated text. Some Disney songs are just physically harder to sing - looking particularly at Let It Go (Lass jetzt los) here, which is a beast no matter how well it sits in anyone's voice - and while the German translation in particular of that song is good from an audience perspective, I find it really doesn't feel particularly... singer-friendly? When I personally try to sing it in German, my tongue feels incredibly tied, and it genuinely feels like the lyrics do to some degree prevent my sound from coming out to its fullest ability. Now, I'm no Willemijn Verkaik - she is one of the best to ever belt, imo! - but the way some of the translated words have been chosen in the German just makes the words hard to get out of the mouth, and while of course her recording is absolutely phenomenal, I feel like I've heard her shine even more brilliantly even singing the same exact song in different languages.
Comparing this to "Into the Unknown" (Wo noch niemand war), which just FALLS off the tongue, is like night and day to me when it comes to singability! It's so singer-friendly in the mouth-feel of the German words that I feel like it may be even easier to sing than the original English. In fact, it's so singer-friendly that I originally sort of suspected that Willemijn may have had some involvement in the translation process! (I have no idea if that's true or not; I just left the German dub of Frozen 2 with that feeling in my gut, you know? And the fact that it struck me as "sing-able" so hard that that occurred to me is all I'm pointing out.)
tl;dr: translating is an art form, and a multi-faceted one, with eight thousand things to think about. Thanks for coming to my only-peripherally-relevant TedTalk xDDDDD
If you release a vid of just these music clips, I'll listen to it constantly. Beautiful! I'm fascinated by this translation discussion from your perspective. Great video, cheers
Disney song translations are a master class of localization. First time I heard a Disney soundtrack in english was when I made my mom buy me the Lion King Soundtrack in Australia. I was confused, but still loved it. Now that I mostly watch them in english, the default has become the english version for me, except for "Probier's mal mit gemütlichkeit" from the Jungle Book. That song is just perfect in german.
I grew up with Brazilian dubs and even though I always prefer the original version of any media (be it in English, Japanese or whatever), some of the dubs are still fairly close to my heart, especially the Lion King and the Aladdin ones since they're my favorite Disney movies and the first CDs I got as a kid. Unfortunately, neither is on Spotify, just the dubs for the live action ones, which I don't care for.
Great video as always.
Also, how freaking amazing is Phil Collins for recording that soundtrack in a gazillion languages?
a.) As somebody who lives in Hamburg: NO, *Soho* is the Broadway of Europe. We mostly get translated BS Musicals made by the de facto monopolist "Stage" .
b.) Cultural imperialism thru US-American culture is overall in Europe. Only the french have (kinda) resisted it, and good for them. (No, I don't hate American culture, I just wish it would not trample over the others thru corporatism and the arrogance of money)
c.) Welcome to Germany! I hope you enjoy it here and are treated well.
I love lyrics translation because of the translations/changes music imposes on the lyrics and the literal vs. emotional approach; I did my paper for my Bachelor's degree in Translation on the subject (opera translation - because operas and their Victorian translations are public domain) LOVE 💓 that the subject gets more attention online
I'm too broke to go to Hamburg as often as I'd like to, but it's great to catch a show there.
Recently I've been starting to watch Disney movies dubbed in French, since I'm at an approaching-fluent level, and it's so cool! I haven't spent much time analyzing lyrics yet, but I'm so interested! One thing I think is especially cool is that the opening song in Brother Bear actually has two different versions, for the French and Canadian French dubs. The other songs in the film are the same (and recorded by Phil Collins), but I really want to dive into the lyric differences for the two French versions and how each compare to the original English. Translation is so cool.
Lion king is my favorite Disney movie and musical
The Lion King is my all-time favorite movie/musical! I’ve seen it in NY, England, Paris, and Madrid. I tried booking a ticket in Hamburg last year but unfortunately it was very tricky to call (as a non German speaker) to book a wheelchair accessible seat. This video (another excellent one as always) has renewed my determination to try!
yes girl go get that sponsorship! also loooooved ur cover of Someday my Prince Will Come. your voice always sounds amazing but the Greek language adds to it even more (or mabye it's bc I can't speak it and that makes it even more mysterious, who knows). and great interview!
I was hoping you'd mention the German production of Hunchback - Der Glockner von Notre Dame - even if you don't speak the language I think the German stage soundtrack has so much more emotion and sincerity than the English movie version, and even the English studio version. Even the comedy songs seem to fit in more.
The German production of Hunchback is one of those subjects I had been planning to make a big video about at some point, but since the channel is ending, it got scrapped
The topic of translation is always very interesting!
RUclipsr Explanation Point has a 2-parter on Frozen's French translation that you would probably also find interesting if you're looking for more translation differences
recently i've happened to be listening to the french soundtrack for beauty and the beast a lot, and got really emotional about it. I'm not gonna talk about the whole thing, but Belle (Reprise) has a twist in the final verse, where "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere" is translated with a more lyrical "I want to fly out in the blue of the skies", which conveys the same sentiment but makes it clearer that it's about the fantasy of the adventure and the symbolic freedom. That line is then followed up with "I want everything I can't have / A friend who understands me / And books by the hundreds / Without the noise of people [gossiping/judging]" which, to me, sets up Belle's arc much better for the rest of the movie. I remember when Internet bad faith discourse about disney movies started to become a thing and I first ran into people saying "Belle never got the adventures she wanted" my reaction was "what? that's not what she really wanted, she wanted to be understood". Basically the french translation makes it easier to focus more on the "For once it would be grand to have someone understand" part of the original lyrics, rather than the adventure. Plus, her saying she wants a friend also frames her eventual relationship with the Beast in a completely different light, makes it clearer what she'll eventually see in him (furry jokes aside), and also feels like it heightens the queer reading of the movie, at least to me.
I personally think one of the coolest Finnish Disney translation stories is 1992 Aladdin. Vesa-Matti Loiri, the Finnish voice of the Genie, and the translator/director Pekka Lehtosaari, got a permission from Disney to the Genie's songs (A Friend Like Me/Ei kaveria parempaa and Prince Ali/Prinssi Ali) as well as the dialogue without having Loiri listen to Robin Williams' performance at all. Apparently if Loiri listened to it, it would be him just imitating Williams and not true 100% performance from Loiri himself as an actor, and thus not as funny. So he and Lehtosaari worked together with the written lyrics, general idea of what gags were about, mouth flaps/mute animation and the instrumental to come up with a translation that was very essentially Finnish, with Loiri, as a comedian, using his own repertoire of comedic characters (for example, June in Prince Ali is replaced with Tyyne, a comedic tv presenter character Loiri came up with in 1980s) to reference within the bounds of what was animated. Sadly he didn't reprise the role for the sequels.
According to hiddenmickeys.org, Disney later deemed Finnish Aladdin the best dubbed Aladdin. Personally I just think this is all really cool. And the lyrics flow so well. I literally have no clue how the English lyrics go, even though I have heard the song in English.
man, your singing voice is absolutely beautiful. sad to see that this channel will go...but, all good things must come to a end..even if temporarily
I love Lion King! I've listened to the cast recordings from the Madrid production, Mexico City production, and the two different Spanish translations of the original 1994 film! My favorite Circle of Life is Ciclo Sin Fin from the Latin American Spanish version.. my favorite I Just Can't Wait to Be King, is from both Spanish musical productions.. My favorite Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Is actually a very strong tie between the Marta Sánchez pop recording from the 90's, the Elton John one..and any of the musical recordings that kept the super long crescendo to the finale of the song!
Moana.. I have a strong preference towards the Latin American Spanish version.
ahhh thanks for another amazing video marlene!! i'm english and so grew up with english disney versions, but as i now have experience with french and spanish too as well as the odd bit of other languages, and listening to disney songs is a great way to learn and expand a language! i also don't speak any german or greek so it's great to hear these new examples, especially in your gorgeous voice!
i'm just starting writing my MA dissertation on the EU french dub of encanto and how the song translations affect characterisation, there's so much interesting stuff to work with! recommend checking out those sub and trans videos for it, especially what else can i do, really interesting shift in isabela's perspective and journey imo
those greek lyrics for someday my prince will come changed everything for me lol - its a fine enough song in english but I just...don't care. like great, you're pining over a boy and want to marry him. good for you. but the greek lyrics are so much sweeter, and they give the boy in the lyrics more existence, since he isn't just a prince appearing to be married, he also has lovely laughter.
The Greek version of Someday My Prince Will Come is probably my favorite Disney translation ever. I was so astounded when I first heard it, it just communicates a beauty that isn’t present in the English one. The original is such a beautiful song as well, it’s just beautiful in a different way.
That was such a cool interview!
I have mixed feelings regarding the Danish translation of “Part of Your of World” called “Leve som dem” (To live like them).
There are some really good lines, especially in the first part, but the translation has some weirdness to it.
One example is during “looking around here you’d think. SURE. She’s got everything” which is translated to “Alle vil sige om mig. HUN savner ingenting” (everyone would say about me. SHE misses nothing) which just puts a weird emphasis on the word “she” without conveying the original emotion of the phrase. I would probably have phrased it like this “Alle vil sige, at jeg, TJA, savner ingenting” (Everyone would say that I, well, miss nothing).
Also at one point, they make it sound like Ariel doesn’t know what rocks (sten) are because they couldn’t find a different word that rhymed with legs (ben).
Fascinating vid!!! 🥰🥰🥰🦁🐒🦥🦈
“…and for some, is considered the Broadway of Europe”… I think Vienna could take a run for that title…
Great video as always ❤
Localization is truly fascinating!
That was you singing? Your head voice is quite good. I assumed it was a professional soprano.
Thanks for the kindness, that was me!
👏 yay at more translation videos, subbed originally for original one x) In Disney musicals at least in finnish, there's a sad thing that songs are always re-translated because they don't have the rights for translated lyrics from the original, so watching musical like that is always "that was translated similar or original nostalgia doesn't get fulfilled exactly."
HI I fell asleep listening to your video about Little Shop of Horrors last night. I love your videos; hope you're doing well - Hannah
She's gonna be leaving dreamsounds on August 1st. This is one of her last 2 videos.
@@candicraveingcloude2822 I did see that. I do hope the content stays up. I love to tell friends about this channel.
There are actually still 2 more videos after this one :) and all the vids will stay up on the channel even after I stop updating it!
Please do a video on comparing the og and the german version of Hamilton! Disney songs used to be translated incredibly well, Lin Miranda's fast paced lyrical brilliance doesn't translate easily into german. Encanto made that very apparent.
In Hamilton, the translations are oddly sexualised, especially everything Burr sings, which changes the vibes very intensely. (i.e. "shoot me dead, you're so hot I wanna chug your bathwater" as opposed to the og "I'm a trust fund baby you can trust me")
I get that they had limitations, but translating "not throwing away my shot" to "I only've th'one shot left" doesn't work as it's not a thing that is being said irl. German has phrases that are gun focused that they could have gone with but didn't.
Anyhow. There is a whole lot more to be said about it, it'd be interesting to hear your thoughts on that. 😄
It's not Disney, but having a bout of autistic obsession over 1997's Anastasia and its villain song, In The Dark Of The Night, sent me down the rabbit hole of translations and how they can fundamentally change a song. A recurring thing with that movie's dubs is how many dubs were more comfortable than the original English with outright stating that Rasputin is in Hell, not "Limbo". The Russian dub of that song even references Satan. It's neat how other cultures don't feel as strictly sanitized as the English so often does. Plus, many of the lyrics are possessing of a darker more infernal poetry that give the song heavier weight than the lovably corny lyrics of the original English (any dub which changes the lousy "Tie my sash, add a dash of cologne for that smell!" line automatically has a serious leg up over the original English)
A disclaimer: I'm not even conversational in any of these languages. I'm just good enough to realize relying on Google Translate alone is a bad bad bad idea. What little I do know is based on brute force listening to many foreign dubs, translating them or looking up translations by people who DO know the language - which I heartily recommend doing, even if you can't speak the language! A strong performance can transcend the language barrier in a truly magical way that unites us in our commonalities as humanity.
You have a beautiful voice.
Japanese please I want to know more about the little mermaid songs in Japanese
hey :) you sang for this? You literally spoil us
Yes, that is me singing