The 10 worst translations of foreign movie titles into Chinese

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NO.10 Casablanca (1942) Translation title: Casablanca. Using a foreign place name as a movie title makes no sense; if it weren’t for Hollywood stars such as Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart starring in it, who would go to watch a film with such a boringly sounding foreign name? There was once another translation titled “Spies in North Africa,” which wasn’t bad either; unfortunately, it failed to convey the romantic elements of the story, but it was still better than using a foreign place name as the title. NO.9 Rain Man (1988) Translation title: Rain Man. A literal translation of the title results in something that is confusing and hard to understand. It’s a shame that the title of this classic film about brotherly love has been ruined in such a careless manner. NO.8 Forrest Gump (1994); translated title: Forrest Gump. Just by looking at the title, one might think this is a Hong Kong or Taiwanese film – it fails to highlight the film’s essence, nor can it capture the public’s attention through its title. NO.7 Spellbound (1945); translated title: Dr. Edward. The original English term for this film means to be fascinated or captivated, and it is also translated in Chinese as “overwhelmed by passion”. In any case, it’s much better than the translation “Dr. Edward”. NO.6 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975); translated title: Fly Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This outstanding film that depicts how authority figures suppress human nature shocked the world back then. The translation of the title for this classic movie is rather funny – those who don’t know about it might think it’s a children’s film. Later, someone changed the film’s title to “Flying Over Asylum,” which was a much better translation than the previous one. NO.5 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) – Translation title: Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner. Another unfortunate example of a poor translation; this film, which deals with the theme of inter-racial relationships between blacks and whites, not only has a rather ridiculous translation but also a very long title… NO.4 Rebecca (1940) – Translation title: Butterfly Dream. This film, which tells a story about obsessive emotions and psychological distortions, uses a translation inspired by Zhuangzi’s metaphor about butterflies – a choice that has little connection to the film’s title or theme, and thus seems inappropriate. NO.3 As Good as It Gets (1997) – Translation title: Perfect. This is a film that appears to be light-hearted on the surface, but whose underlying themes are somewhat complex; it depicts the romantic lives of middle-aged urban people in a postmodern context, showing the pressures and frustrations associated with their lives and relationships. The translator translated it literally as “perfect in every way,” failing to convey the true meaning of the film. NO.2 The English Patient (1996) – Translation title: The British Patient. This romantic epic set during World War II received 11 Oscar nominations and ultimately won nine Oscars. It’s a pity that this Chinese title is so amusing to read. NO.1 Pretty Woman (1990); translated title: From a Sparrow to a Phoenix. It must be admitted that this title is quite appropriate in terms of matching the theme of the story, and the use of free translation is certainly effective. But no matter how you pronounce this name, it gives people an unpleasant feeling. Another translation, “Charming Beauty of Love and Romance,” is somewhat wordy, but it is closer to the original text and its meaning is more or less acceptable. Reposted from Big Ear English for sharing among marine enthusiasts