Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Appeal of Western Action Movies in China

Two movies my students are talking about right now: Star Trek and Transformers 2. I missed Star Trek, but hoping to catch Transformers 2 later this month, just to have the experience of going to the movies in China. (A theater near my house shows them in English with Chinese subtitles.) And I love how the names are translated: Star Trek becomes Star Boundary Lost Ship, and Transformers is Change Shape Metal Strong. Translating movie titles must be a fun gig.

Actions movies are definitely the most popular cultural crossovers here; North American humor just doesn't translate well at all. Irony and subtle sarcasm? No dice. (I've said ironic and/or sarcastic things to my students that are SO FUNNY, and I get stone faces in return. Oops.) The Office, Arrested Development, 30 Rock etc.? Not funny here; the Chinese prefer physical and visual humor.

Then again, Chinese action movies seem to be the most popular crossovers in the West, as well. Of course, this means they think all Americans are whipping out guns at every moment to deal with all problems, and we think all Chinese know martial arts, but that is another story.
Posted by Rebecca Foster at 7:52 AM
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7 comments:

  1. Busy Bee SuzJune 17, 2009 at 5:45 PM

    Very funny. I would not have one friend in China if they don't get sarcasm. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. TechnodollJune 17, 2009 at 5:58 PM

    I love renting asian movies, the subtitles are hysterical! well, in the cheap kung-fu movies, not the big blockbusters.

    Is Jackie Chan popular in China?

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  3. yrautcaJune 17, 2009 at 6:02 PM

    Interesting.

    Why do the Chinese love the song Hotel California so much?

    ReplyDelete
  4. ModernMomJune 17, 2009 at 6:25 PM

    Hi just stopped over from Busy Bee Suz.
    I love the translations of those movie titles, I can only imagine what the rest of the movie would be like!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Bingham'sJune 17, 2009 at 7:11 PM

    Too bad you missed Star Trek, very good movie. I love the translation of the movies, very funny. By the way, love all the tv shows you suggested, all my favorites!! we must be related some how. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Adventures In ChinaJune 17, 2009 at 7:15 PM

    BBS, luckily I have other American peace corps volunteers, or I might explode. Sarcasm is deeply ingrained in my family.

    Techno, yes, VERY popular. They are very proud that he is so successful. He shills for various products here (frozen dumplings and male hair dye are two examples) so you see his face all over.

    yrautca, I have no idea, but you are absolutely right. I get asked to sing that song by my students. I should write a post about that.

    MM, so glad to see you here. I love the translations here, it is a lot of fun for me figuring them out.

    Trina, haha, we must! I wish I could buy cheap DVDs of those shows while I am here. Alas.

    ReplyDelete
  7. KatieJune 17, 2009 at 11:23 PM

    Change Shape Metal Strong should be the title here. That is awesome!

    I loved Star Trek, but I'm a baby trekkie nerd.

    ReplyDelete

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