MovieChat Forums > Soldaat van Oranje (1979) Discussion > Funny subtitle error on US DVD version!

Funny subtitle error on US DVD version!

posted 17 years ago by dutchguy-1
6 replies | jump to latest

The subtitles of the US DVD version of Soldier of Orange are pretty good, but the translator goofed big time at 1:13:37 into the movie , in the scene where the captain of the Swiss boat introduces the two navy officers who are also on the bridge. The captain says to the German officer who has come to inspect the Dutch crew: "Zwei Herren von der Kriegsmarine." (The Kriegsmarine, or "war navy," was the German navy in World War Two.) The English subtitles, though, say "Two gentlemen from the Greek navy." Now why the heck would there be two Greek navy officers on the boat? ;-)

Ron (Dutchie in Seattle, WA)

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MaximusAckbar 17 years ago

Yeah, that one puzzled me too :-)
What were they thinking?

Shoot straight, you bastards - don't make a mess of it!

[–] sean-oconor 17 years ago

I had a double-take when it said that too, and I knew "Kriegsmarine" was the German for navy, so I rewound it and sure enough, those Nazi naval officers speaking German are called "Greeks" - !

The dozy subtitler should face the fate Guus did later on in the film.

[–] Bry-2 17 years ago

A favorite similar blunder for me is in Battle of Britain (1969), when the little boys are arguing over what kind of planes are bombing them, Messerschmitts or Heinkels. With their thick, working-class accents, "Heinkels" comes out "'eyen-kuls," which the captioners translate as "Iron corps"!!

What's an "Iron corps"?

--What's good for M & M Enterprises will be good for the country.

[–] gelensb 14 years ago

One of my favorite mistranslations is from the movie Nightbreed, where someone walks into a bar and asks "Can I use the phone?" which is translated with "Kent u meneer Dafone?" ("Do you know mister Dafone?"). It speaks for itself that in the entire movie there is absolutely no one named Dafone.

[–] pinbackwiggly 9 years ago

Good catch. I was not certain as to the signifigance of the two Greek naval officers on the Swiss boat. :)