电视电影台词翻译

[Kenny同志]

This thread I start is mainly intended to serve as a forum for people who are interested in translation. I will include some :wink:movie lines for our discussion which I believe will be mutually beneficial.

CONTEXT: Rongbang Ding was a golden jeweler who had been participating in money laundrying. He then wanted to step out of the illegal activities for the sake of his son. One day, his illegal activities partner (a villain, also gangster) Jichang Luo wanted Rongbang to ship drugs for him. Rongbang rejected. Then Jichang targeted Rongbang’s greedy younger brother who later secretly put Jichang’s drugs in the jeweler’s container that was supposed to carry chemicals. This was soon found out by Rongbang and he there and then went to Jichang’s dwelling and returned the money which Jichang had given his brother as a deposit. After he got home, he said to the younger brother: “要不是念在（我们是）一个妈生的，我由你被人砍死.”

What is the proper English translation of the Chinese.

And another question, what do you call 电视剧 or 电视连续剧 in English?

[muyongshi]

TV Series.

Ok, that was the easy translation.

I would probably simply translate that line as "If it wasn't for the fact that we {are brothers, have the same mother, given birth to by the same woman/mother} are blood, I would be dead because of you!

This last part is actually giving me problems. It doesn't make sense to me. I left out the 砍死 part on purpose cause it's not something we would really say normally. But the last part doesn't seem to match with the first part. So, I feel I'm really missing something...

[Kenny同志]

Muyongshi, thanks for your participation. I am afraid you have missed a point here. 由here means 任由 or 不管。

Inspired by your response, I write my translation: If it was not for the fact that we have the same mother, I would leave you to be sliced into ribbons.

But I am not sure whether in English “ slice someone into ribbons” is equal to “砍死”here.

If someone in a fighting is 砍死了 , can we say he is sliced into ribbons?

Edited August 17, 2009 at 03:55 AM by kenny2006woo

[roddy]

If it was not for the fact that we have the same mother, I would leave you to be sliced into ribbons.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too long I fear - he's angry, he's talking to his brother. Needs to be shoutable. I'd go for something along the lines of . . .

If we weren't brothers I'd let 'em carve you up.

or if you want to keep the mum reference, 'If we didn't have the same mum', 'if it wasn't for mum . . '

[Kenny同志]

Roddy, this is truly impressive. thanks for your professional translation!

[in_lab]

要不是念在

So here, does the 念 mean "thought of"? As in, weren't it that I thought that ...?

[Kenny同志]

yes, you are right, In Lab. 念 here means "at the thought of".

[muyongshi]

I am afraid you have missed a point here. 由here means 任由 or 不管。

I thought that might be the case.....

[Kenny同志]

Rongtian Ye wanted to buy a company. But he had offended a bigwig, a villain who would do anything it took to gratify his desires, so the bigwig was determined to give him a hard time by bidding against him.

The president of the company, for fear of revenge that might result from his refusal to the offer made by Jingliang Huo（the bigwig）, said to Rongtian Ye:

如果你能摆平霍先生，我就没问题( 没问题here means that the president would be no longer under Huo’s pressure and could sell the company to Rongtian Ye)。

What is the proper English translation?

Edited August 18, 2009 at 12:15 AM by kenny2006woo

[muyongshi]

"If you are able to take care of/get rid of....."

-or-

"If you make sure he doesn't get in the way"

-or even-

"If you are able to make sure he isn't a problem"

all sound close enough to how we would say it colloquially.

[Kenny同志]

C-E translation

爸爸说：”爸爸都一把年纪了，什么苦没吃过，要坐牢就坐牢嘛！“

thanks in advance!