Anime that are impossible to translate correctly to the point of altering the meaning

I’m drawing a blank at the moment, but puns/wordplay are some of the hardest to translate, and pop culture references. Shin Chan had to be heavily altered because of the wordplay, and the pop culture references when they brought it to America. References to random Japanese celebrities and newscasters from the 90’s? Who?
 
[quote="Grungie" pid='227641' dateline='1605618694']
I’m drawing a blank at the moment, but puns/wordplay are some of the hardest to translate, and pop culture references. Shin Chan had to be heavily altered because of the wordplay, and the pop culture references when they brought it to America. References to random Japanese celebrities and newscasters from the 90’s? Who?
[/quote]

Shin Chan is for kids and people really can't understand cultural references.
By watching more and more anime, we can get couple of those references like Kimono, Onigiri, and many other stuff
 
[quote="Rinko" pid='227669' dateline='1605624966']

Shin Chan is for kids and people really can't understand cultural references.
By watching more and more anime, we can get couple of those references like Kimono, Onigiri, and many other stuff
[/quote]

I’m not talking about stuff like onigiri or small stuff like that, I’m talking about actual pop culture references. Stuff like knowing random celebrities, like models, newscasters, actors, non-idol singers.

Things you have to be really engrossed in as a non local person. American pop culture is pretty famous outside the US, but I know there’s still things that even foreigners wouldn’t get, and even celebrities and shows not well known outside.
 
I've never come across this. Would it be a case of them just replacing names if you watched a dubbed version or how will they do it if it's subbed?
 
[quote="gemxtria" pid='227693' dateline='1605688688']
I've never come across this. Would it be a case of them just replacing names if you watched a dubbed version or how will they do it if it's subbed?
[/quote]

It tends to happen more in dubs, or at least more “obvious” in dubs. Back to the Shin Chan example, the Japanese one wasn’t obviously talking about Angelina Jolie or Jessica/Ashley Simpson, but Japanese attractive female celebrities. How many Americans know random Japanese models/actresses, especially in 2003, and also actresses from the 90’s?

With subs it’s either subtle when you have no idea what they’re saying in Japanese, but other times they leave translator notes for certain jokes or references. Gintama fan subs did it all the time.
 
Eh i've noticed translator notes before but if i miss them then that's it haha i'm not too bothered
 
gemxtria said:
Eh i've noticed translator notes before but if i miss them then that's it haha i'm not too bothered
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People aren't too annoyed at translator notes in general, as 90% of the time it's usually like small stuff, but when you run across a show that heavily relies the audience to get these references and/or puns/wordplay, it's pretty annoying when there's an onslaught of translator notes.
 
Grungie said:
People aren't too annoyed at translator notes in general, as 90% of the time it's usually like small stuff, but when you run across a show that heavily relies the audience to get these references and/or puns/wordplay, it's pretty annoying when there's an onslaught of translator notes.
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I'm sure it's annoying when there's just tonnes on the screen. Luckily i've not come across that before
 
There are some jokes and culture references that don't translate well even when you know the language. I can speak and read japanese and still often have to stop and look things up to understand them in the context of the manga or anime.
 
kadenmire said:
There are some jokes and culture references that don't translate well even when you know the language. I can speak and read japanese and still often have to stop and look things up to understand them in the context of the manga or anime.
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oh cool
and you are right it's difficult to make others understand a few things when they don't know anything about the local usage
 
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