# Fake foreign words in TV or other shows.



## danielfranco

Hello, and a good Memorial Day weekend to all!
Recently I found myself glued to the TV watching the DVD compilation of a failed TV show that inspired a movie... It's sci-fi and tries to mix a "cowboy feel" to it with space ships and planet colonization. Part of the "back story" of the show is that the Chinese culture has been integrated into the mainstream interplanetary society, and every so often the characters spout Mandarin (or maybe Cantonese) phrases for no apparent reason, especially when they try to insult each other or try to express some deep emotion.
Whatever.
I don't know if they are saying the words right or if they are just "fudging" it, but I think they are faking it and getting it all wrong.
But when they do this with Spanish and get it wrong, I find myself somewhat offended... I mean, this is Hollywood! Could get the CGI effects done for a gazillion dollars, but couldn't spend a couple extra dollars in finding a language coach?
As part of a group very interested in languages, do you also feel offended when Hollywood messes up with your language? Or do you just despise them in silence?


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## KateNicole

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.  Even minor things bother me. There is a Mexican fast food chain, which I will not name, that spells mole with an accent.  I e-mailed their corporate office to explain that it should not be spelled "molé" because it is not pronounced mo-LE.  I tried to as diplomatically as possible explain that it is disappointing that a multi-million dollar corporation would not take the time to correctly spell its menu items and that such spelling errors are a very negative reflection of the chain because they demonstrate carelessness in their attempt at a Mexican concept and compromise their authenticity.  

I know, I am sooooooooooooooooooo anal.  Anyway I got a very thankful and apologetic letter a few days later, but a year has past, and the error remains.


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## KateNicole

I stand corrected!  After just posting the above, I checked the website of the business in question, and the error has been corrected.  I can now sleep at night   I'm going to pick away at this, one annoying spelling mistake at a time.  I've gotta get a life.....


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## danielfranco

"Even one person can make a change," they said and I didn't believe them... You have made a believer out of me, miss Kate!

So, maybe following your example might affect the way Hollywood deals with foreign languages, no? I should flood them with harsh e-mail comments about their misuse of my mother tongue and call them naughty names until they get it right!!


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## tvdxer

There is a chain in the U.S., "Chevy's Fresh Mex", which I have read about, but never been to.  They apparently have a tortilla maker called "El Machino" in every one of their restaurants.


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## moodywop

danielfranco said:
			
		

> ... I mean, this is Hollywood! Could get the CGI effects done for a gazillion dollars, but couldn't spend a couple extra dollars in finding a language coach?


 
I've often asked myself the very same question. I've noticed the same thing with Italian. Sometimes even when a scene is set in Italy they have supposed natives speaking broken Italian with an atrocious accent. They can't even be bothered to hire local native actors - or, as you say, a language coach. As long as it "sounds" Italian to people who don't know the language it's good enough by their standards.


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## medeterian

In Hollywood, Türkçe dialogs are so few. However, Türk figure is used many times, generally as an evil (Like the one in Usual Suspects: Keizer Suze, or in Godfather part 1: Solozzo). The word "Türk" represents something unknown for most of the western people. This is why most of them dont know anyting about Türks and the things they know are thought by some prejudices. Hollywood just uses this reality. I dont want Türks to be represented by a belly dancer or girls in Türk bath. We have these cultural values but we are not composed of them. If the Türk figure will take place in Hollywood films, then it must be represented with its other aspects too.

Sevgiler...


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## optimistique

It doesn't happen very often, but when Dutch appears in TV programmes or films, in 90% percent of the cases you can't even tell if it's Dutch or not, simply because the pronunciation is just too bad. And on top of that, badly pronounced Dutch often sounds more like German (the use of a gutteral-'g' for example, instead of the Dutch fricative-'g'), so we tend to accuse Hollywood etc. of not knowing the difference between Dutch and German.


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## Keikikoka

I'm not particularly offended if the errors are limited to background/fill-in type characters poorly speaking a language the target audience isn't going to understand anyways. It seems like a waste of money to hire a language coach for something that will not be noticed by a large majority of viewers. 

It also gives the more knowledgable something to laught at.


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## badgrammar

That reminds me of the film Midnight Express...  I wonder how the Turkish is in that film - if, in fact - the Turkish characters speak in Turkish at all!  You know, I believe that film is where many, many people got their impression of what Turkey is like.  And you're right, you rarely see Turkish characters in films, and if you do, they're either the bad guys, or else, employees in a kebab restaurant...  

But to reply specifically to the topic, it is always annoying to see a language botched by an actor who doesn't really speak it.  I mean in the worst case scenario, you can usually get the actor dubbed in post-production.  Considering film budgets, that solution is pretty cheap, you can have it done in the country where that language is spoken and mix it in during editing.  I know of cases where this has been done.



			
				medeterian said:
			
		

> In Hollywood, Türkçe dialogs are so few. However, Türk figure is used many times, generally as an evil (Like the one in Usual Suspects: Keizer Suze, or in Godfather part 1: Solozzo). The word "Türk" represents something unknown for most of the western people. This is why most of them dont know anyting about Türks and the things they know are thought by some prejudices. Hollywood just uses this reality. I dont want Türks to be represented by a belly dancer or girls in Türk bath. We have these cultural values but we are not composed of them. If the Türk figure will take place in Hollywood films, then it must be represented with its other aspects too.
> 
> Sevgiler...


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## mithrellas

Well, this not only happens with lenguaje.

When Spain is represented by Hollywood sometimes you can see weird things such as someone napping in the street dressed with a 'poncho' and mexican hat or two people talking to each other and at the same time clapping their hands to accompany (?) a group of flamenco players (like if we could not take control of ourselves and we have to clap hands as soon as we listen flamenco) or they mix 'Semana Santa', which is a religious holiday, with 'Fallas' a Valencia's holiday with bonefires and fireworks (Non of this happens on (/in?) Semana Santa).  

So, yes I agree with Danielfranco. If they are going to spend a gazillion dollars why can't they be more accurate in that kind of things? 

You can correct me if my English is wrong. I'm just learning.


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## cyanista

I've seen a good deal of American movies where Russians were involved, usually as spies or criminals.   
They were mostly scruffy-looking bearded people who shouted out heavily distorted Russian phrases while running around with machine guns or torturing an innocent victim.
Well, one gets used to it after a while. 
I laughed a lot when I saw _Red Heat_ and _Birthday Girl,_ the former starring Big Arnie as a Russian policeman in the USA and the latter featuring Nicole Kidman as a wicked internet bride from Russia. Actually, I cannot imagine how anyone, regardless of nationality, would take those films seriously.


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## natasha2000

danielfranco said:
			
		

> As part of a group very interested in languages, do you also feel offended when Hollywood messes up with your language? Or do you just despise them in silence?


 
I despise them in silence, since there is a little I can do about it. 

And there are a lot of cultural and language mistakes in Hollywood movies in respect to not only Serbia, but all Slavic countries. Sometimes it seems they consider all Slav countries as the same melting pot. Russian, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Bulgarian.. Weeeell... Neverminditisallthesame!!!
I still remember of one very old (and VERY good) movie, called Iron Cross, situated on Russian front at the end of The WWII. Since it was done in cooperation with (ex)Yugoslavia, there were some Yugoslav actors participating it roles of Russians. They did not speak at all, though. But this is not the point. There is one scene where a truck full of RUSSIAN soldiers is going down the road, and the RUSSIAN soldiers are singing in SERBIAN, and even more!!! they are singing a SERBIAN partisan song!!!!
Unbelieveable. Of course, for anyone who is not a Yugoslav or a Russian, this is completely unimportant thing. But for those who have just a little knowledge of any of these two languages this is disrespectful, and stupid.


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## Auryn

I'm still laughing at the episode of Lost where the "French" character mentioned "le territoire fonce" (the dark territory, where dangerous things happen). First she mispronounced_ foncé_ and second, the word itself was wrong! _Foncé_ means dark as in dark-coloured. It's a bit difficult to feel scared when someone talks about "the dark-coloured territory" in hushed tones


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## Auryn

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> And there are a lot of cultural and language mistakes in Hollywood movies in respect to not only Serbia, but all Slavic countries. Sometimes it seems they consider all Slav countries as the same melting pot. Russian, Polish, Czech, Serbian, Bulgarian.. Weeeell... Neverminditisallthesame!!!



24 is terrible for that. Is it likely that a Serb would be called Victor Drazen, for instance?


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## natasha2000

Auryn said:
			
		

> 24 is terrible for that. Is it likely that a Serb would be called Victor Drazen, for instance?


 
A Serb no, it is more Croatian name.
And taking into account the actual tendency to make a clear difference between everything Serbian and Croatian...

I remembered one more.
There was also a movie, I do not recall the name, but it was about the Bosnian Serb who carries an atomic bomb into a UN seat in New York. Some famous actors like Nikole Kidman were involved.
First of all, all the story is really almost impossible. He enters into the USA with diplomatic passport which is impossible, since there were a lot of officials from Serbia who were denied visas, and they for sure did not carry the atomic bomb!!!
And secondly, all the actors who interpreted Serbs were Bosnians or Croats (I can recognize it by their accent), since no Serbian actor wanted to participate in such a stupidity of the movie. And the main character, THE SERB atentator, was iterpreted by a Romanian actor who didn't even speak Serbian!

Well...


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## Auryn

The Frenchwoman on Lost was played by a Croatian actress too. The Croats get all the jobs!


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## Krümelmonster

@Natasha: I think you mean "Peacemaker" with Marcel Iures as bad guy, right? Yes, he's Romanian...


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## natasha2000

Krümelmonster said:
			
		

> @Natasha: I think you mean "Peacemaker" with Marcel Iures as bad guy, right? Yes, he's Romanian...


 
Yes.

On the other hand, I can give you another example of good study of characters and situations by Hollywood.

"The Savior" with Dennis Quaid, that also involves my ex-country tragedy, but unlike the "Peacemaker", it is as real and as objective as it was possible at the time....


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## munchner_kindl

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> I still remember of one very old (and VERY good) movie, called Iron Cross, situated on Russian front at the end of The WWII. Since it was done in cooperation with (ex)Yugoslavia, there were some Yugoslav actors participating it roles of Russians. They did not speak at all, though. But this is not the point. There is one scene where a truck full of RUSSIAN soldiers is going down the road, and the RUSSIAN soldiers are singing in SERBIAN, and even more!!! they are singing a SERBIAN partisan song!!!!
> Unbelieveable. Of course, for anyone who is not a Yugoslav or a Russian, this is completely unimportant thing. But for those who have just a little knowledge of any of these two languages this is disrespectful, and stupid.


 
_Cross of Iron_ is one of my favourite films, and I might well check out the scene in question.

One has to wonder how it came to be that a bunch of extras got to sing a Serbian partisan song while dressed as members of the Red Army. I can think of one plausible scenario - namely that they were Croats who wanted to get a little dig in there at their then fellow-Yugoslav Serbs and their historic association with Mother Russia.

Jadran-Film was (and still is) based in Zagreb, and I'd hazard a guess that many of those who would have been taken on as extras would have been locals. Many of these guys would have been young Croatian lads who felt they could have got away with a such a stunt. After all, director Sam Penkinpah and his English-speaking crew would have been none the wiser.

This sort of on-set subterfuge happens quite a lot with extras - supposedly in the recent film _Der Untergang_ there is a scene where Hitler (Bruno Ganz) is greeted by a number of supporters, one of which was played by an uncredited extra who is actually a member of a neo-nazi party. After the film was released this guy proudly boasted at his enjoyment of being filmed in nazi uniform giving the straight-armed salute - something for which he would be arrested if he tried it in the street.


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## mjscott

Faked foreign words and caricatures are a "shorthand" way to depict people from an area--however laughable or despicable the process!

In some cases, as with the _mole_ above, protest has lead to change. There was a _Frito Bandito_ back in the late '60s that was banned from TV because it caricaturized Mexicans as dishonest and ignorant. With protest, the commercial was simply not aired any more, and I think an official apology was sent to whomever was offended.

The _valley girl_ image is often depicted as the typical young American female. I think it's funny--but probably would not think it's funny if each and every depiction of my countrymen was treated in serious movies as an evil terrorist--as with the Turkish post above.

I would hope that most people could see past caricaturization. If they can't, they will already have preconceived ideas about a people anyway.


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## natasha2000

munchner_kindl said:
			
		

> _Cross of Iron_ is one of my favourite films, and I might well check out the scene in question.
> 
> One has to wonder how it came to be that a bunch of extras got to sing a Serbian partisan song while dressed as members of the Red Army. I can think of one plausible scenario - namely that they were Croats who wanted to get a little dig in there at their then fellow-Yugoslav Serbs and their historic association with Mother Russia.
> 
> Jadran-Film was (and still is) based in Zagreb, and I'd hazard a guess that many of those who would have been taken on as extras would have been locals. Many of these guys would have been young Croatian lads who felt they could have got away with a such a stunt. After all, director Sam Penkinpah and his English-speaking crew would have been none the wiser.


 
You're probably right. But in times when partisan songs were sung in ex-Yugoslavia, it was of very little or no importance if one was Serb or Croat, so therefore, the error in the movie remains. I guess I said Serb since I guess I am of a very few people who really liked ex-Yugoslavia and feels pain each time I think of everything that happened in the last 15 years. I still have to get used that "they" are not "us" anymore. But this is another story. Really. The song that is sung is Yugoslav partisan song. A hundred percent sure.

EDIT: If you remember the small Russian boy that was with German soldiers.... He is a very famous Serbian actor, Slavko Štimac. If you have seen any of Kusturica's movies, you willre cognize him. I added this to show you how little was important at that time if something is Croat or Serbian. Everything was Yugoslav.


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## medeterian

badgrammar said:
			
		

> That reminds me of the film Midnight Express... I wonder how the Turkish is in that film - if, in fact - the Turkish characters speak in Turkish at all! You know, I believe that film is where many, many people got their impression of what Turkey is like. And you're right, you rarely see Turkish characters in films, and if you do, they're either the bad guys, or else, employees in a kebab restaurant...



I didnt see that film "Midnight Express". It is shown long time ago and I was a little boy and they dont show it anymore. Everybody says that the film does not reflect the truth, however they say that people who dont know much about Türks beleive such things. Maybe time is the cure.


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## lauranazario

danielfranco said:
			
		

> Hello, and a good Memorial Day weekend to all!
> Recently I found myself glued to the TV watching the DVD compilation of a failed TV show that inspired a movie... It's sci-fi and tries to mix a "cowboy feel" to it with space ships and planet colonization. Part of the "back story" of the show is that the Chinese culture has been integrated into the mainstream interplanetary society, and every so often the characters spout Mandarin (or maybe Cantonese) phrases for no apparent reason, especially when they try to insult each other or try to express some deep emotion.
> Whatever.
> I don't know if they are saying the words right or if they are just "fudging" it, but I think they are faking it and getting it all wrong.
> But when they do this with Spanish and get it wrong, I find myself somewhat offended... I mean, this is Hollywood! Could get the CGI effects done for a gazillion dollars, but couldn't spend a couple extra dollars in finding a language coach?
> As part of a group very interested in languages, do you also feel offended when Hollywood messes up with your language? Or do you just despise them in silence?


In the first part of your post you are referring to "*Firefly*" (the TV series) and "*Serenity*" (the movie).
The reason why these imperfect characters (as opposed to 'superheroes') often speak in (sometimes faulty) Chinese is based on the show's core premise or "mythology". 
So, in a nutshell it's relevant to the show's background that these people's foreign-language utterances are not perfect (mind you, that their English is not perfect either, but that's also on purpose).

Now there is an intersting phenomenon (at least interesting to me ) that is found in another showbiz venue: Cirque du Soleil. Most of their shows feature songs sung in what can be described as "Cirquish" (see item 2.6)... sort of a made-up 'language' that _sounds_ universal and incorporates some recognizable words from different languages around the globe. I believe this intentional resource is quite lovely and effective. 

Saludos,
LN


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## emma42

Medetarian, it is true what you say about, certainly English people's impressions of Turkey and the Turks. I know a lot of people from England take holidays in Turkey, but I would imagine that most of them go to the "touristy" places.  Maybe you could open up another thread about the question "What do people know about Turkey and its people?"  The thread on China has been most enlightening, although its not the same situation.


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## badgrammar

As a big fan of the country and the lanuage, I can tell you that there have been several threads on what people from other countries think of Turkey in the Culture forum...  But sadly, few people have posted on these threads in the past, although there have been some interesting replies...

In any case, I'm all for opening back up one of those threads to see if others have more to say on the subject! 

Türkiye çok seviyorum!


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## danielfranco

Thank you very much everyone who posted a reply. It has been very interesting reading your thoughts on this subject.
As an aside, after watching the DVD compilation of "Firefly"...
[sorry for the roundabout way of mentioning it: I didn't know we could mention titles and stuff  ]
... I have decided I could be a fan of the show. I especially liked the lack of sound in the outer space scenes. Very reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's "2001".
However, I'm still bothered by sloppy pseudo-mexicans and their fake words... "Batches? We don' need no steenkin batches!"


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## medeterian

emma42 said:
			
		

> Medetarian, it is true what you say about, certainly English people's impressions of Turkey and the Turks. I know a lot of people from England take holidays in Turkey, but I would imagine that most of them go to the "touristy" places.  Maybe you could open up another thread about the question "What do people know about Turkey and its people?"  The thread on China has been most enlightening, although its not the same situation.




Thanks Emma. I am a newbee in the forum. I didnt check out all the subjects in the cultural forum. Maybe Badgrammar can inform us about these topics. What do you say Badgrammar?


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## emma42

You (or badgrammar or anyone) would have to open up a new thread, so that this one does not go off-topic. (I have been told off by the Mods several times for going off topic and it is very embarrassing!)


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## zebedee

medeterian said:
			
		

> Thanks Emma. I am a newbee in the forum. I didnt check out all the subjects in the cultural forum. Maybe Badgrammar can inform us about these topics. What do you say Badgrammar?


Hello medeterian,

Emma's right, talking about Turkey in this thread would be going off-topic, so please don't ask Badgrammar to do so. 

There are plenty of open threads about Turkey, please feel free to read and add your comments to these two threads, for example:

click
click

If you'd like to find some more, there's an option called "Search this Forum" on the main page of the Culture Discussions forum. You'll find this Search option on the top right hand side. Type in "Turkey" and all the pertinent threads will come up, including these 2.

Regards,
zebedee

EDIT: I see you've already found the 'What's the importance of Turkey' thread. Great! You'll soon find your way around the forums with practice...


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## aleCcowaN

Here in Argentina, we have an advertising industry that is fond of faking languages in TV spots. I mean, the local consumer is used to hear music sung in foreign languages and trying to produce something in Spanish that matches the spot is proved to be expensive and public does not apretiate it necesarily.

Then, there is a sort of "fake lirics" industry spetialized in fake-English, fake-Italian, fake-French, fake-imaginary-language, and even isolated cases of fake-German, fake-Easteuropean, fake-Chipanese, fake-Middleestern and fake-Portuguese.

I think this is sometimes kind of ofensive, sometimes not. Almost always is unintelligible in a fashion the locals think they are hearing English, French or Chinese, and no native speakers of that language may suspect that.

But sometimes, they go too far. I can recall some "German" made of short German words that sound like an androgynous hysterical voice giving Marshall Römmel his orders. Another one was plenty of argentinean slang words coming from Italian and was something like this "ay che espamenti in mio capelli, io voglio cosa piccolina, mi sento un mostruo nell'espechio".

The problem is that many of these campaings are produced in Argentina because of hight quality, low costs, and "any kind of race, architechture or landscape available";and then used in many emerging regions as Latin America, South Africa, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Asia.

I think it's not fair. Have you notice this? Have you seen examples of this?
What do you think about this?


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## aleCcowaN

danielfranco said:
			
		

> ... It's sci-fi and tries to mix a "cowboy feel" to it with space ships and planet colonization. Part of the "back story" of the show is that the Chinese culture has been integrated into the mainstream interplanetary society, and every so often the characters spout Mandarin (or maybe Cantonese) phrases for no apparent reason, especially when they try to insult each other or try to express some deep emotion.
> Whatever.
> I don't know if they are saying the words right or if they are just "fudging" it, but I think they are faking it and getting it all wrong....


 
"25 years of Hollywood" said Ben Hecht _(1893–1964), U.S. journalist, author, screenwriter,_ "have slapped into the American mind more human misinformation than the Middle Ages could muster in ten centuries. "


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## catnamedog

Hi
As an Englishman, I suppose I am luckier than most other nationalities. When an English person is portrayed in (usually) American films, we are portrayed as suave, debonair tea-sipping aristocrats (I of course am all of these!!). The problem I have is when someone - usually American - tries an English accent. Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins" is a classic example of mangling my mothertongue!
So its not what is said, but the way it is said. Also, phrases like "old boy" or "jolly good show" do not come easily to me or anyone I know. I wonder how many German people say "donner und blitzen" a lot, or Italian "sapristi!" etc. etc.  
As for Turkey and Turkish people, my wife and I have spent many delightful vacations in this most beautiful of countries. the Turkish people are most generous and kind. Kalkan has to be seen to be believed, and we first visited (Marmaris) in the early 80's - in the year that Midnight Express was released!! Our friends feared that we would never be seen again!!


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## Bettie

I remember when I watched this movie where Elizabeth Hurley is the devil and Bredan Frasier is a un-lucky guy and in someway he was a Colombian drug dealer with Spaniard accent.


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## badgrammar

Hi all, 

Last night I watched several epsiodes of "Over There" for the first time.  And what I'm wondering is, are the people playing the roles of Iraqi people really from Iraq?  Are they speaking Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish, or one of the other 18 languages that are spoken there?  

Hope someone can tell me!


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## jónico

It's not just in Hollywood. Movies and TV in Spain typically get someone who looks vaguely American to play the part, usually of the dumb ugly American tourist or rude businessman. Than that actor just mumbles any old thing with a lot of rising and falling intonation to make it sound like American English. It really grates on my nerves, too. Lord only knows what they do to the Orientals. At least on Lost, the Koreans really do both languages fluently. I don't know about Saïd speaking Arabic, though. Anybody know?
Namaste and good luck.


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## natasha2000

jónico said:
			
		

> It's not just in Hollywood. Movies and TV in Spain typically get someone who looks vaguely American to play the part, usually of the dumb ugly American tourist or rude businessman. Than that actor just mumbles any old thing with a lot of rising and falling intonation to make it sound like American English. It really grates on my nerves, too. Lord only knows what they do to the Orientals. At least on Lost, the Koreans really do both languages fluently. I don't know about Saïd speaking Arabic, though. Anybody know?
> Namaste and good luck.


 
jJAJA.. That's true... In many Spanish TV series, there are some Russians or Poles or whoever coming from the Eastern Block, and ALL of them have the same accent, same errors, even the same tone of the voice! And the funniest thing of all it that actors are Spanish, not the genuine East Eurioeans. I had a chance to speak with some Russians in Spanish, and they CERTAINLY DO NOT pronounce every S as TZ. 

Hmm... Maybe I am off topic here since I speak about actors imitating the accent and not the language...


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## Boyd

Does this include fake accents? I absolutely hate it when someone is supposed to have a British, French or Spanish accent for example in a movie and they suck at it. IE Kevin Costner in Robin Hood. For crying out loud Robin Hood is supposed to be British Kevin!!!


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## natasha2000

Boyd said:
			
		

> Does this include fake accents? I absolutely hate it when someone is supposed to have a British, French or Spanish accent for example in a movie and they suck at it. IE Kevin Costner in Robin Hood. For crying out loud Robin Hood is supposed to be British Kevin!!!


 
As a matter of fact he belonged to Saxon noble family, destroyed by wicked newcomers, Norman nobility... The Brits come much later...  So  maybe Saxons spoke with American accent... 

But yes, this is awful. I can tell you that until I came to live in Spain and met real Spanish speakers speaking English, I thought they have accents as it is presented in Hollywood movies, for example, Mexicans speaking English. And there is so little truth in it!!!


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## Boyd

Hi Natasha and thanks for the correction. I somehow knew that I had it incorrect. Saxons with American accents. (it could happen!)


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## natasha2000

Boyd said:
			
		

> Hi Natasha and thanks for the correction. I somehow knew that I had it incorrect. Saxons with American accents. (it could happen!)


 
Hi, Boyd, nooo, it was not correction, just an observation..  ....


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## GenJen54

Here I am doing my best fake "French" accent:

I wood appreecee-ate iv eh yew wood pleezuh keep ze tings on topique.  

Sank yew.

(Translation:  We're veering a bit OT here, folks.  Let's wander back to the subject from the first post in this thread.)

GenJen54
Moderator


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## Miguelillo 87

A mi me molesto mucho el día en que vi un programa de la serie "alias" donde supuestamente ella va a Ciudad de México para atrapar a un mafioso o algo por el estilo, y cuando llega OOOHHH!!! sorpresa la ciudad de méxico es un gran mercado donde las calles son terracerias y toda la gente usa jorongo, sombrero de Mariachi y las mujeres con trenzas.
por Dios señores; México es una de las ciudades más grandes del mundo y los que han venido hcia aca no me dejaran mentir, que la ciudad no es un pueblo grande sino es cualquier ciudad que no tiene que envidiarle a New York, L.A o cualquier otra ciudad Americana.!!!


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## danielfranco

Correctamente bien identificado, Miguelillo... Alguna vez cuando vi a Sydney Bristol (super agente secreto que sabe todo y todo lo puede) hablando español para despistar a su presa, díjeme a mi mismo: "¡Mi mismo, yo de volada me daría cuenta que esa vieja es una extranjera y que el bulto que trae en las caderas no es su monedero sino su metralleta!"
Pero en fin, así es Hollywood...


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## badgrammar

Last night I was watching Lost and I heard "the French chick" say "Territoire Fonce" and remembered this thread.  That is really awful, I laughed and scoffed at the ignorance   and her accent is sooooo not French at all.  It is painful to watch.  Plus, if she'd been living alone for the past 20 years, I doubt her English would be so darn good, but that's another story....

I am still hoping someone will be able to answer the question in my previous post: 



> Last night I watched several epsiodes of "Over There" for the first time. And what I'm wondering is, are the people playing the roles of Iraqi people really from Iraq? Are they speaking Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish, or one of the other 18 languages that are spoken there?






			
				Auryn said:
			
		

> I'm still laughing at the episode of Lost where the "French" character mentioned "le territoire fonce" (the dark territory, where dangerous things happen). First she mispronounced_ foncé_ and second, the word itself was wrong! _Foncé_ means dark as in dark-coloured. It's a bit difficult to feel scared when someone talks about "the dark-coloured territory" in hushed tones


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## ireney

Well, I for one am not offended. Sure, the stereotypical Greek usually makes me roll my eyes and say "again?!" (we really don't have an angst when it comes to  plates you know, we don't break every single one we see in front of us. And would you believe it? Very few of my friends from countries up north are actually more white than I am although I must admit that prejudice has something on its side when it comes to us looking as windmills when we talk).

As for them talking in Greek well I a)  take it for granted that no non-Greek actor will even try to speak with Greek accent so that saves me some troubled feelings b) cheer whenever they actually say something I can understand


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