9.29.16
I was reading an interesting article on the challenges of translating Shin Godzilla for non-Japanese audience. The intense yet engaging interesting dialogue no doubt is a lot to follow especially with subtitles. The difficulty in getting the meaning across is an even greater challenge. And the film was beautifully summed up:
「シン・ゴジラは、超兵器やスーパーヒーローじゃなくて、私たち現実の日本人がゴジラと戦う物語なんですよ。我々のダメなところやおかしなところで笑って、頑張るところに拍手してください。え、本当にあんなに何度も会議を開くのか？ …それはですね、我々が出来る限り、関係者全員の納得を得ようとするからです。誰も責任を取りたくない気持ちの裏返しでもありますが（笑）」
Translation: “Shin Godzilla” isn’t a story about superheroes or superweapons – it’s a story about how we Japanese would realistically fight against Godzilla. We want you to laugh at the mistakes we make, but also applaud when we do well. You might be wondering if we would really hold that many meetings. The thing is, we always feel that we need the approval of everyone involved. I suppose it’s a result of no one wanting to take full responsibility… (laughs )
