Whedonesque : Comments on 17254 : Buffy el Asesino del Vampiro.

I have to say that I love the idea of this :). Note to self: use this in combination with Rosetta Stone!

That is awesome.

Watching Buffy definitely made my speaking English good!
Depending on the quality of the dubbing it might even give her Spanish a jossy flavor.

In other news:
This post unfortunately crashes the rss-feed.
Replacing the
ñ with &ntilde;
might work.

restless | August 10, 15:14 CET

How great. I've just come back from South America and would sometimes get to watch spanish dubbed Buffy and Angel episodes. It provided a very surreal yet comforting security blanket.

curlymynci | August 10, 15:19 CET

I'd be very interested to know how accurately they translate. Do the translators play around with the language, as is done in the original? If so, SMG's Spanish might be a little odd, to say the least.

Lioness | August 10, 15:24 CET

Changed it to & # 2 4 1 (minus the spaces) to make the feed valid. Thanks for the heads up restless!

zeitgeist | August 10, 15:33 CET

Nice idea. Sarah seems like a wonderfully quirky person.

Nalliac | August 10, 15:44 CET

I thought SMG never watched her own stuff, ever - it was like a superstition for her? Cute story, but for that reason I'm not sure it's true...

daylight | August 10, 15:51 CET

Does anyone know how you would go about finding a channel that airs it in Spanish?

madmolly | August 10, 15:54 CET

Heh, that's very amusing...I remember my parents coming back from a trip to Puerto Rico ages ago, chuckling at having seen "Super Hombre" on the television.

Chris inVirginia | August 10, 16:07 CET

Maybe she'll get nostalgic enough to want to reprise Buffy at some future point. :)

quantumac | August 10, 17:03 CET

Watching TV in Spanish really does help with comprehension. When I took Spanish a couple years ago, we were required to watch a hour of Spanish TV every day. Course, that led to me and my mother being addicted to novellas on Univision, but it was fun in any case. ;)

deepgirl187 | August 10, 17:15 CET

I bought S4 in France a couple of years ago - it helped my daughter revise for her GCSE in French - and also has the original soundtrack, so I now have two DVD sets of that season. Useful backup in case of crisis, doncherknow?

Gill | August 10, 17:18 CET

I don't speak Spanish, but having studied other Romance languages, I'm wondering
why the title wouldn't be Buffy la Asesina del Vampiro.

janef | August 10, 17:25 CET

muy caliente

Jim in Buffalo | August 10, 18:11 CET

I don't speak Spanish, but having studied other Romance languages, I'm wondering
why the title wouldn't be Buffy la Asesina del Vampiro.

I think it would be.

Nebula1400 | August 10, 18:12 CET

Actually, yeah, you're correct, Janef. However, the actual title used in Spain and South America isn't a direct translation like the subject thread but more like "Buffy, the Hunter of Vampires" (Buffa, la Cazavampiros).
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_la_cazavampiros

Anyone in Spain/Barcelona know if they show Buffy here? They're repeating Angel here at the moment but I haven't seen the Buffster in Spanish. Not that I watch much tv here but I should practice my Spanish more...

shelled | August 10, 18:18 CET

I bought European versions of Buffy and Angel in Austria, and have watched many episodes in German. It's so much easier to learn a language when you're interested in the subject.

Valentyn | August 10, 18:37 CET

I'd be very interested to know how accurately they translate.

The latinamerican translation isn't great. We might be a little demanding (you know, being Buffy fans and all :P ), but there were some errors that would totally change the meaning of some phrases. And knowing the show, you know you can't change the script.

We got Buffy through FOX latin america. They aired the first 5 seasons dubbed. Some fans, who got access to the transcriptions via internet, knew the real script and noticed the difference. Some of them were little things, some of them were important for the story.

We started a petition, asking for subtitles. That way, the people who would understand english, would get the real script.

One of the most important mistakes was the translation of Gift, for season 5's story arc. In some episodes, they translated it like "premio" (prize), and in some others, they did it like "regalo" (present). Both can be translated as gift, but the meaning... so not the same.

Buffy's death was a prize. Mmmm...

Another deal was the musical. We would get it dubbed? ewww!

Luckily, they aired season five's reruns with subtitles and from there, season 6 and 7 also in english. :)

And you know, dubbing actors... would never be as good as SMG, Aly, Eliza, James...

PS: I'm from Argentina and I learned english via subtitled shows/movies and internet. So, it does help.

[ edited by Taly on 2008-08-10 19:06 ]

[ edited by Taly on 2008-08-10 19:07 ]

Taly | August 10, 19:02 CET

Anyone in Spain/Barcelona know if they show Buffy here? They're repeating Angel here at the moment but I haven't seen the Buffster in Spanish. Not that I watch much tv here but I should practice my Spanish more...

Yes, last time I checked they were repeating season 2 on La2, but now with the Olympics they have stopped. I guess they will start again when the Games are over.

lovespyke | August 10, 19:31 CET

I've watched a lot of my Buffy DVD's with the French dubbing on to practice my French comprehension; it actually works pretty well. Plus, fun! The woman who dubs Buffy is great, although Spike just isn't the same without James Marsters's inflections. I like when they have to change jokes from the script, like Xander's whole "girl-frere" joke from Beer Bad. :-)
Tangent: I once watched Firefly dubbed in French with a French roommate, and she commented on what a horrible actor "Jayne" was. Which threw me, 'cause I think Adam Baldwin is fantastic; just shows how much a different voice can change the performance.

Oh, and in the musical, they changed Xander's line from I'll Never Tell from "She doesn't know what 'Please' is" to something along the lines of "She doesn't know how to please me".

[ edited by KnitWit on 2008-08-10 19:36 ]

KnitWit | August 10, 19:32 CET

I thought SMG never watched her own stuff, ever - it was like a superstition for her? Cute story, but for that reason I'm not sure it's true..

It was during the making of "The Air I Breathe" while she was in Mexico ,she mentioned it in one of the interviews for that.
I don't recall hearing that she was superstitious about not watching though.

garda39 | August 10, 19:58 CET

I've been looking for Italian Buffies for a while. I speak the language well at this point, but it'd be nice for easing into watching Italian films without subtitles (they speak crazy fast, I can't even separate out the words in my head... sigh).

So my search goes on.

Jobo | August 10, 19:59 CET

That's funny,I actually practice my French watching dubbed firefly. I figured it'd be easier with something I knew and it was the only thing dubbed in French.

I'm from Chile and I started watching Buffy in Spanish as well as xfiles and many other shows, all the ones Fox aired. back when it had good shows.After petitions and a lot of begging, we got subtitles,finally, and it was much better.
like Taly said,I also learned English by watching tv. I didn't really mean to,I just started understanding and then I started using the English subtitles instead of the Spanish ones and I used the dictionary when I didn't understand something and suddenely I could understand perfectly. it came in handy when I got bored of waiting for shows to air either never or very late and I discovered what I could do in the internet.

Oh,BTW,it's airing in i-sat if anyone's interested.both buffy and angel. firefly used to air on the film zone, I don't know it still does

[ edited by okelay on 2008-08-10 20:26 ]

okelay | August 10, 20:23 CET

Thanks, lovespyke, I'll have a look for LA2 post-Olympics.

shelled | August 10, 22:00 CET

I love SMG but other than her work on Buffy, can anyone really blame her for not wanting to watch her own stuff. Most (most) of it is not very...well...watchable. Who here saw the clip they showed at Paleyfest? That was hilarious and she won an Emmy for that role. I am not saying that it was her performance that made these things...less enjoyable than BtVS (trying to be p.c.) but you're rarely better than the material you're given to work with.

10th Crew Member | August 10, 22:46 CET

I just wonder what "They eat you starting with your bottom" is in Spanish...

Ashley | August 11, 00:26 CET

I tried doing this a while ago but I felt that the dubbing ruins the overall acting for me.

mysteryshadesman | August 11, 01:03 CET

I'd be very interested to know how accurately they translate. Do the translators play around with the language, as is done in the original? If so, SMG's Spanish might be a little odd, to say the least.

Here in Brazil we got the first 4 season dubbed, and then the rest was subtitled on weekdays, and the reprise dubbed on the weekends.
I must say that the Buffy translation is one of the best I've seen around here. And although some things were changed, it still had the spirit of the show, with the Joss-language, but in portuguese! Of course, eventually we had some non-sense translations, but nothing too bad, imo.

I think it's definitely a good idea to learn watching something you know so well. If I weren't so damn lazy, I'd considering trying to learn a little bit of spanish this way.

maxsummers | August 11, 01:06 CET

Title translation: in France, it was "Buffy contre les vampires." I'm not sure "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" would have the same wry feel in other languages, so there's no sense in holding tight to the original. And watching in a second language the shows we know so well in English is great way to learn.

doghouse | August 11, 01:19 CET

Oh, and in the musical, they changed Xander's line from I'll Never Tell from "She doesn't know what 'Please' is" to something along the lines of "She doesn't know how to please me".

See, I always thought the line was in fact "She doesn't know what pleases." Just checked the DVD subtitles, that's what it says there too. (Anyone have the script book?)

As far as The Gift (premio vs regalo), I think the line "Death is your Gift" was meant to be ambiguous. Gift as in talent? A "present" for her to receive, or give (which was born out). So I think it's understandable they'd have trouble translating it since the ambiguity was always going to be lost. (Using "regalo" would have been better, but still not great, would have given away too much.)

jam2 | August 11, 02:16 CET

I regularly watch Buffy in French. I think that Claire Guyot, who dubbed Buffy, was wonderful, and some of the other dubbers weren't far behind. The translations were off at times, but I thought they caught the spirit of the show very well. They even did a credible version of OMWF!

shambleau | August 11, 02:56 CET

The OMWF script book has it as "She doesn't know what 'please' is" - which is how I always heard it and which, I think, fits the tone of the song - "she doesn't know what pleases" would be a far weightier complaint than "what 'please' is"'; likewise, "pleases" is a little more poetic than the deliberately prosaic mood of "she wheezes," "skeezy cheeses," and so on (all my opinion, of course).

I agree fully about the deliberate ambiguity of "Gift" - both the talent she has and the present she receives/bestows. Don't see it as meaning "prize" though which, to me, has a very different English connotation, as if Buffy had run a race, rather than come to a deeper insight about herself and the source of her power.

SoddingNancyTribe | August 11, 04:40 CET

According to the lyric sheet that comes with the CD, it says "she doesn't know what "please" is". And please is in parentheses. That's straight from Joss. So it's settled.

madmolly | August 11, 05:25 CET

Don't see it as meaning "prize" though which, to me, has a very different English connotation, as if Buffy had run a race, rather than come to a deeper insight about herself and the source of her power.

I guess you could see that realisation itself as a 'prize', as in something one takes or seizes for oneself rather than something that's bestowed from outside (just started reading 'Master and Commander' and they're very big on prizes in that sense). In some ways I quite like that meaning, thin though it may be.

Saje | August 11, 12:43 CET

I don't speak Spanish at all, so tried a couple of online translations for the link title. Couldn't decide between the "cazavampiros" and the one I used. Was hoping someone would call me on it/provide the correct lingo. :)

barest_smidgen | August 11, 13:15 CET

In the US Spanish dubbed versions, they say the title out loud at the beginning of the credits. They definitely say "cazavampiros."

Anna von Ovonov | August 11, 16:27 CET

So many little comments I could make, but the only one that sticks in my mind is that "asesino" is actually from none of our (on this thread) languages. And seems to be pretty ambiguous in it's own. It could be a crux word. Are we ready for a crux?

dreamlogic | August 11, 17:26 CET

Taly, I thought I recognised your name. I've used your wordpress theme in the past :)

Caroline | August 11, 18:00 CET

dreamlogic - asesino/asesina are actually words (spanish, though the Arabic eymology is interesting as well), so I'm not sure what you are saying.

Taly - you do the photoblogging templates for WordPress, like "Polaroid"?

zeitgeist | August 11, 18:29 CET

My friends I love watching OMWF in Spanish and French! I've found that learning songs is an excellent way to learn a foreign language, because it gets stuck in your head. :)

Ronald_SF | August 11, 18:48 CET

"What does "assassin" mean?" Is what I was getting at. We have a hard time deciding what the words for "killer" mean in our own languages (as discussed at some length in Buffy), and are always adopting from others.

eta: That was a stupid thought. "Assassin" must have been drawn into European languages centuries ago. It's not the language, but what people say.

[ edited by dreamlogic on 2008-08-11 20:37 ]

dreamlogic | August 11, 19:28 CET

Help the American! I'm learning Spanish, French, & German at the moment, and while I'm doing great with the reading, writing, and comprehension, I still need work on my listening skills.

Is there any way for me to get hooked up with something like this? Help! Thanks! :)

korkster | August 11, 21:00 CET

Plus asesino/asesina isn't necessarily assassin, I found it as murder-er/ess or killer. And assassin in english listed as murderer, though especially one who kills for money or political aim. Plus, what the heck kind of word is slayer :)?

zeitgeist | August 11, 21:16 CET

Doesn't assassin literally mean "hashish-smoker" (or hashish-eater)? Although, in usage it is an hired killer. And wasn't it introduced into English by Shakespeare as a character in a play?
I think I remember the Shakespeare part from 10th grade English.
And in the US Spanish dubbing, Buffy is referred to as "la cazadora" -the huntress. Just like in the German DVD's she is "die Jaegerin" (again, literally; the huntress).

[ edited by Anna von Ovonov on 2008-08-11 22:31 ]

Anna von Ovonov | August 11, 22:26 CET

I've been using German Buffy episodes in my classes for almost 10 years (only seasons 1-3, of course, since those are the high school years).
Sadly, the US releases don't have Spanish soundtracks until season three, so I show "Firefly" in Spanish classes.
I think it's an excellent way to build listening comprehension skills, and especially in Buffy, to pick up new expressions you won't find in a text book. -At the end of Buffy season 2 there are always tears.

Anna von Ovonov | August 11, 22:45 CET

I think the confusion is because 'assassin' in english is more like a hired killer, but in spanish (and portuguese, which is my language) it's pretty much the same thing... assassin/murderer/killer ... (in portuguese would be assassina/matadora, and spanish asesina/matadora, I believe) so I see why 'asesina' could be used.

But 'cazadora' is definitely the best word in this case.

maxsummers | August 12, 00:00 CET

Like maxsummers said, asesino/asesina is used for killer/murderer/assassin. Cazadora is hunter.

I don't believe there's a word for "slayer" in spanish. So I think "cazadora" or "cazavampiros" (vampires' hunter) is the best choice.

Caroline said:

Taly, I thought I recognised your name. I've used your wordpress theme in the past :)

I know, you were one of the first. It was quite an honor :)

zeitgeist said:

Taly - you do the photoblogging templates for WordPress, like "Polaroid"?

Yup.

Taly | August 12, 00:35 CET

Well, since I was overlooked, I'll ask again...

Where does one acquire dubbed Buffy/Angel/Firefly?

Is there an easy-click-away link? Cuz that would be awesome. ;)

korkster | August 12, 01:37 CET

Where does one acquire dubbed Buffy/Angel/Firefly?

I don't know if there's any other way, but I believe everyone is talking about the DVDs. Most of the sets, depending on which zone are they from, have audio in other languages as well as subtitles.

Taly | August 12, 01:55 CET

Taly - awesome, well done :)

Anna - yes, that is part of the Arabic derivation/etymology.

zeitgeist | August 12, 02:47 CET

August 10 2008