Subj : Re: Serenity and Chinese To : alt.tv.farscape From : John I Date : Tue Oct 04 2005 16:05:14 From Newsgroup: alt.tv.farscape Jim Larson wrote: > Subject: Re: Serenity and Chinese > From: Jim Larson > Newsgroups: alt.tv.farscape > > weirdwolf wrote: > >> Jim Larson wrote in >> news:Xns96E4C20DFE5783v234oiwofui3284af93@130.133.1.18: >> >>> Anyone know how well the actors were able to pull of the Chinese bits >>> in Firefly? Usually they had to say no more than a couple of words, so >>> maybe it's not that bad. In Serenity, there is a small bit where River >>> curses(?) at length and probably pretty creatively in Chinese. I >>> wonder if Summer Glau came even close to pulling it off. Must query >>> Ted when he's seen it. >>> >> >> They had a specialist translator/teacher. I've seen some outakes where >> they had more than a little trouble. I'm not really good enough to tell. >> I do know that there are certain sounds that are very unusual for English >> speakers as they don't appear in English and different ways of >> pronouncing certain letters. The best examples are a 6th vowel n which >> is a sort of ew noise and h which is from the front of the mouth rather >> than the back of the throat. Please bare in mind however that I have only >> had two lessons. > > I'll have no backtalk. Translate, damn you! > > *smacks Ted around as he alternates between saying "My sister" and "My > daughter."*[1] > > -- > Jim > > [1] Chinatown was on the other day. > > That movie really captures the tone and look of the seventies. .