Of course, if we all spoke a common language things might work more smoothly, but there would be far less scope for amusement. In an article in Gentleman's Quarterly in 1987, Kenneth Turan described some of the misunderstandings that have occurred during the dubbing or subtitling of American movies in Europe. In one movie where a policeman tells a motorist to pull over, the Italian translator has him asking for a sweater {i.e., a pullover}. In another where a character asks if he can bring a date to the funeral, the Spanish subtitle has him asking if he can bring a fig to the funeral.
( Bill Bryson )
[ The Mother Tongue: English and ]
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