# When Meaning is Lost in Alternate Titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2019, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724 "2019-09-05T07:58:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/21 "2019-09-07T01:39:13Z")
I once told an African-American friend about this British show I was watching called “Spooks” - she gave me a little side-eye (it was rebranded “MI-5” in the US.) ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2019, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/22 "2019-09-07T09:32:08Z")
**Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles** became _Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles_ in Europe over bizarre censorship concerns by the UK. Ninjas are pretty much 50% of their identity (the other 50% being turtles) so all references to them being ninjas or even Japanese were very awkwardly edited out leaving noticable gaps everywhere. It may seem minor but taking Ninja out really does radically alter the show. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/23 "2020-03-14T23:27:48Z")
Hope it’s OK to revive this thread. I’m just outside the 6-month window. > [@zombywoof](#): > > I once told an African-American friend about this British show I was watching called “Spooks” - she gave me a little side-eye (it was rebranded “MI-5” in the US.) Rebranding seems a little over the top. The number one definition of “spook” on Urban Dictionary is Government Intelligence agent. > **[Urban Dictionary: spooks](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spooks)** > > 1. Government intelligence agents, see G-men. 2. Anyone involved in espionage. Admittedly, the racial epithet is #2. For those who don’t know their UK intelligence agencies, “MI-5” is meaningless, and not a great hook to get people to watch. How about “Spies” or “Domestic Intelligence”? ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/24 "2020-03-14T23:29:48Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > ……_The Sound of Music_ has oddly translated titles: “La Novicia Rebelde” (the rebel nun) in Spanish …. IMHO, this alternative is a massive improvement! (Never mind that it’s less on-target thematically.) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/25 "2020-03-15T00:38:46Z")
I can’t think of very many films where the title is essential to enjoying it, and the exceptions are usually awful films where the title is the best thing about it, like **Sharknado!** or **Snakes on a Plane**. I’ll bet **Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx** would be more fondly remembered if it had had a less grating title. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/26 "2020-03-15T00:45:56Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > H > For those who don’t know their UK intelligence agencies, “MI-5” is meaningless, and not a great hook to get people to watch. How about “Spies” or “Domestic Intelligence”? It’s not a very arcane term if you’re at all familiar with the James Bond franchise, and if you’re not, I can’t imagine you enjoying this show under any circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/27 "2020-03-15T12:30:00Z")
When I saw the title, my first thought was also the first Harry Potter book. When I got to the point about halfway in when the “Sorcerer’s” Stone is explained, I literally exclaimed out loud, “Well, why didn’t they just call it the Philosopher’s Stone to begin with?”. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/28 "2020-03-15T14:16:45Z")
Years ago (pre-Google/pre-Wikipedia), I watched “Spaceballs” on CBC French. It was called “La Folle Histoire de l’espace” which means “The Crazy History of Space” or “The Crazy Space Story”. I thought that was a dumb generic name and I couldn’t figure out why they would call it that. Fast forward at least a decade, I was reading an article about “Airplane!” and it mentioned that in Norway it was called “Hjelp, vi flyr!” or “Help, We’re Flying!” and that the same pattern was used for a bunch of comedy movie title translations. That’s when I finally pieced it together. In France, “History of the World: Part I” was translated as “The Crazy History of the World”, so to follow the same pattern they translated “Spaceballs” as “The Crazy History of Space”. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/29 "2020-03-15T14:27:54Z")
> [@icon](#): > > Wreck it Ralph was changed to Candy Crush. Sugar Rush, not Candy Crush. The name of the game Vanellope came from, and the song sung by J-Pop group AKB48 on the soundtrack. (Which, oddly, didn’t get released as a single, although it did chart.) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/30 "2020-03-15T16:04:11Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Years ago (pre-Google/pre-Wikipedia), I watched “Spaceballs” on CBC French. It was called “La Folle Histoire de l’espace” which means “The Crazy History of Space” or “The Crazy Space Story”. I thought that was a dumb generic name and I couldn’t figure out why they would call it that. > > Fast forward at least a decade, I was reading an article about “Airplane!” and it mentioned that in Norway it was called “Hjelp, vi flyr!” or “Help, We’re Flying!” and that the same pattern was used for a bunch of comedy movie title translations. > > That’s when I finally pieced it together. In France, “History of the World: Part I” was translated as “The Crazy History of the World”, so to follow the same pattern they translated “Spaceballs” as “The Crazy History of Space”. Maybe this article [5 Insane Ways Movie Titles Are Translated Around the World | Cracked.com](https://www.cracked.com/blog/5-insane-ways-movie-titles-are-translated-around-world/) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/31 "2020-03-15T17:47:12Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Years ago (pre-Google/pre-Wikipedia), I watched “Spaceballs” on CBC French. It was called “La Folle Histoire de l’espace” which means “The Crazy History of Space” or “The Crazy Space Story”. I thought that was a dumb generic name and I couldn’t figure out why they would call it that. > > Fast forward at least a decade, I was reading an article about “Airplane!” and it mentioned that in Norway it was called “Hjelp, vi flyr!” or “Help, We’re Flying!” and that the same pattern was used for a bunch of comedy movie title translations. > > That’s when I finally pieced it together. In France, “History of the World: Part I” was translated as “The Crazy History of the World”, so to follow the same pattern they translated “Spaceballs” as “The Crazy History of Space”. This is also a recurring pattern in naming movies in Germany: “Airplane” had the ridiculous title “Die unglaubliche Reise in einem verrückten Flugzeug”, “The unbelievable journey on a crazy plane”, so “Airplane II” of cause was “Die unglaubliche Reise in einem verrückten Raumschiff”, with Raumschiff= space ship. But then they went overboard and called a totally unrelated film after the same pattern: “[Ruthless People](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091877/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)” became “Die unglaubliche Entführung der verrückten Mrs. Stone”, “The unbelievable kidnapping of the crazy Mrs. Stone”… ---
**Author:** ![DerNils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerNils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerNils)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/32 "2020-03-16T08:51:27Z")
German Titles are awful, especially as they love to add taglines that are extremely stupid. Thor: Ragnarök became Thor: Tag der Entscheidung (Day of Decision) which is stupid on very many Levels. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/33 "2020-03-16T11:32:31Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > The worst example I know of is the Icelandic-Swedish film [Hrafninn flýgur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Raven_Flies). ILn Britain, it was translated as _When the Raven Flies_, which is not too bad. However, the American distributors, hoping to cash in on the popularity of Schwarzenegger’s _Conan the Barbarian_, released it under the title _Revenge of the Barbarians_. A propos of nothing, I visited the director’s house (‘visited’ as in ‘walked up to’, rather than ‘was invited to’) last year in Reykjavik. The entire property is basically a crazy conglomeration of found-art museum and junkyard. It was amazing! > [@DerNils](#): > > German Titles are awful, especially as they love to add taglines that are extremely stupid. > Thor: Ragnarök became Thor: Tag der Entscheidung (Day of Decision) which is stupid on very many Levels. It’s even worse when they decide to replace an English title with a _different_ English title. _Captain America: The Winter Soldier_ became _The Return of the First Avenger_, evoking some 80s horror B-movie sequel, _Begin Again_ was _Can A Song Save Your Life?_, _Jack the Giant Slayer_ became _Jack and the Giants_, which rather sounds like they’re having a tea party, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/34 "2020-03-16T15:28:45Z")
Ealing studios “Tight Little Island” contains double entendre that is lost in the US release of “Whiskey Galore”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724/35 "2020-03-16T15:44:51Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > \*The Quatermass Xperiment \* became _The Creeping Unknown_ for its US release. A generic kind of title, but at the time of the film’s release, Quatermass was unknown in the States and that “X” spelling in the original title, referring to the British Censor’s Certificate X rating (viewers over 18 only), would have been meaningless to American 1950s audiences. They changed all the Quatermass movie titles. There wasn’t much lost with the first movie, really, but there’s no reason they had to change the title (After all, we had _The Forbin Project_ and _The Hellstrom Chronicle_ – nobody cared who those guys were). But since we didn’t have a first Quatermass movie, the significance of _Quatermass 2_ was lost. It became _Enemy from Space_. And, similarly, _Quatermass and the Pit_ had its title changed to the odd _Five Million Years to Earth_. Why do that, instead of calling it “Martian Invasion” or something. All I can figure is that they were hoping it would make people think of Ray Harryhausen’s _Fifty Million Miles to Earth_, but that movie was over a decade old, and not a major hit. By the way – there’s weird oblique reference to that “Quatermass Xperiment” title in Alan Moore’s graphic novel _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-meaning-is-lost-in-alternate-titles/839724.md?page=1)