The language of film

IF THE ULTIMATE aim of translation is to get messages across, have the Hollywood movie distributors in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan done a good job? If naming is an art, do the Hong Kong filmmakers show any artistic flair in titling their productions? Let's look at some examples.

Vanilla Sky

This one is difficult because even the original English title does not truly reflect the love triangle between the main characters played by Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz. 'Vanilla sky' is how sought-after bachelor Cruise describes the sky in a Monet painting of his mother's. It is an English re-make of the 1997 Spanish-language film Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). The mainland and Taiwanese translations are most faithful. They read 'Sweet Grass Sky'.

The Others

If you translate the Taiwanese title back into English, it becomes 'The Sixth Sense Of Deities And Spirits'. Well, for those who have seen the movie, the translation does not deviate much from the story. The only complaint might be that it ruins the film's mysterious plot. In fact, 'deities and spirits' is a phrase that Taiwanese film distributors are fond of using. For example, in Taiwan, The Mummy Returns is called, whereas Gladiator is. Their mainland and Hong Kong translations are livelier:

The Mummy Returns was titled in Hong Kong and on the mainland.

Gladiator was called and respectively.