Jay has another explanation for why LOTR hasn’t caught on in Japan – apparently it’s nothing to do with the translation being a problem. [More]
Month: June 2001
Thanks to Jay, we have some more answers to something that’s been bugging me: Why LOTR hasn’t been a hit in Japan up until now. We had heard it was due to bad translations. I had email from Japanese people denying that LOTR in Japanese was a bad translation, though ironically they were using translation software to write to me so I couldn’t really follow it. I wondered what Tolkien the philologist would have thought of that particular development in technology.
Here’s what Jay found out: ” I am on a Japanese BBS with some of those guys. I think they have been trying to send you guys some email, but I looked at it and the English was pretty bad. So, I thought I’d like to clear some things up for you. These guys actually really love the Japanese translation of LOTR and hold the translator in very high esteem. They can’t understand why some people are saying that the Japanese translation is a poor one. I think the main problem for Japanese people is how long the book is. The set that I have seen in Japanese was broken up into 9 books. The Japanese translation is very accurate when compared with the English original, and I think this adds to the length of the Japanese translation (which seems like more text than the English version). I must admit that I too would be hesitant to read some foreign literature that is the length of LOTR. There is a very small but solid fanbase for LOTR in Japan. They are very much dedicated to their Japanese translation and feel that many of the direct romanizations (transliterating English into Japanese characters and sounds) that they have seen from the movie so far (e.g. the title “Lord of the Rings”, “Sting” – Frodo’s sword) sound kind of silly and hope that the Japanese translation equivalents will be used instead. One mentioned that hearing the word “Sting” would remind him of the British singer. Anyway, that’s just some of the stuff I’ve heard listening to these guys talk.”
Thanks for that, Jay. I have to ask: Do they read ‘The Wheel of Time’ over there?
The FOTR Trailer was deemed a “must download” by the editors of FilePlanet, and is included on this month’s Editor’s Choice CD. You can see it here
Thanks to Ringer spy FlammaAmoris
Here is I a copy of Barrie Osborne’s nomination paper for his Carleton College Distinguished Achievement Award:
Nomination for Barrie Osborne (’66) for Carleton College Distinguished Achievement Award
Barrie Osborne has been in the film industry for over 30 years and has been involved in the production of over 30 films. Currently, he is the Executive Producer for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the first of which, The Fellowship of the Ring, is due to be released in 2001. He is also the Executive Producer for this year’s film The Last Place on Earth.
After receiving a degree in Sociology from Carleton in 1966, Barrie spent 4 years in the Army Corps of Engineers rising to the rank of 1st Lieutenant.
Barry entered the Film Industry in 1970 as an apprentice editor and assistant production manager. After being accepted into the trainee program in the Directors Guild of America, Barrie worked under the tutelage of Directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Alan Pakula and Sydney Pollack, on films that included The Godfather Part II, Three Days of the Condor and All the President’s Men.
He subsequently worked on 17 films in a variety of production and director capacities (Production Manager, Producer, Second Unit Director, or Assistant Director). Among these films were Kojak, Apocalypse Now, Cutter’s Way, The Escape Artist, The Big Chill, Fandango, Peggy Sue Got Married, and The Cotton Club.
During a two-year tenure as Vice President for Feature Production at Walt Disney Pictures, Barrie oversaw 15 motion pictures, including Ruthless People, The Color of Money, Tin Men, Three Men and a Baby, Tough Guys, Outrageous Fortune, Who Killed Roger Rabbit and Good Morning Vietnam.
After leaving Disney Barrie was Executive Producer for Wilder Napalm, Face Off, Rapa Nui, The Fan, and China Moon. Barrie also was Executive Producer for the 1999 film, The Matrix, which won four major Academy Awards (Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects and Film Editing). The last two of the Oscars were especially significant since Star Wars: Episode One was nominated and heavily promoted in these two categories.
As a result of these many contributions, Barrie is well known and well respected in the film industry. In his acceptance speech for The Academy Award for Film Editing, Zach Staenberg thanked Barrie for “fighting some good fights on our behalf.” In his preview of Lord of the Rings, critic Chad Baetz writes, “Barrie Osborne is . one guy who knows his Hollywood.”
TV producer William Scott writes “Barrie is known as one of the truly fair, honest and respected producers in the business. I would certainly applaud his receiving a Carleton Distinguished Achievement Award.”
From: Darth Nazgul
I just came from the cinema Kolosej in Slovenia. They are showing the first FOTR trailer in front of Dungeons & Dragons. I am not sure for other movies, as the woman at the information box didn’t even know they are showing the trailer.
TheOneRing.net Community Member Dagorhir.org is holding its Ragnarok War this weekend! [More]