What funny translations barriers do you have in your language vs the English language regarding fantasy?
I made a different post about my new homebrew Gobledwarf race, in which I touched this subject.
Don't get too caught up in these definitions, because the Finnish mythology is very complicated so these are probably not very accurate, just layman terms.
Here is mine:
In Finnish, we have the term "maahinen", which as a modern word is probably a decent word to describe "goblins" in Harry Potter, but "maahinen" apparently translates to "gnome" in english.
But when you say the word "gnome" to a Finn, we'll think of garden gnomes and Santa's "elves". But if you say the word "elf", we'll think of Legolas.
Also, "goblin" means a very different thing in DnD and many other English sources. But hey! We also have the word "hiisi", which translates to "goblin". "Hiisi" originally meant something entirely different and a lot more monstrous to my understanding. But our official LOTR translation used the word "hiisi" for "goblins", which is probably the most well known translation today.
And we have the word "menninkäinen", which is more like a DnD "goblin".
And to stir the pot, the word "leprechaun" translates to either "haltija/haltia" or "maahinen". Except that "haltia" means "elf" like Legolas in modern language and some sort of guardian spirits in old mythology.
Can you imagine how this makes for interesting situations when you try to translate fantasy into Finnish? ;)
It's very similar in german where we have the word Zwerg, which means Dwarf, but while it's completely right to use it for a D&D Dwarf, you mostly think of something alike a Gardengnome, because they too are called Gartenzwerg. (or the Dwarves from Snow White)
Mostly, but not always, a Zwerg in german isn't that good, they behave more like Duergar in the sense that they're greedy and like gems. (think of Rumpelstiltskin) I might be misremembering (most of my knowledge comes from fairy tales I read) but their magic comes from the length of their beards. The longer their beard, the more potent their magic.
I hate when they translate proper names to french, such as Weaterdeep = Eau Profonde, Neverwinter = Pas d'Hiver or Bruenor Battlehammer = Marteau de Guerre.
Proper names of people or place shouldn't be translated.
A Zwerg in German is typically not very good; they act more like Duergar in that they are greedy and enjoy gems, but this isn't always the case. geometry dash scratch
In Finnish, we have the term "maahinen", which as a modern word is probably a decent word to describe "goblins" in Harry Potter, but "maahinen" apparently translates to "gnome" in english.
I have a gnome monk in my game named Mahina - this was quite the surprise! When asked, she said she just looked up a list of gnome names online. I guess it's not too surprising that names come from the literal name in other languages, but it was still a neat thing to realize. Thanks for sharing!
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
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Hey
What funny translations barriers do you have in your language vs the English language regarding fantasy?
I made a different post about my new homebrew Gobledwarf race, in which I touched this subject.
Don't get too caught up in these definitions, because the Finnish mythology is very complicated so these are probably not very accurate, just layman terms.
Here is mine:
In Finnish, we have the term "maahinen", which as a modern word is probably a decent word to describe "goblins" in Harry Potter, but "maahinen" apparently translates to "gnome" in english.
But when you say the word "gnome" to a Finn, we'll think of garden gnomes and Santa's "elves". But if you say the word "elf", we'll think of Legolas.
Also, "goblin" means a very different thing in DnD and many other English sources. But hey! We also have the word "hiisi", which translates to "goblin". "Hiisi" originally meant something entirely different and a lot more monstrous to my understanding. But our official LOTR translation used the word "hiisi" for "goblins", which is probably the most well known translation today.
And we have the word "menninkäinen", which is more like a DnD "goblin".
And to stir the pot, the word "leprechaun" translates to either "haltija/haltia" or "maahinen". Except that "haltia" means "elf" like Legolas in modern language and some sort of guardian spirits in old mythology.
Can you imagine how this makes for interesting situations when you try to translate fantasy into Finnish? ;)
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Another painful one when you try to translate DnD into Finnish.
Wizard - Velho
Sorcerer - Velho
Warlock - Velho
Finland GMT/UTC +2
It's very similar in german where we have the word Zwerg, which means Dwarf, but while it's completely right to use it for a D&D Dwarf, you mostly think of something alike a Gardengnome, because they too are called Gartenzwerg. (or the Dwarves from Snow White)
Mostly, but not always, a Zwerg in german isn't that good, they behave more like Duergar in the sense that they're greedy and like gems. (think of Rumpelstiltskin) I might be misremembering (most of my knowledge comes from fairy tales I read) but their magic comes from the length of their beards. The longer their beard, the more potent their magic.
I hate when they translate proper names to french, such as Weaterdeep = Eau Profonde, Neverwinter = Pas d'Hiver or Bruenor Battlehammer = Marteau de Guerre.
Proper names of people or place shouldn't be translated.
A Zwerg in German is typically not very good; they act more like Duergar in that they are greedy and enjoy gems, but this isn't always the case. geometry dash scratch
I have a gnome monk in my game named Mahina - this was quite the surprise! When asked, she said she just looked up a list of gnome names online. I guess it's not too surprising that names come from the literal name in other languages, but it was still a neat thing to realize. Thanks for sharing!
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?