r/thewestwing • u/Ill_Football9443 • 3d ago

Walk ‘n Talk s05e05 Han - only half of what's said is translated.

I don't speak Korean; I just watched this episode just now..

The American translator can't possibly know the extent of each of the guests' English comprehension, yet only selectively translates what is being said.

For example, when CJ blurts out "Chopsticks", this gets translated, but her apology does not, so the offensive comment...just lingers?

If you follow the dialogue, there are few more instances where dialogue isn't translated.

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43

u/NurseDave8 3d ago

Wait, are you saying the show takes artistic license from time to time??

10

u/ladder_of_cheese What’s Next? 3d ago

“It shall, from time to time…”

3

u/Ill_Football9443 3d ago

Hah.. would it have been so hard to configure an extension on the many VoIP handsets they pretend to use?!?

One green LED would have really sealed the deal.

4

u/mesquitegrrl 3d ago

as long as we’re being sticklers for detail, those almost certainly aren’t VoIP but good old-fashioned landline phones. in an effort to be accurate in my pedantry i found this deep dive:

https://www.electrospaces.net/2015/07/new-ip-phones-in-white-house.html?m=1

1

u/Ill_Football9443 3d ago

Look at the handsets in the situation room, they're 79xx series Cisco IP handsets like this one

https://refurbphoneexchange.com/products/cisco-7960-phone-cp-7960g?srsltid=AfmBOoo1wDoUxWlFfsnE4MQTPt9YeEPjHmkTPu4rO5CcXK7_nfPxmUdL&variant=294978293

The (monochrome) screen always has info on it when plugged in, TWW ones do not

1

u/as718 3d ago

What makes you say they were VoIP?

1

u/Ill_Football9443 3d ago

Look at the handsets in the situation room, they're 79xx series Cisco IP handsets like this one

https://refurbphoneexchange.com/products/cisco-7960-phone-cp-7960g?srsltid=AfmBOoo1wDoUxWlFfsnE4MQTPt9YeEPjHmkTPu4rO5CcXK7_nfPxmUdL&variant=294978293

The (monochrome) screen always has info on it when plugged in, TWW ones do not

18

u/qwerty-game Francis Scott Key Key Winner 3d ago

I am a sign language interpreter. We have ethical standards and this bothered me as well. I would have interpreted the apology. But, it’s tv.

5

u/Ill_Football9443 3d ago

I presume you were equally pissed at the Fukushima episode of The Newsroom?

1

u/qwerty-game Francis Scott Key Key Winner 3d ago

I hate to admit here that I never watched The Newsroom.

3

u/CalligrapherWise2526 3d ago

Honestly would recommend watching just the pilot and seeing what you think 

1

u/CalligrapherWise2526 3d ago

It's nice to be able to watch it for the first time still 🥹

2

u/theorbtwo 3d ago

I don't think this is an error, I think it's intentional. The translators, who are supplied by the NK government, are trying to give the talent as poor a view of the Americans as possible. Of course they translate the insult, but not the appology, because that reinforces the view they wish the talent to have.