As I was perusing through one of the many
stacks and stacks of newspapers and
magazines around the house, I found
myself laughing once again at a
translation from "Lost In Translation"
that appeared in the New York Times on
9.21.03

The set-up:
Bob Harris (Bill Murray) is in Tokyo to
make a whiskey commercial. He doesn't
speak Japanese. His director (Yutaka
Tadokoro), a histrionic Japanese hipster,
doesn't speak English. In this scene, Bob
goes on the set and tries to understand the
director through a demure interpreter
(Akiko Takeshita).

DIRECTOR (in Japanese to the interpreter): The translation is very
important, O.K.? The translation.

INTERPRETER: Yes, of course. I understand.

DIRECTOR: Mr. Bob-san. You are sitting quietly in your study. And
then there is a bottle of Suntory whiskey on top of the table. You
understand, right? With wholehearted feeling, slowly, look at the camera,
tenderly, and as if you are meeting old friends, say the words. As if you
are Bogie in "Casablanca," saying, "Cheers to you guys," Suntory time!

INTERPRETER: He wants you to turn, look in camera. O.K.?

BOB: Does he want me to, to turn from the right or turn from the left?

INTERPRETER (in very formal Japanese to the director): He has
prepared and is ready. And he wants to know, when the camera rolls,
would you prefer that he turn to the left, or would you prefer that he turn
to the right? And that is the kind of thing he would like to know, if you
don't mind.

DIRECTOR (very brusquely, and in much more colloquial Japanese):
Either way is fine. That kind of thing doesn't matter. We don't have time,
Bob-san, O.K.? You need to hurry. Raise the tension. Look at the
camera. Slowly, with passion. It's passion that we want. Do you
understand?

INTERPRETER (In English, to Bob): Right side. And, uh, with
intensity.

BOB: Is that everything? It seemed like he said quite a bit more than
that.

DIRECTOR: What you are talking about is not just whiskey, you know.
Do you understand? It's like you are meeting old friends. Softly, tenderly.
Gently. Let your feelings boil up. Tension is important! Don't forget.

INTERPRETER (in English, to Bob): Like an old friend, and into the
camera.

BOB: O.K.

DIRECTOR: You understand? You love whiskey. Its Suntory time!
O.K.?

BOB: O.K.

DIRECTOR: O.K.? O.K., let's roll. Start

BOB: For relaxing times, make it Suntory times.

DIRECTOR: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut! (Then in a very male form of
Japanese, like a father speaking to a wayward child) Don't try to fool me.
Don't pretend you don't understand. Do you even understand what we
are trying to do? Suntory is very exclusive. The sound of the words is
important. It's an expensive drink. This is No. 1.  Now do it again, and
you have to feel that this is exclusive. O.K.? This is not an everyday
whiskey you know.

INTERPRETER: Could you do it slower and--

DIRECTOR: With more ecstatic emotion.

INTERPETER: More intensity.

DIRECTOR (in English): Suntory time! Roll.

BOB: For relaxing times, make in Suntory time.

DIRECTOR: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut! I'm begging you.

Coppola wrote the dialogue
for the scene in English, and
then it was translated into
Japanese for actor Yutaka
Tadokoro, who played the
director. She gave Tadokoro
"lame directions. He wasn't
supposed to be the best
Director." Bill Murray never
did learn what the director
was saying. "I like the fact
that the American actors
don't really know what's
going on, just like the
characters," Coppola said.
(from NYTimes)

contents of an old wallet
in the talkin' about archive