First, let me say that I really love Candice Renoir (Amazon Prime/Acorn). Which also means I tend to read the subtitles with an especially critical eye.
I noticed a drop in quality this most current fifth season, and decided to specifically note them for Episode Three.
First off, the timing is off. The subtitles start off reasonably in synch, but soon begin to come in late, and by the end of the show are almost a second late. It’s extremely distracting, and I noticed the same problem in the first two episodes of this season. (The previous seasons were fine.)
Following, I’ve put the original French at the marking timecode, then the subtitle that appears, (SUB), the translation that should have appeared instead ("should be:"), and a clarifying explanation (EXPL).
1.
8:25 – “la
disparition de votre compagnon.”
SUB: “the disappearance of your partner.”
should be:
“the death of your boyfriend.”
EXPL: “Disparition” does indeed mean “disappearance,” but it is also used to mean “death.” In this case, Candice’s lover died at the end of the previous season, and his death is a major plot point. “Partner” could work for “compagnon,” but since she is a police officer, it could easily construed as her police partner. “Boyfriend” specifies that it was an intimate relationship.
2.
10:44
– “Vous êtes en
terminale depuis deux ans.”
SUB: “You’ve been in school for two years.”
should be:
“You’ve been a senior for two years.”
EXPL: “terminale” is the last grade of French high school, and the reference to “two years” specifically makes it clear that this 19-year-old character failed his final exams and is redoing his final school year. He is a lazy Lothario and this detail emphasizes it. “You’ve been in school two years” is vague and does not convey this.
3.
12:40
“Très hétéroclite comme lecture.”
SUB: “Very heterogeneous reading material.”
should be:
“Very eclectic taste in books.”
EXPL: “heterogeneous” is not commonly used in English. “Eclectic” is much more colloquial.
4.
20:10
“Moi, j’assume.”
SUB: “Me, I assume.”
should be:
“I
own it.”
or
“I
own up to it.”
EXPL: “assumer” is a false friend to “assume.” In French, it means to take responsibility for something, to live with it or own it.
5.
22:25
“Tu sais, les affaires de cul, ça fait souvent des dégats.”
SUB: “You know, my cases, they often create casualties.”
should be:
“You know, when sex is involved, there tends to be a lot collateral damage.”
EXPL: “les affaires de cul” is a slightly vulgar reference (cul=ass) to sex-related cases, and needs to be translated accurately, as it’s also an intentional foreshadowing of the scene to come in which the affair between Candice and Antoine explodes with collateral damage.
6.
29:25
- “Il faut qu’il encaisse.”
SUB: “He needs to cash in.”
should be:
“He needs to hear it from me.”
or
“He’ll need to take this in.”
EXPL: “encaisser” has several meanings, one being “to cash in,” but in this context means, “to take in” - as in, absorbing unexpected news. The son being referred to is about to hear something upsetting, he is definitively not “cashing in.”
7.
36:43
“Il était trop fière.”
SUB: “He was too proud.”
should be:
“He was so proud.”
EXPL: “trop” is used in two ways in French, depending on the context. In this, it does not mean “too” but “very,” but with an emphasis on full-to-overflowing. “Too proud” in English, conveys a comparison, e.g. “He was too proud to ask for help” or an answer, “Why didn’t he call his father?” “He was too proud.” As a standalone sentence, “He was so proud” reads more accurately.
MCO 2023
