American Sci-fi film 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' subtitles come under fire in Taiwan

美國科幻電影《媽的多重宇宙》的字幕在台灣受到抨擊

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — American science-fiction film “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” starring Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) and Jamie Lee Curtis, received criticism from Taiwanese audiences because of its subtitles after its Taiwan premiere on April 22.

The American drama has won the one-day championship for three consecutive days since Monday (April 25), according to the chart released by Taipei Box Office Observatory. In addition, it was selected as the opening movie for the 2022 Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival.

The comedy’s plot won over the audience, but the subtitle translation came under fire because audiences thought the translator’s own interpretation and opinion took away from the film’s authenticity and caused confusion.

“I am happy to go to the cinema and watch it again, but I hope the publisher can fix the ‘over-translation’ situation. I am clueless how the translator felt good about himself after translating with such an arrogant attitude,” according to a netizen named Soso Tseng’s comment on the publisher’s Facebook page.

Tseng said that many of his friends refused to watch the film solely because of the subtitles. Controversy surrounded specific translations, such as “just be a rock” in English was translated into “You are Wang Anshi (你現在是王安石),” or “unlovable bitch” in English was translated as "Empress Wu Zetian (武媚娘愛缺)".

The responsible translator named Andy (@ndy, 旁白鴿) responded to the comment last Saturday by posting a 1000-character long article on Facebook titled “the subtitle sucks, you suck, and your family sucks!” At the end of the response, he explained his ideas about the disputed translations.

Andy said that watching films is just a pastime or a fun weekend activity, and he was surprised his work turned drew so much ire online. He appreciated those who enjoyed the film and apologized to those who hate it and told them to go back to their corners.

After Andy provoked the crowd with his “apology,” the film’s publisher, A Really Happy Film Company, said on Monday that they are sorry the imperfection has caused harm but what we learned from the film is that love, understanding, and tolerance can make the world a better place.

Film critic Bujo (部長) noted that Andy’s attitude poured gasoline on the fire. “A translator should respect a film, instead of letting preference interfere with the profession. There is room for discussion, but we must be mindful to not disrespect the translation industry.”