After all our years together, I have finally convinced T to try watching Game of Thrones with me. I have been a big fan of George R. R. Martin’s epic epic (that’s right, epic x 2) long before the show began. I would get together with friends over dinner simply to discuss theories and overall badassery of the book series and as a tv show, I think it’s one of the best adaptations out there. Now that the show has gone passed the source material (since Georgie boy writes at a snail’s pace), we can see where the author intends for the story to go but at the interpretation of the show runners. As a writer, I do have dreams of my own work making it on the small (or big) screen. I hope that if that ever was the case, that I would also have show runners who make it obvious how much they love the stories based on the care they take in bringing this show to life.
T knows how much I love the series. He had tried watching it before, twice actually. He tried once in English and once in German (but trying to watch it while it was on tv, so not necessarily from the beginning). He had to admit that he couldn’t really get into it. I appreciated that he tried, though.
Now that the show is quickly approaching its end (one episode left for this season and then six more next year for its final). T decided that he wanted to give it another go. Of course, I am totally down for this…..the caveat? We have to watch it in German.
I will admit, I am not a fan of watching anything that’s dubbed. I have to watch it in its original language, regardless if the language is Greek, German, Chinese, Russian, or English. Watching a dub rubs me the wrong way. Something about the lips not quite sinking with what’s being said is just weird.
HOWEVER!
Game of Thrones is a show that is ALL about the details. ALL. ABOUT. THE. DETAILS. That’s half the fun. I also know that British accents are hard for some people (hell, I had to watch Trainspotting with subtitles and it’s in English! Albeit Scottish brogue). So between all of these details, I am fine with watching Game of Thrones in German so that T can have the full experience.
He seems to be really enjoying it. We started last week and are already almost done with Season 2. I have been buying the special edition Steelbook sets, which I am totally in love with. Yay magnets with House Sigils!
It has certainly been an experience rewatching it in German, but the thing I find the most interesting is the translation itself. The world of A Song of Ice and Fire (for those of you not in the know, that’s the real title of the series), is modeled after medieval Europe with the Seven Kingdoms resembling parts of England. So the names of places are in English (Winterfell, King’s Landing, Highgarden, The Eyrie, etc). So it makes sense that those names would be translated directly into German:
King’s Landing = Königsmund
Iron Islands = Eiseninseln
Riverlands = Flusslanden
The Wall = Die Mauer
The Eyrie = Grünen Tal
Dragonstone = Drachenstein
King’s Road = Königsweg
Black Water = Schwarzwasser
Castle Black = Schwartze Festung
Red Keep = Roter Bergfried
Iron Thron = der Eisernen Thron
Die Weite = The Reach
Highgarden = Rosengarten (Technically Rose Garden, but you get the point)
River Run = Schnellwasser (Fast Water, but whatevs)
Seven Kingdoms = Sieben Königslande
Winterfell is actually not translated as it works in both languages. It took me a little bit to realize that whenever they said “Grünen Tal,” they meant the Eyrie. It’s been a good German excercise for me.
But then you have the German names for the characters themselves. The bastard names work well enough (since their last names describe what region they are from:
Snow = North
Flowers = The Reach (where Highgarden is located)
Storm = Stormlands
Rivers = Riverlands
Sand = Dorne (desert-like)
Stone = Eyrie
etc.
So their German counterparts also make sense:
Snow = Schnee
Flowers = Blumen
Storm = Sturm
Rivers = Strom (which means electricity, so I guess that works?)
Sand = Sand (yay, German and English have the same word here)
Stone = Stein
etc.
The only thing I have yet to forgive them on, is literally translating the names of the Greyjoys. You don’t translate last names, folks!
Greyjoy = Graufreud SERIOUSLY!?
Also, Lannisters = Lennisters *rolls eyes*
Oh yeah, also Mance Rayder is literally butchered!
English pronunciation: Mans RAY-der
German pronunciation: MAN-keh RI-der *facepalm*
It is simply Germans taking the original spelling and reading it as they would if it were a German word, but it does make me giggle and cringe every time I hear them say it.
Anyway, I am excited to continue this journey with T so that we can enjoy the final season together next year!
What about the rest of you? Are you fans of Game of Thrones? Have you tried watching it also in another language? What are your thoughts?
Bis nächste Woche!
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I have not seen a single minute of GoT, even though I’m sure I would like it if I did. Neither M nor I want to get involved in another series we’re sure I’d obsess about (like Outlander, despite the scenes I can’t watch), so we’re just skipping it. Was GoT first a book series? I’d probably read it, or at least add it to my “Books to read before I die” list.
I looooove Game of Thrones. It is quickly addicting, but luckily each Season is only 10 episodes and with the next Season being the last, you could get obsess with it, but it will also be over too quickly! GoT is based off of a current series (it’s not done yet, since Martin takes about 6 years per book) called A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones was the name of the first book. Here’s more info about the series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire). It’s one of the best book adaptations I have seen, but I guess because Martin helped write some of the episodes (since he has a history of working in Television before). I am also in love with Outlander, even though I only read the first book. hehe.