The title of a film is, if you will, a character. Only it lives in another dimension, and its tasks are of a special kind. It is a hospitable host, standing on the threshold of its cinematic house and inviting us in. But this host is a chameleon. No sooner has it crossed the border of a new country than it ceases to resemble its former self and begins to adapt to its guests. Sometimes it changes its costume, sometimes its gender, and now and then it transforms into something altogether unexpected. And yet there are times when it remains true to itself and, appearing before a foreign audience, keeps its own countenance — and becomes a riddle to them.
Behind these metamorphoses stand people. They do not simply translate — they weigh, calculate, and decide under what name the film will appear before a new audience. They must take many factors into account: the properties of the language, the market, cultural differences. The translator finds himself at the intersection of all these forces. His task is to strike a balance and, as far as possible, to preserve every shade of the original — while creating a title that will work in a new environment. For a title is not only part of the artistic design; it is also an invitation. It must be succinct, catch the ear, awaken curiosity, and stay in the memory.
Here translation continues the author’s work. It may add something on his behalf, soften an understatement, or, on the contrary, steer the perception of the film into an entirely different channel. Sometimes this transformation turns out well, and sometimes — not so well.
What, then, makes the hospitable host change? Let us begin with cultural differences. A word that is harmless in one language acquires awkward associations in another. What seemed neutral becomes comic, crude, or frankly indecent. A literal translation may prove a faux pas: right in form, off in intent. And then it is not the word that saves the day, but the idea standing behind it.
But not everything is dictated by language and culture. Even if a successful translation has been found for the original title, that does not yet mean it will reach the viewer: the state of the market and promotional strategy may influence the choice. Say there is already a film in circulation with the same title. Why should a new hero borrow someone else’s fame? And so the hospitable host goes looking for a new countenance.
Finally, even a version that is semantically precise and acceptable to the market is not necessarily a success. What matters, too, is how the title sounds in the new language: how naturally it is pronounced, what its rhythm is, how easily it is remembered. It must fit on a poster, slip easily off the tongue, and remain in the memory.
And so, passing from language to language, the title goes through a series of filters and transformations, but its task remains the same: to meet the viewer on the threshold and persuade him to come in.
I am curious to look closely at how these transformations happen. I already have a couple of examples in mind — all that remains is to revisit those films and refresh the details in my memory.