Forum - View topicPretending to Speak English?
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Asako
 Posts: 751 Location: Hawaii |
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Okay, I wanted to post this in the Pretending to be Japanese Thread but that thread seems to have strayed much from the topic and ended up with... beer
Anyhow, since there is much debate about speaking Japanese in tiny bits and pieces such as "SUGOI!!!" and "that's so kawaii!!!" What does everyone think about those characters in anime that stuff english words all over their speech? Cool or uncool? I think it's hilarious. And I love the usage of "OH MY GOD!" that they use so often since it reminds me of all those other times that it was used in anime. I did notice that many people have english words dotted throughout their speech are typically foreigners. I think they also add these characters because foreign words are trendy. So perhaps those people who dot Japanese throughout their language ("kawaii!!") think they're being trendy! Perhaps... I really wish I knew the reasons behind it all... So, what do you think about these characters? Insulting? Funny? Lame? Irritating? Why do you believe writers and artists create characters that speak like this? |
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Patachu
Past ANN Contributor
 Posts: 1325 Location: San Diego |
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I like it for the kitsch value. When "Engrish" is used for comedic effect, it makes me laugh. My favorites: Don Kanonji in Bleach ("Smells like BAD SPIRITS!") and Ana Coppola in Strawberry Marshmallow ("I ... don't ... speak ... English!!")
But when an anime tries to have English-speaking characters for serious business, it usually turns out pretty embarrassing. Like the American politicians near the end of Speed Grapher or the gangsters in Kimagure Orange Road OVA. There are plenty of foreign people in Japan who speak fluent English ... why not use them as voice actors? 
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Drowning_Wolf
Posts: 193 |
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Every time I hear a character speaking English in anime, my ears start to bleed, well not really but it's so painful. Seriously, it's really awful, to me not cute nor funny, not even when it's intended, it's really awful. I swear it is. It's worst than when my friends that suck in English try to speak it. Makes me want to break something.
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LuckySleven
 Posts: 426 Location: Refer to page 2 |
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Maybe because it's to have a little english education in anime?
It's a conspiracy to make every Japanese anime fan be able to speak english perfect also! xD
I think these characters are interesting, it shows how hard it is for Japanese people to speak english as it is for English speaking people learning Japanese. Though if a series with kinds of character gets dubbed from Japanese to English than it gets weird. Last reason why these characters were created that I thought of is so that the writers can get more sex, I mean beer  [/b]
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I think that Japanese characters using English comes off as realistic, while fangirl Japanese is just annoying. While I don't know for certain, I would expect that Japanese people really do use English phrases when speaking, if only because I know English is regularily taught there and Japanese does have an entire alphabet for borrowed words, suggesting that a lot of them are used fairly often. I know you see a fair amount of katakana used in Japanese magazines.
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TestamentSaki
 Posts: 1012 |
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Eh, nice to know they do know a bit of English
 ... But I'd like to hear some good pronounciation once in a while.
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selenta
 Subscriber Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
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100% behind you. It's pretty funny, and actually kind of catchy when they throw in a word or two at a key time, but when they try to actually converse in English my reaction sways more towards Drowning_Wolf's. I quite literally have to turn the sound down, as it is more than a little unbearable for me to hear someone fail so badly and probably not even know it. Revy is a great example, as her sporadic use of English throughout the show is actually kind of funny... until she actually tries to talk to people in English, at which point I had to turn the volume down so I couldn't make out what she was saying (which didn't take much  )
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jgreen
 Posts: 1325 Location: St. Louis, MO |
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I more or less agree with Patachu. Using English for comedic effect can work really well, but most uses of it in serious anime just comes off as forced and kills the mood of the scene.
I mentioned this in some other thread that escapes me right now, but one of my favorite jokes in the history of anime was when the voice cast of Urusei Yatsura spoke in English when Ataru had a fantasy of visiting Hawaii.... Ataru: "I numbah one Japanese bo-ee!" Hot Hawaiian girl on the beach: "I like Japanese bo-ee!" And then of course, there's the silly joke in one of the early episodes where Cherry the crazed monk is supposed to utter a magic phrase, and he says (in English) "This is a pen" (which is apparently the first sentence they teach in most ESL courses in Japan). Good stuff! |
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Sarene
 Posts: 79 |
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Oh good Lord. When English is attempted by Japanese voice actors, it seems to always be just painful. It's bad when subtitles are needed for your own language because it is so not understandable. It honestly sounds like their tongues are swollen. I know this is due to the drastic difference is pronunciation as well as the general sounds of the languages, but man.
Gravitation did this a few times. It was completely impossible to understand. haha |
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10円
Posts: 605 |
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I can't say that I'm against Japanese anime using English and sometimes it's kind of cute, but I must admit that I'm rather surprised just how poor of a job Japanese VA's do with it. It's fine for comedic effect but it's tough to watch when they're trying to actually converse with it. So, what I'm wondering is if the live-action media suffer from the same lack of quality English-speaking actors and actresses?
Speaking of poor English, have you ever tried to watch the Anime Boston video with BVUSA's panel discussion? Oh my goodness it was just so bad. I really wish they had designated somebody else to host the event, somebody who could actually speak English. As it is I found it completely unwatchable and a terrible reflection of what BVUSA must think of North American consumers. In any professional sales context that sort of remedial language proficiency is a real disgrace in my view. I do have a problem when people use poor English around me, as I'm sure many of you are already acutely aware. I don't even cut my Indian coworkers much slack (I work in enterprise support and Indians are a very common sight as a result). You see, I have a mother who's a long-time teacher, and even though she teaches subjects like chemistry and astronomy she still expects me to speak proper English at all times. Amazingly she's really sloppy with her email though, so I probably should give her a hard time about that. But c'mon, she's my mom, so what can I really say?
My sincerest apologies Asako; I promise to leave this thread just like I found it. Now I feel bad. 
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Asako
Posts: 751 Location: Hawaii |
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aww... no harm done. This thread's questions might have been lost in that thread anyhow  even without the sex, I mean beer...
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Enjeru
 Posts: 221 |
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I find it to be very funny. It is done all the time in American movies with a variety of languages. There have been many times I have heard someone say " hola" "amigo" "adios"
My personal favorite english heard in anime has been the ever popular "zank you" or the many examples from Azumanga Daioh. |
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LydiaDianne
 Posts: 5634 Location: Southern California |
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I don't mind the occasional "okay" or "thank you." Most of the actors say those pretty well.
But, like some of the others have said, when actual English is needed...voice and dialect coaches please or hire people who actually speak English. We're not that hard to find, even in Japan. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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I think to hear the Japanese try to swear in English when it's clear that they have no idea what they're saying is funny. Because they don't understand what it means in their own language spoiler[(Ohh, SHITTO!!)] Or another thing would be this one time I watched Mission of Darkness and at the beginning spoiler[two people were getting business done and then the guy said OHH, EKISPLOEDO!! Then the ship in outer space blew up.]
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jetz
 Posts: 2148 Location: Manila, Philippines |
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I don't think they make certain characters speak english to insult english speaking people. I mean, they're just trying to be funny, and I do find it funny and even cute sometimes. I remember this episode from R.O.D where some old guy said "rock and roll!" Then maybe it's because some words are too technical and have no Japanese equivalent?I've always noticed "pinch" is used a lot. Like "Oh no! He's in a pinch!". Maybe they don't have a Japanese equivalent for that word? In Yakitate!! Japan, there were also a lot of English terms that do not have Japanese equivalent. I do believe in the last part of that anime, that Kanmuri said this 4-word term (he said it really well), can't remember what it is exactly but I understand if it cannot be translated into Japanese accurately. In some cases, an anime has non-Japanese characters, or characters who grew up in America or other English speaking nations, like in BECK - Ryuusuke and Maho grew up in America, right? That explains why they occasionally speak in English. |
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