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1->''"Not right, having a member of the ''kuve'', the servitor races, getting into a position where he might someday inherit the leadership."''
2-->-- '''Lieutenant Commander Brokosh''', ''Fanfic/RedFireRedPlanet''
3
4Sometimes to add some cultural flavor to a destiny the name has to be foreign—she is ''nosferatu''; he is ''allaku''. The problem is that this means nothing to the audience (and sometimes nothing to people ''native'' to the "exotic" culture), so a quick translation is provided afterwards.
5
6"She is ''nosferatu''" becomes "she is ''nosferatu'', a vampire", and "he is ''allaku''" becomes "He is ''allaku'', a messenger. He walks the night road". This is effectively the person [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment saying the same thing two or three times]],[[note]]this is known as using appositives,[[/note]] which is fine if they're explaining to someone who doesn't know the word but kind of silly-looking if they aren't. Extra points if the character is saying it to themselves, making the spoken translation all the more gratuitous.
7
8These people start out NotUsingTheZWord, but then use it anyway.
9
10A possible breakdown of TranslatorMicrobes, which may be deliberately caused to handle "untranslatable" words. See also CallARabbitASmeerp and ThisIsMyNameOnForeign.
11
12Keep in mind that as far as translation theory goes, this isn't really saying the same thing twice, it's more like saying: "Here are some cultural concepts you are familiar with that are similar to what I just said." Similar to how most synonyms have similar meanings but still have different connotations, a word spoken in its native language has a ''lot'' of cultural baggage and connotation beyond its simple denotation. Some translators (if they're feeling snarky) if asked what a word means in another language, will respond with that word in that same language. For example: "What does 'bocadillo' mean?" "[[ElNinoIsSpanishForTheNino It means 'bocadillo'.]]" Usually, though they'll simply state "it depends on the context."
13
14This is because, while a word may be translated simply, in this case as "sandwich", it doesn't necessarily mean "sandwich" in the way you are used to. Continuing the example, in Spain, while "bocadillo" does mean "sandwich", it's referring to a sandwich more similar to, but not necessarily the exact same thing as, what an American would call a "sub", "hoagie", "grinder", "hero", or whatever your local variation of the word is.[[note]]Other words for 'sandwich' in Spanish are emparedado, which is a balm cake (sort of like a soft burger bun) style sandwich and sándwich, or just sandwich, your typical sliced-loaf option. In case you were wondering.[[/note]] The same word, "sandwich" translated to Swedish, is smörgås... except it really isn't because smörgås actually refers to an open sandwich.
15
16This gets even worse when combined with TranslationConvention, when characters translate words from the same language they're supposedly speaking at the moment. The distinction between the original word and the translation would exist in the reader's language that the foreign speech is rendered into, but not in the language being spoken in-story.
17
18See also the DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment and TranslateTheLoanwordsToo. Contrast UntranslatedCatchPhrase.
19
20----
21!!Examples:
22[[foldercontrol]]
23
24[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
25* The Dark Horse Comics re-release of ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'' uses this trope for several Japanese words, both for period flavor and to allow readers to learn the meaning of some Japanese terms from context after a brief English explanation. It also employs a glossary for other untranslated terms, possibly because there wasn't enough room to explain them on the page.
26* The usage of [[TrueCompanions Nakama]] to mean one's in-group has its origins in ''Manga/OnePiece'' translation and fandom. In normal Japanese, it contains no other connotations beyond friendship of any kind.
27* More recently this has often been happening to the ''[[TheForeignSubtitle titles]]'' of various anime/manga as a way to avoid confusing those who had become used to the {{untranslated title}} while still conveying what the title actually ''means''. For example ''[[Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit Seirei no Moribito]]'' roughly means "Guardian of the (Sacred) Spirit", so the English-language title is ''Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit'' and ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' means "Ours" (or if you want to get ''really'' literal it means "of us") so Creator/VIZMedia is releasing the manga as ''Bokurano: Ours''.
28** ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' got this treatment too, its manga being released under the name "Higurashi: When They Cry" (although this example is less redundant than most since 'higurashi' means 'cicada(s)') and the anime released as "When They Cry: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" (which is redundant right there). Justified in that ''Franchise/WhenTheyCry'' is the franchise title, also encompassing ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' and all spinoffs of both.
29* ''Manga/DeathNote'' has a borderline example where Light refers to Ryuk as a "god of death" when he first introduces himself as a {{shinigami}}. The English dub of the anime interchanges "shinigami" and "god of death" a few times in the early episodes, presumably to make sure English-speakers know what a shinigami is supposed to be. By the middle of the series onward it just refers to them as "shinigami".
30** {{Memetic|Mutation}} [[FanSub fan]] example: "'Just according to keikaku' (Translators Note: keikaku means plan)."
31* ''Anime/XxxHOLiC'': "There is no coincidence. All is hitsuzen." What does hitsuzen mean? We don't know. Oh, wait, it means fate. Some translations also take the slightly more obscure route and use "inevitability," as the noun form of the literal adjective.
32* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
33** The dub does this sometimes. "That is my ''nindou''! My ninja way!" Sasuke's Chidori technique is left [[TooLongDidntDub untranslated]] most of the time, except for when Might Guy explains the name's origin.
34--->'''Might Guy:''' CHIDORI! One Thousand Birds.
35** In the English translation of the manga, [[CallingYourAttacks named attacks]] always have the romanji transliteration prefacing the English translation. For example, whenever Naruto makes clones, he shouts "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!"
36* The Japanese name for ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'' is ''Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist'', to distinguish itself from the first anime while keeping the same name.
37** The various sins are also refered to by their English names even in Japanese, and are given a title to make it clear what they are. Greed [Japanese word for greed], Lust [Japanese word for lust], etc. In English, the translators hit the dictionaries to find synonyms to use for the titles, such as Greed the Avaricious.
38* From Tokyopop's translation of ''Manga/LoveHina:''
39-->What are you doing, you baka!?*
40-->*Baka means idiot.
41* The translation of ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' generally relies on a glossary, but Kafuka has a tendency to translate the name puns of the Itoshiki clan when she stumbles upon them, at least in Nozomu's example.
42* Reverse example in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': before unleashing his ultimate attack, Archer goes into a long chant that culminates with the attack's name, "Unlimited Blade Works". In the dub, he then tells the bad guy, "As you can see, what you face are unlimited blades!" Why this redundancy? Check the original audio track -- he's explaining it in Japanese the second time.
43* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' has this in the title sequence for the Battle City arc, with somebody saying "Yu-Gi-Oh! The King of Games".
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Comics]]
47* ''Extremely'' common in ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'' (''Spike And Suzy'').
48* Victor, a Spanish-speaking character from ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', points out the redundancy in the name of the team's current secret hideout-- "The La Brea Tar Pits".
49* Spoofed in "Mark Trade," an early ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody of ''ComicStrip/MarkTrail'':
50-->"Shall we spy on the habitat of Wa-sko-wee-ta, the moose? Shall we invade the habitat of Ka-wa-we-ska, the otter, or shall we visit the habitat of Ko-ka-ko-la, the drink?"
51* Done only ''once'' in ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'', with Tyleet's introduction. In all other instances, we only see either the Elvish word or the translation. Tyleet, said to mean "healer's gift", was the first real key the readers got to the Elven language (Tyl = gift, Leet = heal-, from which could then be concluded: Leetah = Healing Light, Tyldak = Gift Of Wings-[[GeniusBonus "dak" is similar to the Greek "dactyl" meaning "toe", as in pterodactyl, ("wing finger"), a creature which he heavily resembles]]). A minor example later on in the series is when Rayek refers to himself as the "Child Of The Rocks". It's a literal translation of his own name (Ray = child, Ek = rock). Ekuar, the name of his mentor, who is a rock shaper, presumably means something akin to... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin rock shaper]].
52* ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo,'' does this all the time. ''Usagi'' is written in English however, and the purpose is mainly Stan Sakai attempting to teach his audience the relevant Japanese words. The translation of the word is usually provided in a footnote, at least the first time.
53* A Hispanic ghost in ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' declares "I am todos los muertos! All of the dead!"
54* In the ''Comicbook/{{Batman}}'' {{Elseworld}} ''Reign of Terror'', based on ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', one rescued aristocrat calls Batman "Monsieur Chauve-Souris" and he replies "Yes, a bat is a kind of 'bald mouse', is he not?" This gets even weirder when you consider that everywhere else in the story, we're meant to understand that characters are speaking French and TranslationConvention is showing it as English (unlike the Pimpernel, this version of Bruce Wayne is French). So Bruce just said "Oui, une chauve-souris est une sorte de 'chauve souris', n'est-ce pas?" "Chauve-souris" is itself an example: the Gauls' word for bat was Cawasorix, owl-mouse, which the Romans heard as Calvasorix, bald mouse.
55[[/folder]]
56
57[[folder:Fan Works]]
58* ''Fanfic/RedFireRedPlanet'' does this sometimes with Klingon words or phrases. In addition to the page quote there's a bit where Brokosh repeats the word ''"loDnal"'' said by Ba'woV, then immediately translates it as "husband".
59* In ''Fanfic/TheDearSweetieBelleContinuity'', Crescendo does this with ancient unicorn (i.e. Latin), albeit with other ponies who wouldn't initially know the translation.
60* ''Fanfic/EigaSentaiScanranger'' has a crossover special with ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'' which acknowledges the different languages. It engages in a lot of this, though, having a character say a foreign word and then immediately saying what it means in English. And for some reason it happens after a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien use her powers so everyone can understand each other.
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
64* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Beowulf|2007}}'', as Grendel's Mother approaches the eponymous hero, she says, "Beowulf. Bee wolf. Bear." Considering that she's supposed to be speaking in Old English, she really just said "Beowulf" three times in a row.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
68* Parodied in the film ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'':
69-->'''[=VanHellsing=]:''' She is ''nosferatu''.\
70'''Harker:''' She's '''''Italian?!'''''
71* ''Film/AngelsAndDemons'': the main character, and others, constantly use Italian and Latin terms, then translates them for the benefit of the audience. [[AsYouKnow Every other character would already know what it means.]]
72* Discussed (with perhaps a side of mild parody) in ''Film/MickeyBlueEyes'' when Michael and Gina banter about the name of her father's restaurant: The La Trattoria. [[spoiler:[[BrickJoke The film ends]] with a title reading THE THE END.]]
73* From ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'' when discussing the Lithuanian sub skipper Marko Ramius.
74-->'''Jack Ryan:''' The Russians call him "''Vilnius nastavnik''" -- the Vilnius Schoolmaster.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Literature]]
78* Literature/TheGospels do this in Greek (their original language): all those times where the English (often) says "the Messiah, the Christ", the Greek is actually saying "the Messiah, the Anointed" -- since most Greek-speakers would not know what the Hebrew word meant.
79* Bram Stoker's ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' had a heap of examples. One extract has ''four'' of them. In this case though, he's not saying the same thing twice himself, just reporting something he heard and providing a translation, presumably for his own future reference.
80-->''"I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were "Ordog" -- Satan, "Pokol" -- hell, "stregoica" -- witch, "vrolok" and "vlkoslak" -- both mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Servian for something that is either werewolf or vampire. (Mem., I must ask the Count about these superstitions.)"''
81* ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'''s ''kwizatz haderach''. A good example of meaning nothing to members of the original culture, as Hebrew speakers would only understand "k'fitzat haderech" (which actually does mean "shortening of the way", i.e.: a shortcut). It was probably deliberately corrupted from the original Hebrew to give the impression of the passage of time.
82** kwisatz haderach deserves special mention - not only does it literally translate as 'shortening of the way', which is mentioned in ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' as its meaning in Fremen, it is also the name of the miraculous feat of being in several places at once, which is what it means to the Bene Gesserit.
83* In Creator/JRRTolkien's Middle-earth (''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', etc.), due to the presence of various languages, has this sometimes, as not everyone present knows all the various names or terms. Sometimes people get referred to with the translation of their names as an add-on, like ''Legolas Greenleaf'' or ''Círdan Shipwright'' (though the latter is only ever in fanfics).
84** And then there's ''Literature/TheSilmarillion''. Turin's black sword, Gurthang, Iron of Death, is literally named for the Sindarin words meaning "iron" (''ang'') and "death" (''gurth''). It even comes up right at the start: "There was Eru, the One ... and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones."
85* The protagonist of ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' series is frequently referred to as, "Fuer grissa ost drauka, the bringer of death."
86* ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'': Multiple:
87** Phedre is ''lypiphera'', the pain-bearer, among other things. The first trilogy ''really'' likes to play language games.
88** Somewhat justified, for EverythingIsSexierInFrench, as ''anguissette'' sounds so much more romantic than "masochist". And ''languisement'' is more poetic than "blowjob".
89* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' has plenty of dialogue that suggests this in its LanguageOfMagic.
90* In "The Krytos Trap", a book in the Literature/XWingSeries, it is explained to Wedge while he is trying to bargain with Twi'leks that if they pronounce his name Wedgean'tilles it sounds a little like their term for "[[StellarName slayer of stars]]," but [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike if they pronounce it Wedge'antilles it's something like "so foul it would make a rancor sick"]] -- and if they pronounce his name the human way, Wedge Antilles, they're basically saying that he has no clan and no family, which is highly insulting. Basically when trying to deal, they change pronunciation to be more respectful.
91* In ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', Noghri commandos pursue and try to kidnap Leia Organa Solo. One of them, while restraining her, has his face pressed into the back of her neck -- and suddenly lets go, having recognized her scent, saying ''Mal'ary'ush''. Later she goes to talk to him, and he calls her ''Mal'ary'ush'' again, then immediately clarifies, saying that she is the daughter and heir of the Lord Darth Vader. Later it's clarified further to mean that she is heir to his authority and power. [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental material]] reveals that the word actually means "Heir of the Savior."
92* Used in ''[[Literature/TheLumatereChronicles Finnikin of the Rock]]'' to make the most obvious ProphecyTwist in history. The entire prophecy is translated from the ancient tongue with the exception of a single word. Everyone assumes that in this context it means "King," even though they make it painfully clear it can also mean "Warrior." Guess which one the prophet meant.
93* Khaled Hosseini uses this a lot in his novels, especially ''Literature/TheKiteRunner''. The main character can't make it through a sentence without defining the Farsi word he was using, even if it's obvious.
94* Creator/TamoraPierce does this sometimes with her made-up words. "[[Literature/CircleOfMagic Lady Sandry]] is ''saati'' -- a true friend." "She thinks you're a ''yerui'' -- a hungry ghost-devil." Et cetera.
95** On the other hand, this isn't in narration or journals - the characters are literally translating for other people who don't know the language. (Or mostly, anyway - the former example is on the borderline.)
96* ''Literature/MemoirsOfAGeisha'' is filled with these - ''obi'', ''okiya'', ''kimono'', ''mizuage'', ''ekubo'' and countless, countless others.
97* ''Literature/BodegaDreams'', about a man living in the Puerto Rican area of Harlem, averts this to make the book seem realistic. However, most words in Spanish are either well known (hola, como esta) or have very obvious definitions based on context clues.
98* While ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' touched on what 'Imzadi' meant ("beloved" in Betazoid), Peter David's ExpandedUniverse novel ''really'' went into detail.
99* At one point in ''Literature/TheClericQuintet'', the villain's imp familiar curses in its native Abyssal tongue then immediately follows it with a spoken translation for the readers. At the time, he is perfectly alone.
100* Happens quite a bit in ''Literature/TheJungleBook'', e.g. "Chil the kite", "Mowgli the frog", "Tabaqui, the dish-licker", "Darzee, the tailor-bird", and "Chuchundra, the musk-rat". Mowgli was made up by Kipling, the others are words from Indian languages.
101* When Lucky comments on his {{long lost|Relative}} sister Bella's beauty in ''Literature/{{Survivor|Dogs}}s'', Bella comments that her name actually ''means'' "beautiful".
102* ''Literature/{{DFZ}}'': Opal's father is often specifically referred to as "Yong, Great Dragon of Korea". Yong simply and literally means "dragon" in Korean. In fact, oftentimes the first hint that people have switched to speaking Korean (since Opal is fluent, it's not always obvious) is when her father is referred to as nothing but "Great Dragon of Korea", as calling him Yong is redundant in Korean.
103
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Live Action TV]]
107* ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' runs on this with quite a few of the names for the wesen species. Most names are composed of GratuitousGerman words that do describe rather aptly what the wesen is about, for example Bauerschwein (Farmer Pig), Fuchsbau (Fox's Lair), Hundjaeger (Doghunter) or Abartige Aasfresser (repulsive carrioneater -Hyenas of course) to name but a few. A Damonfeuer, however, is ''not'' a fire demon, at least not in an [[PlayingWithFire elemental]] way; they're [[DraconicHumanoid dragons]]. Especially confusing considering there really ''is'' a fire demon in the series.
108* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': In "[[Recap/SmallvilleS02E10Skinwalker Skinwalker]]", GirlOfTheWeek Kyla Willowbrook calls Clark the "Naman", and then tells him it means Messiah.
109* A blatant example in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Sins of the Father", Worf asks Picard to be his [=cha'DIch=] (a combat representative for a disgraced Klingon). Picard replies in Klingon "jIlajneS. ghIj qet jaghmeyjaj" ("I accept with honor. May your enemies run in fear") then adds in English "I accept." [[note]] somewhat justified in that the Klingon words represent a Klingon traditional formula, while it would be proper to say "I accept" in our culture. Thus, Picard should be interpreted as deliberately repeating himself here[[/note]]
110** ''Franchise/StarTrek'' in general does this a lot, especially in the later series. Ordinarily justifiable, with all the different races and societies mingling together... until you remember the Universal Translator, which apparently considers certain cultural concepts to be proper names or something. ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' has the translator technology in its most primitive form, though the show still has moments of this trope.
111** This is very common with Klingons, who regularly are shown speaking in their own language despite the translators, and thus end up clarifying words that the translators should already have clarified for the listener. In reality, this is because Klingon is an actual created language, and the people behind the show want to use it, even if the translators should render it pointless.
112** Justified in a ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' episode where Worf has to translate a Klingon word because there's no equivalent expression.
113--->'''Worf:''' It was a moment of ''tova'dok''.\
114'''Sisko:''' Of what?\
115'''Worf:''' There is no Human word for it. It is a moment of... clarity, between two warriors on a field of battle. Much is said without the need for words.
116** On ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', Ramdha (a Romulan who was assimilated by the Borg) has an epic FreakOut when she recognizes Soji from an ancient prophecy.
117--->'''Ramdha:''' I know who you are! You are ''Seb-Cheneb''! You are the Destroyer![[note]]Somewhat justified in that she is not exactly it her right mind at the time, and also, well... freaking out. Both things that might cause people to repeat themselves.[[/note]]
118* Almost every other sentence in ''Series/TheTudors''. A character will say something in Latin to another, who will immediately translate it into English. Why are you translating, he knows what it means!
119* In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "The Nox", [[BigBad Apophis]] has Teal'c at BoomStick point, having just killed the rest of SG-1. ([[DeathIsCheap They're resurrected later.]]) Teal'c stands defiant.
120-->'''Apophis:''' ''full sentence in [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy Goa'uld/ancient Egyptian]].''\
121'''Teal'c:''' ''Tal shaka mel.'' IDieFree!
122* Usually averted in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' as audiences are generally on their own to translate words the TranslatorMicrobes can't handle. Not too hard as most of these are curses, strings of curses, proper names, or terms for someone acting utterly insane. Either translator microbes have a PG-13 setting, or cultural terms don't translate well.
123* This is pretty much how ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' team names work more often than not.
124[[/folder]]
125
126[[folder:Music]]
127* The English (actually Spanglish) version of Music/EnriqueIglesias' "Bailando" uses this with "I can't wait no more (ya no puedo mas)".
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:Theater]]
131* Shows up in the Music/StephenSondheim musical ''Pacific Overtures'', in "Chrysanthemum Tea":
132-->Blow wind\
133Great wind\
134Great kamikaze\
135Wind of the gods
136** "Kamikaze" just means "wind of the gods" or "divine wind". In this case, the translation is not so much to inform the American audience of what the word means as to remind them that it doesn't just refer to suicidal fighter pilots...
137[[/folder]]
138
139[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
140* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'':
141** Every Tau character has given name(s) in this pattern, although only the most prominent are translated, such as their heroic leaders O'Shovah and O'Shaserra, who are vastly better known as Commander Farsight and Commander Shadowsun respectively. It is explained that in most cases, these names are given to each Fire Warrior cadet as he or she passes through training, based on their deeds, and that they can change if the owner does something especially prominent (for instance, Farsight began his career with the moniker Shoh or "inner light").
142** Tau use "Tau'va" and Greater Good interchangeably, despite the latter being a direct translation of the former.
143** When dealing with humans, Tau tend to use the term "gue'la", literally humans (similarity to the disparaging Cantonese term gweilo presumably not unintended). "Gue'vasa" translates to "human helpers" but only the xenos term is used (by the Tau, Imperials refer to the humans who've joined the Tau as traitors).
144** One of the famous Chaos champions is "Khârn, the Betrayer". In-universe this is a complete coincidence; he isn't Arabic [[note]] he was born in the Ural mountains, the Russian mountain range that separates Europe from Asia[[/note]] and doesn't speak a word of it, Khârn is his given name and the [[RedBaron title]] is well-earned.
145* The ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' card game has plenty of original and localized examples. The OCG (Japanese) card names use a lot of GratuitousEnglish and BossSubtitles, which sometimes led to names like ''Meikyū Heki - Labyrinth Wall''. Meanwhile, Upper Deck's original policy for translating titles for the TCG (international) was that any English names would be translated into Japanese. The side effect of these GratuitousJapanese titles was that this led to names like ''King Tiger Wanghu'' and ''Thunder King Rai-Oh'' (though Wanghu is actually Chinese for King Tiger).
146[[/folder]]
147
148[[folder:Toys]]
149* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' had the [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment redundancy]] sub-type. Toa Matau liked to call his fellows "Toa-heroes". The word "Toa" ''means'' hero. Then again, he also says things like Bad-worse and Seek-find. It's a Le-Matoran dialect called "Chutespeak," making it a justified example.
150** The movies were guilty of this, too -- upon arriving at their destination, Takua spouts "Kini Nui, the Great Temple." Which is exactly the same thing, first in native Matoran, then English. Seeing as TranslationConvention was applied to begin with, this means he really must have said the name twice. Never mind that [[CaptainObvious he and his partner knew very well]] what that place was anyway.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Video Games]]
154* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2''. The word 'Kalach-Cha' is quickly attached to the player character, amusingly enough they had to invent the word just to describe your crime. It literally means "one who steals a silver sword, and then destroys it and attempts to cover up the crime" according to a Githyanki. A Githzerai later translates it as simply "shard-bearer".
155-->'''Grobnar Gnomehands:''' Well, it's not ''(string of languages)'' or Draconic -- well, unless the 'K' is silent, but that would make it 'gizzard stone' or the equivalent.
156* Featured heavily in ''VideoGame/{{Summoner}}''. Your character is referred to with a foreign name assumed to mean Summoner (Sahudani). [[spoiler: It is later revealed that the word everyone is using is not the good one. It means ''Man of the four rings'', while the proper Khosani term for summoner (Sahu'''g'''ani) translates to ''Man of the Eight Rings'' revealing the existence of 4 extra summoner's rings.]]
157* ''VideoGame/ArxFatalis'' combines this and NoNameGiven: The Heroes can't remember his name, so his cellmate calls him ''Am Shaegar'', which turns out to mean "he who has no name".
158* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
159** Because of TranslatorMicrobes, this mostly shows up with species that aren't as closely connected to galactic society. Most phrases, no matter how strange, are simply translated, but fringe species don't always have perfect language updates. The drell are a near-extinct species that act mostly as servants for the (also fringe) species that rescued them, the quarians are a migrant people shunned by galactic society, and in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' the angara are simply a new species no one has ever encountered before. These species have plenty of instances of translator glitches that need to be clarified.
160** Ardat-Yakshi, or "demon of the night winds" in an asari language, is a term for [[spoiler: asari with a rare genetic defect that makes them kill their partners during sex]]. Notably, while the asari are very much not a fringe species, the Ardat-Yakshi are a huge species-wide embarrassment that they would really prefer not to talk about, implying that they deliberately chose not to put the word into the translator database. In English, an obvious choice would be "[[spoiler:succubus]]."
161** Thane affectionately calls female Shepard "siha" past a certain point in their interaction. He only reveals it's meaning if he is romanced: it means [[spoiler:one of the warrior-angels of the drell goddess Arashu]].
162** In the third game, Tali finally explains the meaning of the common quarian invocation "Keelah Se'lai" when Shepard inquires, admitting that it's more of an abstract idea with no real translation, but roughly means "[[FightingForAHomeland By the homeworld I hope to see someday]]". In actual usage it's the equivalent of "blessed be".
163** The third game also reveals that the geth are named after an ancient quarian word meaning "Servant of the people".
164* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' does this very well. Characters will speak in English, with Italian words and phrases sprinkled in every once in a while. Instead of the characters translating it for you, the subtitles will give you the Italian words, the English translation will appear in parenthesis right next to it. If you have subtitles turned off, these words and phrases will not be translated (though they are never of vital importance). This is explained as the TranslatorMicrobes glitching, as the Animus technology is far from perfect.
165* ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'': Puts the translations of Cantonese audio in the subtitles. Sometimes the characters will speak full sentences and they will only be translated in the subtitles, but most of the time they just sprinkle Cantonese into the English dialog. Usually these untranslated words are curse words, to boot, so astute listeners will never be at a loss if they need to say "fuck" in Cantonese.
166* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
167** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', you are the Nerevarine, the [[TheChosenOne prophesied reincarnation]] of the ancient Chimeri/Dunmeri hero Nerevar (the closest things to actual "you are the [foreign word], the [translation]" seems to have "Nerevar Incarnate" as the Tamrielic equivalent of Nerevarine), who is said will defeat [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]] and cast down the "[[DeityOfHumanOrigin false gods]]" of the [[PhysicalGod Tribunal]]. (Of course, it's also quite possible that you're simply [[MultipleChoiceChosen a convenient pawn]] of Azura who ''really'' has a grudge against those parties... The truth is [[TheUnreveal left up to your interpretation]].)
168** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'':
169*** "But there is one they fear; in their tongue, he is ''Dovahkiin'': Dragonborn!" That said, their name can also be translated as "Dragon Hunter Born," which better reflects [[TheDragonslayer what they're capable of]].
170*** Paarthurnax does this '''a lot''', throwing dragon words into a conversation you can otherwise understand. Sometimes there is the impression that it's a difficult concept or one with no direct translation... but often he just says something in Dovah and then translates it.
171---->'''Paarthurnax:''' Ro fus, the balancing of force.
172*** With other dragons, like Odahviing, there's a bit more justification to it, since they haven't had much reason to speak Tamrielic in the past, they keep slipping into Draconic. And since they recognize the player character as a dragon, they naturally assume he/she would also know Draconic.
173---->'''Odahviing:''' Zok frini grind ko grah drun viiki, Dovahkiin. Ah. I forget. You do not have the dovah speech. My... eagerness to meet you in battle was my... undoing, Dovahkiin. I salute your, hmm, low cunning in devising such a grahmindol: stratagem.
174*** Done yet again by Durnehviir in the ''Dawnguard DLC''. Once you defeat him in the Soul Cairn, along with gaining the ability to summon him, he also bestows the title of Qahnaarin on you, meaning "The Vanquisher". As the ''first'' individual to ever manage to best him in combat, his bestowal of this title is a telling sign of [[WorthyOpponent his]] [[DefeatMeansFriendship respect]] for the Dragonborn.
175*** The Greybeards similarly do this during the ceremony where they declare their formal recognition of the new Dragonborn.
176----> '''Greybeards''': ''Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok!'': You are Ysmir now, the Dragon of the North. [[DareToBeBadass Hearken to it!]]
177* Parodied in the ''VideoGame/TouhouMother'' fan translation:
178-->Idiot Lake*\
179* Editor's note: Idiot means Baka.
180* Emperor Yoshiro from ''VideoGame/RedAlert3'' is fond of talking about "Bushido, the way of the warrior". A particularly ridiculous example, since TranslationConvention is in play and he's supposed to be speaking Japanese to other native speakers.
181* In ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' the Ottoman character in the campaign is called "Sahin, the Falcon". Şahin is a Turkish name, meaning falcon.
182** Presumably, that's just what his enemies call him.
183* ''VideoGame/GabrielKnight'': The titular character is a ''Schattenjäger'', German for "[[HunterOfMonsters shadow hunter]]".
184* One minor antagonist in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2'' is an arms dealer named Alejandro Rojas. When the player character's squad leader replies that he's never heard of him, his CO replies that he knows him as "Alex the Red."
185[[/folder]]
186
187[[folder:Web Comics]]
188* Done by Zeetha, Lost Princess of Skifander, in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. "She is ''Zumil''. My pupil." And ''Zumil'' has special connotations besides just "pupil", about the difficulty of the instruction, as she explains:
189--->'''Zeetha:''' "The bond between us will be stronger than that of friends, of family, of lovers. As of now, we are 'Kolee-dok-Zumil'."\
190'''Agatha:''' "What does that mean?"
191--->'''Zeetha:''' "Ah- Kind of hard to translate. Sort of like 'Teacher and Student'. Sort of like 'Cause and Effect'. Mostly, like 'Grindstone and Knife'."\
192'''*WHACK*'''\
193'''Agatha:''' "Not Good."
194** The TrainingFromHell bares it out.
195* Parodied in an ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' strip, where the author proposes a [[http://xkcd.com/483/ fiction rule of thumb]] to avoid books with too many [[{{Fictionary}} words made up by the author]]:
196-->The elders, or ''fra'as'' [...] ''farmlings'' (children) [...] ''krytoses'', which are like swords but ''awesomer''...
197* Done by Dr. Sciuridae in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' as he [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-02-25 explains how uryuom eggs can be used to create chimeras.]]:
198-->'seyunolu', which roughly translates to 'chimera' in English. [...] 'roaisol seyunolu', or 'lesser chimera' [...] 'tulougol seyunolu', or 'greater chimera'.
199[[/folder]]
200
201[[folder:Western Animation]]
202* American children's educational television shows often try to teach Spanish this way. "Hola! Hello!" Examples include ''WesternAnimation/MayaAndMiguel'', ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' and ''WesternAnimation/GoDiegoGo''.
203** Most foreign languages versions of ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' and ''WesternAnimation/HandyManny'' do this... with English.
204** Parodied mercilessly in a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' cartoon, in which the speaker eventually starts translating every word into ten different languages.
205** ''WesternAnimation/RosiesRules'': Abuela describes Gatita as "una bola de algodon," which Rosie translates as "a cotton ball" for the audience.
206* Disney is rather fond of this, with examples including "[[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 Hakuna Matata]]" and "[[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Ohana]]", though they stop saying what it means after a certain point.
207* WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack has the "The Evil Aku" as his enemy. Aku literally means "Evil" in Japanese.
208* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': There is a god of knowledge who introduces himself as Wan Shi Tong, "He Who Knows 10,000 Things".
209* The young star of ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' is the Te Zuan Xe, "the chosen one" who must maintain the balance between the real world and the world of magic.
210* ''WesternAnimation/WorkItOutWombats'': In "A Super Recipe," Amado says that he likes his cornbread "malutong - crunchy" with 'malutong' being Tagalog for 'crunchy.'
211[[/folder]]
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