History Main / TactfulTranslation

-->"Dumb, self-absorbed cunt!" - utters the IT-guy.\\

* During the mission to Tokyo in ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld,'' players end up having infrequent conferences with [[AuthorityEqualsAssKicking Inbeda]] of the [[{{Oni}} House In Exile]] and his personal translator, the Mask of Kan'Ami. Given the fact that he's a mercenary captain and not a diplomat, Inbeda's pretty free with lewd remarks and obscenities, and the Mask has to frequently censor him - especially when [[DirtyOldMan the old demon]] feels like elaborating on his "many warm feelings" for [[IceQueen Kirsten Geary]]. Also, because of the [[BrownNote unpleasant effects]] of the demonic tongue, he has to tone down some of Inbeda's more lurid threats against the Jingu Clan lest the walls begin to bleed.

* In ''Mr. Baseball'', Tom Selleck plays an American baseball player who signs up with a Japanese team. He requires a translator, who regularly invents comically false translations to avoid the outrage that would be caused by the player's offensive and irreverent comments.

* [[TrollingTranslator Inverted]] in ''Corporal Kev'', which ran only in the U.S. military's newspaper ''Stars and Stripes'' in the early 1980s, when Kev is picked to translate for a joint exercise between American and French tank troops.

'''Magua:''' Magua said... I understand English, very well.

'''Carter''': ''(whispering)'' Lee, I think "hole" is spelled with an H.

** A straight example in season 3, when Janai is interrogating Amaya, with Kazi interpreting. When Janai demands that Amaya "say something," Amaya signs "Why not take your sword and stick it up your ass?" Kazi exclaims softly in mortification and hedges a bit before getting out: "She suggested an unusual way in which your body might accommodate your sword."

* ''Series/{{Andor}}'': The elder of an Aldhani tribe greets the Imperial military governor with a backhanded StealthInsult ("may the Eye remain open long enough to find good in you") in the native tongue. [[TheMole Lt. Gorn]] — the only Imperial who speaks the Aldhani language — decides to "translate" this as a very generous and friendly greeting.

* ''Answered by Fire''. An Australian police officer working with the UN insists that his East Timorese translator tell him exactly what the people he's talking to are saying. The translator protests that the Timorese often misunderstand what the Australian is saying, and he has to correct them before they start going off on another tangent and everything takes twice as long.

* In ''Film/BlackRain'', Nick's partner Charlies does this as a RunningGag. Notably, Charlie only actually tones down what Nick says by a bit, basically turning Nick's statements from being wildly inappropriate (and sometimes offensive), to just inappropriate enough that the Japanese roll their eyes at the Americans instead of getting legitimately angry at them. The process starts with this scene:

-->'''Hank:''' I guess that's a no."

* ''Film/BlackRain''. Nick's partner Charlies does this as a RunningGag (e.g. '''Nick:''' "I like to be kissed before I'm fucked!" '''Charlie:''' "Foreplay") starting with this scene.

* In the fifth ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' film, ''The Mysterious Island'', Chomper ends up translating for his parents when they finally meet the main leaf-eater characters. Both sharpteeth agree that they won't eat their son's friends, his mother telling the group that they'll be safe with them... while his father just remarks that they probably wouldn't taste good anyway. Chomper mindfully decides to translate the latter as his dad simply seconding his mom's assurance.

* ''Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} Wrestling/{{JoshiMania}}'': Wrestling/{{UltraMantis Black}} sat in on commentary with Bryce Remsburg for the second match on Night I, which was Pro Wrestling Wave's GAMI vs. Osaka Joshi's Sawako Shimono. At one point, GAMI yelled something in Japanese, leading to the following exchange:

"That's great! We'll put it this way: a man of rare intellect, who knows his worth and cares about all his employees."

** A straight example in season 3, when Janai is interrogating Amaya, with Kazi interpreting. When Janai demands that Amaya "say something," Amaya signs "Why not take your sword and stick it up your ass?" Kazi decides to be more tactful: "She suggested an unusual way in which your body might accommodate your sword."

* ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', TheFilmOfTheBook: Terl makes a long threat (which [[TranslationConvention we hear in English]]), and Jonnie translates as "Try to run, he'll kill us". Terl [[LampshadeHanging hangs]] a [[TranslationYes lampshade]] immediately after.

* A large part of Bren Cameron's job in Creator/CJCherryh's Literature/{{Foreigner}}-verse, as the ''only'' person authorized by treaty to translate between a human settlement and the government of the other intelligent species on the planet. Even when, as in later books, he's not the only person who can translate, his skill at tact and diplomacy is exceptionally valuable.

* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', [[DeadpanSnarker Landon Ricketts]] did this to the protagonist in one mission. Marston gave elaborate descriptions of his target, and Landon gave the Mexican informant very basic ones. [[UpToEleven Made much worse]] by the fact that Marston knew enough Spanish to ask (or at least understand) these things himself, and Landon [[CaptainObvious even translated the answers]] which Marston objected.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': In the finale episode, "Titans Together", as the remaining heroes infiltrate the Villain base to liberate their captured team members, Herald questions how they can be sure any of them are really here, Más in an angry manner, explains that one of his powers is that he has a magnetic connection with his twin brother, Menos, that grows stronger based on their proximity to one another. The problem is that [[DoesNotSpeakCommon he only speaks Spanish]], so most of them don't understand what he's saying. Pantha, the only one who is Bilingual, simplifies it greatly to a "twin thing".

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': In the finale episode, "Titans Together", as the remaining heroes infiltrate the Villain base to liberate their captured team members, Herald questions how they can be sure any of them are really here, Más in an angry manner, explains that one of his powers is that he has a magnetic connection with his twin brother, Menos, that grows stronger based on their proximity to one another, after which he insults Herald by asking him if he knows anything. The problem is that [[DoesNotSpeakCommon he only speaks Spanish]], so most of them don't understand what he's saying. Pantha, the only one who is Bilingual, simplifies it greatly to a "twin thing".

'''Más:''' Porque,Trumpet Boy, nuestros poderes nos da una conexión magnética. Lo más cerca que estamos, lo más fuerte es nuestro enlace. Qué no sabes nada[[note]] Because, Trumpet Boy, our powers give us a magnetic connection. The closer we are, the stronger our link. Don't you know anything.[[/note]]\\

-->"Dumb, self-absorbed f***t!" - utters the IT-guy.\\