Dubbing needs improving

It is no surprise that there are numerous reactions against the dubbing of all foreign language films shown on television, especially those in English.

The case is quite different with the recent changing of English names and sign boards of so many real estate businesses, which indeed showed the negative tendency to become foreign- minded in order to influence people with "great" names, such as Beverly Hills, Palm Garden, Royal Park and River Side.

Unfortunately the conversion of these names into Bahasa Indonesia raises the eyebrows of many, like palm into palma, real estate into real estat (which are meaningless). Why not kompleks hunian or perumahan instead of real estate; mall into mal (why not mol), or court into citra, instead of istana.

We have been seeing many foreign language films on television dubbed into Indonesian, and most of it is low quality dubbing. Because the dubber wants to follow the lip movements, foreign language is dubbed over in such a way that nobody would find such conversation in normal daily life. Just watch the telenovela, the conversation is mostly always highly emotional, as if quarrels are happening. Look at Chinese kung fu films for which one dubber does several roles simultaneously. They are boring to listen to because the dubbing is so monotonous.

I believe some improvements are required. The translation should be done without damaging the meaning of the specific foreign language phrases. Some one should figure out how to compact the foreign language conversation into Indonesian without blurring the original meaning, yet still fitting the lip movements of the film stars. Someone should also find out how to transfer foreign conversation into Indonesian in compliance with the mind and mood situation of the story. This is not a one-man or woman job. There must be several people involved and each must have a certain level of expertise. I think it is also necessary to determine the qualifications for dubbers, or film-conversation translators, or a lip-movement readers.

In such a situation it is indeed not wise to compel television stations to dub all foreign language films into Indonesian aimed at improving Bahasa Indonesia as the Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman wants to achieve.

I hope the minister will think over the plan to dub all foreign films, especially English, for the benefit of our younger generations.

H.W. PIENANDORO

Bogor, West Java