Examples of Bad Dubbing
As German DVDs are often cut and some still lack the Original audio track, I own mostly UK and US DVDs - so I do not have access to the horrible German Dubs, I just vaguely remember a few things and sometimes I happen to catch something when I visit and it is on someone eles TV, so please feel free to sent in examples. This can be bad a dubb from any origin language to any given language.
Bad Translations
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
I remember quite a few faux pas in this movie. Let's start with the German Title Robin Hood: König der Diebe translated back to English that means: Robin Hood: King of Thieves. Prince is apparantly too lame for German audiences. Another nice example that I remember because it is soo embarrassing would be when Azeem and Robin arrive in England. Robin throws himself into the mud and announces how happy he is to be home. In the Original version Azeem says: "You are strange." In the German Dub Azeem tells Robin that he is a stranger here. So obviously the person involved with the translation used bablefish for aid or was generally stupid. The problem here is that strange was translated as being alien, which is rubbish as the movie makes it clear that Robin is quite familiar with the surroundings. No what is actually meant here and obvious to anyone using his or her mind is that Azeem finds Robin behaviour weird. False friends the bane of any translator.
Another thing I remembered is this darling quote from the Sheriff of Notthingham: "Streicht die Küchenabfälle für die Aussätzigen! Keine Gnade mehr bei Hinrichtungen! Und sagt Weihnachten ab!!!" While the meaning was certainly preserved let me translate it back to English for a little comparism:
German DUB: "Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers! No mercy at executions! And call off Christmas!"
Original Quote: "Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas."
I guess you already spotted what is amiss here: Information. The German Dub got rid of the orphans and the little fun fact that showing mercy at exectution means that people are beheaded. Probably not the greatest catastrophy but sloppy and unnessecary.
Fear Dot Com
I am not even going to get into content mistakes, but to the fact that in this movie, one of the victim's gives the protagonist a piece of information that is of no use to him as this character is a German exchange student and the protagonist does not speak German. Now, flash forward to the German Dub, where everything is spoken in German and the you got to wonder why the protagonist is such an idiot that he did not catch this piece of information.
This is a perfect example why dubbing sucks. If this had been shown as an Original with subtitles this confusion would never have arisen as everyone would have realised that the two characters do not speak the same language. Instead the main character appears to as an idiot which certainly was not the impression the viewer was supposed to have of him.
Bad Choice for a Voice
House M.D.
I seldom heard anything worse than the German voice of Dr. Gregory House. Not only that nothing of charme of the original was left in the dialogue, House sounds like an old western outlaw who is so cool that he is almost dying of throat cancer. It was unwatchable, I always enjoyed the banter with his doctors in the Original but I could not watch the German Dub for more than five minutes. People involved should be ashamed of themselves.
Every Asian Movie ever dubbed to German
I am so glad most newer DVDs these days got the Original Track and German Subs on them. Okay, those are often not very accurate which you can tell by them contradicting themselves - but a hell lot better than hearing those untalented freaks who use their voices to butcher these characters. Not to mention that these dubs often reak of racial stereotypes. You do not even need to understand German - just watch a German Dub of a Godzilla movie and you know what I mean. It is appaling and disgusting.