Titles of English-language movies often get lost in translation when they’re shown in China.
I got another reminder of this while playing charades with a group of Chinese students. The category was movies and one of the students was acting like a robber, so I guessed To Catch a Thief, The Bicycle Thief, The Great Train Robbery and Smokey and the Bandit.
Wrong. The correct answer was Super Thief Nanny 2, which as it turns out is the title of Despicable Me 2 in China. Who knew?
Film titles are changed in other countries for many reasons, including cultural, linguistic and political differences. So I went online and found these other English-language movies that ended up with peculiar titles in China.
English Chinese
Boogie Nights His Great Device Makes Him Famous
Risky Business Just Send Him to University Unqualified
Free Willy A Very Powerful Whale Runs to Heaven
Fargo Mysterious Murder in Snowy Cream
G.I. Jane Satan Female Soldier
As Good as It Gets Mr. Cat Poop
The Full Monty Six Naked Pigs
Nixon The Big Liar
Pretty Woman I Will Marry a Prostitute to Save Money
The Sixth Sense He’s a Ghost
Knocked Up One Night, Big Belly
The Shawshank Redemption Excitement 1995
