Dattebayo! OR Believe it!

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

I don't consider this a spoiler because I would like those who don't watch the DUB Naruto on Cartoon Network to take part in this too and I'm assuming that everyone has seen episode 18 (and if this is considered a spoiler--someone inform me so I can add an LJ-Cut to it).

It's a bit late but I was thinking about this for a period of time now and it has come to my attention (Saturday) that apparently the translation for "Dattebayo" is "Believe it". >< Sorry if this has been brought up before.

If I recall, I remember someone saying there is no real translation for "dattebayo". It's just a phrase or word that Naruto has a habit of saying (correct me if I'm wrong please ^_^).

And in the dubbed version of Naruto, it translates to "Believe it".

What do you guys think of this?

I mean, should there be a better translation?

I was actually wondering, if they kept "sensei" and "shinobi" and "kunoichi", why couldn't they keep "Dattebayo" (besides the fact that it'll raise questions as to what it means)?

Comments

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Dattebayo doesn't really mean anything. Changing it to 'believe it' makes it simpler for everyone.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

Haha. Yeah but I just wanted your opinion on what you might have wanted it translated to.

Like whether you like 'believe it' or if you think there is a term out there that suits Naruto better.

>< Sorry for confusion!

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I don't mind. I kind of like Believe it.

[snm-queen.livejournal.com]

だつてばよ　doesn't mean anything. It's the equivalent of children adding little sound effect to their speech. But having something is still better than taking it out since it at least shows that the dubbers acknowledged that Naruto says something rather than nothing.

[shigeruhiko.livejournal.com]

the dub calls Kakashi-sensei "Kakashi-sensei"? Really?

Man, I am out of the loop of dubs these days. If the mere thought of Naruto dubbed didn't break my mind. . . . Not saying it's bad (as I've not seen it), just meaning. . . I can't fathom it.

Really. I can't even begin to imagine it dubbed (Kakashi dubbed? Naruto? I hear my mind cra-a-a-acking. Let's hoping I never watch, or it might be messy--XD)

[goodbye--kitty.livejournal.com]

oh geez, its a stab in the heart. please dont, unless you're only looking to watch it to make fun of it excessively, because the voices make my ears bleed.

(this is my opinion, please no one attack me if they do not agree)

[teh-goat-girl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Dattebayo doesn't really mean much, and I think Believe it is kinda cute. :3

>>; Man.. I hate dub-haters who never even WATCH the dub to give a valid reason to hate it other than, "EVERYTHING IS BETTER IN JAPANESE!!"

[yummeitenshi.livejournal.com]

I've never watched the dub, so I would prefer sub, since humans have the mentality of preferring the first thing they encounter over a newer version of it. Uh, maybe dub-haters exist because the dubbers just chop up their voices, or aren't compatible with the characters they voice. Sometimes even what they're saying don't match. (I mean, I compare say, Rurouni Kenshin sub and dub. They butchered the dub SO much.) But since I've never watched the dub, I'll reserve judgement.

Anyway, so this comment isn't a complete waste of time, I think dattebayo is really more of Naruto's expression of emphasis. "Believe it" can also be used for emphasis, so this is as close as the translators can get, I guess.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

It's not as bad as people make it to be. I guess cause most people are so used to the Japanese one that they tend to think "Ew. Their voices must be so off."

It's actually not that bad.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

No, the Japanese version is amazing. The voices match the characters perfectly--well in my opinion in does.

Naruto sounds horrible in the dub. I agree with you on that.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

You should definitely watch it! I do both because haha, I have no life that way.

[demonoflight.livejournal.com]

I've noticed that Naruto adds 'dattebayo' or '-ttebayo' to his sentences whenever he wants to stress something out or get people's attention. Naruto isn't the only one to use it, too. I distinctly recall Al of Fullmetal Alchemist adding '-tteba' to the end of a sentence once when he was trying to reason with Ed and the latter wasn't really listening.

IMO, turning 'dattebayo' into 'believe it' for the dub isn't only extremely cute, but it also makes sense. When he uses both, he's trying to say 'what I just said is very important! It's really true!'

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

Wow, nice observation =D. Yeah, it really does make sense.

[goodbye--kitty.livejournal.com]

you're right, it probably is the best phrase to replace it. practically the same amount of syllables too.

[ninja-demongirl.livejournal.com]

Just watched my first full episode the other day. O-O what shocked me the most! they showed blood! and kakashi hand in haku! O M G
Not a fan on dubs xpt outlaw star. Thats better than sub for me

Aside from that i have heard others saying they didnt like believe it and the tiny episdoes i did catch he does say it alot. To answer youre question i hate believe it. I just hate that word since i see it everywhere now in baltimore on on every school. no offense


BTW kakashi. Is it pronouced ka-ka-shi or ka-kaa-shi?

[columbine.livejournal.com]

ka ka shi

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

ka-ka-shi

I remember cause in one of the episodes (I forget which), Orochimaru enunciates it quite clearly.

[cthulhu-cult.livejournal.com]

Because it's not a phrase. It's a combination of sentence-ending particles that are completely redundant in English. It wouldn't even be SEEN as a phrase requiring translation.

But Naruto uses it all the time, and it defines his character. So they have to.

I've explained it in detail before, but in a nutshell, -ttebayo means "I'm TELLING you that ____".
The main problem with dubbing dialogue is fitting the speech in lip movements. The phrase above is 4 words, which is too long to user over and over for a 3-syllable sentence tail.
Another problem is that the above goes at the beginning of a sentence, while the tag is at the end. Normally in translation, changing word order is A-OK, but when you have something that repeats over and over, you can't really do that and make it sound believable.

So you need something that's 3 syllables, and carries across the meaning, while non-standard enough to not sound crap when it's said over and over.
So they invented "Believe it!" which is 3 syllables, sticks on at the end, and in my opinion carries the sentiment across perfectly.
He's trying to get something across when he says it, and the "Believe it!" reinforces what he's saying.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

=D Thanks. That was awesome to read.

[hikari-cyhan.livejournal.com]

"Dattebayo" can't be kept because it's part of Naruto's speech pattern. Japanese speech patterns don't translate well into English.

[andrew-jp.livejournal.com]

Americans already know the Japanese words kept in the dub from video games or martial arts moves or, at least, old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons. "Dattebayo?" Not so much. It would just be nonsense. At the same time, they've gotta give Naruto some sort of speech pattern that parallels it, because at times it is directly referred to (cf. Chouji recognizing Naruto's message inthe Barrel-Sasuke arc).

The phrase adds emphasis to a sentence, and in other shows one does hear it occasionally. That Naruto uses it in just about every sentence that will gramattically allow it is to demonstrate how overbearing and confident he is.

my take on this...

[columbine.livejournal.com]

Okay the translation really depends on how it fits in the sentence. I’ll write some of my usage of word... I'm going to spell it phonetically because I can’t spell a damn in Japanese and I tend to emphasize different area's of the word depending on the usage.

I would like to note… I speak Japanese… because I was raised there… but in no way am I an expert on the subject, I’m just going to tell you what “I” use the word for…

"Dat te bayo" : Or so I heard

"Dat tebayo": But

“Dattebayo” As I was saying

I recall Naruto using “a nosa a nosa” more often… which I translate to “hey, hey”

[peace-piper.livejournal.com]

I'd go with a King of the Hill style "I tell ya what!" or a "I'm telling you!"

Maybe even a Data from Goonies style "That's what I said!"

[uchihaitachi13.livejournal.com]

i always thought it was just an accented phrase he has as well. I think that they should have either: A) kept it, B) removed it, c)...kept technique names the same. oooooh *clone* jutsu....at least kage bunshin sounds cool....

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree with you on C.

[rinnychan.livejournal.com]

From what I can tell, 'dattebayo' is a sort of emphasis-word dattebayo. Someone also mentioned once that Naruto uses it to make himself seem manly, and fails miserably dattebayo. I think a MUCH better translation would be "oh yeah!" dattebayo. It makes a lot more sense and is more versatile than "believe it!" dattebayo.

And the above paragraph is the answer to your last question dattebayo.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

=D Thank you!

[tsuru.livejournal.com]

They wouldn't leave dattebayo in japanese because it isn't a noun. Kunoichi, ninja, samurai, sensei, etc are all japanese nouns. It's common for nouns to remain the same when the noun does not have an equivalent syntax in another language. For instance, spaghetti has no english translation other than "pasta", so much of the meaning would be lost if it were translated to another single word.

[ambivalent-girl.livejournal.com]

=D Makes sense.

[amaridaijoubune.livejournal.com]

I think 'believe it' sounds...really stupid, but as has been pointed out, dattebayo isn't a noun. Just an exclamation...I could think of better things to say, though. None of the scanlations of the manga I've read have translated it as 'believe it,' more of stuff like 'yeah' or 'right on' or something. That's how I would've done it. But then, that's why I'm not a dubber.

[splintered-soul.livejournal.com]

Personally I don't mind "believe it".

Dattebayo doesn't really mean anything but it's linked with his childlike character. Simply ignoring it is sort of like ignoring Inner Sakura IMO. Believe it was a good compromise because it keeps that aspect of his character.