to lose in translation - meaning?

[Kamila M]

Please explain to me the words in bold.

The assumption that Hollywood will take all that quiet, moody atmosphere and stomp the life out of it with Godzilla-like clumsiness is understandable: when it comes to remakes, American studios don't have the best track record. And Scandinavian films seem especially likely to lose something in translation: if La-la Land is all about surface, lightness, and escapism, the land of Bergman, IKEA, and the Nobel Prize is somber, cool, and understated. Yet when it comes to cinematic source material, Scandinavia has never been hotter. A remake of the Danish film Brothers came out last year, and many more adaptations are in the works.

 

[Rover_KE]

I imagine that all languages have some expressions which are unique and virtually untranslatable.

Those whose job it is to attempt to translate them can only come close to the original meaning, which inevitably loses something in translation.

I don't know about source material.

Rover

 

[emsr2d2]

I imagine that all languages have some expressions which are unique and virtually untranslatable.

Those whose job it is to attempt to translate them can only come close to the original meaning, which inevitably loses something in translation.

I don't know about source material.

Rover

Yes, if you lose something in the translation, it means that some nuance or subtleties are lost when you change it from one language to another.

"Source material" generally means the information upon which something else is based.

 

[bertietheblue]

You can also use this expression more idiomatically to talk about the original meaning or other qualities of a work being lost or changed when adapted in another medium; for example, many novels get 'lost in translation' when they are made into films.

 

[chester_100]

-In translation: this is a highly frequent expression in the science of translation. It means: when something is translated; translated form.
-Something: some information
-When Scandinavian movies are translated (into English ,etc), some pieces of their information are left untranslated.


-Source material: the thematic essence and subject of something.
-The subject of Scandinavian movies is not that interesting.

 

[Barb_D]

-Source material: the thematic essence and subject of something.
-The subject of Scandinavian movies is not that interesting.

No, that's quite the opposite!

The source material has never been better - that means that it's as good as it as ever been!