12 Woeful Movie Subtitles

We really take the English language for granted over here.

But for those countries where it's a second (or third, or fourth) language, our tongue can prove a little tricky. As proven with these huꦬmorous stumbles from a collection of wonderful and weird Eastern flicks, which have gotten a little lost along the way from one language to another.

Not that we're taking the mick or anything...

“I want to stool now!”
Bio-Zombie (1998)

Lost In Translation: We’re a🧸ssuming the fellow who utters this immortal line isn’t standing in cross-legged desperation for the nearest port-a-loo.

The film? Drawing on Romero’s Dawn Of The Dead , this u൲ndead Hong Kong wonder unfolds the story of bio-chemica💫ls in soft drinks that turn innocent citizens into flesh-chewers. Lovely.

“When I was 30, I cried my eyes out with a tortoise shell.”
Chocolate Inspector (1986)

Lost In Translation: Uhh, tortoise shell? Is that a clever reference to Sly Stallone’s Demolition Man three sea shells conundrum? Can’t be, Chocolate Inspector came first…

The East’s answer to Inspector Clouseau arrives in the form of Inspector Chu (Chocolate), who’s earned that unfortunate moniker thanks to his love for Smarties. ♊He’s just as bumbling as his European counterpart.

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“Mom, please cut the carp?”
Lifeline (1997)

Lost In Translation: Rather than a request for some specialist fish-slicing, this chap is really attempting a bit of English lingo by asking his parent to cut the crap . Bless those subtitlers.

The plot in this late-90s Johnnie To thriller tracks the ups and downs of the firefighters who sp✤end their lives attempting to save ours.

“Stab on the chest of any vampire.”
Mr. Vampire 2 (1986)

Lost In Translation: Oh, that fickle thing we call grammar. How quickly sense turns into nonsense; as exemplified with this guff. We’re sure that any potential slayer who attempts to adhere str♛ictly to thi💧s advice would be in for a very pointy surprise.

The flick follows modern grave robbers who discover ꧑preserved specimens of ancient man, and realise too late that they are vampires.

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“Never been to the Great Wall is not a great man.”
This Is Kung Fu (1983)

Lost In Translation: More grammatical stumbles to make us titter. It&rsq⛦uo;s like reading the philosop🐻hical musings of a toddler.

This documentary examines the art of Wushu, with old masters showing the young ‘uns how it&rsq✨uo;s done🃏, and some stunning Chinese vistas to sate our thirst for beautiful visuals. And yes, that is a baby Jet Li!

“I'm afraid he's scared to fail stooling!”
Troublesome Night (1997)

Lost In Translation: More toilet humour courtesy of translato🌳rs getting the wrong end of the tense stick. What this chap really wants is to steal something (ah, there’s the sound of a penny dropping). Though if he gets caught, he probably will stool himself in fear.

The first in a series of Troublesome Night s, this misadventure centres on the haunted strꩲeets of Hong Kong.

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“Looking at her face is like looking at her ass.”
Odd Couple (1979)

Lost In Translation: Is this lovely man talking about a woman’s behind or her donkey companion?🍎 Either way, it’s a pretty nasty insul🍸t. Assuming she has a horrible ass.

The plot follows two rivals who meet up every decade to duke it out to s💃ee whose weaponry skills are the better.

“Now I want you to say it thrice daily and don't dress a bun.”
Justice, My Foot! (1992)

Lost In Translation: A bun? Dear sir, what a proposition! Honestly, your guess is as good as ours with this onꦅe…

Stephen Chow stars in this decidedly bun-free perღiod kung-fu flick, which includes an awesome courtroom scene in which a councillor brilliantly exonerates an innocent and proves the guilty parties🧜 guilty.

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“Don't push me! Or I'll piss now.”
Madam City Hunter (1993)

Lost In Translation: ജ Oh dear, the toilet humour just keeps coming. This scene surely includes one man busting for the bog while waiting during rush hour for a tube train. He finds a canny threat to ensure he’s not jostled by the min♚dless millions.

In actuality, Madam City Hunter is an action comedy about a brilliant female cop who meets a private🍬 eye. It all goes pretty pear shaped𓂃.

“Damn you, you want dying?”
Fist Of Fury (1991)

Lost In Translation: Is ‘dying’ 💧a new dish being served at the local Wung Chan🌺 restaurant? It doesn’t sound particularly appetising. P’raps it’s really a request for hair colourant…

A you�༒�ng Stephen Chow crops up in this wacky homage to Bruce Lee.

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“Over studying makes you a moron.”
Righting Wrongs (1986)

Lost In Translation: Chinese wisdom proves itsel♎f supreme in all ways of thinking. Best not to yell this from the roof tops at the moment, considering all the younglings currently studying hard for their GCSEs and A Levels.

Righting Wrongs proves itself adept in the action stakes as well, featܫuring an infam🐓ous clash with Cynthia Rothrock and Yuen Biao.

“Long hung love will hurt.”
Conman In Tokyo (2000)

Lost In Translation: Too true.

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Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh꧟ has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.