Summary
Overview
Richard Osman and Marina Hyde tackle listener questions covering musical translations, brand name usage in songs, emergency radio presenters, and musical releases. They discuss the complexities of translating shows like Hamilton, analyze upcoming film release clashes, and reveal surprising data about brand mentions in hit songs. The episode also touches on a Radio 2 presenter situation and includes insights into how the entertainment industry handles last-minute substitutions.
Octopus Energy Birthday Hold Music
The opening segment features the discovery that Octopus Energy plays the number one single from callers' 14th birthday year as hold music. Richard's song is Stevie Wonder's 'I Just Called to Say I Love You,' which he notes is ironic hold music since people rarely call energy companies to express affection.
- Octopus Energy customizes hold music based on customers' birthdays, playing the number one single from their 14th birthday year
- Marina's song is 'The Only Way Is Up' by Yazz and the Plastic Population
- Richard's song is 'I Just Called to Say I Love You' by Stevie Wonder
" I would usually but you know but I just want to chat to them about something to do with my energy and I don't mean that sort of energy "
Musical Translation Challenges
The hosts explore the intricate process of translating musicals into different languages, using Hamilton as a prime example. German translators Kevin Schroeder and rapper Sarah Finale spent two and a half years translating Hamilton, inventing new compound German words and using Anglicisms to maintain the rhythm. They sent Lin-Manuel Miranda three-column lists every three months showing original lyrics, German translation, and literal back-translation to ensure both rhythm and meaning were preserved.
- Musical translation requires fitting words to pre-existing melodies, with specific syllable counts and vowel sounds that allow singers to hold notes
- Hamilton was considered untranslatable due to its rapid-fire lyrics and internal rhymes
- German words tend to be longer than English words, creating additional challenges for translation
- The Lion King has been translated into 40 languages using similar rigorous approval processes
- Translators must ensure rhymes work across languages and that vowel sounds at the end of phrases allow the throat to stay open for long notes
" If you've got a three-note structure, you need a three-syllable word. You can't suddenly have a five-syllable word just because the German word has five syllables. "
" It took them two and a half years to translate Hamilton into German. They did it. By God, they did it. "
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