Theme: Family breakdown and regrets in a comedic adaptation.
Year: 2009
Most Salient Aspects: Mike O’Donnell has spent the last 20 years of his life wishing for what could have been. At 17, Mike was a budding basketball star on the cusp of landing himself a college basketball scholarship when his girlfriend, Scarlett, told him she was pregnant. Mike easily decided to choose true love over his career. As he grows older, however, he starts to question the choices he made.
A freaky twist transforms Mike back to his 17-year-old self. This gives him the chance to live his life over again and experience the path not chosen. With the help of his best friend, Ned, a nerd in high school but now a billionaire, Mike tries to get back the life he thought he had lost. Along the way, he realizes that he has been sent back to his past to re-evaluate what really matters and save his marriage with Scarlet. He must also help his daughter Maggie, whose boyfriend Stan is pressuring her to have sex with him, and his son Alex, who is being bullied.
Scarlet:
Your Honor, if it's okay,
I'd like to hear the letter, please.
Mike:
Thank you, Your Honor.
This is a letter from Mike O'Donnell.
He wanted me to read it.
"Scarlet...
...before you go through with this...
...I want to remind you
of September 7th, 1988.
It was the first time that I saw you.
You were reading Less Than Zero.
You were wearing
a Guns N' Roses T-shirt.
I'd never seen anything so perfect.
I remember thinking
that I had to have you, or I'd die.
Then you whispered that you loved me...
...at the homecoming dance.
And I felt...
...so peaceful...
...and safe.
Because I knew that no matter
what happened from that day on...
...nothing could ever be that bad.
Because I had you.
Uh...
And then I grew up...
...and I lost my way.
And I blamed you for my failures.
And I know that you think
you have to do this today.
I don't want you to.
But I guess...
...if I love you...
...I should let you move on."
Judge:
All right, son, you need to go now.
Let's proceed.
Scarlet:
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
Would it be okay...
...if we postpone
this for now for just a little while?
Would that be okay?
Judge:
Postponed 30 days. Next case.
Scarlet:
Señoría, si le parece bien,
Me gustaría escuchar la carta, por favor.
Mike:
Gracias, Señoría.
Esta es una carta de Mike O'Donnell.
Quería que lo leyera.
"Scarlet...
...antes de que sigas con esto...
...quiero recordarte
el 7 de septiembre de 1988.
Era la primera vez que te veía.
Estabas leyendo Menos Que Cero.
Llevabas
una camiseta de Guns N' Roses.
Nunca había visto nada tan perfecto.
Recuerdo que pensé
que tenía que tenerte, o moriría.
Entonces me susurraste que me amabas...
...en el baile de bienvenida.
Y me sentí...
...tan tranquilo...
...y seguro.
Porque sabía que no importaba
lo que pasara a partir de ese día...
...nada podría ser tan malo.
Porque te tenía a ti.
Eh...
Y entonces crecí...
...y perdí mi camino.
Y te culpé por mis fracasos.
Y sé que piensas
que tienes que hacer esto hoy.
No quiero que lo hagas.
Pero supongo que...
...si te amo...
...debería dejarte seguir adelante".
Juez:
Muy bien, hijo, tienes que irte ya.
Procedamos.
Scarlet:
Lo siento, Señoría.
¿Estaría bien...
...si posponemos
esto por ahora sólo por un rato?
¿Le parece bien?
Juez:
Aplazado 30 días. Siguiente caso.
Translation Procedures
Transposition: involves a shift from one grammatical category to another, while still preserving the meaning. This translation technique is often necessary between languages with different grammatical structures.
You were wearing a Guns N' Roses T-shirt./ Llevabas una camiseta de Guns N' Roses.
Adaptation: Also known as cultural substitution, cultural elements of the source language are replaced with an equivalent cultural element of the target language. This makes the text more familiar and easier to understand, especially with units of measurement.
Uh... And then I grew up... and I lost my way. / Eh...Y entonces crecí...y perdí mi camino.
Script: imsdb.com/scripts/17-Again.html