THE TALLY HO READ ALL ABOUT IT!
THE TALLY HO ZDF-ANSAGE
THE TALLY HO TOP 20 MERKMALE DER SERIE
VILLAGE BOOKSHELF LITERATUR UND QUELLEN
BLICK
ANDERSWO GELESEN

BLICK
BILDER AUS WALES - REISENOTIZEN
BLICK
KLEINE PANORAMEN
BLICK NUMMER 6 - PRISONER CONVENTION
RÜCKBLICK MISTER SECHS WILL NICHT KÜSSEN
RÜCKBLICK 1969: NUMMER 6 FERNSEHPREMIERE IM ZDF
RÜCKBLICK CHRONIK 1969
RÜCKBLICK
2006: ERSTE DVD-EDITION
RÜCKBLICK 2009: 40 JAHRE NUMMER 6 - WAS FEHLT?
RÜCKBLICK
2010: ARTE BRINGT NUMMER 6 ZURÜCK
RÜCKBLICK 2019: 50 JAHRE NUMMER 6 (BERICHT)
RÜCKBLICK
2019: 50 JAHRE NUMMER 6 (FOTOS)
RÜCKBLICK WEBSITE-HISTORIE: WIR SEHEN UNS! ODER...
--- DAVE BARRIE
...IM INTERVIEW
THE MARKSTEIN-McGOOHAN DEBATE

THE MAJESTY OF "FALL OUT"

"FALL OUT": THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

"DEMASKIERUNG": DER UNMÖGLICHE TRAUM

I'M INDEPENDENT, DON'T FORGET
SEVEN FROM SIX

RAKOFF'S FABLES - INTERVIEW MIT IAN L. RAKOFF

"DIE ANKLAGE": DUNKLE TRÄUME UND LANGE SCHATTEN

ÜBER CHRIS RODLEYS "IN MY MIND"

S IS FOR... SCHIZOID

--- ARNO BAUMGÄRTEL
NUMMER 6: 1969 DEUTSCHE FERHSEHPREMIERE
IM DORF - EINE LINGUISTISCHE LANDPARTIE

AKTENABLAGE: VON EPISODEN, DIE KEINE WAREN
DER AKADEMISCHE PRISONER

BLICK: REISENOTIZEN WALES - KLEINE PANORAMEN

BLICK: PRISONER-CONVENTION
PORTMEIRION: BAUTEN IN BILDERN
THE PRISONER (2009) MINISERIE
2010: WER SIND SIE? - DIE NEUE NUMMER SECHS

2019: 50 JAHRE NUMMER 6
2019: 50 JAHRE - DARF'S NOCH EIN GAST MEHR SEIN?
WIR SEHEN UNS! ODER: L'ANNÉE DERNIÈRE AU VILLAGE

WEBSITE-RÜCKBLICK:
WIE ALLES ANFING

"ARRIVAL" MUSIC ON FAST-FORWARD

--- ARNO BAUMGÄRTEL & MICHAEL BRÜNE
DIE DEUTSCHE DVD

NUMMER 6 - NICHT DER GEFANGENE
--- ARNO BAUMGÄRTEL & B. FRANK
AUF DIE REIH GEBRACHT (1) DIE REIHENFOLGE

--- TOBIAS BECKER
ZIRKULÄRE REALITÄT

--- FRANK T. BITTERHOF
DIE OFFENBARUNG - THE PRISONER ALS BLU-RAY

--- M. KEITH BOOKER
DER POSTMODERNE PRISONER

--- TIM BOURNE
DIE SECHS-IDENTITÄT (INTERVIEW)
--- MICHAEL BRÜNE
EPISODEN-TRANSKRIPT "DIE ANKUNFT"
AUF DIE REIH GEBRACHT (2) DIE REIHENFOLGE

DIE ANTHONY-SKENE-TRILOGIE
--- MARTIN COMPART
SOAPS: FERNSEHSERIEN...

--- ANTHONY DAVIS
PRISONER PRESS LAUNCH 1967

--- PATRICK DUCHER
JE NE SUIS PAS UN NUMÉRO, JE SUIS UN HOMME LIBRE!

...IM INTERVIEW

--- ROBERT FAIRCLOUGH
POP UND POLITIK

--- HOWARD FOY
ES WAR EINMAL EIN TRIP...

--- B. FRANK
McGOOHAN & BOND

--- CAROLINE FUCHS
REALITY AND SIMULATION IN THE PRISONER

--- GUILLAUME GRANIER
SCHÖNER TAG! - SPÄTER REGNET ES.

--- LARRY HALL
ORSON WELLES: DER PROZESS

WHAT IT MEANS, NOT WHAT IT SAYS
--- HELGA HELLER
PORTRÄT EINES EXZENTRIKERS

--- MAX HORA
...IM INTERVIEW

--- MAX HORA & ROGER LANGLEY
6 PRIVATE - DAS HAUS VON NUMMER SECHS

--- HARALD KELLER
WIR SEHEN UNS - WIEDER

ÜBER NOWHERE MAN

NUMMER SECHS
INTERVIEW MIT BERND RUMPF

--- ROGER LANGLEY
(ZEIT-) REISE NACH PORTMEIRION

PRISONER'S PORTMEIRION:
DER ORIGINALSCHAUPLATZ
BÜHNENSTÜCK -
SET PIECE: DIE STUDIOBAUTEN
WARUM HABEN SIE SICH ZURÜCKGEZOGEN?

FINAL CUT: MYSTERIUM DER FEHLENDEN SZENEN

PUTTING THE PRISONER IN ORDER (3) DIE REIHENFOLGE

COOL CUSTOMER - PROFIL: GEORGE MARKSTEIN

DAS LA-TAPE

DANGER MAN: GEHEIMAUFTRAG MIT 60

--- MOOR LARKIN
ICH BIN EIN BERLINER

--- JEAN-MARC LOFFICIER
NUMMER 6 ODER DAS GESPENST DER FREIHEIT

--- KEVIN PATRICK MAHONEY
DER ANARCHISCHE PRISONER

--- PATRICK McGOOHAN
DAS TROYER-INTERVIEW

DAS LA-TAPE

IM GESPRÄCH MIT MIKE TOMKIES
RUHM WIRD MICH NIE ZUM GEFANGENEN MACHEN

INTERVIEW MIT BILL KING
DER MANN HINTER NUMMER 6

INTERVIEW MIT ALAIN CARRAZÉ
THE PRISONER

BBC-INTERVIEW MIT SIMON BATES
DIE FIGUR IST NATÜRLICH REIN FIKTIV

--- RICK McGRATH
35th ANNIVERSARY DVD-SET

--- MARY MORRIS, NORMA WEST
INTERVIEW MIT TOM WORRALL

--- JANA MÜLLER
ZUFÄLLIGE ENTDECKUNG UND DANN NOCH EIN IRRTUM

"DER SCHWARM"

--- JANA MÜLLER & ARNO BAUMGÄRTEL
IMMER NOCH NUMMER 6?

--- HORST NAUMANN
INTERVIEW MIT UWE HUBER

--- STEVE RAINES
...IM INTERVIEW

--- STEVEN RICKS
MGM - STUDIO DAYS

STUDIO DAYS: THE MGM BACKLOT

--- CHRIS RODLEY
DAS EISBERG-SYNDROM - SIX INTO ONE...

INTERVIEW MIT GEORGE MARKSTEIN

--- ZIAUDDINE SARDAR
WIR SEHEN UNS! - DIE POSTMODERNE UND DAS ANDERE

--- ALAN N. SHAPIRO
THE PRISONER ALS "DIE GEISEL" UND "A. B. UND C."

--- WARNER TROYER
INTERVIEW MIT PATRICK McGOOHAN

--- CHRISTOPH WINDER
ICH BIN KEINE NUMMER, ICH BIN EIN MENSCH

--- VALARIE ZIEGLER
THE PRISONER'S SHADOW SIDE

 

 

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Nr6DE MIT
PATRICK DUCHER
Nr6DE MIT
MAX HORA
CHRIS RODLEY MIT
GEORGE MARKSTEIN
SIMON BATES (BBC) MIT
PATRICK McGOOHAN
ALAIN CARRAZÉ MIT
PATRICK McGOOHAN
BILL KING MIT
PATRICK McGOOHAN
MIKE TOMKIES MIT
PATRICK McGOOHAN
WARNER TROYER MIT
PATRICK McGOOHAN
TOM WORRALL MIT
MARY MORRIS, N. WEST
UWE HUBER MIT
HORST NAUMANN
PATRICK DUCHER MIT
JEAN-MICHEL PHILIBERT
Nr6DE MIT
STEVE RAINES
DAVE BARRIE MIT
IAN L. RAKOFF
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WHAT IT MEANS, NOT WHAT IT SAYS

VON LARRY HALL
MIT MICHAEL BRÜNE

In addition to the English-language versions of THE PRISONER, the series has been released around the world in several different languages, including German, French and Italian. Apart from certain differences to the title and credit sequences, the

   

content has been exactly the same but the entire voice track has been replaced with local equivalent and thus we have Patrick McGoohan and his fellow actors apparently able to speak several languages. Well, that's not quite what happens of course. Each country employs a translator and voice director. The scripts are translated into the local language and the voice director hires a team of actors who overdub the English voice track. This is a very common practise in the television and film

industry and I'm sure that most of us have at some time turned on the TV in our hotel on the Costa Brava (or whichever foreign clime get the vote that year) and been treated to an incomprehensible half hour of what we were certain was "Coronation Street".

DIESE SEITE AUF DEUTSCH
"IM DORF" - EINE LINGUISTISCHE LANDPARTIE
SYNCHRONREGISSEUR JOACHIM BRINKMANN

The German version of THE PRISONER was called NUMMER SECHS (credits: NUMMER 6), literally "Number Six", and for those of you giggling at the back who didn't do your German homework, "sechs" is pronounced "zeks". The translation of the scripts was by Joachim Brinkmann, who was also voice director. Patrick McGoohan is dubbed by German actor Horst Naumann and does a remarkable job in reproducing the McGoohan intonation and cadence.

IDIOMATIC PHRASES

However, what's interesting about the German version of THE PRISONER is that there are some significant differences in the script and it's apparent that Joachim Brinkmann took a certain amount of liberty in his translation and worked some variations of his own into the original concepts. This is over and above the difficulty which all translators would have with phrases that just don't translate word for word from one language to another. This is because such phrases are idiomatic - they only mean something in the original language and just translating the words into another language doesn't mean that it would mean the same thing or even understood in the same way.

Reizvoll an diesem beitrag ist der blick von außen auf die "native" sprachversion, wie wir sie kennen. Auf der PRISONER Convention desselben jahres 2004 wurde Larry Halls videofeature zu eben diesem thema präsentiert. Als deutscher muttersprachler mutet dieser beitrag mit den vielen szenenausschnitten in synchronisierter fassung einigermaßen paradox an insofern man "weiß", dass es sich um die wiedergabe einer, aus britischer sicht, fremdsprachlichen version handelt, die, das ist bemerkenswert, uns nicht selbstverständlich sein sollte.

The pivotal phrase "Six of one, half a dozen of the other" is a good example as there is no direct German equivalent. So, when Number 6 says "I'm not a number, I'm a person", instead of replying "Six of one, half a dozen of the other", Number 2 says (in German) "The one doesn't necessarily preclude the other". Just think what that does to the title of The Prisoner Appreciation Society!

"By hook or by crook" is another phrase that just doesn't cross over, and this necessitated a rewrite of the opening titles:
"We want information, information, information.
You won't get it.
By hook or by crook, we will."

The problem with the last line is that it's based on a concept, and the words themselves don't mean anything in isolation. Therefore, translating the last line into German results in gibberish and there's no alternative but to look for a phrase that, although the words would be different, means much the same thing. In this instance, we have our script alteration, which becomes:
"Wir wollen informationen, informationen, informationen.
Ich sage nichts. - I'm saying nothing.
Sie werden sprechen, so oder so. - You will talk, one way or the other."

Interestingly, when you translate "so oder so" back into English, that doesn't mean anything either. The trick obviously is to know what it means, not necessarily what it says.

"VILLAGE" REFERENCES REMOVED

Of greater interest are the instances where Brinkmann injected his own ideas or took the opportunity to add new twists to concepts within the established framework. When Number 6 asks, "Whose side are you on", for example, the answer is not "That would be telling", but "We are on the right side". Perhaps the most significant of these script departures was to totally remove references to The Village and make Number 6's incarceration even more mysterious by simply referring to it as "Here" or "this Place". I'm capitalising the "P" to denote the strength of the word in the context that it's used.
Tanslating "Village" to the German equivalent "Dorf" would have been easy enough, so it would seem a deliberate decision to substitute "Place". It certainly alters things because while "Village" conveys the impression of a small community, "this Place" imposes no boundary and arguably adds an extra ingredient of mystery. Just how big is "this Place"? How small? Can it expand or contract and adapt to changing requirements? Not allowing Number 6 the luxury of at least identifiable prison walls increases his confusion and adds to his disorientation. Mind you, it does mean that some treasured dialogue gets trashed. Take the question and answer sequence in the standard opening titles:
"Where am I? - In the Village." This becomes:
- "Wo bin ich? - Where am I?
- Sie sind da. - You are there."
(This can also be taken to mean "You are here" which sounds better to English ears.)

Skirting around any mention of the Village occurs many times during the course of the series. Using "Die Glocken von Big Ben" ("The Chimes Of Big Ben") for the following example, we have the conversation between Nadia and Number 6 when Nadia says she doesn't know where she is. Number 6 echoes the line in the episode opening sequence - not "In the Village", but "Sie sind da." - "You are there/here."
And again, when they talk about transportation: Number 6: "Taxis - local service only." becomes "Es gibt taxis. - Sie fahren aber nur hier im Ort." - "There are taxis, they only drive here in the Place."

Replacing Village with Place sometimes sounds odd to English ears. Again, it's something which sounds fine in German because the language is very precise and formal but it doesn't translate back into English in quite the same way. Take these further examples, again from "Chimes":
Number 2: "Can I give you a lift back to the Village?" becomes "Wollen Sie mit mir zurück in den Ort fahren?" (into the Place).
Number 6 (replying to Colonel J's question about Number 2): "Chairman of the Village." becomes "Der boss da, von diesem Ort." (the chief there, of this Place).

ORANGE AND WHITE

In addition to losing the Village, we also lose various grades of Alert. When the supervisor orders "Yellow Alert", it indicates that there's a potential threat or a possible escape attempt in progress. "Orange Alert" means that the situation has escalated and requires the service of Rover.

The reason for the various colours is rooted in the military alert system accorded to the degree of threat existing at any given time. A Code Red security alert represents the highest threat, usually reserved for imminent military action, and there are "cooler" colours allocated to less threatening situations down to Code Black when it's safe to break out the tea and crumpets. "Red Alert" was also used in the STAR TREK series to indicate that it was time to arm the proton torpedos.
Brinkmann decided not to use any of the colours and whenever Rover shows up we hear "Weißer Alarm" which means "White Alert". It sort-of makes sense but comes over more as a reaction to Rover rather than a dramatic escalation of events. Therefore, as Nadia swims out to sea in her early escape attempt, Number 2 watches her progress and then pushes the button to call up Rover with the words "Weißer Alarm".

DRASTIC GEOGRAPHIC RESHUFFLE

Staying with "Chimes", Nadia reveals her origin as Bulgarian rather than Estonian as she is in the English version of the story and there is a drastic reshuffle of the geography surrounding the Village. Normally she tells Number 6 that they are in Lithuania and she muses on the probable escape route they must take. "Lithuania, on the Baltic. That means making for... West Germany, Denmark..."
However, Joachim Brinkmann chose to resite the Village some way across the world to Bulgaria. Number 6's musing now becomes: "In Bulgaria. On the Balkans. That means making for Greece, into Turkey..." The sea escape to the Polish border therefore has to be altered and our dynamic duo make instead for the Turkish border towards the village of Wradjye (not Branyevo). Interestingly, Wradjye is referred to as "ein kleines dorf" (a small village) which indicates that only the Village needs to have the anonymity of being a "Place".

Continuing the story, they meet up with Nadia's contact man who usually confirms their route to London as "By sea, Gdansk - Danzig - you know. By air, to Copenhagen. By air, again, to London." Except that they're now elsewhere, so the route becomes "Boat Turkey - Istanbul - understood. Then plane Athens. Plane again Paris, then London."

Hand me that world atlas, I'm starting to lose my sense of direction! (Read also...; lesen Sie auch...)

Why Joachim Brinkmann chose to make these changes to the established script is unknown. * Vincent Tilsley who wrote the original script for "Chimes" confirms that he wasn't consulted on any such changes and it would seem that Brinkmann simply decided to put his own spin on the basic concept, over and above a simple translation job. There are certainly some interesting ideas.

NOT STRAIGHT FORWARD TRANSLATIONS

Effectively, what we have in the German episodes of THE PRISONER are alternate versions not straight forwards translations although some episodes have significant changes, some only quite minor ones. It doesn't ultimately make any difference, Number 6 still doesn't get away, but it all adds a number of interesting twists to the original tale.

*) Mr. Brinkmann was contacted in May 2006. In a brief telephone conversation he regretted that, after 40 years, he wasn't able to contribute anything substantial. Thus, no details on his work were discussed. More/mehr...

Dieser beitrag wurde 2004 für das SIX-OF-ONE-mitgliedermagazin "Free For All" verfasst. Die deutsche übersetzung hier.

 


Contact impressum filmtexte - texts on film deutsch english language
  "Wir sehen uns!" oder L'année dernière au Village · The Prisoner · Nummer 6

 

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