Lost in Translation?

[Lozzie]

I've just been reading the instructions for TamConX and they call the Tamababies (Bebitchi and Shirobebitchi) Black Hebi-chi (boy) and White Hebi-chi (girl). I can understand the black and white part, but Hebi-chi??? Have they made a typo, or do the characters have different names? If so, what does Hebi-chi mean?

 

[Tamagod]

What do you mean? Their real names are Bebitchi and Shirobebitchi. I can scan the Japanese instruction booklet to prove it to you.

 

[Lozzie]

What do you mean? Their real names are Bebitchi and Shirobebitchi. I can scan the Japanese instruction booklet to prove it to you.

I know that. It's just that I think they may have made a mistake somewhere along the line.

 

[starryeyed]

Why did they call it "hebi-chi" in the english instruction manual though? The other names are so much more fun ("Bebitchi" and "Shirobebitchi").

 

[wizdude]

ohh, i get what you mean.

hmm, .. i dont really know though.

 

[Atarashiihito]

Their real names are Bebitchi and Shirobebitchi. I can scan the Japanese instruction booklet to prove it to you.

It's just a Japanese name. "Bebi" is a borrowed english word, meaning baby. It sounds a lot like Baby don't it?

"Shiro" means white, get it? I have no idea why exactly they decided to change it to "Hebi" because Hebi in Japanese means snake. But in the Japanese alphabet, the sounds "He" and "Be" are very similar.

He = へ

Be = べ

Trnaslation does some weird things.

 

[Aiko-Sama]

It's just a Japanese name. "Bebi" is a borrowed english word, meaning baby. It sounds a lot like Baby don't it?"Shiro" means white, get it? I have no idea why exactly they decided to change it to "Hebi" because Hebi in Japanese means snake. But in the Japanese alphabet, the sounds "He" and "Be" are very similar.

He = へ

Be = べ

Trnaslation does some weird things.

Maybe somebody wasn't reading it right.

 

[Lozzie]

Hmmm... so that explains it! Thanks, guys!

 

[Atarashiihito]

Maybe somebody wasn't reading it right.

Haha. Yeah, you're probably right. Although it's weird that they wouldn't make sure to translate something like that correctly.

I love how all the names of the Tamagotchi characters are play on words.

Even the name Tamagotchi is a cool play on words.

Maybe I'm just being a stupid newbie, but, here's a fun fact.

Tamago in Japanese means "Egg".

The "tchi" suffix is a portion of the full word for friend in Japanese.

Tomodatchi, is the full word. So the word Tamagotchi, is very similar to Tomodatchi, which means friend.

Which is why many translators translate it as "Egg Friend". Kind of a Japanese tounge-twister.　　The sounds "to" and "ta" are sort of opposites, same with the sounds "mo" and "ma", and "da" and "go".

たまごち

ともだち

Isn't Japanese fun?

面白いだね？

/End Geekiness.