‘It speaks to a heart level,’ Stan Jantz said about translation efforts of ‘The Chosen’
The Come and See Foundation announced it had accomplished a milestone release of more than 50 language translations for the show “The Chosen.”
The foundation has the goal of translating and dubbing the show into 600 languages so the vast majority of people across the globe can watch the show in their own language. Earlier this month, it completed its efforts in more than 50 of those languages with the help of subject matter experts.
So, some of the languages the show has either been translated into and/or dubbed include Swedish, Slovak, Romanian, Punjabi, Malagasy, Korean, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Greek and Czech.
Stan Jantz, the foundation’s CEO, spoke with the Deseret News on the phone to talk about the translation efforts — it’s something he says “speaks to a heart level.”
On translating ‘The Chosen’
Jantz said translating a show into someone else’s primary language speaks to their hearts because it’s the language they grew up speaking. In fact, he used the term “heart language” when speaking about it.
When translating the show, the foundation is careful to ensure that “the translations have the same meaning.” Jantz said the foundation ensures that the meaning of particular words is preserved. Sometimes when doing a one to one translation of a show or book, the one to one translation does not account for language specific idioms or other differences.
Wendi Lord, who oversees translation, wrote on the foundation’s website, “There are some tricky lines to localize!”
“In Season 3, Episode 2, Atticus exclaims, ‘Quintus is going to come out of his sandals when he sees this!’ How do you translate that?” Lord wrote.
Jantz said the goal of the Come and See Foundation’s translation efforts is to ensure that the meaning of the show is preserved and localized.
‘The Chosen’ premiere in theater
Referencing the show’s premiere in São Paulo, Jantz said thousands attended the premiere in the theater and it was shown at hundreds of theaters around the country that weekend. It made him happy to hear the impact the show had on the people there.
The U.S. is the largest market for “The Chosen,” but it’s followed by Brazil, which also has a large number of viewers of the show.
In Warsaw, Poland, the show also was translated. There it wasn’t dubbed or translated with closed captions, Jantz said, it was a voiceover that brought the show to life for the people there.
The impact of translation
The translation work matters to Jantz because of how people relate to the show. Jantz said that when you translate the show, it reaches more people (the 600 language goal covers around 95% of the world) and it also has special meaning for them.
As the Come and See Foundation progresses on its goal, the foundation has invited people to pray for its efforts. “Pray for Come & See as it provides the resources, technology, ministry connections and expertise to further translation of ‘The Chosen’ into 600 heart languages.”
