A very important dimension of the Bla Bla Bla is the written chat, that gives the show a different feel, because you are there, with us, and interact on everything that is going on on the set. Every time, to read your comments and reactions on the chat give us a well-needed spark on an early morning after pulling another all-nighter.
And in the shadows, on the chat, are those who are playing a very important role, but that we do not always notice… our dearest translators! They are the ones working very hard (and as fast as they can), to translate everything real time, so that all of you, no matter where you’re from, can understand all what is being said!!!
In this blog, you’ll be able to discover the other side of the Bla Bla Bla… Behind the cameras, on the chat, and know what it’s like… 🙂
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Marcel
With us since this summer, Marcel is from a little town in Germany, and he came to the YFE headquarters for a certain time to help us reach out to German people in a more local fashion. It is thanks to him that you can now read some of the blogs in German! He may seem shy at first, but you’re never going to hear anyone express his happiness and joy of living with such a loud “hourra!” as he!
Marcel, you’ve been doing live translation of the Bla Bla Bla: The Live Show episodes since the very beginning… In the middle of 2012, you arrived here, at the YFE headquarters. How was the change different for you, on a translation level?
Well on a translation level I can say it got better for me. You know, when I was at home and did the translation while watching the Bla Bla Bla I had a lot of trouble with the internet connection at home. And also while watching you have sometimes some adds, so it can happen that the band talks about something very important and you can’t translate because there’s an add. Something else that also happened a few times was that I got disturbed by someone from my family. For the last Bla Bla Bla it was different because I could see and hear the band live without any screen between me and them and that makes it in a way easier because there’re no adds or something else, like a slow internet connection or whatever, that could cause problems to understand what the band is sharing about. And also on a personal level it’s different because there’s way more excitement around. When I was in Germany I was always excited for the Bla Bla Bla’s because I wanted to see what’s new. And well here there’s even more excitement because we’re many people together, so it creates something even bigger, in a positive way! So it’s a very special experience and I already can’t wait for the next Bla Bla Bla 😉
Is there anything you find hard when you do translation on the chat?
I need to admit though that there’re so many things going on in the chat that I don’t always see everything as I need to focus on the chat but also on what the band says. Fortunately I have Claudia who’s a great help with the translation!!
In 1 word, what do you like best about doing translation during the Bla Bla Bla?
That’s actually a tough question and even harder to say in only one word. I would say “reaction”. And what I mean is to see how people react and interact in the chat with each other. It’s always great to see people share in their language with people from their country but also to see people from different countries share with each other in English. I mean when you think about it it’s so incredible because people connect with each other and it goes beyond any borders. And the reason why they connect is us and our music. To think about it just amazes me.
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Juliette
Juliette is from Lille, in the north of France, and following a short summer trip to visit us, she came back a few months later and never left us since then. When videos/blogs/anything else aren’t done in French, she is the one translating them, and she’s also in touch with many of you, as well as working to bring Your Favorite Enemies to have their very own home in France! Nothing would be the same without that little touch of French humor and sarcasm she brings us, as only French people could do.
Juliette, we also have an all-French speaking Bla Bla Bla edition that follows the English one since the 4th edition of the show. While you interact and exchange with people on the chat during the French edition, you are more focused on translation during the English one. We can see many French speaking people who attend both editions… Does that bring a change in what’s going on on the chat? Can you feel a difference?
It’s a huge privilege to have this second edition of the Bla Bla Bla: The Live Show in a French language. Hopefully, Quebec French is somewhat similar to the French we speak in France! lol! But seriously, there really is a difference, that we can clearly see on the chat. While during the English version of the show I need to translate everything the band says, I can jump from a topic to another as the band talks, interact with people on the chat and relate what’s happening on the set during the French edition of the show. It’s somewhat more relaxed in the French version. Or maybe is that only me, as I can live and enjoy the show with everyone.
As you translate the Bla Bla Bla, you need to listen carefully to everything that’s going on the set while you keep an eye on the chat to share with people and answer their questions, and that makes the whole experience quite a difficult one; you don’t want to miss anything, nor on the set, nor on the chat. You somehow need to stay alert to everything that’s going on all around you! And I believe that during the English show, French people talk a lot more between themselves as they do not always understand what’s being said. I would say it’s like a warm-up for them.
But I really want to thank the band and the whole team who’s working on the Bla Bla Bla for doing a French version. It is a unique privilege, and it requires for everyone to be in front of the camera for at least 4 hours. We do it for the people, and it is really worth it. Thanks to all of you at home for taking part in all those moments the way you do it, adding magic, joy, and laughter!
In 1 word, what do you like best about doing translation during the Bla Bla Bla? Something you do not like?
– You need to understand even more what’s being said. As you need to translate it, you need to carefully listen to every word, to every meaning.
– The fear of missing something that’s important and being unable to share it with people would be what I think I dislike most.
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Momoka
Momoka arrived with us at the YFE headquarters around 2 years ago, a few days before a Bla Bla Bla, actually, the one where the band performed the song I Just Want You To Know live on the set. She is in charge of the Japanese community, translating blogs, texts, posts, and making sure that Japanese people feel the special heart we have for them through every little thing she does. Small, maybe, she probably is one of the tallest woman I’ve been given to see in my life!
I have often heard you say how difficult it was to translate live, because, well, we all know the guys do talk a lot! What is it exactly that you find most difficult?
As my aim, I want people to feel that they are living the same thing as people on the set… when the guys are laughing, I want people to laugh about the same thing and almost at the same time. But when they start to joke around, it’s very hard because it could be inside jokes that people don’t understand at all or the jokes themselves are not funny at all if I translated in Japanese. lol The humor is based on the cultures and the customs… but we are lucky because we have Sef who is funny beyond culture and even the planet! lolol
Many Japanese people will also attend the French edition, despite not understanding a word of French and the very late hour in Japan (1 or 2 am, depending on the season, on Mondays!). And we do see a lot of people commenting in Japanese! What are you guys talking about?
It’s very funny to answer this question!! Well… basically, we are talking about the topic the band members are talking… but we go further than the English one! Because we saw the show already, so we know the topics… when you see thigs for the first time, you just react spontaniously but for the second time, you can think and can have opinions. So we discuss deeply about it together around 1 or 2am! lol Once we talked about the music when the band did the live performance of the songs from Vague Souvenir… how powerful the music is, even if we don’t understand the words… there is no boundaries when it’s real and honest… the sounds talk to your heart… that was very very deep and inspiring!!!!!
In 1 word, what do you like best about doing translation during the Bla Bla Bla? Something you do not like?
– Something I like the best is to be able to be a bridge between the band members and people! It’s challenging but I like it! 😉
– Something I don’t like is… when Matt told us to be careful about the sounds of typing on the computer! lolol
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Irene
Met through social networks, as many of you, Irene has been very faithful in translating pretty much everything that the band is doing, be it blogs, fb posts and even videos and sharing the info on the famous Russian social network VKontakte! Faithful, passionate and honest, she always brings a fresh wind wherever she goes!
Irene, you have been doing a lot of live translation during the Bla Bla Bla episodes, missing only a very few ones of them. And it is awesome to see all of this… How do you feel when you see new people on the chat, talking and commenting in Russian?
I’ve always had an eager desire for other people in my country to get a chance to experience that overwhelming love, encouragement, hope, inspiration — and so many more precious gifts — YFE and the worldwide family of ours have been generously offering me through the years. And I see Bla Bla Bla as one of the most perfect & easy-to-approach ways to the YFE Circus where people can receive all that in plenty. Every time a Russian friend tells me they are planning to be there for the show’s next episode, I get really excited — for them, as I believe they are going to have a great time, and for all of us, as the more participants there are, the more wonderful the whole experience gets. And when I see them communicate with people from as close as Russia, and as far as Australia; comment on what is happening LIVE on the set and just have fun, I feel happy beyond words! It’s truly a privilege and deep joy to witness those short messages, smileys or just know them to be somewhere there, on their sides of the screens, — the first fruitage of people’s decision to shoo their fears away, open the door for the unknown, let something — heartfelt or crazy, yet always true — in their homes and hearts and accept the love that is waiting for them right there, a single click away..
In 1 word, what do you like best about doing translation during the Bla Bla Bla? Something you do not like?
May I use some more than a word, please?..lol
Translating allows me to let everything that happens on the set through my heart and thus, feel it to the very core, which, in turn, allows me to help people understand it better. Yet, it also gives me a good chance to miss some parts of the show while I’m trying to squeeze a translated idea of a previous piece in a chat message, as things often gets longer when turn Russian 🙂 An available amount of characters/words is never enough for me, you see?..lol