the big request for HELP from Russia!

[southendmd]

16)

Postcard: Friend, this letter is long over due. Coming through on the 24th...
Long over due. It means this postcard should have been (or being -- I'm not sure how to use Perfect Passive tenses) written really long ago and in fact it's not very good that it has come in very long four years after their last meeting, right?

Yes.  

17)

Jack: Right next summer, I drove back up to Brokeback...  Went down to Texas for rodeoing. That's how I met Lureen. Made $2,000 that year, bull riding. Nearly starved.
I don't understand this. If Jack had got 2000 dollars that year, why was he starving?

$2000 per year in 1963 was not a lot of money.  Google tells me that is equivalent to about $15000 a year today, not quite poverty level, but still pretty low.  (In the story, Jack says he had to borrow everything from other guys except a toothbrush.)

18)

Ennis: And the Army didn't get you?
Jack: No, too busted up. And rodeoing ain't what it was in my daddy's day. Got out while l could still walk.
There are two questions appears. First, as I asked, it seems that employment was obligatory, right? So Jack, having no problems with health, coudn't avoid army. And, second, what exactly does he mean saying that rodeo is not what it was earlier?

1) Conscription into the army has nothing to do with employment.  Employment was never "obligatory"; you work to eat.  You don't work, you don't eat.  The army certainly conscripted men with jobs.  (Some jobs may have allowed one to avoid the army, such as clergy, I believe.) However, here Jack is saying that he didn't get drafted/conscripted by the army because he DID have heatlh problems, that is, injuries from the rodeo, "too busted up".  

2) Here, I think Jack refers to rodeoing becoming more challenging physically.  In the story, Jack mentions that "now" there are trained athletes competing in the rodeo, when back in his daddy's day probably anyone could rodeo.

19)

Lureen: I thought you were gonna call.
Jack: I complain too much. That teacher don't like me.
Jack complains??? I hope there are different meanings of this word, because the dictionary's one is... well, strange a bit for Jack. Look, for example, children complain often when the other child takes their toys; or adults complain of having bad life not trying to change it. What exactly  is happening between Jack and Bobby's teacher?

To complain is to argue that something is wrong or to express displeasure.  Jack had probably expressed his displeasure to the teacher that Bobby was having a lot of trouble learning in school.  In the story, Jack says Bobby couldn't get anything right, must be dyslexic or something.

20)

Jack: (To L.D., Lureen's father) ...and you are my guest. Now you sit down before I knock your ignorant ass into next week.
May I translate it just like "...before I throw you out of my house"?

Good translation!

21)

Alma: I'm going to yell for Monroe.
Ennis: You do it and I'll make you eat the f*cking floor.
Alma: Get out!
Ennis: And you, too!
It's not clear for me. Maybe my Subtitles are uncorrect, and Ennis says "I'll make HIM eat the f*cking floor" (and, then, "And you, too!", what is more logical)?

My screenplay reads this way:
Alma: I'm goin' to yell for Monroe.
Ennis:  Go on and f*ckin' yell.  I'll make him eat the f*ckin' floor and you, too.

[southendmd]

22)

Jack: So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain! Everything's built on that! That's all we got, boy. F*cking all. So I hope you know that, if you don't never know the rest!
The last sentence is not understandable for me. It seems for me like that: Jack hopes Ennis realises that they have nothing but BrokebackMountain, but all his Mexico deals are not important, anyway.

That's a tough one.  In context, Jack had just said that they could have had a good life together, but Ennis didn't want it.  Then he says, so all we got now is BBM, etc.  "So I hope you know that, if you don't never know the rest" is a bit vague, but I think "the rest" doesn't refer just to Mexico, but maybe all of Jack's hopes for the two of them. 
Other people may have different thoughts about this sentence.

23)

Lureen: Well, he said it was his favorite place. I thought he meant to get drunk. He drank a lot.
What exactly does Lureen mean? That she thought Brokeback Mountain was the favourite place of Jack to get drunk?

Yes.  "I thought he meant (his favorite place) to get drunk (was there)."

24)

Jack’s father: ...He had some half-baked notion the two of you was gonna move up here, build a cabin, help run the place.
What exactly is half-baked notion? Some kind of idea, that you want to turn into life, but without proper planning, right?

Yes.  A partly processed idea. 

25)

Jack’s mother: I kept his room * like it was when he was a boy. * I think he appreciated that. * You are welcome to go up to his room, if you want.
Well, guys. I have no any translation difficulties here. But I don't understand, what exactly Jack's mom means. "Like it was, when he was a boy"?? But wait a minute, Jack has visited them a couple months ago, and anyway, he's got their shirts there in his room -- and he wasn't BOY already, when he came down from Brokeback -- I mean, maybe she means that she never changed anything in his room ever?

Yes, she never changed anything in his room.  Never moved his childhood things, etc.

26)

Alma Jr: Daddy, you need more furniture.
Ennis: Yeah, well, if you got nothing, you don't need nothing.
In Russian version Ennis says: "If you got nothing, you have nothing to lose". May I leave it like it is in dubbing? It sounds even better, for my opinion.

It's maybe not exactly the same, but it sounds good to me.

[southendmd]

Sorry, Jack, I gave more than just a Yes/No response to your questions.  But, I love talking about our beloved film. 

I have a question for you:  How is "Jack Nasty" translated in Russian?  In French, the subtitles say "Jack contre la nature (Jack against nature)" and in German, they say "Jack das Schwein (Jack the pig)".  It seems translators have taken a lot of liberty with this one. 

[JackFromMoscow]

Sorry, Jack, I gave more than just a Yes/No response to your questions.  But, I love talking about our beloved film.  

I have a question for you:  How is "Jack Nasty" translated in Russian?  In French, the subtitles say "Jack contre la nature (Jack against nature)" and in German, they say "Jack das Schwein (Jack the pig)".  It seems translators have taken a lot of liberty with this one.  

Oh - my - God. I can't just find any words to thank you! I mean, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Now I understand all those moments. And, lol, I dunno what to start with.
Anyway, I finally can finish up my work with dialogues. And translate 'em properly.
There are some extra moments I would like to talk about, but I'll write them later.
And I meant that just short Yes or No would help me and I would be glad of it. But you have done really big job! THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!

Sure I'll explain our variant of "Jack Nasty".
There's a russian word Урод [ur'od]. And saying shortly, its translation is freak. This russian word has meaning (in the first place) of kind of ugly person, with some deviations of his appearance. But we here in Russia use this word so often when want to offend someone, so we almost never think about any deviations of appearance. So it just means "a really bad guy". It is really offensive.
But freak is the most adecvate translation back to English!

So there's one more moment. Here in Russia such names as "Jack F*cking Twist" are understandable only for those who learn English. I mean, word-to-word translation cannot sound properly good. We never say like that; we use such constructions: "F*cking Jack Twist". I mean, if we want to characterize someone, we never place an adjective between First and Last names; only before both of them. F*cking Jack Twist is only variant that sounds good in Russia.
So I s'pose Alma's full phrase was: Jack Nasty Twist, wasn't it? I mean, if she wanted to say it some other way, she had to use verb "to be": Jack IS nasty.
Anyway, that is why russian dubbing sounds like insulting: Alma says, Jack is a freak.
Here she says: "Джек (Jack) — Урод (Freak)". These TWO words actually mean english THREE words — but we have no verb "to be". So the meaning is equal.

If there are any more questions about Russian BB, I would be glad to answer to you! =)

[JackFromMoscow]

Here's some extra information:

Just right now it is already Monday here, and time is about 1:50 after midnight.
And I gotta work tomorrow (in fact, today already). so thank you very much again!

I really like that our -- yes! -- beloved Brokeback Mountain connect people all around the world! =)

[southendmd]

You're very welcome, Jack.  It's been a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  

Like I said, other BetterMostians may have different opinions on some of your questions.  

And, I'd be glad to answer others that you may have.

Thanks for the Jack Nasty/Jack (is a) Freak response.  It's very interesting to me how different languages handle this one.  When Alma says it in English, she really is changing his last name from Twist to Nasty.  "Jack Twist?  Jack Nasty!"

As for JFT, it's not really a typical construction in English, either.  It sounds as if "F*cking" is Jack's middle name.  There is another sort of common phrase:  "Jesus H. Christ" that people use as an exclamation (is the H. for Holy?  I don't know).  Maybe that's where Annie got it from.  

[southendmd]

Here's some extra information:

Just right now it is already Monday here, and time is about 1:50 after midnight.
And I gotta work tomorrow (in fact, today already). so thank you very much again!

I really like that our -- yes! -- beloved Brokeback Mountain connect people all around the world! =)

You bet, Jack!

Spokoynoy Nochi!

[southendmd]

[dontinterrupt]

18)
(JackfromMoscow wrote:
Ennis: And the Army didn't get you?
Jack: No, too busted up. And rodeoing ain't what it was in my daddy's day. Got out while l could still walk.
There are two questions appears. First, as I asked, it seems that employment was obligatory, right? So Jack, having no problems with health, coudn't avoid army. And, second, what exactly does he mean saying that rodeo is not what it was earlier?)


1) Conscription into the army has nothing to do with employment.  Employment was never "obligatory"; you work to eat.  You don't work, you don't eat.  The army certainly conscripted men with jobs.  (Some jobs may have allowed one to avoid the army, such as clergy, I believe.) However, here Jack is saying that he didn't get drafted/conscripted by the army because he DID have heatlh problems, that is, injuries from the rodeo, "too busted up".  

2) Here, I think Jack refers to rodeoing becoming more challenging physically.  In the story, Jack mentions that "now" there are trained athletes competing in the rodeo, when back in his daddy's day probably anyone could rodeo.

Southendmd, I can't fully agree with this one. First off, I think JFM when he says 'employment' means 'conscription/ being drafted', as in signing up for army. And frankly, I don't know if it was obligatory in the US at that time, I can suppose it was seeing as Jack said "if the army don't get me" back in '63, meaning they were probably recruiting everyone of age at that time. And also, JFM, you said " So Jack, having no problems with health, coudn't avoid army" - that's exactly what he means by "No, too busted up" - that he was not physically fit to join the army, because of rodeoing. In the original story, Jack then goes on to describe his injuries. Hope that cleared that one up for you.
As to your second question, by "rodeo ain't what it was in my daddy's day", Jack means (it's my own interpretation) that now it is all about money and athletic training. I think that's what he means because, to quote the original story: "See, it ain’t like it was in my daddy’s time. It’s guys with money go to college, trained athaletes. You got a have some money to rodeo now" (copyright: Annie Proulx).

I'm gonna look through all these again and I'll try to come up with some more answers for your translation project queries. I hope I can be of some help for you, because I'm a brit-polish and I think Polish is much more similar to Russian so I get exactly why you would be confused with some of the idioms etc etc

[JackFromMoscow]

I really appreciate that my topic has made the whole discussion!
And I'm very sorry, as I said, my English is poor and I need some words from your messages to translate. It takes much time.
So this topic is another big job for me. Because I want to understand every word of BB.

Speaking of army, it seems I've chosen not a good word -- employment. Look, what I wanted to say.

How is it in Russia. When you become 18 years old, you have to join our army. It is just one year you should be there. You can avoid it (not join) only having problems with health. So, as I said earlier, it's quite dangerous here to join the Army these days -- I'm not about being sent to war, but danger is all what happening there. So there are a lot of guys who just afraid to join it; and a lot of mothers who don't want their sons join it. We have very widespreaded corruption here, so you can just pay some money (about 3000$ as I know) to "get" a decease.
So I just want to know, how was it in US in 1963. In fact, I just need Ennis's phrase to say in Russian:

Are you going to join the army, Jack, voluntarily/of one's own accord/of one's own free will (these are from dictionary for better understanding)
OR
What about army? Won't it get you?

So the point is, does Jack want to join or he has to join.
I hope I make it clear.
It's terrible having such — maybe, not really bad, — but slooooooooow English.

P.S. For you to know, this post took 25 minutes.