Hello, hello!
This is Dr Bekelauer back from the shadows of oblivion. I promised Dr Booker to write this forever ago, and I have to confess I feel a little embarrassed by how long it has taken me to get back in track. So, while stuffing my face on purple Skittles (yeah, most people hate them, that’s why I get them for free), I shall write what PepSi meant to me.
For this, I am going to recall an incident that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. While riding home from work on my bike, I was pulled over by the Strathclyde police and I was asked if I were Spanish and if I could help them being the interpreter or a poor Spanish boy who did not understand a word of English and was in a care home for the homeless. Very random, yet true. I was standing there, trying to get a fellow citizen and the police communicate for like a half hour, and when I left, I felt amazing. I didn’t feel anything for the boy, who was in trouble, or ‘proud’ to be of use to the police, but happy that I had done something that for me, in these troubled times, means a lot: I translated. I was the translator.
My story and my feelings for PepSi are sort of the same now. The excuse of the TV show helped me open some mental doors and tear some psychological barriers down and despite it’s over, despite I’m sort of sad of how everything finished, at the same time I am very, very happy, because it meant something for me, in a sense that probably nobody else can feel. And that also makes me feel special – I feel for PepSi, and PepSi changed my life in a completely radical way than it did to a lot of other people. Because PepSi didn’t open my eyes to accepting myself or to normality, or to love – real life did all that for me; they, however, opened a very big door for me, and put me back in track in the translation mind. All the motivation I had lost and all the hopes that were ruined by months of ostracism from job offers, came back with even more strength ever since I became Head of the Translation Department.
Maybe you expected something different, and this will sound terribly geeky, but translation, for me, is probably the only thing in the world I genuinely have a passion for and love sincerely. With the only exception of my coffee maker hehe. People will come and go from my life, but that will always remain. And if I know that, it's because and thanks to PepSi.
So thanks very much,
Dr Bekelauer
7 comments:
Hey Dr. Bekelauer,
What a cute entry!
Thank you so much for your translation efforts. Much, much appreciated by all us international PepSi fans!
And I totally understand the heroism that you probably feel as a translator. Really, when you come down to it, virtually all human conflict is a result of the simple fact that we don't speak each other's language -- whether one takes that literally or metaphorically. Funny that it took a sweet lesbian OTP on a silly Spanish show to bring together so many people from so many different countries, but there you have it ... the creation of a shared linguistic space. And the translation work of people like you and others on PepSi U and in the PepSi-verse have helped catalyze this phenomenon.
Well done! Thanks once again for your translation efforts! Despite the ill-advised ending that LHdP's producers chose for PepSi, I still believe that the creation of this space was well worth that effort.
This is a really nice story. I am grateful and a bit jealous of your skills. I was just trying to find an English subtitled version of the show "Para Vestir Santos" and was just thinking that I hope there is someone out there who likes translating enough to give this a go! It makes me really happy to see shows being made with lesbian couples in them, and sad at the same time that they are usually in languages I do not know! What you have done is not only a very nice thing to do, but also has allowed me to experience another world I would otherwise be unable to, if even just a slice of it.
So thank you! ... And would you be interested in taking a look at "Para Vestir Santos"??? hehe. I know it's not the same as "Lost Hombres de Paco". It's Argentinian, is not about police, and it probably has nothing in common with LHDP except that so far it looks interesting, has a cute couple, and I cannot understand most of what is said. Anyway, just a thought now that LHDP is over and I've enjoyed your translations...
Thanks for all you've done :)
You crossed a world of barriers while doing something you loved. Thats a fantastic thing! Personally I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your translations brought a great love story to life (call me a sap but I love the Pepsi story) and you opened my life to the wonderful, witty people that make up the Pepsi University.
Dr. Bekelauer I know how time consuming and difficult it is to translate a foreign series for an international audience. Particularly the slang and references made to a unique culture. I have little to no knowledge of the Spanish culture and tv shows but thanks to your detailed descriptions and explanations I know a lot more about a fellow European country, its people and habits.
Please continue what makes you happy. Over the past year I have learned one thing from PepSi and that's to create your own happiness. Live life like there's no tomorrow, that's my new motto.
I'm sure you are aware of the many subtitles sites were you can continue what you do so well, translate movies and tv shows. I downloaded the English subs for Eloise. I can only hope they are as good as your PepSi translations.
Good luck and thanks again. Be happy.
Scoopgirl
Since antena3 pulled almost all the Pepsi clips with tranlations, and the "Silvia" too, pepsienglish2 and pepsiLHDP, but some, a lot from various sources are left but some of the new fans don' t understand Spanish Comments often are frustated fans but is kind of amazing every day there are new fans for both LHDP and Pepsi. Personally, I visit here sometimes, I guess the U. is closed definetely. I had hoped maybe at 5 years anniversary, antena3 would do something special but I guess leave well enough alone. Marian wouldn' t agree, I don' t think. Silvia Castro is dead and stays dead.
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