Another part of finding differences between polish and english dub of ninjago! As promised, today I'm dissecting the first season!
But before we get to that, some language quirks that may need to be explained:
Diminutive and Augmentative.
Diminutive (or in short DIM) is used to change the word, to express different meanings. You use it to point out somethings small size or your affection and tenderness towards it; often used to create pet names and nicknames (think cat → kitty, mom → mommy, Charles → Charlie). Sometimes used as an insult, usually in sarcasting light.
Augmentative (in short AUG) is the opposite of that: used to point out bigger size, dislike, make an insult or a joke. It usually has negative emotions attached to it. There are few exceptions, but those mostly rely on context.
For simplicities sake, DIM → affectionate; small. AUG → insulting; big. Keep these in mind, as they'll be popping up in here and in the future.
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With that out of the way, let's begin!
Rise of the Snakes | Rok węży (Year of the snakes)
I've wondered for some time why this change was made, and the only conclusion I came up with is that translating 'Rise', would remind people of things like uprisings or revolutions. That being said, I don't mind this change.
1. Rise of the Snakes | Atak Węży (Attack of the Snakes)
• In english the word 'prophecy' is being explained, but in polish the ”fancier” synonym of prophecy is used (proroctwo), and the explanation is basically 'this word means prophecy' (przepowiednia).
• Jay: "Did I say Green Ninja? I meant lean ninja!" → "Miałem na myśli strapiony ninja!" (I meant distressed ninja!)
• Jay: "Nya, you're okay!" → "Nya, ty żyjesz!" (You're alive!)
2. Home | Dom
• Kai: "You mean you never had a home?" → "Nie masz domu?" (You don't have a home?) What's also interesting here is that in polish is there's no difference between home and house. So you could understand it as "You don't have a house?" and it wouldn't be wrong.
• Cuckoo bird is translation to 'Głuptak' (Northern gannet). In polish its name is a combination of 'stupid' (głupi) and 'bird' (ptak).
• Slither Pit is translated to 'Abyss of the Fangs' (Otchłań Kłów)
• Fang-kwondo → Tae-kły-ndo (Kły - fangs) I think it's an amazing pun, as only one vowel is changed from the original word ('ł' is pronounced the same way english 'w' is, so the only change is 'o' → 'y').
3. Snakebit | Ukąszeni ([they were] Bitten)
Edit: While checking something I noticed the title I've noted here, is not the only title used, as some sources (like Wikipedia) state the name of the episode as 'Ukąszenie' (The Bite). The title that is read in the episode is 'Ukąszeni', and sites like polish Ninjago Wiki or Dubbingpedia use it (curiously enough, when I checked the DVD the name that was displayed was 'Ukąszeni', while the DVD cover used 'Ukąszenie'). That's either a later translation change that didn't get corrected, or a simple spelling error. One letter and so much confusion!
• Fangpyre is translated to Żmijampir ('Żmija' - viper, '-ampir' is from polish for vampire, 'wampir') Don't get attached to the name though.
• Lloyd calls himself "the rightful ruler of Serpentine".
• "Fangpyre bit off more than we can chew." → "Żmijampiry najpierw gryzą, a potem myślą." (Fangpyre first bite, then they think.)
• When the ninja get new vehicles, Cole says this about Rocky: "I think he just got replaced." In polish it's "Chyba już za nim nie tęsknię." (I don't think I miss him anymore)
4. Never Trust a Snake | Nie ufaj wężom (Don't trust the snakes)
• Constrictai → Dusiciele. Dusiciel literally means Strangler or Constrictor.
• Venomari → Jadozęby (Jad - venom, zęby - teeth)
• Pythor P. Chumsworth → Pyton P. Przyjazny (Python P. Friendly) don't get used to that one either.
• Fangpyre are called Wężampiry here ("Węż" - is taken from the adjective form of "snake"[wężowy], or from plural form [węże])
5. Can of Worms | Węże na wolności (Snakes at large)
this episode has taken most space in my notebook!
• Lloyd: "Saw Cole beat your high score. You should have seen it. It was pretty spectacular." → "Wujek Cole pobił twój rekord. Grał fantastycznie i o wiele lepiej od ciebie." (Uncle Cole beat your high score. He played fantastically and way better than you.)
Look babe, a new headcanon just dropped— Honestly I was so surprised by the 'uncle' that i replayed the line a few times to make sure I heard it right. And it's clearly there. After the initial surprise, I started to wonder where that translation could've come from, and the only idea I had was that the translator had mixed up Cole for Wu. But who knows? Maybe it was intentional? I certainly don't mind it.
• When Kai says that Lloyd must've seen Cole play the Sitar Legend, the name of the game is changed to Solitaire. I understand the need for change, as I don't think that many people would have caught the Guitar Hero reference, but I can't help but wish the name had stayed, if only for it being a subtle hint of Cole's past, and the fact that Zane later uses Sitar Legend poster for camouflage.
• When Jay asks when will Wu teach them to paralyze the enemy with one finger, it's changed to paralyze with gaze
• 'Pyton' is changed to 'Pytor'. There are few instances in this and later episodes where the 'Pythor' (with english pronounciation) is used.
• Fangpyre are now 'Wężowampiry'. This one stays. Personally I prefer 'Żmijampiry', but that might be because as a child I had the first four episodes on DVD, and simply got more attached to this one.
• Pinky → Świnka (Piggy; DIM of Pig)
• When Zane addresses the Samurai on the Toxic Bogs, he refers to 'him' as 'Mysterious Warrior', but in polish dub it's changed to 'Dark Samurai'. I don't think it's a good decision, as the later scene is about explaining who Samurais are, and starts with the rest of the ninja not knowing how to call 'him'.
• The Great Devourer is translated to "The Devourer of the Worlds" (Pożeracz Światów) I think it's a good decision, given that the literal translation of GD would sound kinda... lame in polish? Idk maybe it's just me/childhood nostalgia.
• Ninjago City is often referred to as the capital of Ninjago throughout the series, with sometimes being just Ninjago City (not translated), or in case of Rebooted - New Ninjago City (with only 'new' being translated).
• The popsicle stand joke isn't present. It's just "zostawmy ich w tyle" (let's leave them behind), which I wouldn't mind, if not for the fact that there's a perfect opportunity for a joke that is missed - in polish there's an idiom "zostawić kogoś na lodzie" (leave someone on ice) and like. it's right there.
• In english Lloyd says he did twenty laundry loads, but in polish he did ten. This is most likely due of the number of syllables the words have: twenty in polish has three (dwa-dzie-ścia), and ten has two syllables (dzie-sięć).
6. The Snake King | Król Węży (King of the Snakes)
• The Great Devourer is translated literally- Wielki Pożeracz. This is the only example of this happening in the polish dub.
• Not really translation issue, but when Skales is talking to the Serpentine behind the arcade, he's clearly voiced by a different person? And when he's walking to the bus it's back to normal. It's weird.
• Pythor refers to the GD as "the ruler of us all" (Władca nas wszystkich)
• Wu called Lloyd "siostrzeniec" (nephew).
Now, you might wonder: ‘what's wrong with that?’ The thing is, in polish there are two ways to address nephew/niece: if it's your sister's child, it's siostrzeniec/siostrzenica; if your brother's - bratanek/bratanica.
To be fair siostrzeniec/siostrzenica is a bit more popular version to use, and I've heard some people refer to their brother's child like that, or vice versa. Heck, it's sometimes treated as a general term, and translators tend to use it when it's unclear what the family connection is.
But.
Throughout the series Wu has always used 'bratanek' to address Lloyd. I'd probably have less problem with it if Lloyd was established as 'siostrzeniec' from the start, but I'll be lying if I said i wasn't paying special attention to catch this potential slip-up.
In the end you can write it off as just a translation inconsistency/error, or if you're feeling nitpicky: Wu just called Garmadon his sister.
• Jay calls the GD a "deity".
• "Iron sharpens iron, sibling sharpens sibling" → "Żelazo kuje żelazo, a rodzeństwo się wspiera." (Iron forges iron, and siblings support each other).
7. Tick-Tock | Czas ucieka (Time's running out)
• "The guy's inhuman!" →"On chyba ma skrzela!" (I think he has gills!) Not to be mean, but the translator might've missed the point
• Kai called the Falcon "Durne ptaszysko" (Dumb bird; with AUG of bird being used here). Kai refers to the Falcon as "ptaszysko" a few times in various episodes.
• Treehorn → Drzewozwierzę (Drzewo - Tree; Zwierzę - Animal)
• Mystaké's "Never heard of it" → "Nie wiem o czym mowa" (I don't know what you're talking about). I'm putting it here, as it's Mystaké's catch-phrase, and for future reference regarding translations.
• Nindroid is changed to Ninjadroid. In later seasons both versions tend to be used, with Nindroid dominating as the seasons progress.
8. Once bitten twice shy | Spotkanie z wężem (A meeting with a snake)
• Garmadon: "What has Lloyd gotten himself into?" → "W jakie tarapaty tym razem się wpakował?" (What trouble has he gotten himself into this time?) Suggesting that Garmadon had been in contact with Lloyd, or at the very least have been keeping tabs on him.
• Cole, when referring to Jay "Mr. Fancy" → "Panie Ładny" (Mr. Pretty)
• In polish dub Wu says that Lloyd opened all five tombs.
• Garmadon (about Lloyd wanting to be evil): "I never wanted him to." → "Szkoda, że tego nie uniknął." (It's a pity he hasn't mananged to avoided it)
• Kai: "Not so fast!" → "Ręcę do góry!" (Hands up!) I'm mentioning it only because in season 8 there's a callback to this line.
9. The Royal Blacksmiths | Kowale melodii (Blacksmiths of melody)
• Kai when talking to Zane: Mr. Roboto → Panie Tosterze (Mr. Toaster)
• When Jay mispronounces the name of the school Cole went to, he says "Instytut Pieśni i Grzańca" (Institute of Song and Mulled Wine)
10. The Green Ninja | Zielony Ninja
• When the Ninja talk to Wu about True Potentials, he says "Have you now?" In polish it's "Nie żartujesz?" (No kidding?)
• Garmadon (to Kai): "So, we meet again." → "Witaj. Dobrze Cię widzieć." (Hello. Good to see you.)
• "Get ready to get Kai'd!" → "Po-kai-asz się przed Kaiem!" I can't really tell what verb is 'kai' replacing ('po' is often added to verbs, and "asz" is added to the second singular person in present tense), my best guess is "You tremble before Kai!" or something along the lines.
Edit: as @imma-ben pointed out, the verb I was looking for is "pokajać się" (to confess remorsefully). Thanks for the correction!
• Garmadon refers to Lloyd as "Synku" (DIM of Son) a few times.
11. All of Nothing | Wszystko i nic (Everything and Nothing)
• Kai: "Jay and Nya rejiggered the design." → "Jay i ja przerobiliśmy pancerz." (Jay and I redid the suit.) I had a bit of problem with this one because in polish 'i ja' (and I) sounds exactly like Nya, but without an 'N'. I replayed this line a bunch of times, even asked my brothers what they hear, and we all agreed it said 'i ja'. Though I don't rule out the possibilty of it just being some audio problem.
• Lloyd: "You left me for so long." → "Zostawiłeś mnie całkiem samego." (You left me all alone.)
• Lloyd: "We don't want your help, and we don't need you here." → "Nie chcę twojej pomocy i nie chcę żebyś był tu z nami." (I don't want your help, and I don't want you to be here with us.) Lloyd also often adds 'to us' when talking about/to Garmadon (you came back! → you came back to us!)
• Lloyd: "My dad's going back to where he came from." → "Mój tata wrócił do krainy ciemności." (My dad came back to the realm of darkness.) Is this realm of darkness supposed to be the Realm of Madness? Another translation of Underworld? Who knows!
• Vengestone isn't really translated. It's just "a special material, that blocks our elemental power".
• Kai: "Now, we quietly do a little ball and chain." → "Teraz, pora po cichu pobawić się w Tarzana." (Now, it's time to quietly play Tarzan) Besides the obvious Disney reference, Tarzan in Poland is also the name of a popular backyard game: you find the right tree branch, with free spaces under it. You tie a long, steady line around the branch, so it's hanging above the ground, and you leave a loop at the end of the line. You either use a chair, a different branch, or whatever else to jump off it and catch the line and you start to swing. Or you walk in to the loop so it's around you (around the torso-butt level), you start to run around, and when you've gathered enough speed, you jump, and you start to circle around with your feet off the ground. Or you sit in it, with your feet already off the ground, and someone else pushes you until you're fast enough to swing on your own. It's really fun.
12. The Rise of the Great Devourer | Przebudzenie Pożeracza Światów (The Awakening of the Devourer of the Worlds)
• Kai says "The Fangblades are made from the orginial teeth of the Devourer." "Ostrza wykonano z zębów pierwszego Pożeracza." (The Blades were made from the teeth of the first Devourer.) That suggests that there was more than one Devourer.
• Jay: "Don't let go!"
Kai: "You think I don't know that?" → "Myślisz, że chciałem Cię puścić?" (You think I wanted to let you go?)
• Pythor: "For I have awakened you!"→ "Gdyż to ja obudziłem Cię ze snu stuleci!" (For I have awakened you from centuries-long dream!)
13. The Day of the Great Devourer | Dzień Pożeracza Światów
• 'Take Back Ninjago' is translated to 'Obrońcy Ninjago' (Protectors of Ninjago)
And that's it for season 1! At the time of writing this, this one takes the most space in my notebook (I'm starting season 4), with total of six A5 pages (keep in mind that not every single note I made gets here. Sometimes I combine them into one paragrath (like with inconsistencies), or decide they're not worth mentioning after all.) The Pilots took only two pages.
Next up is Legacy of the Green Ninja, which I may or may not combine with Rebooted, given how little notes I've taken for season 3.










