Italian vs. English #1: “Into the Depths of Andros” (Winx Club Season 8, Episode 8)

Welcome to “Italian vs. English”, where I compare lines from the Italian and English Winx Club scripts. How do the differences affect the mood, impact, and/or interpretation of the scene?

Let’s kick this off with “Into the Depths of Andros” (Winx Club season 8, episode 8), the first half of the first Sirenix arc. (Didn’t know there would be two this season.) By the way, I’m using these English subs for the Italian script.

1. Flowers and Advice

Italian

Nex: Here you are finally! I wanted to give you these. Everything will be fine. Relax. Don’t insist on learning the speech by heart.
Aisha: Sorry, Nex, but I need to concentrate.

English

Nex: There you are! I just wanted to give you these. It’ll be fine. Relax. Don’t get hung up on memorizing every word.
Aisha: Sorry, Nex, but I need to be alone and focus.

English Nex sounds more excited than Italian Nex, especially the way Marc Thompson delivered the “There you are!” part. By the way, why does Nex say that? Was he looking for Aisha? Maybe that’s why he called her in the previous scene.

Why wouldn’t he know where she was? Did he get lost in the palace or something? Or maybe he just arrived from Redfountain. Hmmm…. ?

Anyway, the Italian script adds ”finally” (finalmente) to Nex’s first sentence. That makes him sound impatient rather than happy. Maybe he was waiting for Aisha to get ready.

Aisha’s lines are similar, but there’s a major difference in the English script: “I need to be alone.” First of all, Nex distracted her with his supportive texts in the previous scene, so she isn’t happy to see him in this scene. “I need to be alone” is a nice way to say, “Go away!” ?

But more importantly, the English line fits her personality better. Nex wants to help her, but she tends to withdraw herself from others when she’s stressed or afraid. By the end of the arc, she understands it’s okay to let people help her sometimes.

2. Under Pressure

Italian

Nex: I know how much that speech meant to you.
Aisha: I wanted to astonish my parents and make them proud, but I messed up instead.
Nex: Believe me, everyone saw how much you cared about it. A moment of embarrassment can happen to anybody when under pressure. Let people help you.

English

Nex: I know how important that speech was to you.
Aisha: I wanted to impress my parents and make them proud of me, but I made a mess out of it.
Nex: Trust me, we all understood how important it was to you. Anyone can get tongue-tied in a moment of stress. Just let the others help.

I don’t have much to say about this scene. The scripts are basically the same, and the differences don’t change the interpretation or mood. The only part I don’t like is English Nex’s line, “Anyone can get tongue-tied in a moment of stress.”

“A moment of stress”? ? Who says that? Why not “a stressful moment”? Or better yet: “Anyone can get tongue-tied when they’re stressed out.” That sounds more natural and more like something Nex would say.

Sorry. Just nitpicking.

3. The Couple That Fights Together

Italian

Nex: Thanks, Aisha. See? Teamwork always works.
Aisha: You’re right. Sorry for pushing you away before. I know you wanted to help me, but I was only thinking about not letting my parents and my people down. So…shall we team up together?
Nex: I didn’t think you’d ask me.

English

Nex: Thanks, Aisha. See? Teamwork never fails.
Aisha: You’re right. Sorry I pushed you away before. I know you wanted to help, but I was too focused on not disappointing my parents and my people. So…power couple team up?
Nex: I thought you’d never ask.

The Italian script sounds boring to me. Aisha and Nex’s personality shine through more in the English script. Plus, look at what she calls herself and Nex: a “power couple”. That reveals what she thinks about him and their relationship. They’re strong by themselves, but even stronger together.

I love this! Winx Club is full of standard, lovey-dovey, fairy tale couples, but there aren’t a lot of battle couples. This scene highlights how unique Aisha and Nex’s relationship is (in more ways than one).

That’s a wrap for now. Next time, I’ll look at “The Light of Gorgol” (Winx Club season 8, episode 9).