“Stålmannen går på en krypto-nit” (english title : Superman 3), is one of many, yet extarordinary example of the swedish titles of a foreign films. This following text will try to translate the title and the wordplay it consists of back to the mother tounge of the film; this of cource being english, in a attempt to break the boundaries of translingual communication, to un’confound’1 lan-guage.

II’ll beggin with an attempt at a literal translation of the title. Stålmannen går på en krypto-nit (kryptonit) Superman walks on a krypto-blank (kryptonite)This translated sentence obviously doe’nt make sense, but it makes apparent that it is not meant to be translated literary i.e. ideomatic translation is more suitable. The problem here is the phrase ‘gå på en nit’ witch can be translated ‘to draw a blank’2 (the swedish word nit derives from the dutsh word niet meaing not, witch was introduced to the swedish language in connection with the introduction of the so called Hollandic Lotteries3). This leaves us with Superman draws a krypto-blank, a not as confusing sentence. Although the actual pun witch incorporates the word nit as a sort of suffix for krypto, thus leaving room for reading the sentense either as a literal or a ideomatic sentense (either kryptonite or krypto-blank), and in this way make a suttle reference to a key event in the actual film, when Superman comes into contact with red kryptonite witch makes him evil, in other words : he draws a blank, is semingly impossible to turn into a english wordplay. Making it understanable however seem not so far from reach but at that stage the rerendering makes apparent vertiginous cultural, lingual distances.

Evil Superman.jpg

1Genesis 11:9, King James Bible 2Modern Svensk Engelsk Ordbok, Prisma 3Elof Hellquist, Svensk Etymologisk Ordbok

Turkish Superman.jpg

Solitude is a word witch lacks a swedish counterpart. The swed-ish language contains no word for self-chosen loneliness. No word that could replace solitude in a swedish translation of this sentence : she savoured her few hours of freedom and soli-tude, as used in the definition of the word in the Oxford Diction-ary.

The Fortress of Solitude Seen from Above.jpg

Superman Serves Wine in the Fortress of Solitude.jpg

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; be-cause the Lord did there confound the lan-guage of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. - Genesis 11:3-9, King James Bible

The biblical myth of the origin of ‘confusion of tounges’ actu-ally containes a wordplay, a devine pun of sorts, as a kind of spell, the jumbling of letters in a word, letters in a word in a language, a self fullfilling prophecy.The village in witch the tower of babel was built was named ‘babilu’ after the Akkadian words bab : gate and ilu : ‘god. This etymological meaning is later used against them when god renames the village with an anagram of the hebrew word for mixing : ‘balal’. This jumbled word of jumble becomes Babel, thus making the inhabitants of ‘The Gate of God’ the first vic-tims of this new confusion of tounges, thru the first etymologi-cal lie and the birth of linguistics.

Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth

Therefore was the name of it ca lled Babel; because the LORD did there confound the lan-guage of all the earth; and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. {P}

“For their common nature is no help to friendliness when they are prevented by di-versity of language from conveying their sentiments to one another; so that a man

would more readily hold intercourse with his dog than with a foreigner.” - St. Augustine, City of god