Commentary on TNT and other WB brands

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

I have to admit that Worre is actually a quite good commentator.

He is decent enough I think, but its hard to forgive him after what he did to you-know-who. Nothing special tho imo, just above mediocre.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Would someone please tell Jonathan Edwards that neither Barbin nor Battaglin is French, so that nasal schwa and dropped n at the end are entirely inappropriate. I don't mind if he is not confident/competent to render an accurate Italian rendition, but applying the pronunciation principles of a third language is plain stupid.

 

[argyllflyer]

Re:

Would someone please tell Jonathan Edwards that neither Barbin nor Battaglin is French, so that nasal schwa and dropped n at the end are entirely inappropriate. I don't mind if he is not confident/competent to render an accurate Italian rendition, but applying the pronunciation principles of a third language is plain stupid.

Rob Hatch on the case.

 

[Scarponi]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

 

[argyllflyer]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

 

[RedheadDane]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

If he feels more comfortable speaking in Spanish...

 

[staubsauger]

Maybe it's just smoother for Eurosport to let him fluently talk in Spanish and translate it with recorded stuff.

 

[the delgados]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

Agreed. Flecha's enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge is second to none.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

Agreed. Flecha's enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge is second to none.

But the live "translation" over the top misses a lot of what he says, so it may as well be the observations of someone less knowledgeable.

 

[movingtarget]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

His English is heavily accented.

 

[staubsauger]

This half-baked translations heavily annoy me on German Eurosport as well. Gosh, we're not in the 90s anymore, where most older people didn't understand English. It's no longer up to date, to talk about a person's speech. Half of the content always gets lost in hectic translation and it's hard to focus on the original statement only!

 

[argyllflyer]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

His English is heavily accented.

It is but he has spoken (regularly) on Eurosport in English ever since retiring. I don't think he was great doing the live stuff pre and post race but the recons were fine as I would guess they were a bit more scripted. I'm far less interested in these pieces when it's Jon Harris-Bass or AN Other doing a basic translation over the top.

 

[Lequack]

I agree with you guys, I loved Flecha speaking English, I never had any problems understanding it. Also when he interviewed people or conversed with others. Just the energy in his voice and how he's always smiling. But this overdub now is just bad, annoying and I don't like to watch it. I hope they go back, this was not a good decision.

 

[Akuryo]

Reichenbach in the break and Kirby is having a field day...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

That Max Saxman though, what a talent

 

[Cycle Chic]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

Agreed. Flecha's enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge is second to none.

well thats because he was a pro cyclist...durrr.....and commentators should have a good knowledge of their sport - hear that Carlton aka Delgados.

Eurosport must pay minimum wage because no-one is willing to take Kirbys role as lead commenatator, chief idiot. I cant think of any other reason as to why Eurosport dont, cant replace him.

 

[the delgados]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

Agreed. Flecha's enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge is second to none.

well thats because he was a pro cyclist...durrr.....and commentators should have a good knowledge of their sport - hear that Carlton aka Delgados.

Eurosport must pay minimum wage because no-one is willing to take Kirbys role as lead commenatator, chief idiot. I cant think of any other reason as to why Eurosport dont, cant replace him.

Oh, Cycle. Now now, little buddy.
I can think of one reason why Kirby is still employed. Ready now, Cycle? It's because he gets positive feedback from casual observers of the sport.
Casual cycling fans like his occasionally witty turns of phrase and his laid back approach. They also like it when he lights up like a Christmas tree in in the finale of a stage.
I can assure you, Cycle, that he would be kicked to the curb if the bigwigs at Eurosport didn't think he was an asset.
I know these are trying times for you, Cycle. A grand Tour takes a long time to complete. But I'm afraid you are stuck with my man Carlton Kirby along the way.
Be well.
P.S. Here's a suggestion. Link to the Hebrew station that is covering the Giro. That's the only option I have on Steephill. I would dearly love to hear the gentle whispers of my man Carlton Kirby, but the station from Israel is all I can get.
p.p.s. Please tell us: How old are you?

 

[MartinGT]

Brian Smith re Etna stage last year "It was a bit of a damp Squid"

 

[therealthing]

Kirby making Flintstones references in the last 5km... disgrace.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Kirby letting everyone know that Kelly had punched the air when Bennett won was pretty funny. Kelly normally does a very good job of hiding his biases, particularly by the low standards of English language Eurosport. That’s helped by his uninflected delivery but also reflects an old pros cynicism - he doesn’t sugar the pill when things are going wrong for riders he likes. Bennett though has been his protege from a young age (only Irish sprinter since Kelly, from the same small town, came up through Kelly’s Conti team). Even after his air-punching was revealed, Kelly didn’t admit to cheering for Bennett though!

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Brian Smith re Etna stage last year "It was a bit of a damp Squid"

He got the damp part right.........

 

[wirral]

Re: Re:

Errr... wirral, did you for some reason accidentally write neo-pro, or did Rob Hatch actually use the term "neo-pro"?

Fellow, Danes. Help me out here! Who's the guy in the studio? Meinert?

When Hatch produced a phonetic construction that Wirral didn't recognise, Wirral assumed (or maybe he simply pretended, for comedic effect, to assume) that it was a rider he hadn't heard of, and therefore, a neo-pro.

The balance between a totally anglicised pronunciation, which comes across as ignorant, and a over-enunciated attempt to say the name as the rider might, which can appear pretentious, is one that every commentator must find for himself. I try not to mind too much, so long as what we end up with can be defended in either the original or target language: Fryeeyeay for Fraile does neither, nor does Castorvejio.

Precisely this.

I wasn't pretending though. I was thinking, "Who is this Myrko?" I had to check the Quick Step team roster.

I feel there should be some mention of precedent though. English commentators have been calling Morkov, "Morkov" for years. If they are going to switch to "Myrko" we should get some warning. How about "Myrko, the rider formally known as Morkov"! Ha.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Flecha doing the stage recons in Spanish instead of English on Eurosport haha

This also happened on Paris-Nice. Not sure why he's (or they) ditched the English that he's used in similar features in recent years.

Agreed. Flecha's enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge is second to none.

well thats because he was a pro cyclist...durrr.....and commentators should have a good knowledge of their sport - hear that Carlton aka Delgados.

Eurosport must pay minimum wage because no-one is willing to take Kirbys role as lead commenatator, chief idiot. I cant think of any other reason as to why Eurosport dont, cant replace him.

And now we're all the way back to the very start when you couldn't comprehend the fact that most sports have a commentary team comprising a lead commentator, usually a professional commentator, and an analyst, usually an ex-pro. Séan Kelly or whoever they use as analyst is not equipped to call the sprint and do the lead commentator's job, so they don't. Almost all commentary teams across most sports are like this. Michel Wuyts on Sporza never turned a pedal in anger, but doesn't attract criticism from you. Being an ex-pro might give you the knowledge of the sport, but it doesn't give you the ability to impart that to the audience in the right manner to be a lead commentator. It's better to have a pro commentator who can tell you what is happening, and an analyst who can then tell you why, or what this means going forward. They aren't going to replace Kirby with an ex-pro, other than maybe Matt Stephens, because they're looking for somebody to do the lead commentary role, not somebody to be the analyst. So if you want Kirby replaced, realistically you're looking for one of the types of people they have been trying variously at different times - Rob Hatch, Declan Quigley, Marty MacDonald, Matt Keenan, Jonathan Harris-Bass etc.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I was thinking, "Who is this Myrko?" I had to check the Quick Step team roster.

I feel there should be some mention of precedent though. English commentators have been calling Morkov, "Morkov" for years. If they are going to switch to "Myrko" we should get some warning. How about "Myrko, the rider formally known as Morkov"! Ha.

Hatch does sometimes seem to forget that the point of naming riders is so that the audience can know who is spoken about, rather that to exhibit his multi-lingual talents. A bit like an arts correspondent who produces some probably authentic gutteral noises unrecognised by those listening, who were expecting to hear a programme about 'Van Goff'.

 

[spalco]

Ok, Italy and Italian food is awesome, but can they please shut the *** up about all the restaurants they visit?