You know what I'm talking about.

Like when you can hear the Transformers speaking among themselves, often without subtitles, and you catch words like "Witwicky" in the mishmash of seemingly unfamiliar linguistics. And, sure, that's a proper noun...so of course it sounds roughly the same, even across intergalactic language barriers.

But what about when Frenzy turns and looks directly at the audience and says things like, "Megatron Melting!" and "Oh, Shit"...?

Who is he speaking to there, I ask?

That's right: THE AUDIENCE.

The movies have on MANY occasions deliberately buried English words beneath seemingly Cybertronian dialogue to let us in on what they're saying, even if we don't necessarily recognize it consciously at the time.

I've made several other threads detailing the fascinating, almost subliminal levels at which the TF movies addresses its audience to better facilitate its understanding of the movies, to even the most basic, unconscious yet nonetheless noteworthy degrees...and this is just YET ANOTHER awesome way these movies have found to accomplish a similar goal.

For instance, Frenzy said LOTS of stuff, but the filmmakers made sure we knew he said "Megatron Melting!" and "Oh, Shit," because that's all we needed to know he was saying.

Another great example is Shockwave in TF:DotM, when he says, "Driller-bot is thirsty." Of course, no one knew wtf he was saying at the theater, but then the movie got its home release and the filmmakers LITERALLY spelled it out for us with the subtitles. And with the benefit of hindsight it was (relatively) clear as day! Sadly, it's a rare example of the Cybertronian dialogue actually being decoded for us...but still.

​

And, strangely, the Driller was never referred to as "Driller-bot" anywhere else, presumably indicating that the dialogue was recorded from an earlier version of the script. But that IS clearly what is said, and it is OBVIOUS to whom it refers. Just like the scene where Shockwave summons the Driller but calls it by the name, "Collossus," as per the creature's original designation earlier in the production art phase.

​

Sure, those don't serve as the GREATEST examples since they were either clear-as-day (Frenzy) or went completely over the audience's head in the absence of assistance (Shockwave), yet they nonetheless demonstrate intent. Namely, the intent of the filmmakers to give us a foothold as to exactly what these aliens are talking about even when we're not necessarily supposed to fully understand it.

But those are all fairly well-known cases.

Moving on to the most recent film, TF:AoE, I believe there are at least two interesting examples which (as a recent thread reminded me) don't seem to get much recognition.

Hence the new thread!

\o/

Firstly, as Stinger is seen transforming and then shooting the hijacked section of the Knightship just as the Seed is about to be brought aboard, he can clearly be heard speaking Cybertronian, and I'd say this is another case of a Decepticon speaking Cybertronian-but-really-English for the sake of the audience. I don't know what YOU make of it, but I'm pretty damned sure what I hear him say while he's blasting the ship, lol...

"PIECE OF SHIT!!!"
​

Haha! Seriously, go check it out.

It's pretty clear!

XD

Then, soon afterward, one of the "Two-Head" KSI-bots modeled after Shockwave sees the Knightship preparing to flee the battle as Optimus is about to detonate Lockdown's Seed-grenade, then seems to instruct his fellow soldiers to flee also as he points towards it...

"LEAVE SOON!!!"
​

NEAT STUFF!!!

PAGE 3 UPDATE BELOW​

"GIVE UP?"


"CAN'T GO HOME!"




PAGE 5 UPDATE BELOW

"FALL BACK!"
"NO SHIT."




PAGE 6 UPDATE BELOW​

"KNEEL HERE!!!"
​

It's been almost a full year since the movie came out and I haven't really seen this point get much attention, so I just thought I'd throw it out there and raise the subject. There are other examples, but before I address them as well, I'd like to ask what everyone thinks of these and what other examples you might have heard?

Likewise, if anyone happens to have YouTube clips and/or audio samples of the dialogue in question available to share then that'd be GREAT, thanks. I know at least a couple of these used to be on YT but I'm having trouble finding them, sorry!

In the meantime, I hope the screencap pix I've provided will suffice.

Enjoy!

 

 

Well it's been established that "Cybertronian" dialogue is just English and growliness garbled into gibberish. Sometimes the dialogue can still be made out, though, either intentionally for spastic comedic effect ("Oh shit!") or to establish intent via proper nouns (Shockwave clearly says "Optimus," once or twice in DotM before leaping into action against him), but sometimes it's clearly unintentional; if "Driller-Bot is thirsty!" was actually said at any point it was never meant to be made out. Driller-Bot doesn't drink, he devours, why would he be "thirsty"?

Although it is an Ehren Kruger script, so you'd be hard pressed to expect any degree of proficiency or basic understanding of English in the dialogue. It often hits the ear wrong because it's A) bad English, and B) not the kind of bad English people actually use.  

But yeah, sometimes you can make out English words. Sometimes for effect and sometimes for no reason and sometimes it just has to be a mistake, just has to.

 

There's another Shockwave line that is also in English. Just before the Drill Bot smashes into the building. Shockwave says something to the effect of "Commence!"

 

The best cybertronian was the one the 07 cons spoke!

 

^ It IS interesting to hear how much it's changed over the course of the franchise and I definitely liked the modulated voices of the Autobots and Decepticons in the first film more than the less-processed vocalizations of latter installments...but otherwise I'd say the overall sound of the Cybertronian dialogue has remained fairly consistent, other than the obvious difference in dialect and/or cadence with respect to Optimus Prime's "The legend exists" line from the latest film.

I'm pretty sure that's the same line I was talking about above, where Shockwave seems to address the Driller as "Colossus." It actually is pretty hard to tell in that case, though. So I'll grant you that it may be "commence" or w/e instead.

I've gotta go back and study that one a bit more now!

Not really sure where you're coming from there, sorry.

Firstly, what's this "IF" business? It's clearly audible!

And, come on...the picture I provided is a snapshot of the actual closed captioning from the movie itself! It was very clearly stated in the dialogue and quite obviously intended to be understood.

That's a pretty open-and-shut case, I think.

Oh, and just for the record, did you even see what the Driller was doing to everything it chewed through? The ground, the streets, the buildings, w/e...anything it plowed into basically got put through a giant blender, lol.

I wouldn't exactly say that's any kind of pretext for an unfair use of the word "thirsty."

Such as? I've been pretty pleased with Kruger's writing, actually. His humor doesn't work quite as well as Orci & Kurtzman's but I think he still has a pretty decent ear for naturalistic grammar and dialogue.

I don't want this thread to get too far off-topic into endless Anti-Bay/Kruger nerdrage, but would you care to elaborate a bit there?

Not hearing it.

 

This.

I especially like Rampage and his blurted out Cybertronian/English lines. Scrapper I'm real curious if there was anything clear right before he slammed his mace against the building in ROTF.

There are two scenes which I doubt any English was spoken; one is when Megatron in TF1 jumps down into the the streets from the roof top right before the battle between him and Optimus.

The other scenes a goofy tasmanial sound Optimus makes when the Driller come out from the ground in front of him in DOTM.

 

I remember Bonecrusher said OH I HATE YOU!

and Barricade's Ladiesman217 line.  

 

Ha-ha it's really interesting thing  I remember how someone here said that Bonecrusher and Barricade also was saying clear words 
I also may say that Frenzy's human words was even translated into Russian!
The theme of a language is very deep. It's obviously that Cybertronians have two languages: beautiful and ancient Language of Primes and simple modern language

 

I'm not saying you made it up, but it could very easily be a mistake. After all, closed captioning is just what whoever transcribes it hears, there's no definitive word on what's intended. So someone might make out "Driller-Bot Is Thirsty" from growly sounds.

Or "Chugway" from "Shockwave"



As for your argument for why "thirsty" is appropriate, you're saying that the Driller uses it's teeth to mash down a solid substance into a more easily digestible mush.

Which is also known as "eating".  

 

Chugway....that's always a good laugh.  

 

Wait what? I can remember Barricade speaking English and also Bonecrusher never spoke in cybertronian during his fight with Optimus, he said: "Take that Prime!" I was talking about the scene where the Decepticons mobilize, those quotes etc. "Bonecrusher rolling!"

 

I always thought the Driller bot line was smth that the subtitle people misheard and made up. This is interesting

 

Oh sorry. I thought we were talking in general.

 

Well, yeah in general I agree, Barricade did speak in cybertronian during his fight with Bee also in DOTM  

 

Even though that's clearly was meant to be Soundwave's voice. :/

 

One of the best moments in the franchise to date...

 

You know what is funny is he actually seems to say his name again when he jumps down right before he makes the autobots retreat and capture jazz. He says like "megatraaaa" then never finishes his name and then says like "do sheeer". It makes no sense but whatever, also megatron yells his name a TON in the first movie. Like what is wrong bro, got an identity crisis?

 

When Barricade is about to attack Bumblebee in the scrapyard, I really thought he said, "This one's for the Scorp!" Shrug.

That scene right after Optimus killed the Driller and Shockwave shoots rockets at Optimus and tangles Optimus in wires? Shockwave seems to say: "Pissed off! Prime!"

 

Cool, I didn't know this because most of the Decepticons' lines are jibberish.

I haven't seen ROTF with subtitles on, but I want to know what words in English, if any do Scrapper and Rampage say.

 

No, you're talking about the "No prisoners, only trophies" scene right? He speaks in cybertronian after that, just before they blew his eyes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zqlqP3gkC1A#t=48