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Article published In: Babel
Vol. 66:1 (2020) ► pp.46–69

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A metaphorical map of subtitling

Idiom vs. explicit meaning in translated filmic texts

 | Universitat de València
Published online: 18 February 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00141.pos
Abstract
This study explores the metaphorical dimension of idioms in original filmic texts and their translations in subtitles, in order to shed light on strategies used in the translation process. The research focuses on a corpus of 20 films from the Library of Foreign Language Film Clips (LFLFC), at the Berkeley Language Center of the University of California, Berkeley. More specifically, I analyze films in German and Spanish with English subtitles from a cognitive and contrastive perspective. My goal is to explore how translation can affect understanding and reception by an audience with limited or no skills in the original language. Results of the analysis show a tendency towards reduction of metaphorical expressions in translated English subtitles, these varying according to the original language of the film. Contrastive analysis demonstrates that in translation from Spanish, the explicit meaning strategy is far more frequent than in translation from German. The findings of this study can be applied in foreign language teaching as a means of developing learners’ cultural awareness and language comprehension, as well as in the field of audiovisual subtitling translation.
Résumé
Cette étude explore la dimension métaphorique des idiomes dans des textes filmiques originaux et leurs sous-titres traduits, afin de mettre en lumière les stratégies utilisées dans le processus de traduction. La recherche se concentre sur un corpus de 20 films de la Library of Foreign Language Film Clips (LFLFC) du Berkeley Language Center de l’Université de Berkeley, Californie. Plus spécifiquement, j’analyse des films en allemand et en espagnol, sous-titrés en anglais, d’un point de vue cognitif et contrastif. Mon objectif est d’explorer la manière dont la traduction peut affecter la compréhension et la réception par un public ayant des compétences limitées ou nulles dans la langue originale. Les résultats de l’analyse montrent une tendance à la réduction des expressions métaphoriques dans les sous-titres anglais traduits, qui varient en fonction de la langue originale du film. L’analyse contrastive démontre que la stratégie de signification explicite est beaucoup plus fréquente dans la traduction de l’espagnol que dans la traduction de l’allemand. Les résultats de cette étude peuvent être appliqués à l’enseignement des langues étrangères, comme moyen de développer la conscience culturelle et la compréhension linguistique des apprenants, ainsi que dans le domaine de la traduction du sous-titrage audiovisuel.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Filmic text, subtitles and subtitling
  • 3.Idioms and their importance
  • 4.Metaphor, culture and translation
  • 5.Methodology and corpus
  • 6.Results of the analysis
    • 6.1Omission
      • 6.1.1Idiom: No comerse un rosco. Film: Te doy mis ojos (2003)
      • 6.1.2Idiom: Den Ton angeben. Film: Die Welle (2008)
      • 6.1.3Idiom: Auf den Hintern sitzen bleiben. Film: Die Welle (2008)
    • 6.2Explicit meaning translation
      • 6.2.1Idiom: Hacerle una putada a alguien. Film: Bajo las estrellas (2006)
      • 6.2.2Idiom: Tener en el bote. Film: Te doy mis ojos (2003)
    • 6.3Partial equivalence
      • 6.3.1Idiom: Einige Leichen im Keller haben. Film: Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer (2015)
      • 6.3.2Idiom: Die Schnauze voll haben. Film: Die Berliner Mauer (2009)
      • 6.3.3Idiom: Die Schnauze voll haben. Film: Im Juli (2000)
      • 6.3.4Idiom: Nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank haben. Film: Die Berliner Mauer (2009)
      • 6.3.5Idiom: Nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank haben. Film: Im Juli (2000)
      • 6.3.6Idiom: Scheiße bauen. Film: Die Fetten Jahren sind vorbei (2004)
      • 6.3.7Idiom: Despachar a alguien. Film: Los lunes al sol (2002)
    • 6.4Total equivalence
      • 6.4.1Idiom: Comersele el gato la lengua a alguien. Film: Bajo las estrellas (2007)
      • 6.4.2Idiom: Die Augen aufmachen. Film: Die Welle (2008)
      • 6.4.3Idiom: Blöde Kuh. Film: Die Berliner Mauer (2009)
    • 6.5Loan translation
    • 6.6Creation
      • 6.6.1From the film Mar adentro (2004)
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (51)
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