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Article published In: Babel
Vol. 63:3 (2017) ► pp.343–363

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Approach to the translation of sound in comic books

 | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona – TransMedia Catalonia – CAIAC
Published online: 3 November 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.63.3.03iga
Abstract
The relationship between texts and images in comics is essential from the graphic point of view and for the understanding of the story. Hence, the translation of comics has certain peculiarities that other literature genres do not have, partly due to its combination of iconic language and literary language.
Among the wide array of interesting topics within this field, we are going to focus on a great challenge for translators: the graphic and phonetic values of the sounds in comics. Technical advances have improved comic books translation: nowadays modifying an element of the vignette no longer involves redrawing the whole animation. Thus, the translation of this literature genre can now focus on other problematic issues, such as the translation of sounds. Taking into account the lack of categorization of these sounds, this article deals with the translation of inarticulate sounds, interjections and onomatopoeias from English comic books into Spanish in order to observe the existing trends in these issues and to confirm if the new technologies have changed the translators’ task in the last 25 years.
Résumé
La relation entre les textes et les images des bandes dessinées est essentielle d’un point de vue graphique et pour la compréhension de l’histoire. C’est pourquoi la traduction de bandes dessinées présente certaines caractéristiques dont d’autres genres littéraires sont dépourvus, en partie en raison d’une combinaison de langue emblématique et de langue littéraire.
Parmi le large éventail de thèmes intéressants dans ce domaine, nous nous concentrerons sur un grand défi pour les traducteurs : les valeurs graphiques et phonétiques des sons dans les bandes dessinées. Les avancées technologiques ont amélioré la traduction des albums de bandes dessinées : de nos jours, modifier un élément de la vignette n’implique plus de devoir redessiner toute l’animation. Par conséquent, la traduction de ce genre littéraire peut se concentrer désormais sur d’autres questions problématiques, comme la traduction des sons. Compte tenu de l’absence de catégorisation de ces sons, cet article traite de la traduction en espagnol de sons inarticulés, d’interjections et d’onomatopées, tirés d’albums de bandes dessinées en anglais, afin d’observer les tendances existantes dans ces difficultés et confirmer si les nouvelles technologies ont modifié la tâche des traducteurs ces 25 dernières années.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Sound in comic books
  • 3.The translation of sound in comic books and translation proposals
    • 3.1The translation of sound in comic books
    • 3.2Translation proposals
  • 4.Analysis of the sounds in comic books and their translation
    • 4.1Localization and basic translation techniques
    • 4.2Analysis
    • 4.3Distinctive characteristics of each comic
      • 4.3.1The ordinary translations and use of loans in Maus, Kick Ass, Palestine, Ghost World and V for Vendetta
      • 4.3.2The translation of violence sounds in 300 and Sin City
      • 4.3.3The special case of Hate
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
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