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In:Aproximación a la traducción de referentes culturales en el ámbito audiovisual y literario / Approach to the translation of cultural references in the audiovisual and literary fields
Editado por Pedro Mogorrón Huerta, Lucía Navarro-Brotons y Iván Martínez-Blasco
[IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 45] 2025
► pp. 1–18

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Audiovisual translation & cultural references

May success lie at the roots?

 | Universidad de Valladolid
 | Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Published online: 13 May 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ivitra.45.01arn
Abstract
Technology and user demands have conditioned the products that are premiered today, forcing the audiovisual industry to consider the importance of translation. Products broadcast in small local contexts may become sought-after international hits, making their translations key to their expansion, and their quality, the object of study. This paper presents the results of a study of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory (Lorre & Prady, 2007–2008), focusing on one of the most representative aspects of the original version: cultural references. Following the classification designed by Igareda (2011), a comparative analysis is made of the translation strategies adopted in the French, German and Spanish dubbing and subtitling versions. The close conveyance of cultural references results in a limited combination of translation strategies that differ among languages and Audiovisual Translation modalities.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cultural references: Definition, classification and translation
    • 2.1Classification of cultural references
    • 2.2Translation of cultural references
      • 2.2.1Translation of cultural references in audiovisual texts
  • 3.Cultural references and translation in The Big Bang Theory
    • 3.1Corpus contextualization
    • 3.2Cultural references in The Big Bang Theory
    • 3.3Translation of cultural references in The Big Bang Theory
      • 3.3.1Translation strategies in the category Social Universe
      • 3.3.2Translation strategies in the category Material Culture
      • 3.3.3Translation strategies in the category Humour and Linguistic and Cultural Elements
  • 4.Conclusions
  • References
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