Research in Screen Translation: Challenges and Prospects Delia Chiaro

1. ALMA MATER STUDIORUMUNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA Research in ScreenTranslation: Challenges and Prospects Delia Chiaro University of Bologna at Forlì

2. Map of Screen Translation [ST] modalities in Europe; State of the art in research; Proposal for practical research that is of use to industry and end users; ST research at Forlì. Objectives

10. DEFINITIONS • Multimedia translation • Audiovisual translation • Screen translation • Film translation • Dialogue translation What’s the difference? “UMBRELLA TERMS”

11. “…the interlingual transfer of verbal language when it is transmitted and accessed both visually and acoustically, usually, but not necessarily, through some kind of electronic device.”

12. Multimedia translation • Multimedia products are both produced and consumed by means of several media. In other words, typical multimedia products such as a films and hypertexts, will be created through the implementation of diverse technological equipment (i.e. cameras, computers, software programs etc.) and subsequently consumed by end-users via some sort of electronic device such as a television; a computer screen or a console.

13. Audiovisual translation • “[a] semiotic construct comprising several signifying codes that operate simultaneously in the production of meaning.” (Chaume 2004:16) • Films, plays, opera, video-games and hypertexts are examples of audiovisual products that are intended to be both seen and heard at the same time by end users.

14. Screen Translation • Strictu sensu - translations for any electronic appliance with a screen(i.e.TV; cinema; videogame console; GPS navigator; mobile phone etc.) • Film translation • Dialogue translation

15. The polysemiotic nature of audiovisual products

16. Most ST common modalities • Dubbing - uses the acoustic channel for translational purposes, • Subtitling - visual and involves a written translation that is superimposed onto the screen. • Voice-over - a less common acoustic form of screen translation.

17. PRODUCTS FOR THE SCREEN • Big screen (cinema); • TV; • Video; • DVD; • the entire spectrum of tv products, (i.e. series, serials, sitcoms, documentaries, news programmes, advertisements etc.) many of which are also available in home video and DVD formats

18. Dubbing versus subtitling • The so-called European ST ‘blocks’ – myth or reality? • Quality? Does anyone care? • Total Quality Management [TMQ] – an impossible dream?

19. A dirty word? • Dubbing has a bad reputation; • Condemned for spoiling soundtrack; • Denies audiences the opportunity of hearing the voices of the original actors; • Less textual reduction • Time consuming and expensive

20. DUBBING Spoils the original voices; Spoils the original film; Un-artistic; Expensive; Complicated; Long process; Connected with right-wing regimes; Connected with protectionist lingustic policy. SUBTITLING You can hear original voices; Cheap; Quick; Helps children with reading; Helps learn foreign languages; Linguistic interference. Dubbing versus subtitling

21. Dubbing Subtitles Voice over Interpreting -visibility + visibility News reports Matrix of Source Verbal Visibility + Degree of semio-translation Global advertising TV formats -

22. ST Research in Forlì

23. Investigating ST as a public service Analyses of: • The supplier of the service; • The client/customer or user of the service • The service itself

24. Perspectives for empirical research • Analyses of product i.e. case studies; • Field work regarding dubbing professionals’ perception of dubbed produce; • Field work regarding end users’ perception of dubbed produce

25. Supervision DUBBING DIRECTOR Figure Translator DialogueAdaptor Dubbing actor Process Translation Dubbing Dialogue Adaption Dubbing actor DialogueAdaptor ScriptTranslator DialogueAdaptor Dubbing actor DialogueAdaptor ScriptTranslator Polyvalent figures ‘THE DUBBING CYCLE’

26. Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation • 350 hours of dubbed TV products collected across all genres, viewing times, target audience and Source Languages across a 4 month period (Spring 2002).

27. Volume fiction and film of US origin broadcast in 5 major EU countries • Illustrare lo scopo dei controlli • Indicare la frequenza e le date dei controlli • Descrivere sommariamente la procedura di controllo • Distribuire e commentare i moduli utilizzati European Audiovisual Observatory; Press Release 28 January 2003

28. WHO DUBS MOST IN ITALY

29. Minutes of dubbed products broadcast weekly

30. 1. Genres: TV series, sitcoms, soap operas, telenovelas, cartoons

31. Time spans and target audiences • Morning: soaps/telenovelas →housewives • Afternoon: soaps/cartoons/series/sitcoms→housewives/teenagers/young adults • Evening/prime time: telenovelas/series/serials/sitcoms→general audience

32. Source languages • English → US, UK, CANADIAN, AUSTRALIAN • German • Portuguese → BRAZILIAN • Spanish → CHILEAN, ARGENTINIAN

33. Lingua-cultural drops in (translational) voltage Translation as electricity • Lingua-cultural energy conducted adequately; • Lingua-cultural drops in voltage; • Lingua-cultural short circuits; • Lingua-cultural power cuts

34. Operational strategies • Culture-specific references (e.g. place names, references to sports and festivities, famous people, monetary systems, institutions etc.); • Lingua-specific turbulence (translating terms of address, taboo language, written language etc.); • Areas of overlap between language and culture (songs, rhymes, jokes etc.); • Visuals (culture specific examples void of language).

35. Our Questionnaire http://137.204.90.125/dubbingquality/

36. The sample - 254 respondents

37. Results (1) • Mississippi Mud Pie • Già /Yeah • Jokes • Pet funeral

38. The perception of humour based on Non-specific VEH Buffy: Like the boy who put his finger in the duck. Angel: Dyke. It’s like a dam. Buffy: Oh well, that story makes a lot more sense. Buffy: Ricordi il ragazzo che mette il dito nel buco della diga e… Angel: Barriera Buffy: Eh? Angel: Barriera. E un sinonimo di diga. Buffy: Non è esattamente un sinonimo ma si può dire. Zero recognition

39. Results (2) • Raw data elaborated via factor analyses Might Italian end-users be “linguistically bi-polar”?

40. “Every film is a foreign film, foreign to some audience somewhere – and not simply in terms of language” (Egoyan and Balfour 2004:21

41. Thank you delia.chiaro@unibo.it