- Greenwich Academic Literature Archive

Transcript

- Greenwich Academic Literature Archive
Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA)
– the University of Greenwich open access repository
http://gala.gre.ac.uk
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Citation for published version:
Pettit, Zoë (2005) Translating register, style and tone in dubbing and subtitling. Journal of Specialised
Translation, 4 (4). pp. 49-65. ISSN 1740-357X
Publisher’s version available at:
http://www.jostrans.org/issue04/art_pettit.php
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Please note that where the full text version provided on GALA is not the final published
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provided by the author(s). Where possible, or if citing, it is recommended that the publisher’s
(definitive) version be consulted to ensure any subsequent changes to the text are noted.
Citation for this version held on GALA:
Pettit, Zoë (2005) Translating register, style and tone in dubbing and subtitling. London: Greenwich
Academic Literature Archive.
Available at: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/4957/
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Contact: [email protected]
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
Tr a n sla t in g r e gist e r , st yle a n d t on e in du bbin g a n d su bt it lin g
Zoë Pe t t it
Un ive r sit y of Gr e e n w ich
ABSTRACT
This art icle considers t he m anner in which t he t ranslat ors of a select ion of subt it led and
dubbed versions ( English- French) approach t he st yle and t one of t he source t ext in
relat ion t o language regist er. St ylist ic effect s inform t he viewer about t he speaker.
Em ot ions can be expressed and social relat ionships port rayed t hrough t he use of
part icular form s of language. The audiovisual t ranslat or has t o sift t hrough t he m ult iple
layers of m eaning wit hin t he cont ext of t he verbal, non- verbal, aural and visual signs of
t he audiovisual t ext . Lexical, gram m at ical and st ylist ic changes in t he subt it led and
dubbed versions of t hree film s ( Sm oke, Blue in t he Face and The Piano) will be st udied t o
est ablish t he ext ent t o wh ich coherence is secured in relat ion t o t hese feat ures.
KEYWORDS
audiovisual t ranslat ion, dubbing, subt it ling, language regist er, st yle, t on e
1 . I n t r odu ct ion
I n t his paper, we shall exam ine how t he t ranslat ors of a select ion of
subt it led and dubbed versions ( English- French) deal wit h t he t one and
st yle of t he original, raising t he followin g quest ions. Up t o what point have
t hey respect ed charact erisat ion, visual signs or t he overall at m osphere of
a scene? I s t he language of t he original colloquial, st andard or form al and
do t he t ranslat ions differ? Are idiom at ic expressions m ore prevalent in t he
original t han in t he subt it led and dubbed versions? We shall at t em pt t o
est ablish whet her t he use of a part icular language regist er in t he original
version is a det erm ining fact or in t he translat ions.
2 . D e fin it ion s of la n gu a ge r e gist e r
At t em pt s t o define language regist er have lead t o a cert ain am ount of
confusion and lack of consensus. 1 I n French, t wo t erm s are used: niveau
de langue ( 'level of language') and regist er ( 'regist er') . The first is used t o
describe what Sanders ( 1996) refers t o as " sociosit uat ional variat ion" , also
t he sense in which Dubois et al. ( 1994: 324) underst and t he t erm . They
m aint ain t hat regist re refers t o t he use of specific language according t o
t he niveau de langue ( p. 406) 2 . Gadet ( 1996: 20) confirm s t he difficult y in
pinning down t he t erm inology, linking " regist er" , " st yle" and " genre" . She
explains t hat t he French t radit ion t ends t o use " st yle" and " genre" in
relat ion t o writ t en, lit erary language but t hese t erm s t ake on a m ore
general m eaning in t he Am erican t radit ion. Conversely, Brit ish scholars
prefer " regist er" . Cheshire and Bell ( 2003: 455) explain t hat " regist er"
and " st yle" m ight be used t o refer t o " all k inds of sit uat ional variat ion" but
t he form er can t ake on a general sense whereas t he lat t er is used t o
describe specialised language by speakers wit h " shared background
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The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
knowledge and shared assum pt ions" . Savova decides on t he following
definit ion:
Broadly defined, 'regist er' refers t o t he way people use language in different
sit uat ions. The t erm is oft en used as a full or part ial synonym for st yle, speech
variet y or variat ion, field of discourse, and t ext t ype [ …] .
Most oft en, regist er is used t o m ean st yle. I n t hat sense, it refers t o t he 'st ylist ic
variet y', or 'st ylist ic variat ion' t hat occurs in a person's speech or writ ing in different
social cont ext s. Typically, different regist ers vary according t o t heir degree of
form alit y.
( Savova 2005: 898)
Savova goes on t o explain t hat form alit y is not t he only fact or which
influences regist er but also a " speaker's awareness of a broader net work
of differences in sit uat ion, t opic, addressee( s) or locat ion" ( I bid.) . Regist er
is affect ed bot h by t he language user and language use ( Fawcet t 1997:
74- 80) . Fawcet t ( 1997: 75) observes t hat language users m ay be defined
in relat ion t o t im e ( age/ era t hey live in) , space ( t he region t hey are from )
and societ y ( t he social class t hey belong t o) . Language use is described
according t o " field" , " t enor" and " m ode" . This is explained by Hat im 3 and
Munday who sum m arise regist er as:
The set of feat ures which dist inguishes one st ret ch of language from anot her in
t erm s of variat ion in CONTEXT, relat ing t o t he language user ( geographical dialect ,
idiolect , et c.) and/ or language use ( FI ELD or subj ect m at t er, TENOR or level of
form alit y and MODE or speaking vs. writ ing) .
( Hat im and Munday 2004: 347)
Dubois et . al ( p. 406) st at e t hat at least t wo levels of language can be
described: une langue sout enue ( 'form al language') and une langue
courant e ou com m une ( 'st andard or com m on language') . Sanders ( 1996:
43) proposes a " regist er spect rum " , from colloquial, neut ral t hrough t o
form al language. Mailhac ( 2000a: 34) ident ifies inform al, unm arked and
form al levels of speech. I t is dangerous t o presum e t hat each of t hese
cat egories are separat e, dist inct ent it ies. I ndeed in Mailhac's ( 2000a: 36)
analysis of differences bet ween levels of speech in French and English, t he
" st ylist ically m arked" vocabulary in t he t ext which is t he subj ect of his
st udy is described as eit her " colloquial" or " very colloquial" . This confirm s
t he not ion of a cont inuum as proposed by Sanders and illust rat es t he
difficult y of im posing fixed, definit ive cat egories. As Hat im and Mason
point out :
I n t he absen ce of any st ringent form al crit eria for dist inguishing one regist er from
anot her, it has always proved difficult t o discern t he precise boundaries of any
given regist er.
( Hat im and Mason 1990 : 51) .
I ndeed, boundaries are oft en blurred, and overlapping does occur.
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I ssue 4 - July 2005
3 . Ar e a of st u dy
For t he purposes of t his art icle, reference will be m ade t o t hree broad
cat egories 1) colloquial language ( inform al, fam iliar, slang...) , 2) st andard
language ( everyday, neut ral, unm arked) and 3) form al language ( lit erary,
academ ic, sophist icat ed…) . Lexical, gram m at ical and st ylist ic changes in
t he subt it led and dubbed versions will be considered t o est ablish t he
ext ent t o which coherence is secured in relat ion t o verbal, non- verbal,
audio and visual signs of t he audiovisual t ext . Specific regist ers are used
for st ylist ic effect and form an int egral part of charact erisat ion and t he
at m osphere creat ed in t he audiovisual t ext . Do t he t ranslat ors 4 of t he
subt it led and dubbed versions find expressions which belong t o t he sam e
regist er in t he original or do t hey prefer neut ral renderings which adhere
t o t he denot at ive m eaning of t he source t ext ? Fawcet t ( 2003 : 157) st at es:
A const ant headache in all form s of t ranslat ion is posed by phraseology m arked as
fam iliar or slang. Represent in g t his aspect of anot her cult ure is always problem at ic,
and t he ideological st ance of m any t ranslat ors is t hat it should be suppressed
because, as wit h dialect , t he connot at ions rarely m at ch. I t can be a problem get t ing
t he right level.
( Fawcet t 2003: 15 7)
Wit h reference t o dubbed film s in Ger m any, Herbst proposes t hat t he
dubbed t ext is unnat ural due t o t he " ext ensive use of t he st andard
language" which changes " t he way t he t ext is perceived st ylist ically"
( Herbst 199 7: 2 94- 295) . He also proposes t hat feat ures w hich are specific
t o writ t en language are used ( I bid. 296) and t he vocabulary is t oo form al
and unlikely t o appear in inform al conversat ion ( I bid. 297) . I n his
discussion of several dubbed Am erican and Flem ish versions int o French,
Goris ( 1993:
173- 177) suggest s t hat a process of linguist ic
st andardisat ion occurs in relat ion t o oral language. However, alt hough
dialect s and idiolect s are also st andardised ( p. 175) , t he st ylist ic effect s
creat ed t hrough t he lexis are ret ained in the dubbed versions:
I n cont radist inct ion t o t he charact erist ics of spoken language, t he social
different iat ion represent ed on t he lexical level has norm ally been m ain t ained in t he
t ranslat ion [ …] . I t seem s t hat t he t ranslat ors m ake serious effort s t o reproduce t he
social different iat ion of t he vocabulary. I n order t o give t he dubbed version t he
sam e popular t one t hey do not hesit at e t o int roduce som e new Fr ench popular
t erm s in t he t ranslat ion.
( Goris 1993 : 174)
Vanderschelden ( 2001) explores som e of t he challenges faced by t he
subt it ler and looks at t he relat ionship bet ween oralit y, levels of language
and subt it ling in a French film in which t wo fam ilies from very different
socio- econom ic backgrounds com e int o cont act wit h one anot her. She
observes t hat neut ral, alm ost inform al regist ers charact erise t he subt it les
which lessens t he form alit y present in t he original version ( p. 365) .
Alt hough she m aint ains t hat t he subt it ler does t ake account of lexical
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I ssue 4 - July 2005
t erm s which belong t o a specific regist er , it is m ore difficult t o render t he
specifically French cult ural allusions which appear in t he film .
Can we observe t he sam e t endencies in t he film s which form part of t his
st udy? Exam ples are t aken from t he English- French subt it led and dubbed
versions of t hree film s ( Sm oke, Blue in t he Face and The Piano) in an
at t em pt t o answer t his quest ion. These film s are int erest ing as regards
language regist er due t o t heir different geographical, socio- hist orical and
t em poral set t ings. 5 The first t wo film s were writ t en by t he Am erican
novelist Paul Aust er and produced by Wayne Wang. They are set in
downt own Brooklyn in t he 1990s. Sm oke is based on a short st ory writ t en
by Aust er. Fact and fict ion int erm ingles as t he lives of t he charact ers
unfold wit h t he Brooklyn Cigar Com pany at t he cent re of t he com m unit y.
Som e of t he charact ers reappear in Blue in t he Face, alt hough t his film
m oves in an ent irely different direct ion, and is m ore experim ent al in
design: " I t s spirit is com ic; it s engine is words; it s guiding principle is
spont aneit y" ( Aust er 1995: 159) . However, bot h at t em pt t o present a
slice of Brooklyn realit y, t he good and t he bad. The Piano is set in
ninet eent h- cent ury New Zealand. Brit ish colonialist s and Maoris m eet but
it is t he division bet ween t he t wo worlds which is port rayed. Ada, around
whom t he st ory revolves, is a young m ot her who is m ut e. She is sent t o
New Zealand by her fat her t o m arry a m an she has never m et ( Alisdair
St ewart ) . She leaves wit h her daught er ( Flora) , som e belongings and her
beloved piano.
Ext ract s from t he t hree film s will be st udied in an at t em pt t o det erm ine
whet her t he language regist er of t he original is reflect ed in t he subt it led
and dubbed t ranslat ions.
4 . Fr a m e w or k of a n a lysis
The appearance and behaviour of t he speaker/ act or creat e expect at ions in
t he viewer. Discordant t ensions would em erge if t he t ranslat or were t o use
colloquial form s of current day usage for a ninet eent h- cent ury charact er in
a Dickens adapt at ion. I n his analysis of t he subt it led and dubbed versions
of Gazon Maudit ( French Twist ) , Mailhac ( 2000b: 137) discusses t he loss
which occurs in each version in relat ion t o " colloquial, slangy or st rong
language" . I ndeed, for m ost of t he film " t he language used by all m ain
charact ers is usually colloquial, frequent ly vulgar and quit e st rong" ( I bid.
138) . Mailhac explores differences bet ween t he t ranslat ions and t he
original, showing where t he subt it les and dubbed dialogues are equivalent
t o, weaker ( t he colloquial or vulgar elem ent is t oned down or rem oved) or
st ronger ( t he t ranslat ions are m ore colloquial or vulgar t han t he original
French version) . Out of t he eight possible com binat ions, only six are t o be
found in French Twist : 1) Bot h versions are weaker t han t he original, 2)
Subt it les are weaker, dubbing is roughly equivalent , 3) Subt it ling is
weaker, dubbing st ronger, 4) Subt it ling is st ronger, dubbing weaker, 5)
Subt it ling is st ronger, dubbing roughly equivalent , 6) Subt it ling is roughly
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I ssue 4 - July 2005
equivalent , dubbing st ronger ( Mailhac 2 000b: 138- 144 ) . The com binat ions
which do not appear in t he film are 7) bot h versions are st ronger t han t he
original 8) t he subt it led version is roughly equivalent but t he dubbed
version is weaker. Mailhac concludes t hat his result s confirm t he com m ent
m ade by Fawcet t ( 1997 : 119) t hat t here is a t endency for film t ranslat ions
t o " t one down and neut ralise" ( Mailhac 2000b: 144) . I n ot her wor ds, t here
were considerably m ore inst ances where t he t ranslat ions were weaker
t han t he original. He shows t hat t his is especially evident in t he subt it led
version of Gazon Maudit ( I bid.) .
I n our analysis of st ylist ic effect s in t he subt it led and dubbed versions of
t he t hree film s which form part of our corpus, t he ext ent t o which
language regist er and st ylist ic effect s are ret ained or rem oved in t he
t ranslat ions will be exam ined. Unlike Mailhac, t he t ranslat ions will not be
classified as weaker or st ronger, but sim ply in relat ion t o whet her t he
language regist ers and st ylist ic effect s are m aint ained ( + ) or delet ed ( - ) .
As such, t he following seven com binat ions are possible:
St r a t e gy
Or igin a l
Su bt it le s
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
+
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
+
D u bbe d
dia logu e s
+
+
+
+
-
5 . An a lyse s
I n Sm oke and Blue in t he Face, t wo film s set in 1990 Brooklyn, t he
language can be described as st andard or fam iliar. Colloquialism s are
com m on t hroughout bot h film s. However, in The Piano, set in t he m idninet eent h cent ury in t he form er Brit ish colony of New Zealand, t he m ode
of expression t ends t o be m ore form al, in keeping wit h Vict orian
convent ions of t he era. The following exam ples, show how t he sam e
regist er is chosen in bot h versions ( St rat egy 1: + + + ) :
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I ssue 4 - July 2005
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
1) AUGGI E: I t was
dit sy enough doing m y
lit t le j ig as Granny
Et hel's grandson…
2) TOMMY: …and I
m ean t hey're going t o
hit
him
wit h
all
t hey've got . You m ark
m y words.
3) AUGGI E: That 's a
feat her in your cap,
m an.
4)
AUGGI E:
Hey!
What are you doing
t here kid! Hey, cut ,
t hat out !
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Fallait déj à êt re ballot
pour j ouer au pet it - fils d'Et hel,
I ls vont lui en fout re
plein la gueule!
D u bbe d ve r sion
I l fallait déj à êt re un
peu ballot pour j ouer
au pet it - fils de Mém é
Et hel, m ais…
Et vous verrez, ils
vont lui en fout re sur
la gueule! C'est pas
des paroles en l'air!
Tu devrais êt re fier com m e un pou!
Tu devrais êt re
com m e un pou!
fier
Tu fous quoi, là?
Heh, qu'est - ce que t u
fabriques t oi? Tu vas
voir!
I n t he first exam ple, 'dit sy' ( fam iliar) is t ranslat ed in bot h versions by
ballot ( also fam iliar and t ranslat ed by 'nit wit ', 'blockhead' or 'fool' in t he
Larousse dict ionary) . Rem oving il in t he subt it led version ( fallait and not il
fallait ) is charact erist ic of inform al, spoken French and cont ribut es furt her
t o t he fam iliar t one of t he original.
I n t he second exam ple, t he charact er is involved in a discussion about
Kuwait , t he Pent agon and Saddam Hussein ( 't hey're gonna hit h im wit h all
t hey've got ') . A colloquial expression appears in bot h su bt it led and dubbed
versions, fout re plein la gueule/ fout re sur la gueule ( t he Larousse offers
't o bash or sm ash som eone's face in') . I n t erm s of language regist er, t he
French t ranslat ions rem ain close t o t he original and also fit 1) t he
charact er, Tom m y, one of t he local black resident s who likes t o " shoot t he
breeze wit h Auggie" ( Aust er 1995: 20) , and 2) t he cont ext , a friendly,
busy cigar shop run by Auggie, on a nondescript st reet corner of Brooklyn.
Various local resident s go t here t o buy cigaret t es, newspapers and m ore
im port ant ly pass t he t im e of day. The shop is a m eet ing point for t he
com m unit y.
I n exam ple 3, Auggie st at es t hat it is an honour for Paul t o have been
chosen t o writ e an art icle for The New York Tim es: 'That 's a feat her in
your cap' could have been t ranslat ed by an equivalent expression c'est un
fleuron à t a couronne. However, t he subt it ler and dubber prefer a m ore
colloquial t urn of phrase, Tu devrais êt re fier com m e un pou! ( 'you m ust
be as proud as a peacock') . Auggie is " som ewhere bet ween fort y and fift y
years old" and has " a scruffy presence" ( Aust er 1995: 19) . Paul is a
regular cust om er. He is in his early fort ies, a writ er and " dressed in
rum pled casual clot hes" ( p. 24) . The relat ionship bet ween t he t wo is
inform al. The expression offered in t he t ranslat ions corresponds once
again t o t he charact er and overall am biance of t he sequence. A dual
coherence is t herefore at t ained bet ween t he original dialogue and t he
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I ssue 4 - July 2005
t ranslat ions on t he one hand, and bet ween t he t ranslat ions and visual
charact erisat ion of t he act ors on t he ot her. I n t he final exam ple, Auggie
not ices a yout h t rying t o st eal m agazines. The subt it ler reinforces his
anger using a fam iliar regist er: Tu fous quoi, là? ( 'What t he hell are you
doing over t here?') . Sim ilarly, t he dubbed dialogue m aint ains t he st yle of
t he original wit h Qu'est - ce que t u fabriques, t oi? ( 'What are you up t o') .
The exam ples below t aken from Blue in t he Face, also illust rat e
equivalence in relat ion t o t he t one of t he original ( em phasis added) :
Blue in t he Face
En glish ve r sion
5)
AUGGI E:
Last
sum m er t here was a
st ret ch of a couple of
weeks
when everywhere I
t urned
everyone
seem ed t o be going
nut s.
I m ean, it 's crazy
enough
living
in
Brooklyn in t he first
place
but … so m any weird
lit t le
t hings
kept
poppin g up at once…
6) I AN FRAZI ER: And
it really drives m e
nut s. I t 's like a flag…
of chaos. A bag in a
t ree. I t 's a sym bol.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
L'ét é dernier,
il y a 2 ou 3 sem aines
D u bbe d ve r sion
L'ét é dernier il y a eu
deux
ou
t rois
sem aines
où t out le m onde sem blait disj onct er
aut our de m oi.
pendant lequel t out le
m onde
sem blait
disj onct er aut our de
m oi.
C'est vrai, c'est déj à
assez dingue de vivre
à Brooklyn,
C'est déj à assez dingue
de vivre à Br ooklyn,
m ais t an t de t rucs bizarres
se sont passés en m êm e t em ps…
Ça m e m et hors de m oi.
Pour m oi, c'est le drapeau…
du chaos. Un sac dans un arbre,
c'est un sym bole
I t 's j ust … and I used
t o see t hem , and j ust ,
t hey would bug m e.
Avant , quand j e voyais ça,
ça m e t apait sur les ner fs.
7)
VI NNI E:
Hey,
Auggie, it 's a lot of
m oney. I 'd be crazy t o
t urn it down.
Ça fait beaucoup d'argent .
Je serais dingue de refuser.
m ais il s'est passé t ant
de t rucs bizarres en
m êm e t em ps…
et ça m e m et hors de
m oi. Pour m oi, c'est
l'ét andard…
du
euh,
chaos.
Plast ique
dans
un
arbre,
c'est
un
sym bole, et j e…
Oui et avant , quand
j 'en voyais, à chaque
fois
ça
me
crispait .C'ét ait …
Hé Auggie, ça fait un
sacré pacquet de fric.
Je serais dingue de
refuser.
The dialogue in exam ple 5 occurs at t he beginning of t he film and serves
as an int roduct ion for t he event s which follow. The inform al regist er of t he
original is ret ained in bot h versions. 'To be going nut s' is t ransposed in
each case by disj onct er ( which lit erally m eans 't o short - circuit ', and as an
expression 't o go off t he rails') . 'Crazy' becom es dingue and 't hings', t rucs.
The film m oves t o t he realm s of docum ent ary in exam ple 6 where I an
Frazier, an act ual resident of Brooklyn, is film ed in Prospect Park carrying
out his hobby of rem oving plast ic bags from t rees. The expression 't o
drive m e nut s' is subt it led and dubbed by ça m e m et hors de m oi ( 'I was
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The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
beside m yself') . Once again t he st yle of t he original is m aint ained t hrough
t his figurat ive expression. Frazier cont inues wit h 't hey wou ld bu g m e'. The
subt it ler opt s for ça m e t apait sur les nerfs ( 'it got on m y nerves') and t he
dubber, ça m e crispait ( 'it used t o irrit at e m e') . Bot h t ranslat ions are
fam iliar and t ransm it t he sense of t he English version. However, t he
slight ly m ore fam iliar expression in t he subt it le em phasises Frazier's
frust rat ion and so reveals m ore about t he individual. Finally, in exam ple 7 ,
Vinnie, t he owner of The Brooklyn Cigar Com pany, is t alking t o Auggie
about selling t he st ore. Bot h t he t ranslat ors t ranspose 'crazy' as dingue,
but t he dubbed version becom es even m ore colloquial as 'it 's a lot of
m oney' becom es ça fait un sacré paquet de fric ( 't hat 's a hell of a lot of
dough') . Alt hough t he dubbed version is st ronger, it does fit t he speaker
and cont ext . The sam e could be said for t he following exam ple from The
Piano where t he lit eral t ranslat ions also fit t he eloquent st yle of t he
charact er. Ada is m ut e and we hear her t hought s in t he exam ple below as
she im agines t he m an ( St ewart ) she is being sent t o m arry in New
Zealand:
The Piano
En glish ve r sion
8) ADA: Were it good he
had God's pat ience.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
I l serait bon qu'il ait
une pat ience divin e.
D u bbe d ve r sion
I l serait bon qu'il ait une
pat ience divine.
Up unt il t his point t hen, sim ilarit ies in relat ion t o language regist er and
st yle have been observed bet ween t he original and t he t ranslat ed
versions. Let us now explore exam ples from t he second st rat egy ( + + - )
where, unlike t he dubbed version, t he subt it led version conveys t he
st ylist ic effect s in t he original:
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
9) AUGGI E: You'll never
get it if you don’t slow
down m y friend.
10) AUGGI E: Why don't
you com e clean and t ell
t he m an who you are?
11) CYRUS: You m ockin'
m e?
12) AUGGI E: The poor
lug, he's never been t he
sam e since.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Tu ne pigeras pas,
si t u ne ralent is pas.
D u bbe d ve r sion
Tu ne verras pas, si t u
ne ralent is pas un peu.
Vide t on sac et dis- lui qui t u es.
Vas- y carrém ent et dis
à ce Monsieur qui t u es.
Tu t e fiches de m oi?
Tu t e m oques de m oi?
Ça l'a déglingué, le pauvr e.
Le pauvre t ype, il n'a
j am ais pu s'en rem et t re.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Mon gât eau, j e le m angerai pas :
j e l'aurai dans la t ronche…
D u bbe d ve r sion
Des gât eaux j e vais pas
les dégust er t ranquille…
huh, j e suis sûre qu'on
m e les écrasera en
pleine figure…
Blue in t he Face
En glish ve r sion
13)
SASALI NA
GAMBI NO: I don't get
no cake… t o eat it , I
have t o get it sm ashed
in m y face…
56
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
Each day at eight o'clock in t he m orning, Auggie t akes a pict ure of t he
corner of Third St reet and Sevent h Avenue. I n exam ple 9, Auggie advises
Paul t o slow down as he looks t hrough t he 4000 phot ographs in t he
album . 'You'll never get it ' is t ranslat ed lit erally by t u ne pigeras pas ( in
t he subt it led version) and t u ne verras pas ( 'you won't see [ t he point ] ') in
t he dubbed version. I t is likely t hat during synchronisat ion t he t ranslat ion
has been alt ered t o achieve part ial synchronisat ion bet ween 'you'll never'
and t u ne verras. This change has also lead t o a shift in regist er in which
t he fam iliar t one of t he original is lost from t he dubbed version. I t is
m aint ained in t he subt it led version and is in keeping wit h Auggie's
easygoing charact er and t he inform al set t ing of t he sequence. Exam ples
10 and 11 occur when Rashid is forced t o reveal t hat he is Cyrus's son.
Rashid is a black adolescent who, hiding his t rue ident it y, est ablishes
cont act wit h his fat her ( Cyrus) who abandoned him when he was a child,
aft er a car accident in which Rashid's m ot her was killed. Du ring t he course
of t he film Rashid runs away from t he hom e he shares wit h his aunt and
uncle, befriends Paul and Auggie, and st ill concealing his ident it y, t akes on
a part - t im e j ob working for Cyrus at a pet rol st at ion. Exam ples 10 and 11
occur when Auggie and Paul appear at t he service st at ion, having
discovered Rashid's decept ion in t he m eant im e. They force him t o confess
t he t rut h t o Cyrus. This scene is t herefore dram at ic and em ot ionally
charged. I n exam ple 10) Auggie expresses his frust rat ion as Rashid
cont inues t he charade. An equivalent idiom at ic t urn of phrase for 't o com e
clean' is subt it led by vide t on sac ( lit erally, 'em pt y your bag' or
figurat ively, 'get t hings off your chest ') . This is lost in t he dubbed ver sion:
Vas- y carrém ent et dis à ce Monsieur qui t u es ( 'Go ahead and t ell t his
m an st raight out who you are') . Once again it is likely t he original
t ranslat ion has been alt ered during t he synchronisat ion process t o
synchronise t he let t ers 'com e clean' and carrém ent . Accordingly, 'You
m ockin’ m e? ' is subt it led as Tu t e fiches de m oi? ( 'Are you kidding m e' or
'do you t ake m e for a sucker' according t o t he Larousse dict ionary) but
dubbed as Tu t e m oques de m oi? ( 'Are you m aking fun of m e?') . The
st andard regist er in t he dubbed dialogue t ones down t he em ot ion and
anger of t he charact er. I n exam ple 12 Auggie refers t o Paul whose
pregnant wife was shot dead during a holdup. Fam iliar language is also
int roduced in t he subt it led version wit h déglingué ( Ça l'a déglingué, 'That
wrecked him ') . However , a st andard rendering appears in t he dubbed
version: Le pauvre t ype, il n'a j am ais pu s'en r em et t re ( ' t he poor chap, he
never recovered/ got over it ') . I n t he last exam ple, a young, black, local
resident explains how her birt hday w ill be celebrat ed in Brooklyn. I n order
t o t ransm it t he t one of t he original and respect charact erisat ion, t he
subt it ler changes t he regist er and t ranslat es 'face' wit h a m ore fam iliar
t erm , la t ronche. This is not t he case in t he dubbed version wit h t he
t ranslat ion en pleine figure ( 'right in your face') , where figure is st andard
usage. The subt it ler uses regist er as a way for com pensat ing for ot her
om issions ( 'get it sm ashed' is t ranslat ed by t he m ore st andard j e l'aurai or
'I 'll have/ get it ') . 6
57
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
St rat egy 3 ( + - + ) occurs when a m ore st andard, neut ral regist er is used
in t he subt it led version. Few exam ples of t his were found in t he film s.
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
14) RASHI D: I f t he guy
from t he check- cashing
place hadn't run off
scream ing
bloody
m urder, he would have
shot m e.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
L'em ployé est sort i en hurlant ,
sinon il m 'aurait abat t u.
D u bbe d ve r sion
Si le gars de la banque
n'ét ait pas sort i, en
courant et en hurlant
com m e un m alade, La
Belet t e aurait t iré sur
m oi.
I n t he exam ple from Sm oke, t he expression 't o scream bloody m urder'
does not have an equivalent in French. However, unlike t he subt it ler, t he
dubber ret ains t he expressive nat ure of t he original by adding hurlant
com m e un m alade ( 'yelling like a m adm an') . Le gars ( 't he bloke') is also
insert ed t o t ranslat e 't he guy' whereas t he m ore neut ral em ployé
( 'em ployee') appears in t he subt it le. The subt it ler has rem oved t he
expression in t he original. I t is int erest ing t o not e t hat t he dubber also
ensures t hat t he public underst ands how Rashid's st ory fit s in wit h t he
narrat ive by m ent ioning exact ly who would have shot him ( La Belet t e or
'The Creeper' in t he English version) .
On som e occasions neit her t ranslat or finds a way t o ret ain t he t one of t he
original ( St rat egy 4 + - - ) :
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
15) CYRUS: Yeah, but
he's m y son. He's m y
own flesh and blood.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Mais c'est m on fils.
On est du m êm e sang.
D u bbe d ve r sion
Eh oui, m ais c'est m on
fils. Mon sang coule
dans ses veines.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Ces 35 hect ar es près du ruisseau,
qu'en penses- t u ?
D u bbe d ve r sion
Les quarant e hect ares
qui
sont
près du
ruisseau,
qu'est - ce
que t u en penses?
Je
n'ai
pas
les
m oyens.
Où veux- t u en v enir?
At t ent ion, la dent elle
est t rès fragile!
The Piano
En glish ve r sion
16) BAI NES: Those 80
acres across t h e st ream ,
what do you t hink of
t hem ?
STEWART: I don't have
any m oney,
What are you on about ?
17) MORAG: Careful,
t he lace is m ost fragile.
J'ai pas d'argent .
Pourquoi en parles- t u ?
La dent elle est fragile!
'He's m y own flesh and blood' ( exam ple 15) could have been t ranslat ed by
t he equivalent expression in French c'est la chair de m a chair. However,
bot h versions offer an explicit rendering On est du m êm e sang ( 'we have
t he sam e blood') and Mon sang coule dans ses veines ( 'm y blood flows in
his veins') . St ylist ically, t he t ranslat ions differ from t he original alt hough
t hey do convey t he denot at ive m eaning. I n t he ext ract s from The Piano,
t he expressive nat ure of t he original is at t enuat ed som ewhat in t he
58
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
subt it led and dubbed ver sions. Exam ple 1 6 t akes place as Baines bargains
wit h St ewart . He offers land in exchange for Ada's piano: 'What are you
on about ' becom es Pourquoi en parles- t u ( 'Why are you t alking about it ')
in t he subt it led version. The subt it ler t hereby links t he t ranslat ion t o t he
previous subt it le and t he rest of t he conversat ion. At hough t he dubbed
t ranslat ion fit s in perfect ly wit hin t he cont ext and m eaning of t his
exchange, t he colloquial elem ent disappears Où veux- t u en venir? ( 'What
are you get t ing at ') . I n exam ple 17, we see Morag helping t o arrange
Ada's wedding dress. Morag is a m iddle- aged Englishwom an who has
em igrat ed t o New Zealand. She looks down on t he Maoris and upholds
Brit ish t radit ions and et iquet t e at every occasion. The use of 'm ost ',
m eaning 'very' in t his cont ext , corresponds t o a for m al regist er and is also
indicat ive of social class and t em poral set t ing. The subt it ler om it s t his
com plet ely and adds an exclam at ion m ark t o port ray t he pedant ic nat ure
of t he speaker in t his scene. The dubber adds t rès and so t he denot at ive
m eaning is t ransm it t ed alt hough t he connot at ions of 'm ost ' in t he original
are not .
Let us now m ove on t o a discussion of inst ances where t he dubbed
dialogues differ in t erm s of language regist er ( St rat egy 5: - - + ) :
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
18)
PAUL:
…and
lit t le by lit t le he
sm oked his book.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
si bien qu'à la fin, il fum a son livre.
D u bbe d ve r sion
…si bien qu'à la fin,
il fum a t out son
bouquin.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Pas de problèm e, Vinnie.
Je gérerais ce m agasin les yeux ferm és.
D u bbe d ve r sion
Pas de problèm e. Je
cont rôle la sit uat ion.
Je peux bosser les
yeux ferm és.
Dans m on enfance, j 'ai dû souffrir d'un
aut re t raum at ism e.
J'ai
dû
probablem ent …
souffrir
d'un
t raum at ism e
ét ant
gosse.
Term iné les cigares
à l'oeil, hein?
Blue in t he Face
En glish ve r sion
19)
AUGGI E:
No
problem ,
Vin .
Everyt hing's
under
cont rol. I could run
t his st ore in m y
sleep.
20)
MAN
WI TH
UNUSUAL GLASSES:
And if t here was
probably a childhood
t raum a t hat I had…
21)
VI NNI E:
No
m ore f ree cigars, eh,
Auggie?
Plus de cigares grat uit s, hein ?
The Piano
En glish ve r sion
22) STEWART: What
are you doing, we
don't have t im e for
t his…
23) STEWART: So,
Baines is packing
up?
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Que fait es- vous ?
Nous n'avons pas le t em ps !
Baines fait ses bagages ?
D u bbe d ve r sion
Que
fait es- vous?
Bon
sang!
Nous
n'avons
pas
le
t em ps.
Baines plie bagages?
59
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
I n exam ples 18- 21, colloquial vocabulary em erges in t he dubbed
dialogues. Bouquin ( fam iliar) t ranslat es 'book' inst ead of livre, and 'I could
run t his st ore in m y sleep' becom es Je peux bosser les yeux ferm és ( 'I can
work wit h m y eyes closed', where bosser is a fam iliar t erm for 't o work') .
Again t he original t ranslat ion was probably alt ered during synchronisat ion
t o provide t he best fit bet ween lip m ovem ent s and t he new soundt rack. I n
exam ples 20 and 21, t he m ore fam iliar use of language ( gosse 'kid', à
l’oeil 'on t he house') in t he dubbed version fit s t he global cont ext and
charact erisat ion. The " Man wit h Unusual Glasses" ( exam ple 20) is Lou
Reed. Aust er writ es:
We [ Aust er and Wayne Wang, t he producer] decided t o use Lou as him self, not as
an act or: j ust sit him behind t he count er of t he cigar st ore and get him t o t alk on
various subj ect s. He was t o be t he resident philosopher of t he Brooklyn Cigar
Com pany, a m an who j ust happened t o be t here, for no part icular reason,
expoundin g on t his and t hat .
( Aust er 1995: 183)
Aust er t ries t o explain why t hey chose Lou Reed and suggest s it m ight
have been due t o his " caust ic sensibilit y" or perhaps " his appreciat ion of
t he ironies of life" or " sim ply because of his m arvellous New Yorkaccent ed voice" ( I bid. 18 3) . All of t his com es across t hrough t he charact er
labelled only as ''The Man wit h Unusual Glasses" . He t alks about various
event s in a relaxed, inform al m anner. The last ext ract from Blue in t he
Face, t akes place as Auggie t ries t o convince Vinnie not t o sell t he cigar
st ore. The relat ionship is one of good friends rat her t han
em ployer/ em ployee. Therefore, in bot h t hese ext ract s, t he inform al
regist er in t he dubbed version fit s bot h t he cont ext and charact erisat ion.
I n exam ple 22 from The Piano, t he dubbed version reinforces St ewart 's
anger by adding an explet ive, Bon sang ( 'dam n and blast it ') . Alt hough
t he charact er is irrit at ed, he rem ains form al in t he original. The
t ranslat ion 7 serves t o em phasise St ewart 's frust rat ion in t his scene. This is
com prom ised slight ly in t he final sent ence where a m ore colloquial t urn of
phrase is used Baines plie bagages 8 ( 'Baines is packing up and going') .
This does not quit e fit wit h t he st iff, con vent ional m anner of t he charact er.
Once again, it is likely t hat t he original t ranslat ion was alt ered due t o t he
need for lip synchronisat ion.
I n t he above ext ract s, t he dubber changes t he st yle and language regist er
of t he original. At t im es, t he subt it ler also chooses t his st rat egy ( St rat egy
6: - + + ) :
60
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
24) PAUL: I m ean, if
you
t hink
you're
going t o die, what 's
m ore im port ant , a
good book, or a
good sm oke?
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Tu crois que t u vas m ourir,
t u préfères un livre ou u ne clope?
D u bbe d ve r sion
C'est vrai. Si t u crois
que ce qu'on a de plu s
im port ant c'est un bon
livre ou une bonne
clope…
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Je veux m 'achet er du m at os.
Vous m 'en prenez une?
D u bbe d ve r sion
J'aim erais
bien
m 'achet er du m at os…
alors,
vous
m 'en
prenez une?
Oui, les filles de Brooklyn savent se
bat t re. On se cr êpe pas la chignon.
Si
les
filles
de
Brooklyn savent se
bat t re? Ah oui, bien.
On n'est pas du genre
à se crêper le chignon.
Blue in t he Face
En glish ve r sion
25)
RAPPER:
I 'm
t rying t o get som e
equipm ent ,
m an.
You want t o buy a
wat ch?
26)
SASALI NA
GAMBI NA: I s, is a
Brooklyn girl a good
fight er? Of course.
Because we don’t
scrat ch
and
pull
hair.
'Sm oke' ( exam ple 24) is t ranslat ed by t he fam iliar t erm for cigaret t e in
French, clope. Alt hough t he regist er changes, t his t ranslat ion m at ches
Paul's relaxed m anner and t he inform al cont ext . The sam e could be said
for m at os ( 'gear') , in exam ple 25, which replaces 'equipm ent '. Sasalina
Gam bina ( exam ple 26) , a local Brooklyn resident st udied in an earlier
ext ract ( exam ple 13) , oft en uses colloquialism s, slang, and gram m at ically
incorrect language. The ext ract quot ed here is an except ion. However, t he
subt it led and dubbed versions t ake account of t he way she com es across
t hroughout t he film , and provide a colloquial expression se crêper le
chignon ( 't o have a go at each ot her') . The t ranslat ions are t herefore
consist ent wit h t he overall port rayal of t he individual.
I n t he final st rat egy, a change in regist er occurs in t he subt it les but not
t he dubbed dialogues ( St rat egy 7: - + - ) :
Sm oke
En glish ve r sion
27) AUGGI E: He ran ou t of
luck.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
I l m anque plut ôt de pot .
D u bbe d ve r sion
I l m anque de chance.
Su bt it le d ve r sion
Assieds- t oi.
D u bbe d ve r sion
Asseyez- vous, ça suffit .
The Piano
En glish ve r sion
28) MORAG: Sept im us,
now st op it .
The expression 't o run out of luck' is subt it led by il m anque plut ôt de pot
( 'he's out of luck') as opposed t o a m or e st andard rendering in t he dubbed
61
The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
version il m anque de chance ( 'he is short of luck') . Auggie oft en uses
slang and inform al expressions, an essent ial part of his charact erisat ion,
and t he subt it le t akes account of t his. I n The Piano, an elem ent of
fam iliarit y is added t o t he subt it led version t hrough t he use of t he inform al
t u as opposed t o t he m ore form al vous. The cont ext it self is not form al at
t his point , however as t he charact ers conform t o t he rigours of polit eness
and form alit y of t he ninet eent h cent ury it would have been m ore likely
t hat t hey would address each ot her wit h vous.
6 . Su m m a r y
We have seen t hat m arked form s of language are rem oved from or added
t o t he subt it led and dubbed versions t hrough a change in regist er. Lip
synchronisat ion oft en leads t o a shift in t he dubbed dialogues, in which
st andard language em erges ( + + - ) . This also reduces coherence bet ween
t he new soundt rack and charact ers. St andard language is chosen by t he
subt it ler rat her t han m ore colloquial form s when t his const it ut es a way of
short ening t he t ranslat ion ( + - + ) . Som et im es t he denot at ive m eaning is
conveyed at t he expense of t he speaker’s idiosyncrasies. I n t hose
exam ples where t here is no equivalent expression in French, bot h t he
subt it led and t he dubbed versions adhere t o t he denot at ive m eaning ( + - ) . The t ranslat ions becom e neut ral and less expressive. The dubbed
version becom es st ronger when t his allows a bet t er fit bet ween t he lip
m ovem ent s of t he act ors and t he t ranslat ion ( - - + ) . At t im es, a shift in
regist er occurs in bot h versions whilst respect ing t he overall port rayal of a
part icular charact er ( - + + ) .
A change in regist er t ends t o occur when const raint s specific t o subt it ling
and dubbing arise or an equivalent expression in French does not exist .
However, t he subt it ler m ight use colloquialism s t o t ranslat e st andard
language as a m eans t o com pensat e for t he suppression of fam iliarit y
elsewhere and t hereby at t ain coherence on a general, global level. I n t he
dubbed version, a change in regist er oft en corresponds t o a need for
synchronisat ion. Different regist ers provide a palet t e from which various
solut ions can be sought . I t should be not ed t hat , t hrough int onat ion,
st ress and volum e, t he voice of t he dubbing act or can com pensat e, t o a
cert ain ext ent , for m eaning which has been changed or lost .
I t is not possible t o convey t he m ult iple m eanings of each and every
ut t erance but t he spirit of t he ent ire audiovisual t ext , com posed not only
of language but also ot her visual and audit ory effect s, needs t o serve as a
guide for t he t ranslat or in his choices. 9
62
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I ssue 4 - July 2005
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Au diovisu a l sou r ce s
Cam pion, Jane ( Direct or) ( 1992) . The Piano [ Mot ion pict ure] . Aust ralia: Miram ax.
Wang, Wayne ( Direct or) ( 1 995) . Blue in t he Face [ Mot ion pict ure] . USA: Miram ax.
Wang, Wayne ( Direct or) ( 1 995) . Sm oke [ Mot ion pict ure] . USA: Miram ax.
Zoë Pet t it is current ly Lect urer in French at t he Universit y of Greenwich in
London. She obt ained a doct orat e in audiovisual t ranslat ion ( 2000) from
Paul Valéry Universit y, Mont pellier I I I , France. Her research int erest s
include int erlingual subt it ling and dubbing, sem iot ics, verbal and nonverbal com m unicat ion. She can be cont act ed at [email protected]
1
See Trosborg ( 1 997) w ho relat es regist er t o genre and t ext t ype. Ot her pert inent
cont ribut ions include Sanders ( 1996) , Gadet ( 1 996) and Hewson ( 1996) in a special issue
of Palim psest es dedicat ed t o t ranslat ion, regist re and niveau de langue.
2
The fine line which separat es t he t wo is illust rat ed by t he ent ries in t he unabridged
edit ion of t he Larousse French/ English dict ionary in which niveau de langue is t ranslat ed
as " regist er" and som ewhat perversely, regist re as bot h " regist er" and " level of
language" .
3
Hat im and Mason ( 199 0: 40- 42, 1997 : 97- 110) discuss t he n ot ion of regist er at lengt h
explaining how t hese different fact ors affect t he use of one regist er over anot her.
4
Mart inez ( 2 004: 5- 6) describes t he du bbing process and sh ows t hat t he original
t ranslat ion m ay be m odified at various st ages. Proof- reading, synchronisat ion, and even
im provisat ion on t he part of t he act ors, m ay affect t he final dubbed version: " [ …] t he
product of t h e t ranslat or's work is oft en not t he final product but a sort of draft v ersion
which is polished and adj ust ed t o t he n eeds and dem ands of t h e m edium " ( p. 7) .
5
Alt hough t hese are t he reasons why t he film s were chosen in relat ion t o language
regist er, t hey have a nu m ber of ot her int erest in g feat ures which lead t o t heir select ion in
a m ore ext ensive analysis of t he subt it led and dubbed versions ( cf. Pet t it : 2000) .
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The Journal of Specialised Translat ion
I ssue 4 - July 2005
6
I n Arm st rong's ( 2004) st udy of t he dubbed version of The Sim psons, a popular
Am erican anim at ed cart oon show, he reveals how t he t ranslat or uses slang as a way t o
com pensat e for m arked social- regional language in t he original English which has no
equivalent in French. Sanders ( 1996: 42) also discusses how a " different linguist ic level"
can be used as a m eans of com pensat ion.
7
It is highly probable t hat t he explet ive was added by t he person respon sible for lip
synchronisat ion.
8
This collocat ion is also used in t he expression forcer quelqu'un à plier bagage 't o send
som eone packing' ( Larousse) .
9
Ot her fact ors m ight include regulat ions im posed by t he com pany sponsoring t he
t ranslat ion, t he channel wh ich will broadcast t he program m e, t he t im e it will be shown
et c
65