Audiovisual translation peculiarities of content in "Doctor Who" series

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SHEI «Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi state pedagogical

Hryhorii Skovoroda university»

Audiovisual translation peculiarities of content in «Doctor Who» series

Tetiana Zabolotna

Abstract

Introduction. Due to the ongoing globalisation process and widespread interest in foreign cinema in Ukraine, translation of audiovisual content is seen as one of the highest priorities for modern linguistics.

The purpose of this article is seen in considering translation peculiarities and their analyzes in the audiovisual translation of the science-fiction series «Doctor Who» in order to find out all the difficulties translators may face.

Methods of study have been chosen according to the purpose of the article and in order to analyze all translation peculiarities which occur in the audiovisual process of translation. These include such methods as cultural transfer, didactic approach, method of linguistic and cultural approach, pragmatic and didactic approach.

Results. Audiovisual translation is becoming increasingly popular in the world, and this is not surprising since studios, TV channels and individuals generate a huge amount of audiovisual content every year. Billions of hours of cartoons, TV series, feature and documentary films, commercials and other audiovisual products are translated into different languages.

Therefore, this article will discuss audiovisual translation as a process of decoding and translation of the verbal component of the polysemiotic unity of an audiovisual work, which results in a new verbal component of this unity suitable for further processing (subtitling, dubbing, localization, etc.), taking into account the overall context of the work, the expected reaction of the content consumer and the functional limitations imposed by each individual type of further processing.

Originality of the article is seen in the point, that «Doctor Who» is the longest running sci-fi television series in history. It was made possible by the amazing ability of the Doctor, an eccentric time traveler from the planet Gallifrey, to «regenerate» - that is, to completely change his appearance after sustaining a fatal injury. Between 1963 and 1989, the main character was played by eight different actors.

A feature film was made in 1996 and the series was rebooted in 2005, continuing the storyline interrupted by nine years. In 2018, season 11 of the so-called «new school» was released, with a female actress Jodie Whittaker playing the role of the Doctor for the first time ever.

The series is sci-fi, but while initially many episodes were based on historical facts, since the reboot the plots have become closer to sci-fi. The scriptwriters make extensive use of fantasy assumptions (travel to the future/past, encounters with creatures like the mythical Minotaur, the Devil, pagan gods) to create an unconventional setting and disclose the issues raised in the story more fully [4, p. 196].

The «Doctor Who» series was originally aimed at a family audience and its main aim was to popularize science, i.e. to present scientific information, historical facts, philosophical arguments in a way comprehensible and understandable for the audience, although it means their considerable simplification.

The protagonist - a scientist and adventurer in one person - travels through time and space and by his example shows that «courage, endurance, optimism and respect for scientific knowledge will help to overcome all difficulties».

To define the translation peculiarities of the audiovisual content in the «Doctor Who» TV series, we considered two variants of audiovisual translation of season 10: subtitles made by the team of amateur translators TEAmTARDIS, and dubbing made by the professional studio BaibaKo.

In the case of proper names (including neologisms), the vast majority of examples use transcription in dubbing («Nardole») and transliteration in subtitling («Bill Potts»), but for speaking names, calibration may also be used («Sunshine»).

In some cases, syntactic assimilation is used by both translators, although amateur translators generally use this type of translation more often than professional ones.

It is worth noting that in the second example, the fan translation is more accurate and more euphonious, possibly due to the fact that subtitling does not involve synchronising the audio track with the actors ' facial expressions.

Conclusion. Having studied all the peculiarities in audiovisual translation we came to a conclusion, that a translator of an audiovisual text must be confident in the arsenal of linguistic means and have a good knowledge of the culture of the country in which the film or television series was filmed and its linguistic realities in order to produce a high-quality, adequate translation.

Keywords: translation, audiovisual translation, subtitling, dubbing, voice-over translation.

Анотація

Особливості перекладу аудіовізуального контенту серіалу «Doctor Who»

Тетяна Заболотна

ДВНЗ «Переяслав-Хмельницький державний педагогічний університет імені Григорія Сковороди»

Останнім часом проблема теорії та практики перекладу привертає дедалі більшу увагу академічної спільноти та практиків перекладу. Усе частіше порушують питання якості надання перекладацьких послуг, розроблення методики навчання перекладу, пошуку шляхів ефективної взаємодії в парі «перекладач - замовник». Загалом сучасний підхід до проблем перекладу як процесу перекладацької діяльності і як її результату зумовив потребу у формуванні нових методологій вивчення феномену перекладу. З огляду на це особливої значущості набуває вивчення вітчизняного та зарубіжного досвіду в цій царині, виявлення основних тенденцій і підходів до виявлення закономірностей різних видів перекладу.

У світі досить популярним наразі є аудіовізуальний переклад, і це закономірно, оскільки щорічно студії, телеканали і приватні особи генерують величезний обсяг аудіовізуального контенту. Мільярди годин мультфільмів, серіалів, художніх і документальних фільмів, рекламних роликів та іншої аудіовізуальної продукції перекладають різними мовами. Досить часто такий переклад не вирізняється високою якістю. Це зумовлено декількома чинниками: складністю технології процесу аудіовізуального перекладу й озвучування контенту, виходом на ринок великої кількості «фанатських» студій і непрофесійних перекладачів-аматорів, а також недостатністю опрацювання теоретичних основ аудіовізуального перекладу. Пропонована наукова розвідка сконцентрована на останньому чинникові, поставивши за мету вивчити й узагальнити вітчизняний і зарубіжний досвід щодо аудіовізуального перекладу, а на основі отриманих даних сформулювати основні підходи до вивчення цього явища.

Об'єктом дослідження постає науково-фантастичний серіал «Doctor Who» та особливості перекладу його аудіовізуального контенту. З'ясовано особливості перекладу термінів жанру наукової фантастики компанією з професійними перекладачами та спілкою перекладачів-аматорів. Доведено, що перекладачі-професіонали більш вдало перекладають контент, тоді як перекладачі-аматори частково або не зовсім адекватно перекладають контент.

Ключові слова: переклад, аудіовізуальний переклад, субтитрування, дубляж, закадровий переклад.

Аннотация

Особенности перевода аудиовизуального контента сериала «Doctor Who»

Татьяна Заболотная

ГВУЗ «Переяслав-Хмельницький государственный педагогический университет имени Григория Сковороды»

В последние годы проблемы теории и практики перевода привлекают всё больше внимания академической общественности и практиков перевода. Всё чаще поднимаются вопросы обеспечения качества оказания переводческих услуг, разработки методики обучения переводу, поиска путей эффективного взаимодействия в паре «переводчик - заказчик». В целом современный подход к проблемам перевода как процесса переводческой деятельности и как её результата обусловил необходимость формирования новых методологий изучения феномена перевода. В связи с этим представляется особенно важным изучение отечественного и зарубежного опыта исследований, выявление основных тенденций и подходов к выявлению закономерностей различных видов перевода. Поэтому предлагаемая статья посвящена особенностям перевода аудиовизуального контента британского телесериала «Doctor Who». В статье рассматриваются понятие аудиовизуального перевода, его разновидности, а также своеобразие научнофантастического жанра, которое делает процесс его перевода трудоемким.

Ключевые слова: перевод, аудиовизуальный перевод, субтитры, дубляж, закадровый перевод.

Introduction

Problem stating. Due to the ongoing globalisation process and widespread interest in foreign cinema in Ukraine, translation of audiovisual content is seen as one of the highest priorities for modern linguistics.

Analysis of the latest researches and publications. A lot of scientists take the problem of audiovisual translation under their research scope. Among them we may name F. Chaume, V. Gorshkova, V. Komisarov, Dias Cintas Jorge, R. Haynes and A. Remael. Their works had some impact on the study of audiovisual translation peculiarities in the whole world.

The purpose and task of this article. We see the purpose of this article in viewing translation peculiarities and their analysis in the audiovisual translation of the science-fiction series «Doctor Who» in order to find out all difficulties translators may face.

Methods of study. In order to analyze all translation peculiarities which occur in the audiovisual process of translation we are able to use different methods and approaches, such as cultural transfer, didactic approach, method of linguistic and cultural approach, pragmatic-didactic approach.

Main research presentation

In recent years, problems of translation theory and practice have attracted more and more attention from the academic community and translation practitioners. More and more often the issues of quality ensurance of translation services, developing translation training methodology, finding ways of effective interaction in the «translator-customer» pair are raised. In general, the modern approach to the problems of translation as a process of translation activity and as its result has necessitated the formation of new methodologies for studying the phenomenon of translation.

In this regard, it seems particularly important to study Ukrainian and foreign research experience, identifying the main trends and approaches to defining patterns of different types of translation. Audiovisual translation is becoming increasingly popular in the world, and this is not surprising since studios, TV channels and individuals generate a huge amount of audiovisual content every year. Billions of hours of cartoons, TV series, feature and documentary films, commercials and other audiovisual products are translated into different languages. Quite often these translations are not of high quality. This is due to several factors: the complexity of the audiovisual translation and dubbing process, the large number of «fan» studios and nonprofessional amateur translators entering the market, as well as insufficient development of the theoretical foundations of audiovisual translation. In this study, we allow ourselves to focus on the latter factor, aiming to study and summarise domestic and foreign research experience in the field of audiovisual translation, and on the basis of the obtained data to formulate the main approaches to the study of this phenomenon.

The term «audiovisual translation» entered Ukrainian linguistics and translation studies relatively recently. Most works of theoretical and applied nature are devoted to film/video translation as a special type of translation activity, which automatically removes a significant amount of audiovisual content from the sphere of scientific interest: commercials, theatrical performances, games, talk shows, etc. The term «film/video translation» is considered to be a hyponym for the term «audiovisual translation» and is used to refer to the process of «literary interlanguage processing of the content of original montage sheets with the subsequent rhythmic arrangement of the translated text and its dubbing or introduction into the video sequence in the form of subtitles» [1, p. 17]. In this case film translation is viewed as text translation, which does not take into account the specifics of the film text, namely its polysemy (some works use the terms «polycodality» and «creolized text»). The perception of translation of audiovisual products as translation of literary, artistic, complicates understanding of the essence of this type of translation, in which other semiotic systems that are firmly linked to the textual component of the film - visual syntax, video sequence, noise-music row, meaningful inscriptions, etc. - have a significant impact on the result. Therefore, this article will discuss audiovisual translation as a process of decoding and translation of the verbal component of the polysemiotic unity of an audiovisual work, which results in a new verbal component of this unity suitable for further processing (subtitling, dubbing, localization, etc.), taking into account the overall context of the work, the expected reaction of the content consumer and the functional limitations imposed by each individual type of further processing [1, p. 19]. translation audiovisual content language

According to Prof. J. Diaz-Cintas, «audiovisual translation can be defined as the translation of the verbal elements of an audiovisual text» [4, p. 193]. This means that audiovisual translation (AVT) deals exclusively with the translation of audio-medial texts - soap operas, films of various genres, computer games, TV programmes, etc. Subtitling, dubbing («lip-sync») and voice-over translation («voice-over») are considered to be the most common types of AVT [6, p. 13]. Each of them has its own characteristic features. Subtitling is translation of film dialogues in abbreviated form, reflecting their main content and expressed as a printed text at the bottom of the screen, according to V.E. Gorshkova [1, p. 28]. It has certain technical limitations and implies the need for careful placement of the text to ensure that the audio is in sync with what is happening on the screen. The main tasks of a translator when subtitling are to match the pronunciation speed of the original speech, reading speed and duration of the episode; to transmit all the information with pragmatic meaning; to adapt subtitles so that watching on different devices is comfortable.

Dubbing is the complete replacement of the actors' original speech with speech in the translating language. Dubbing is considered to be the most expensive and difficult type of audiovisual translation, while most accurately conveying the artistic intent of the individual work. When working on the dubbing, the translator is obliged to completely rethink the available context and subtext and to build on them to create a text from scratch, so that it integrates seamlessly into the realities of a completely different culture [2, p. 15]. Voice-over translation is a type of translation of audiovisual works, in which the translated speech of voice actors is superimposed on the original audio track, so that the viewer can hear both the translation and the original recording [5, p. 45].

It is most interesting to consider the peculiarities of translation of audiovisual content on the example of a single source, in this case the cult British TV series «Doctor Who».

«Doctor Who» is the longest running sci-fi television series in history. It was made possible by the amazing ability of the Doctor, an eccentric time traveller from the planet Gallifrey, to «regenerate» - that is, to completely change his appearance after sustaining a fatal injury. Between 1963 and 1989, the main character was played by eight different actors. A feature film was made in 1996 and the series was rebooted in 2005, continuing the interrupted storyline for nine years. In 2018, season 11 of the so-called «newschool» was released, with a female actress Jodie Whittaker playing the role of the Doctor for the first time ever. The series is sci-fi, but while initially many episodes were based on historical facts, since the reboot the plots have become closer to sci-fi. The scriptwriters make extensive use of fantasy assumptions (travel to the future/past, encounters with creatures like the mythical Minotaur, the Devil, pagan gods) to create an unconventional setting and more fully disclose the issues raised in the story [4, p. 196]. The «Doctor Who» series was originally aimed at a family audience and its main aim was to popularise science, i.e. to present scientific information, historical facts, philosophical arguments in a way that is clear and understandable for the audience, although it means simplifying them considerably. The protagonist - a scientist and adventurer in one person - travels through time and space and by his example shows that «courage, endurance, optimism and respect for scientific knowledge will help to overcome all difficulties» [7].

The series is very interesting in terms of considering the peculiarities of translation as it often involves specialised vocabulary, neologisms, various realities and jargonisms. For 55 years «Doctor Who» has influenced British culture, resulting in the repeated inclusion of neologisms coined by the writers in the Oxford Dictionary: the names of race representatives «Dalek» and «Cyberman», the nickname of the series' fans «Whovian», and the acronym «TARDIS», which has come to denote not just the Doctor's time machine, but literally anything that seems bigger from the inside than the outside.

«Doctor Who» is also notable for the presence of a large number of translation options, made by both professional studios and independent teams of amateur translators. It is worth noting here that there exists the phenomenon of fansubbing - subtitled translations done by fans and produced independently of the official translation version. It is believed that fan translators are characterised by a careful approach to conveying the specific speech characteristics of the characters, trying to preserve and reproduce jokes, wordplay, references to popular culture, etc. as accurately as possible. This is also because amateur translators are often more familiar with the original audiovisual text and its characteristics. Since the finished translation needs to be coherent, unified and complete, the translator is constantly faced with the choice of translation strategies and specific translation solutions.

According to V.N. Komissarov, there are the following types of lexical transformations that are used in the translation process: omission, addition, generalisation, concretisation, semantic development (modulation), compensation, holistic transformation, transliteration and transcribing, and calquing. Grammatical ones include literal translation (syntactic similarity), grammatical substitutions, and sentence splitting. Lexical-grammatical - antonymic and descriptive (explication) translations [3, p. 120].

To consider the peculiarities of translation of audiovisual content in the «Doctor Who» TV series, we selected two variants of audiovisual translation of season 10: subtitles made by the team of amateur translators TEAmTARDIS, and dubbing made by the professional studio BaibaKo.

Relying on the analysed translations we can conclude that the most frequently used translation transformations by both amateur and professional translators are: syntactic assimilation (literal translation), holistic transformation, omission and addition (69, 25, 20 and 7 cases respectively). Syntactic assimilation is most often used when translating specialised (technical) vocabulary: e.g. «sonic screwdriver», «Fleishman cold fusion engine», «Fleishman cold fusion engine».

In the case of proper names (including neologisms), the vast majority of examples use transcription in dubbing («Nardole») and transliteration in subtitling («Bill Potts»), but for speaking names, calibration may also be used («Sunshine»).

In some cases, syntactic assimilation is used by both translators, although amateur translators in general use this type of translation more often than professionals. It is worth noting that in the second example, the fan translation is more accurate and more euphonious, possibly due to the fact that subtitling does not involve synchronising the audio track with the actors' facial expressions.

Translation using syntactic assimilation:

Subtitles

Amy: Who are you?

Doctor: I don't know yet,

I'm still cooking.

Dubbing

Who are you?

Doctor: I don't know yet, I'm still cooking.

Who are you?

Liecar: I don't know yet, I'm still cooking.

Subtitles. It's an interdimensional multiform from out of space - they're all terrified of wood!

Dubbing. It's an interdimensional multiform from out of space - they're all terrified of wood!

This is an interspace multiform from out of space - they're all terrified of wood!

Having analysed the translation transformations found, we concluded that the translation made by professionals is generally more accurate. For example, in the dialogue in which the Doctor being asked what he is thinking of responds as: «A magic haddock», the amateur translation team gives the translation as «About a magic perch», while the professionals translate it as «About a goldfish». Of course, the second translation of this reality is more correct, because in the first case it is not at all clear to the viewer what the hero has in mind. However, amateur translation is more expressive here - they often deliberately avoid using compression, to avoid inaccuracies and omitting any important information, which makes it more difficult to understand when you watch it.

This type of translation is mainly done for fans, who know the original much better than professionals and notice inaccuracies, as well as for connoisseurs of a foreign language and those who already know the language at a sufficient level and therefore are not so distracted by reading [1, p. 45].

Conclusions and further scientific research perspectives

We have seen that the uniqueness of the science fiction genre (the presence of specialised vocabulary, neologisms, realities, etc.) does make it difficult for the translator to work on. Sometimes the fictional world is so out of sync with reality that the viewer needs a certain adaptation of the translation and the socio-cultural realities embedded in it in order to grasp the idea of the screenwriters. This is why the translator of an audiovisual text must have a good command of the arsenal of linguistic means and have a good knowledge of the culture of the country in which the film or television series was filmed and its linguistic realities in order to produce a high-quality, adequate translation.

Further areas of study are seen in analyzing other British and American series, highlighting their audiovisual translation peculiarities by means of comparison.

References

1. Gorshkova V. Translation in cinema. Irkutsk : MIGLU, 2006. 278 s.

2. Kosuliaiev А. Training of dynamically equivalent translation of audio-visual works: experience of working out and gaining of innovative methodics at schools od audio-visual translation. Problemy yasykosnaniia i pedagigiki. Perm, 2010. № 3. P. 3-24.

3. Komissarov V. N. Sovremennoie perevodovedenie. Moskva : Vysshaia shkola, 2002. 192 p.

4. Diaz Cintas Jorge. Audiovisual Translation In The Third Millennium. Translation Today: Trends and Perspectives. Bristol : Multilingual Matters, 2003. P. 192-204.

5. Haynes R. From alchemy to artificial intelligence: stereotypes of the scientist in Western literature. Public Understanding of Science. 2003. 12. P. 43-53.

6. Remael A. Audiovisual translation. Handbook of translation studies. Vol. 1. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2010. P. 12-18.

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