Taming teen-language: The adaptation of Buffyspeak into Italian
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Diana Bianchi
Abstract
This paper examines the Italian dubbed version of the US TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, focussing in particular on the translation of the show’s idiosyncratic slang, the so-called Buffyspeak, and the representation of unconventional femininity embodied by the character of Buffy. Our analysis shows how the changes made in the adaptation radically alter two of the most debated elements of the programme: its youth language and its ‘feminist’ content, resulting in what we argue is a ‘tamer’ version of the show. We believe that linguistic and technical problems are insufficient to explain the normalisation strategies adopted throughout so other factors have been considered. In particular, we focus on current working practices in the Italian dubbing industry, the importance of clear generic labelling on TV and the difference between US and Italian teen series, all of which have been cited as elements that are likely to have affected the adaptation of the programme. Ultimately this illustrates that, when analysing dubbing for television, it is necessary to take into account the socio-cultural context to understand how certain strategies are chosen and why.
Abstract
This paper examines the Italian dubbed version of the US TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, focussing in particular on the translation of the show’s idiosyncratic slang, the so-called Buffyspeak, and the representation of unconventional femininity embodied by the character of Buffy. Our analysis shows how the changes made in the adaptation radically alter two of the most debated elements of the programme: its youth language and its ‘feminist’ content, resulting in what we argue is a ‘tamer’ version of the show. We believe that linguistic and technical problems are insufficient to explain the normalisation strategies adopted throughout so other factors have been considered. In particular, we focus on current working practices in the Italian dubbing industry, the importance of clear generic labelling on TV and the difference between US and Italian teen series, all of which have been cited as elements that are likely to have affected the adaptation of the programme. Ultimately this illustrates that, when analysing dubbing for television, it is necessary to take into account the socio-cultural context to understand how certain strategies are chosen and why.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction: Audiovisual translation comes of age 1
- Recent developments and challenges in audiovisual translation research 11
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Part 1. Electronic databases and corpora
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ICT approaches
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring macrostructures 37
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring microstructures 51
- New tools for translators: INTCA, an electronic dictionary of interjections 63
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Linguistic approaches
- Spoken language in film dubbing: Target language norms, interference and translational routines 79
- High felicity: A speech act approach to quality assessment in subtitling 101
- Inserts in modern script-writing and their translation into Spanish 117
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Part 2. Perception and quality
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Empirical approaches
- The perception of dubbese: An Italian study 135
- Acceptance of the norm or suspension of disbelief? The case of formulaic language in dubbese 149
- Measuring the perception of the screen translation of Un Posto al Sole : A cross-cultural study 165
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Cultural and psycholinguistic approaches
- Taming teen-language: The adaptation of Buffyspeak into Italian 183
- From darkness to light in subtitling 197
- Subtitles and line-breaks: Towards improved readability 211
-
Socio-economic approaches
- The localization of promotional discourse on the internet 227
- Issues of quality in screen translation: Problems and solutions 241
- References 257
- Filmography 285
- Index 289
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction: Audiovisual translation comes of age 1
- Recent developments and challenges in audiovisual translation research 11
-
Part 1. Electronic databases and corpora
-
ICT approaches
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring macrostructures 37
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring microstructures 51
- New tools for translators: INTCA, an electronic dictionary of interjections 63
-
Linguistic approaches
- Spoken language in film dubbing: Target language norms, interference and translational routines 79
- High felicity: A speech act approach to quality assessment in subtitling 101
- Inserts in modern script-writing and their translation into Spanish 117
-
Part 2. Perception and quality
-
Empirical approaches
- The perception of dubbese: An Italian study 135
- Acceptance of the norm or suspension of disbelief? The case of formulaic language in dubbese 149
- Measuring the perception of the screen translation of Un Posto al Sole : A cross-cultural study 165
-
Cultural and psycholinguistic approaches
- Taming teen-language: The adaptation of Buffyspeak into Italian 183
- From darkness to light in subtitling 197
- Subtitles and line-breaks: Towards improved readability 211
-
Socio-economic approaches
- The localization of promotional discourse on the internet 227
- Issues of quality in screen translation: Problems and solutions 241
- References 257
- Filmography 285
- Index 289
