Problems in Subtitling Cultural-Bound Expressions in “Theeb” Movie: A Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1110.09Keywords:
Translation Studies, Subtitling, Cultural Expressions, Arabic/English, “Theeb” MovieAbstract
Subtitling is a challenging task making subtitlers use precise strategies to improve the quality of the subtitles. This paper aims at identifying the subtitling strategies employed in subtitling the culture-bound terms in the Jordanian movie entitled “Theeb” and assessing the translation of such culture-bound terms. The dialect used in this movie is the Bedouin Jordanian Arabic. So, the translator faced two dilemmas: (1) Understanding the Bedouin Jordanian-Arabic dialect and understanding the dimensions and features of this distinguished culture. (2) Translating this work, which is loaded with cultural expressions, into English. Furthermore, the study deals with the issue of overcoming the difficulties faced by translation of Arabic-language audiovisual dialogues into English. To achieve the purpose of this study, the data was collected from the movie "Theeb" and then analyzed. The results show that not all the subtitling strategies were used. Those left unused were dislocation, condensation, decimation, and resignation strategies. Hence, this article critically evaluates this subtitling, exposing pitfalls and offering more efficient renderings in a practical context.
References
Bogucki, L. (2004). The constraint of relevance in subtitling. The Journal of Specialised Translation, pp. 71-88. http://www.jostrans.org/issue01/art_bogucki_en.php. Retrieved: 15 March 2021.
Ghaemi, F., & Benyamin, J. (2011). Strategies used in the translation of interlingual subtitling. The Journal of English Studies, 1(1), 39–49.
Gottlieb, H. (1992). Subtitling: a new university discipline. In Cay Dollerup & Anne Loddegaard (Eds.), Teaching translation and interpreting: Training, talent and experience (pp. 161-172). Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Ivarsson, J. and Carroll, M. (1998). Subtitling. Simrishamn/Sweden: TransEdit HB.
Luyken, G-M., Herbst, T., Langham-Brown, J., et al., eds. (1991). Overcoming Language Barriers in Television: Dubbing and Subtitling for the European Audience. Düsseldorf: The European Institute for the Media.
Narváez, I. C. (2015). Culture-bound aspects in subtitling of animated films Tales of the Night of M. Ocelot, 1–11. www.semanticscholar.org. Retrieved: 3 March 2021.
Nedergaard-Larsen, B. (1993). Culture-bound problems in subtitling. Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, 1(2):207–240. DOI: 10.1080/0907676X.1993.9961214
Ramiere, A. (2004). A place for analysis in subtitling courses. In Orero, P. (Ed.), Topics in Audiovisual Translation (pp. 103-126). John Benjamins; Amsterdam.
Vandeweghe, W. (2005). Duoteksten: inleiding tot vertaling en vertaalstudie Gent: Academia Press. http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-713511. Retrieved: 20 April, 2021.
Venuti, L (1998). Strategies of translation. In M. Baker (Ed.). Routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (pp. 240-244). London/New York: Routledge.
Vöge, H. (1977). The Translation of films: Sub-titling versus dubbing. Babel: International Journal of Translation, 23(3), 120-125. https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.23.3.05vog
Zojer, H. (2011). Cultural references in subtitles A measuring device for interculturality ? Babel: International Journal of Translation, 57(4), 394–413. https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.57.4.02zoj
