Difficulties of translating humour: From English into Spanish using the subtitled British comedy sketch show "Little Britain" as a case study

Bachelor Thesis , 2012 , 44 Pages , Grade: B+

English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics

The focus of the dissertation will be the discussion of the difficulties that the translator encountered when faced with translating humour using the subtitled comedy sketch show Little Britain as a case study.
For the benefit of the reader, the first part of this dissertation is going to shed led on various theories of humour. Moreover, it will discuss how humour is created in the comedy sketch show Little Britain and by taking a linguistic approach will show thus how humour can be produced. In addition, as subtitles will be used for the analysis of the case study, limitations and constraints will be discussed as the translator cannot merely focus on the linguistic features and possible problems like she/he would do in any other form of translation.
The second part will discuss a theory of translating humour established by Attardo (1994). Using this theory, the dissertation will aim to explore and focus on aspects that raise a certain degree of difficulty, if not the highest, always in relation to humour that is seen in a comedy sketch show. Furthermore, translating humour linked to culture will be discussed, as one of the major difficulties for the translator was to overcome the vast amount of culture-specific terms and expressions.
The last part will concentrate on the case study of Little Britain and examples will be drawn on each aspect of translating humour that was discussed in the previous chapter. The reader will understand how this particular aspect of translation poses difficulty for the translator and he/she will be shown, where necessary, possible alternative solutions that the translator could have chosen when tackling a particular situation.
Concluding, the dissertation is set to confirm the high degree of difficulty the translator faces when dealing with translating the humour that is seen in this particular comedy sketch show.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1: Humour and Subtitling
• 1.1 What is Humour?
• 1.2 Overview of Theories of Humour
• 1.2.1 Humour of Little Britain
• 1.2.1.1 The Schema Theory
• 1.3 Humour in Spain
• 1.4 What is Subtitling?
• 1.4.1 Limitations and Constraints of Subtitling Humour
• Chapter 2: Humour, Translation and Culture
• 2.1 Translating Humour
• 2.1.1 Target Parameter (TA)
• 2.1.1.1 Stereotypes
• 2.1.2 Language Parameter (LA) - Intertextual Features
• 2.1.2.1 Verbal Allusion
• 2.1.2.2 Verbal Irony
• 2.2 Translating Humour Linked to Culture
• 2.2.1 Translation Loss
• 2.2.2 Cultural Transposition
• 2.2.2.1 Exoticism
• 2.2.2.2 Cultural Transplantation
• 2.2.2.3 Communicative Translation
• 2.3 Audiovisual Aspects of Translating Humour
• Chapter 3: Case Study of 'Little Britain'
• 3.1 The Deleted Scenes
• 3.2 Misinterpretations – Translation Loss
• 3.3 Intertextuality Issues
• 3.3.1 Verbal Allusion
• 3.3.2 Verbal Irony
• 3.4 Cultural Issues
• 3.4.1 Exoticism
• 3.4.2 Cultural Transplantation
• 3.4.3 Communicative Translation
• 3.4.4 Stereotypes
• 3.5 Visual Humour Issues

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This dissertation examines the challenges faced by translators when translating humour from English to Spanish, using the British comedy sketch show Little Britain as a case study. It explores various theories of humour and how these theories apply to Little Britain. The dissertation investigates the limitations and constraints of subtitling humour and analyzes the process of translating humour that is deeply rooted in culture.

• Theories of humour and their application to Little Britain
• The challenges of subtitling humour
• Translating humour linked to culture
• Cultural transposition and translation loss
• Visual humour and its translation

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1 provides an overview of humour, exploring various theories and specifically analyzing the humour used in Little Britain. It also discusses humour in Spanish culture and the limitations and constraints of subtitling humour.

Chapter 2 delves into the theories of translating humour, focusing on the role of cultural context and translation loss. It examines different strategies for translating humour linked to culture, including exoticism, cultural transplantation, and communicative translation.

Chapter 3 investigates the case study of Little Britain, analyzing examples of translation loss, intertextuality issues, and cultural challenges encountered in translating the show. It also explores the role of visual humour in the show and its impact on translation.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This dissertation focuses on the translation of humour, specifically examining the difficulties of translating the British comedy sketch show Little Britain from English to Spanish. Key themes include cultural context, translation loss, subtitling humour, intertextuality, and visual humour. The study uses theories of humour, cultural transposition, and communicative translation to analyze the challenges of translating humorous content that is culturally specific.

• College: University of Portsmouth
• Grade: B+
• Author: Charles Harrison (Author)
• Publication Year: 2012
• Pages: 44
• Catalog Number: V196451
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656228400
• ISBN (Book): 9783656228677
• Language: English
• Tags: Little Britain, Translation, English, Spanish, Humour, Humor, Übersetzung, Englisch, Spanisch, Subtitles, Untertitel, Comedy, Theory of Humour, Humour in Spain, Culture, Case Study, Intertextuality, Visual Humour, Difficulties