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.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Chapter 1: Humour and Subtitling
2.1 1.1 What is Humour?
2.2 1.2 Overview of Theories of Humour
2.2.1 1.2.1 Humour of Little Britain
2.2.1.1 1.2.1.1 The Schema Theory
2.3 1.3 Humour in Spain
2.4 1.4 What is Subtitling?
2.4.1 1.4.1 Limitations and Constraints of Subtitling Humour
3. Chapter 2: Humour, Translation and Culture
3.1 2.1 Translating Humour
3.1.1 2.1.1 Target Parameter (TA)
3.1.1.1 2.1.1.1 Stereotypes
3.1.2 2.1.2 Language Parameter (LA) – Intertextual Features
3.1.2.1 2.1.2.1 Verbal Allusion
3.1.2.2 2.1.2.2 Verbal Irony
3.2 2.2 Translating Humour Linked to Culture
3.2.1 2.2.1 Translation Loss
3.2.2 2.2.2 Cultural Transposition
3.2.2.1 2.2.2.1 Exoticism
3.2.2.2 2.2.2.2 Cultural Transplantation
3.2.2.3 2.2.2.3 Communicative Translation
3.3 2.3 Audiovisual Aspects of Translating Humour
4. Chapter 3: Case Study of ‘Little Britain’
4.1 3.1 The Deleted Scenes
4.2 3.2 Misinterpretations – Translation Loss
4.3 3.3 Intertextuality Issues
4.3.1 3.3.1 Verbal Allusion
4.3.2 3.3.2 Verbal Irony
4.4 3.4 Cultural Issues
4.4.1 3.4.1 Exoticism
4.4.2 3.4.2 Cultural Transplantation
4.4.3 3.4.3 Communicative Translation
4.4.4 3.4.4 Stereotypes
4.5 3.5 Visual Humour Issues
Research Objectives and Themes
This dissertation investigates the challenges encountered when translating humour from English to Spanish, utilizing the British comedy sketch show Little Britain as a primary case study. It explores how linguistic, cultural, and audiovisual constraints affect the preservation of humorous intent in subtitled formats.
- Theoretical frameworks of humour and their applicability to comedy sketches.
- Technical and linguistic constraints inherent in audiovisual subtitling.
- The role of cultural specificities and stereotypes in humour translation.
- Techniques for mitigating translation loss, including exoticism and cultural transplantation.
- Analysis of specific sketches from Little Britain to evaluate successful and problematic translation strategies.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Misinterpretations – Translation Loss
After examining the subtitles I was able to note a number of misinterpretations that resulted in translation loss made in the TT.
In sketch 4, part 1, the waitress of the motorway café brings the window cleaner a cup of tea. The window cleaner thanks the waitress to which she responds “…alright…”. This is a colloquial term used instead of the standard reply of ‘you’re welcome’ and it is not uncommon to the English language. In the Spanish translation, it has been translated as “…bueno…” which means ‘alright’ but not in the same context in which the original is intending. This caused me to suspect that the translator is a native Spanish speaker. It is true to say that the expression is very colloquial; however, it is not difficult for an English person to understand!
The second error of translation is in sketch 6, part 1, where Doug hugs Tony Carpenter (who is there to share with everyone his experience with drugs) and says “…you’re a wee big man…”. In Scotland, a common expression is “…how’s it going big man?...” used as a term of endearment towards friends or family and does not imply that the person is of a particular size or height. The humour behind ‘you’re a big wee man’ is that Doug is mocking this Scottish expression, using it as a way to describe Tony and adding ‘wee’ (meaning ‘small’ in the English language), which in effect makes no sense.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides the rationale for the study, outlining the inherent difficulties in translating culture-bound humour in television programmes and introducing Little Britain as the case study.
Chapter 1: Humour and Subtitling: Reviews established humour theories, schema theory, and the specific limitations imposed by the technical constraints of subtitling.
Chapter 2: Humour, Translation and Culture: Examines linguistic and cultural parameters of humour translation, including techniques like exoticism, cultural transplantation, and communicative translation.
Chapter 3: Case Study of ‘Little Britain’: Analyzes specific sketches from the show to identify instances of translation loss, intertextuality, and the failure or success of rendering humorous effects in Spanish.
Keywords
Humour translation, Little Britain, Subtitling, Audiovisual translation, Translation loss, Cultural transplantation, Exoticism, Communicative translation, Schema theory, Verbal irony, Verbal allusion, Stereotypes, Parody, Satire, Language transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this dissertation?
The dissertation focuses on identifying and analyzing the difficulties faced by translators when converting humorous content from English to Spanish in the context of a subtitled comedy sketch show.
Which comedy show serves as the case study?
The research uses the British comedy sketch show Little Britain, specifically its deleted scenes from the second series, as the primary case study.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to examine how cultural and linguistic nuances, which are often central to comedic success, are maintained or lost during the translation process for a Spanish-speaking audience.
Which theoretical framework is used to analyze humour?
The study utilizes Attardo’s General Theory of Verbal Humour (GTVH) as a framework to break down and examine the translation of humorous elements.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers humour theories, subtitling constraints, translation techniques like exoticism and cultural transplantation, and a detailed case study of selected sketches from Little Britain.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include humour translation, audiovisual translation, translation loss, cultural transplantation, and Little Britain.
How does the author define the role of schema theory in this study?
The author uses schema theory to explain how an audience's background knowledge of cultural situations is essential to understanding the humour, and why a lack of this knowledge creates translation difficulties.
Why are stereotypes considered a challenge for the translator in this study?
Stereotypes are often culturally specific; if the target audience does not share the same cultural background or recognize the specific groups targeted, the comedic effect of the stereotype is significantly reduced or lost.
How does the author propose dealing with 'untranslatable' cultural references?
The author suggests that when literal translation fails, the translator must use creativity, such as communicative translation or cultural transplantation, to adapt the joke so it retains its intended humorous effect for the new audience.
- Citar trabajo
- Charles Harrison (Autor), 2012, Difficulties of translating humour: From English into Spanish using the subtitled British comedy sketch show "Little Britain" as a case study, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/196451
