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Article published In:
Babel
Vol. 66:1 (2020) ► pp.46–69

A metaphorical map of subtitling

Idiom vs. explicit meaning in translated filmic texts

| Universitat de València

This study explores the metaphorical dimension of idioms in original filmic texts and their translations in subtitles, in order to shed light on strategies used in the translation process. The research focuses on a corpus of 20 films from the Library of Foreign Language Film Clips (LFLFC), at the Berkeley Language Center of the University of California, Berkeley. More specifically, I analyze films in German and Spanish with English subtitles from a cognitive and contrastive perspective. My goal is to explore how translation can affect understanding and reception by an audience with limited or no skills in the original language. Results of the analysis show a tendency towards reduction of metaphorical expressions in translated English subtitles, these varying according to the original language of the film. Contrastive analysis demonstrates that in translation from Spanish, the explicit meaning strategy is far more frequent than in translation from German. The findings of this study can be applied in foreign language teaching as a means of developing learners’ cultural awareness and language comprehension, as well as in the field of audiovisual subtitling translation.

Keywords: audiovisual translation, cognitive linguistics, contrastive analysis, filmic text, German-Spanish-English translation, idioms, metaphors, subtitles
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Filmic text, subtitles and subtitling
  • 3.Idioms and their importance
  • 4.Metaphor, culture and translation
  • 5.Methodology and corpus
  • 6.Results of the analysis
    • 6.1Omission
      • 6.1.1Idiom: No comerse un rosco. Film: Te doy mis ojos (2003)
      • 6.1.2Idiom: Den Ton angeben. Film: Die Welle (2008)
      • 6.1.3Idiom: Auf den Hintern sitzen bleiben. Film: Die Welle (2008)
    • 6.2Explicit meaning translation
      • 6.2.1Idiom: Hacerle una putada a alguien. Film: Bajo las estrellas (2006)
      • 6.2.2Idiom: Tener en el bote. Film: Te doy mis ojos (2003)
    • 6.3Partial equivalence
      • 6.3.1Idiom: Einige Leichen im Keller haben. Film: Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer (2015)
      • 6.3.2Idiom: Die Schnauze voll haben. Film: Die Berliner Mauer (2009)
      • 6.3.3Idiom: Die Schnauze voll haben. Film: Im Juli (2000)
      • 6.3.4Idiom: Nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank haben. Film: Die Berliner Mauer (2009)
      • 6.3.5Idiom: Nicht mehr alle Tassen im Schrank haben. Film: Im Juli (2000)
      • 6.3.6Idiom: Scheiße bauen. Film: Die Fetten Jahren sind vorbei (2004)
      • 6.3.7Idiom: Despachar a alguien. Film: Los lunes al sol (2002)
    • 6.4Total equivalence
      • 6.4.1Idiom: Comersele el gato la lengua a alguien. Film: Bajo las estrellas (2007)
      • 6.4.2Idiom: Die Augen aufmachen. Film: Die Welle (2008)
      • 6.4.3Idiom: Blöde Kuh. Film: Die Berliner Mauer (2009)
    • 6.5Loan translation
    • 6.6Creation
      • 6.6.1 From the film Mar adentro (2004)
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 18 February 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00141.pos
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Labarta Postigo, María
2022. Metaphorical dimension of idioms in TV series for German, Norwegian and Spanish audiences. Estudios de Traducción 12 ► pp. 151 ff. DOI logo
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2023. Translating Culture in the Jordanian T.V. Comedy Series “al jar gabl al dar” (My American Neighbor) Into English. SAGE Open 13:3 DOI logo

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