Article published In:
TargetVol. 11:2 (1999) ► pp.263–288
Thump, Whizz, Poom
A Framework for the Study of Comics under Translation [1] 1
Notwithstanding their importance as a segment of high-volume translation, comics have largely been neglected in Translation Studies. This paper presents a theoretical framework for studying the translation of comics as a social practice. On the premise that the production and reception of texts is dependent on their position and relative value in a given society, comics are first analyzed as a social phenomenon with the help of Bourdieu's theory of the cultural field. The translation-relevant elements of comics are then identified on the linguistic, typographic, and pictorial levels, and concepts of rhetoric are used to establish a classification of translation strategies which applies to both verbal and nonverbal textual material. Finally, a number of examples are discussed to highlight the diversity of translation strategies for the various elements of comics.
Article outline
- Introduction
- 1.A Sociological Foundation for Comic Translation
- 2.The Position of Comics in the Social Field
- 3.A Translation-Relevant Anatomy of Comics
- 4.A Typology of Translation Procedures
- 5.Conclusion
- Notes
-
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