Translaboration in a film context
Stanley Kubrick’s collaborative approach to translation
This study explores the notion of translaboration in the context of audiovisual translation using Stanley
Kubrick’s
Full Metal Jacket (
1987) as a case study. Specifically, it explores the dynamics of translaboration in
the Italian version of Kubrick’s film by drawing on archival methods and sources to examine the material traces left by the
translation process. The study aims to unveil the translaborative dimension that characterized Kubrick’s approach to film
translation, pointing to the specificity of a collaborative interaction in which one participant holds ultimate authority.
Findings gleaned from translation-related material in the Stanley Kubrick Archive (University of the Arts, London) are combined
with insights from working documents found among the personal papers of Riccardo Aragno, who translated Kubrick’s last five films
into Italian for both dubbing and subtitling. Archival documents show that Kubrick was involved in collaborative work with his
translators, sometimes adopting an interventionist approach.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Translaboration in film translation
- 3.Translaboration and archival-genetic methods
- 4.Exploring translaborative dynamics through archival sources: The case of Full Metal Jacket
- 4.1The study
- 4.2Collaborative dynamics in the Italian dubbed version of Full Metal Jacket
- 4.2.1Finding a title
- 4.2.2Discussing translation solutions
- 5.Conclusions: Translaboration or forced collaboration?
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
References
Filmography
Kubrick, Stanley
1971 A Clockwork Orange. UK and USA: Polaris Production, Hawk Films.

Kubrick, Stanley
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Archival sources
Continuity and Spotting List
Full Metal Jacket.
The Stanley Kubrick Archive. The University of the Arts, London. SK/16/4/2/12.
Audiocassette
Scotch 6090m.
Riccardo Aragno Papers. Private collection.
Audiocassette
Sony HF 60.
Riccardo Aragno Papers. Private collection.
Audiocassette
Sony HF 120.
Riccardo Aragno Papers. Private collection.
Corrected subtitles
Full Metal Jacket.
The Stanley Kubrick Archive. The University of the Arts, London. SK/16/4/2/19.
Final dubbing script
Full Metal Jacket.
The Stanley Kubrick Archive. The University of the Arts, London. SK/16/8/6/13.
French subtitles
Full Metal Jacket.
The Stanley Kubrick Archive. The University of the Arts, London. SK/16/4/2/17.
Italian subtitles – first draft
Full Metal Jacket.
The Stanley Kubrick Archive. The University of the Arts, London. SK/16/5/3/42.
Italian dubbing script – first draft
Full Metal Jacket.
The Stanley Kubrick Archive. The University of the Arts, London. SK/16/4/2/19.
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Cited by
Cited by 2 other publications
Dai, Yun-fang
2021.
Power imbalance in translaboration: a perspective from Chinese translation history.
Neohelicon 48:2
► pp. 599 ff.

Silvester, Hannah
2021.
Working conditions and collaborative practices in the translation of French film: subtitling banlieue cinema.
Perspectives ► pp. 1 ff.

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