The representation of African American identity on screen for a Spanish audience: A multimodal approach to the dubbing of Luke Cage, Bamboozled, and Tropic Thunder
Abstract
Existing studies of translations of audio-visual productions that explore African American issues focus exclusively on African American Vernacular English and culturally specific references, the standardisation or omission of which are seen to compromise the originals’ critique of race and their value for in-group identity. This article takes a multimodal approach to three such productions dubbed for a Spanish audience. Firstly, it examines how characters’ African American identity is rendered not only by language but also visually and aurally. Comprehension in dubbed versions is more likely to be affected by non-linguistic matters, such as casting of voice talent. Secondly, it is shown how translations shape the audio-visual creation of a fictional world and extra-diegetic elements that address a particular audience and thus enable in-group identification along ethnic lines. Lastly, an alternative translation strategy is outlined that targets audiences from the international Black diaspora to whom such productions might appeal.
Keywords:
Publication history
Table of contents
As Black History Months come around each year in the USA and UK, many cinemas, broadcasters, and streaming services now prioritise feature films, documentaries, series, and programmes that spotlight moments of Black history and explore the life experiences of Black people, both real and fictional. A great many of these have been made in recent years, as Black directors, scriptwriters, and actors have started to command the artistic freedoms for which they have spent many decades calling. Many of these productions are from the USA and focus on African American characters and stories in order to examine specific collective concerns, such as slavery (Emancipation; Fuqua 2022) and the intersections of race and class (Black-ish; Barris 2014–2022), and/or to commemorate significant figures and forms of cultural expression, as in the biographical drama Till (Chukwu 2022) and the documentary Summer of Soul (Thompson 2021). Such productions may be of interest to a general audience, as attested by the broad critical acclaim and substantial commercial success that many of them have enjoyed. Yet, they also perform a crucial role in reinforcing the ethnic identity and in-group identification of those who identify as African American. This can be for the simple fact that they prominently feature actors and characters of the same ethnicity, because of the connections that viewers establish with such characters on account of having had similar experiences and possessing similar values, and by offering positive role models that boost one’s concept of self (Behm-Morawitz 2020).
Filmography
Barris, Kenya
creator 2014–2022 Black-ish. Aired on ABC. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/series/black-ish/THgkd5itRheu
Chukwu, Chinonye
dir. 2022 Till. Universal City, CA. Universal Studios, on Amazon Prime. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Till-Danielle-Deadwyler/dp/B0B8QNJHFB
Coker, Cheo Hodari
creator 2016a
Luke Cage. Season 1, episode 1, “Moment of Truth.” Written by Cheo Hodari Coker. Directed by Paul McGuigan. Aired September 30, 2016. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/video/95befc5b-5a12-41b5-8729-94cb2b5704f4
creator 2016b
Luke Cage. Season 1, episode 2, “Code of the Streets.” Written by Cheo Hodari Coker. Directed by Paul McGuigan. Aired September 30, 2016. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/video/0aaf9eda-a13d-4d4d-a972-9f836c7d396b
creator 2016c
Luke Cage. Season 1, episode 3, “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?” Written by Matt Owens. Directed by Guillermo Navarro. Aired September 30, 2016. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/video/aae6df6f-7095-4160-b3c3-166422abf1be
Coogler, Ryan
dir 2018 Black Panther. Burbank, CA. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, on Disney+. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/movies/black-panther/1GuXuYPj99Ke
dir 2022 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Burbank, CA. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, on Disney+. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/movies/black-panther-wakanda-forever/7MAONYZ92wDT
Goddard, Drew
creator 2015–2018 Daredevil. Burbank, CA. Marvel Television, on Disney+. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/series/daredevil/5jKSWL7ZMg50
Fischer, Peter S., Richard Levinson, and William Link
creators 1984–1996 Murder, She Wrote. Aired on CBS. https://www.amazon.com/Murder-She-Wrote-Season-1/dp/B07Q4HBYPQ
Fuqua, Antoine
Hyman, Fracaswell
dir 2020 Bookmarks. Season 1, episode 9, “Common Reads ‘Let’s Talk about Race’.” Aired September 1, 2020 on Netflix. https://netflix.com/gb
Lee, Spike
dir Bamboozled 2000 Madrid, Spain: Aurum Producciones 2005 DVD.
Manor, Arnon, and Timothy Ware-Hill
dirs 2020 Cops and Robbers. Beverly Hills, CA. Lawrence Bender Productions, on Netflix. https://netflix.com/gb
Murphy, Ryan, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan
creators 2009–2015 Glee. Aired on Fox. https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/series/glee/5h5XCwlaqNBK
Nicholl, Don, Michael Ross, and Bernie West
creators 1975–1985 The Jeffersons. Aired on CBS. https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Jeffersons-Season-1/dp/B00FZGE6LI
Philips, Todd
dir 2010
Salidos de cuentas
[European Spanish title of Due Date]. Burbank, CA. Warner Bros Pictures 2016 DVD.
Prince-Bythewood, Gina
dir 2022 The Woman King. Culver City, CA. Sony Pictures Releasing, on Amazon Prime. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-King-Viola-Davis/dp/B0B8PXJSDV
Rae, Issa, and Larry Wilmore
creators 2016–2021 Insecure. Aired on HBO. https://www.nowtv.com/watch/insecure/iYEQZ2uDbPiuVyPRYKN591
Simon, David
creator 2002–2008 The Wire: The Complete Series. New York City, NY. HBO Entertainment 2008 DVD Box Set.
Singleton, John
dir 1991 Boyz n the Hood. Culver City, CA. Columbia Pictures, on Netflix. https://www.netflix.com
Stiller, Ben
dir 2008 Tropic Thunder ¡una guerra muy perra!. Madrid: Paramount Spain 2009 DVD.
Tarantino, Quentin
dir 2012 Django Unchained. New York City, NY. The Weinstein Company 2013 DVD.
Thompson, Ahmir K.
dir 2021 Summer of Soul. Century City, CA. Searchlight Studios, on Apple TV+. apple.com/apple-tv-plus/
Whedon, Joss
creator 1997–2003 Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Los Angeles, CA. 20th Century Fox Television 2004 DVD.
Discography
Alaska y Dinarama, performers
1986 “A quién le importa”, on No Es Pecado. Pozuelo de Alarcón. Parlophone Music, Spain 2006 Spotify.
Ernie and the Top Notes, performers
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Frank T, vocalist and composer
1998 “El tiempo de los intrusos,” on Discografía básica. Madrid. Zona Bruta 2005 CD.
Hayes, Isaac, vocalist and composer
1971 “Theme from Shaft
”, on Shaft. London. Rondor Music 1989 CD.
Kamer, Cyril
, vocalist and lyricist 2020 “Somos”, ft. Moha the B. Los Rebeldes. Spotify.
Moha the B, vocalist and lyricist
2019 “Negrata”, ft. Godss Lurex. No publisher. Spotify.
2020 “Spain”. No publisher. Spotify.
Saadiq, Raphael
vocalist and composer 2011 “Good Man”, co-composed by Taura Stinson, on Stone Rollin’. New York City, NY. Columbia 2011 LP.
Wonder, Stevie
vocalist and composer 2000 “Misrepresented People”, co-composed by Gary Byrd, on Additional Singles and Rarities. Hilversum, Netherlands. UMG Recordings 2019 Spotify.
Wu-Tang Clan
performers 1993 “Bring Da Ruckus”, ft. RZA, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Inspectah Deck, on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). New York City, NY. Sony Music Entertainment. Spotify.
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