This thesis examines body-part and non-body-part idiom translation by student translators from Japanese into English or Dutch. Several researches have been conducted regarding the perceived...Show moreThis thesis examines body-part and non-body-part idiom translation by student translators from Japanese into English or Dutch. Several researches have been conducted regarding the perceived translatability of body-part idioms, but the actual translation of these idioms as well as student translation has not been widely researched. Body parts are a major aspect of figurative language, but body-part idiom translation, the image of body parts in translation, is an area that is under researched. By examining the strategies student translators use as well as their reflections on the translations, this study argues that both body-part and non-body-part idioms are preferably translated using figurative language. In addition, body parts and their image (or other images) can and do play a part in the translation decision, however, no strong preference for body parts to be transferred can be detected in this study. However, this study also argues that other images, might play a role in the translation decision for student translators.Show less
As offensive and taboo language is becoming increasingly common in day-to-day life, this type of language has also become a part of our entertainment media, including in subtitles. Offensive and...Show moreAs offensive and taboo language is becoming increasingly common in day-to-day life, this type of language has also become a part of our entertainment media, including in subtitles. Offensive and taboo language can be used for many different reasons and to create many different effects in the source text. This means that offensive and taboo language can also be used for a character’s characterisation, meaning it will be a way for them to express their own personality, their intent, or to form a relationship with the people around them. However, subtitlers often deal with spatio-temporal constraints that will not allow them to retain every single instance of offensive and taboo language in the target text. This means offensive and taboo language is often the first to be omitted, and this could potentially negatively affect the characterisation of certain characters. This study is an analysis of the offensive and taboo language in the first season of Netflix’s Sex Education and the characterisation of four characters in the English and Dutch subtitles. Ávila-Cabrera’s (2016) taxonomy of offensive and taboo language was used to categorise the offensive and taboo language that was found in the target text. Pinker’s (2007) and Dynel’s (2012) typologies of function were used to classify the functions of the offensive and taboo language. Lastly, a combination of Vinay & Darbelnet’s (2000) and Díaz Cintas & Remael’s (2007) translation strategies were used. The results show that, even though all four characters had parts of their offensive or taboo language omitted during the translation process, their characterisation was not negatively affected. This entails that the Dutch subtitles did not portray an entirely different personality compared to the English source text.Show less
This BA thesis is a quantitative research on the micro- and macrostrategies used in the Dutch and Flemish song translations of the movie Tangled (2010) to determine whether the translators were...Show moreThis BA thesis is a quantitative research on the micro- and macrostrategies used in the Dutch and Flemish song translations of the movie Tangled (2010) to determine whether the translators were more source-oriented or target-oriented. Quantitative research based on Schjoldager‘s et.al (2008) theory of micro- and macrostrategies has been done on three songs. It was determined that the Dutch translator was more target-oriented, while the Flemish translator was more source-oriented. Furthermore, it was determined that further research should be done on other Dutch and Flemish song translations to give a conclusively give an answer to the question whether this is a general statement about Dutch and Flemish song translators.Show less
There is a distressing lack of Translation Studies research into analog game translation as well as practices of non-professional interpreting and translation (NPIT). Firstly, a Translation Studies...Show moreThere is a distressing lack of Translation Studies research into analog game translation as well as practices of non-professional interpreting and translation (NPIT). Firstly, a Translation Studies perspective is missing in the emerging interdisciplinary field of Role Playing Game Studies, even though language generally forms the main substance of such games. Secondly, NPIT research has so far largely neglected the study of non-institutional, non-crisis contexts. In bilingual play of the most well-known role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons in the Netherlands, practices of translation and translanguaging abound. This means there are previously neglected spaces of translation and interpreting which indicate major gaps in the research areas of Translation Studies and Game Studies alike. New perspectives and theoretical frameworks need to be developed to address those gaps and gain a better understanding of how the practice of translation occurs in spaces that have up to now been largely ignored.Show less
Songs are often translated for musical films and stage musicals. In order to gain more insight into this type of translation, research is needed. While there has been some research, there is still...Show moreSongs are often translated for musical films and stage musicals. In order to gain more insight into this type of translation, research is needed. While there has been some research, there is still a lot to be done in the field of song translation. There are, for example, hardly any comparative studies on different translations of the same song into the same language for different singable purposes. This thesis therefore compares the Dutch translations of songs from Disney’s The Lion King in both the film and the musical version, in order to see if the differences between these translations can be caused by a different focus. This was done by determining the overall translation approach in all songs using Franzon’s (2008) five choices in translation. Additionally, both versions were analysed for the aspects of Low’s (2005) Pentathlon Principle. It was then determined on which aspect the translations focussed. For the film translation, the factors of dubbing, i.e. the visuals and lip synchrony, were taken into account as well. The results show that both the film and the musical translation generally adapt the lyrics to the music. However, the results also show that the film translation generally stayed closer to the ST with regard to sense, compared to the musical translation. This could sometimes be explained by the visuals or the need for lip synchrony. We also see that the musical translation makes more use of singable vowels in long notes than the film translation. Still, the results show that both versions mainly seemed to focus on the rhyme.Show less
This master thesis attempts to portray the potential benefits of using an MT in the translation of expressive texts, specifically that of the novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, as...Show moreThis master thesis attempts to portray the potential benefits of using an MT in the translation of expressive texts, specifically that of the novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, as well as the dialogue and song lyrics of the musical Jekyll & Hyde. Three excerpts per genre were translated using Google Translate, and the output was assessed and post-edited with Moorkens’ (2018) method for assessing MT output. This method was adapted for a more specific assessment of style in addition to content by using the four categories of language by Leech & Short (2007), namely lexical categories, grammatical categories, figures of speech, and cohesion and context. Furthermore, the error typology by Farrús et al (2012) was used instead of Moorkens’ own typology, in order to achieve a more specific view on errors made by the MT. From these results, it can be concluded that all three genres show significant quality of their output. Secondly, most errors were either lexical or syntactic errors. It can also be concluded that while the editing effort of song lyrics is significantly higher than that of prose or dialogue, it could still be considered a large aid for beginning translators within the field of musical translation, as it creates a first, literal draft on which can be easier built upon than translating from scratch.Show less
The purpose of this thesis was to find out whether the potentially opposing views of professional translators and project managers on the use of machine translation (MT) might cause tensions in the...Show moreThe purpose of this thesis was to find out whether the potentially opposing views of professional translators and project managers on the use of machine translation (MT) might cause tensions in the industry and disrupt working relations. By conducting two questionnaires, which were altered to fit the profession of project managers and professional translators respectively, on the attitudes and beliefs on the use of MT and machine translation post-editing (MTPE), this thesis offers an analysis of both questionnaires individually and a mutual comparison. This thesis argues that the conflicting views on the use MT of project managers and professional translators is rooted in misunderstandings of the effort it takes translators to perform MTPE. The current study offers new insights into the attitudes and beliefs of both professional translators and project managers on the use of MT and creates a new research space for further research.Show less
The research undertaken in this thesis was aimed at researching whether “logocentric” subtitles – literal, word-by-word translations – and “musicocentric” subtitles – translations that take rhyme,...Show moreThe research undertaken in this thesis was aimed at researching whether “logocentric” subtitles – literal, word-by-word translations – and “musicocentric” subtitles – translations that take rhyme, rhythm, singability, sense, and naturalness into account – of songs in English-language live action movie musicals would be appreciated equally by Dutch viewers. Because of the “gossiping effect” (Törnqvist, 1995) – which makes viewers react negatively to subtitles that do not show what they hear being said – the expectation was that viewers would appreciate logocentric subtitles more, as musicocentric subtitles would likely be deemed “wrong” by Dutch viewers with a command of the English language as they are not literal translations of the lyrics. The research used Franzon’s (2008) concepts of logocentric and musicocentric translation and Low’s (2003, 2005) “pentathlon principle” to create logocentric and musicocentric subtitles for excerpts from songs of four English-language live action movie musicals: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007), Les Misérables (Hooper, 2012), The Sound of Music (Wise, 1965), and West Side Story (Robbins & Wise, 1961). These excerpts – two of which were subtitled logocentrically and two of which were subtitled musicocentrically – were then shown to a sample of 90 respondents through the use of a survey. The survey asked the respondents to report – for each excerpt – whether they thought the subtitles were good, and how they would rate the subtitles. The respondents overwhelmingly reported that the logocentric subtitles were good, and that the musicocentric subtitles were not good; they also rated the logocentric subtitles high, and the musicocentric subtitles low. Thus, the logocentric and musicocentric subtitles were not appreciated equally: the logocentric subtitles were appreciated more, an outcome the gossiping effect likely influenced. As logocentric subtitles appear to be more appreciated, and easier to create, an implication of this research could be that Dutch subtitlers should create logocentric subtitles for songs in English-language live action movie musicals.Show less
This thesis is located in the field of Children’s Literature Translation Studies (CLTS). A large research gap in this field is the translation of gender-specific children’s books. This thesis,...Show moreThis thesis is located in the field of Children’s Literature Translation Studies (CLTS). A large research gap in this field is the translation of gender-specific children’s books. This thesis, therefore, aspires to reveal a possible gender bias in the way these books are translated by comparing their translations of Culture-Specific Items (CSI’s). For the analysis, two popular gender-specific children’s book series were chosen which have been translated from English into Dutch: the Dork Diaries series, written by Rachel Renée Russell, and the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by Jeff Kinney. Using Aixelá’s classification of translation procedures, the translation strategy used for each culture-specific item (domestication or foreignization) was determined. Subsequently, a comparative analysis revealed that CSI’s in in the boys’ books series were domesticated much more often than those in the girls’ book series (a difference of 22%), which suggests that a gender bias is indeed present in the way CSI’s are translated in boys’ and girls’ books.Show less
This study will focus on translation between English and the Germanic language Dutch as well as English and the Romance language French by comparing the Dutch (1960) and French (1969) translation...Show moreThis study will focus on translation between English and the Germanic language Dutch as well as English and the Romance language French by comparing the Dutch (1960) and French (1969) translation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional work The Hobbit (1937). Earlier works within the field of translation were mainly concerned with linguistic approaches, attempting to construct taxonomies of the observed changes (e.g., Vinay and Darbelnet, 1958; Catford, 1965). Later scholars took a broader approach by increasingly taking culture and context into more consideration (e.g., Snell-Hornby, 1990; Nord 2005), but linguistic taxonomies have remained a useful framework for discussing translations. Tolkien’s work is presented as an interesting case within the field of translation, as the language he uses appears to be more challenging for translating into Romance Languages (Turner, 2006). Although genetically further away from French, the English language displays features belonging to both the Germanic and Romance languages. The aim of this study is thus to establish any potential structural differences between the Dutch and French translation of the English original text The Hobbit (1937). Tolkien’s use of language and avoidance of specific cultural references create the expectation that the Dutch translation will be closer to the English original compared to the French translation. This expectation was tested within the linguistic framework by applying Vinay and Darbelnet’s (1958) taxonomy of translation procedures and examining word order in Chapter XVI of Tolkien’s work of fiction. The results show that the Dutch and French translation are both quite literal and more similar than the literature would suggest. The French translation, however, is more inclined to use modulations when not translating literally. An analysis of word order illustrated that most changes were made out of necessity. This research shows that linguistic approaches can still be useful for looking at translations.Show less
This thesis explores the characterization of Frank Underwood in the Netflix Original Series House of Cards, and more specifically how Frank’s characterization changes due to certain translation...Show moreThis thesis explores the characterization of Frank Underwood in the Netflix Original Series House of Cards, and more specifically how Frank’s characterization changes due to certain translation choices. James R. Keller (2015) argues that Frank resembles the ‘vice’ – a figure from the early modern stage that is also related to the well-known villain – and describes a number of traits. These traits are linked to Frank’s language use by using Culpeper’s stylistic framework of characterization cues (2001), resulting in a qualitative analysis of the Frank’s language use. Next, Vinay and Darbelnet’s procedures (1995) and Gambier’s subtitling procedures (2006) are used to analyze the way in which Frank’s character statements and metaphors have been translated. The analysis shows that fewer information than expected was omitted in the translation, despite the spatiotemporal constraints and technical limitations inherent in subtitling. Any changes seemed to result in a change in emphasis, but not in characterization interpretation. Other information sources, such as video and audio that complement the subtitles, also confirm the character traits.Show less
The aim of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that teaching secondary students English by means of the audiovisual translation mode subtitling will increase students’ vocabulary on a...Show moreThe aim of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that teaching secondary students English by means of the audiovisual translation mode subtitling will increase students’ vocabulary on a predetermined topic. Little research on watching subtitled television programmes for English language acquisition has yet been conducted in the Netherlands and no research has been conducted in which the focus was on one specific topic of vocabulary. To test the hypothesis, a six-week study was held among secondary school students who watched an English-spoken programme either with or without English subtitles. The vocabulary used in this programme was similar to the vocabulary used in the course books at the school. One group of participants served as the control group and watched the programme without any subtitles, while another group of participants served as the experimental group and watched the programme with intralingual subtitles (subtitles in the same language as the soundtrack). The results of this six-week study show that watching an English-spoken programme with English subtitles is an effective approach to learning new vocabulary on a specific topic.Show less
Are there a difference between the translations made for subtitling and dubbing, and if so, what is the result of these differences? This thesis contains an overview of theory on subtitling,...Show moreAre there a difference between the translations made for subtitling and dubbing, and if so, what is the result of these differences? This thesis contains an overview of theory on subtitling, dubbing, and wordplay, and applies this in a case study on the audiovisual translations of wordplay in Disney films in order to determine which translation form shows more retention of wordplay and humour.Show less
In this thesis, the main question was whether Dutch native speakers preferred a free or a literal translation. Both translators, students of the MA Translation in Theory and Practice at Leiden...Show moreIn this thesis, the main question was whether Dutch native speakers preferred a free or a literal translation. Both translators, students of the MA Translation in Theory and Practice at Leiden university, and a sample of a Dutch audience were asked about this directly and in an indirect manner. It seemed that their preference did not match, but a closer look at the outcome revealed that both the students and the Dutch audience preferred a more literal translation over a free one.Show less
Since the anime boom of the 1990s and 2000s, the popularity of anime (Japanese animation) in the Western world has increased tremendously. Even though Western localization companies used to view...Show moreSince the anime boom of the 1990s and 2000s, the popularity of anime (Japanese animation) in the Western world has increased tremendously. Even though Western localization companies used to view anime as ‘just another form of Saturday morning children’s cartoons’ at first, as popularity increased, they came to the realization that it is a wholly different genre and business entirely. And as fans started demanding localizations that stayed as true as possible to the original versions, localization companies started paying closer attention to the way they translated these shows. But just how much does the audience influence the localization of anime? This research attempts to shed some light on that matter by comparing three anime series aimed at different audiences and looking at the different approaches localization companies have when tackling these shows.Show less
This thesis summarises some of the research done on fansubbing. Most of this research is anime-centred. However, another genre where fansubbing has become common practice is the focus of this...Show moreThis thesis summarises some of the research done on fansubbing. Most of this research is anime-centred. However, another genre where fansubbing has become common practice is the focus of this thesis, namely Korean drama. One of the characteristics of fansubbing discussed in this thesis is that many fansubbers have appropriated a foreignizing style of subtitling, instead of domesticizing. I suspected that this was true for the fansubbers of Korean drama as well. To investigate whether this was the case, I focussed on one specific aspect of the Korean language, which is the intricate system surrounding Korean honorifics. I chose to focus my analysis on four Korean age-related honorifics, hyung, oppa, noona, and unni and I compared the translation procedures applied to these terms by both amateur and professional subtitlers. I followed Henrik Gottlieb’s method on extra-linguistic entities to classify the translation procedures found in the subtitles as either foreignizing or domesticizing. The fansubs of the first drama, Coffee Prince, contained many foreignizations, while the fansubs of the second drama, Reply 1997, contained fewer foreignizations. This difference may be the result of the increasing amount of legal online streaming sites where fansubbers subtitle Korean dramas for free or it could be coincidence. More research is needed on fansubbing as it cannot yet be said with certainty that the conclusions drawn from anime-related research apply to other genres as well.Show less