This thesis analyzes the techniques applied to translate medical terminology in the Dutch subtitles of three episodes of the American medical TV series Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present, Rhimes). The...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the techniques applied to translate medical terminology in the Dutch subtitles of three episodes of the American medical TV series Grey’s Anatomy (2005-present, Rhimes). The model for analysis is based on the taxonomy of Molina and Hurtado (2002), which distinguishes between fifteen different translation techniques. It was found that, as expected, established equivalents are used most commonly, and that most of these established equivalents are literal translations. This can be explained by three factors: medical concepts and culture are similar in English and Dutch, they have both been strongly influenced by Greek and Latin, and Dutch has been influenced by English as the current lingua franca of medicine. The latter was also supported by the high number of borrowings from English found in the Dutch subtitles. Moreover, it was found that generalization, reduction and amplification are commonly used techniques. These techniques can be part of simplification and explicitation strategies, which confirms the hypothesis that medical texts for a lay audience are de-terminologized. Lastly, the relatively high number of inadequate equivalents has led to a twofold recommendation: the development of specialized AVT training and the compilation of term bases.Show less
The translation of wordplay has been a well-discussed topic in the field of Translation Studies for years; for some it is an issue of “irresistible interest” (Newmark, 1978), for others not much...Show moreThe translation of wordplay has been a well-discussed topic in the field of Translation Studies for years; for some it is an issue of “irresistible interest” (Newmark, 1978), for others not much more than a plain example of untranslatability, given the complications that inevitably arise when translating language that relies on the structural characteristics of the source text. This thesis set out to explore how this problem is approached in the subtitling of sitcoms, by analyzing the Dutch subtitles for wordplay passages in the American TV show Friends. In order to determine which translation methods were applied, this analysis used Delabastita’s model of wordplay translation methods (1993), which is originally designed for literary translation – this thesis therefore also aimed to investigate if this model is applicable to audiovisual translation and identified several of its shortcomings. Moreover, this study examined if restrictions specific to the medium of subtitling affect the (un)translatability of wordplay in sitcoms, pointing out that the visual context and the sitcom’s laugh track can be particularly restrictive factors. In general, the results of this study indicated that puns can be translated (i.e. a ST pun becomes a TT pun) in most cases but with a loss of translation quality and humoristic value as a possible consequence. Therefore, this study concluded that Delabastita’s model cannot be used for analyzing the translatability of puns in sitcoms without taking translation quality and humor into account.Show less
This thesis consolidates the available literature on game localisation into a single, ideal localisation process and compares this ideal process to the localisation of the Massive Multiplayer...Show moreThis thesis consolidates the available literature on game localisation into a single, ideal localisation process and compares this ideal process to the localisation of the Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) game Final Fantasy XIV. The main purpose is to identify and discuss any MMO specific localisation issues. Information on the localisation process of Final Fantasy XIV was gained through an interview with the localisation staff, as well as previously available online material. The results show that the localisation of Final Fantasy XIV even exceeds the ideal localisation on several points, and indicates several MMO specific localisation issues: fluctuating team size, the need for uniformity of visual assets in all language versions, short localisation cycles, and how to incorporate player feedback. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the localised versions of the game have influenced the original version in several ways.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
