This thesis reports on a small-scale online self-completion survey on the opinions on subtitling conventions by Dutch viewers in order to investigate the growing dissatisfaction among Dutch viewers...Show moreThis thesis reports on a small-scale online self-completion survey on the opinions on subtitling conventions by Dutch viewers in order to investigate the growing dissatisfaction among Dutch viewers while watching subtitled television. The intuitions of Dutch lay viewers were compared to the opinions of scholars and professionals. A better understanding of lay perception of subtitling could assist in providing translations that satisfy both lay and professional evaluators. The theory suggested that while guidelines exist for subtitling, there is an increasing amount of people who are concerned about the quality of subtitling. Aside from acknowledging other causes for dissatisfaction, this self-completion survey focused on the possibility that outdated guidelines could be a cause for growing dissatisfaction. The results from the survey remained open to interpretation as the opinions of the participants on the samples presented to them were varied. However, the results do suggest that while the existence of a subtitling standard is appreciated for the sake of consistency and predictability, some specific examples of audiovisual material might benefit from deviating from the prescribed standard. Yet, the data did not provide a conclusive answer on how to implement any changes, and suggested that the changes suggested in this thesis would provide both solutions and problems for a nearly equal number of people.Show less
Automotive Customer Facing Literature is increasingly responsible for enticing customers to a car brand or car model. Low translation quality in this documentation can have a detrimental effect on...Show moreAutomotive Customer Facing Literature is increasingly responsible for enticing customers to a car brand or car model. Low translation quality in this documentation can have a detrimental effect on the quality perception of the brands by potential customers. This thesis examines the Automotive Customer Facing Literature, such as brochures, specification and price guides, and website texts, for the premium car brands Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) and can be positioned within the fields of Terminology, Translation and Translation Quality Assessment. Since the involvement of the new communication agency Spark44, two years ago, the translation quality of ACFL texts has decreased due to mistranslations, incorrect language use and polluted translation memories and term bases. This is a serious problem that an increasing number of markets complain about. Therefore, this study has examined the translation process for JLR Nederland and provides a Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) utilizing the Multidoc adaptation of the SAE J2450 model, which was specially designed for assessing automotive translations. Based on the results from both the mathematical and observational TQA, the main problems have been identified and solution/advices for these problems have been presented. The aim of this thesis is to present solutions and advice to the involved companies to help them improve the translation quality of their target texts in the Netherlands and other European markets, and eventually all markets worldwide. This has been done in cooperation with the Dutch Product Manager and the in-house transcreator of Jaguar Land Rover Nederland (JLR NL), who, thanks to extensive translation reviews, is responsible for the high quality of the translated texts for the Dutch market, and the Product Manager of JLR NL. Therefore, this thesis will be presented to the Dutch Product manager of JLR NL, the in-house transcreator of JLR NL, Spark44, and the translation agency responsible for all the translations of Automotive Customer Facing Literature (above the line) for both brands.Show less
This thesis provides a terminology for mutual legal assistance using a selection of terms from the WOTS (Wet Overdracht Tenuitvoerlegging Strafvonnissen). Each Dutch term is accompanied by an...Show moreThis thesis provides a terminology for mutual legal assistance using a selection of terms from the WOTS (Wet Overdracht Tenuitvoerlegging Strafvonnissen). Each Dutch term is accompanied by an English term, definitions of both the Dutch and the English term, a reliability number and often by additional information. The terms are extracted from treaties, national law and the work of legal scholars. The terminology differentiates between US and UK terms when necessary. The approach of the terminology is founded on the theoretical framework, which discusses legal terminology by means of legal translation, terminology and equivalence.Show less
This MA thesis focuses on the ambiguous nature of core modal verbs in legal English and Dutch. The research in this thesis is based on a corpus analysis of English and Dutch contracts. For the...Show moreThis MA thesis focuses on the ambiguous nature of core modal verbs in legal English and Dutch. The research in this thesis is based on a corpus analysis of English and Dutch contracts. For the modal ambiguity found in the contracts a solution is proposed using deontic nouns. The thesis finally provides a number of propositions on how to avoid modal ambiguity in legal language.Show less
Translating a novel that contains one or more regional or social dialects can be a daunting task for a literary translator. It is therefore surprising that little research has been done by well...Show moreTranslating a novel that contains one or more regional or social dialects can be a daunting task for a literary translator. It is therefore surprising that little research has been done by well-known translation theorists on the translation of dialects. One of the few scholars who has written about this subject is Peter Newmark in his A Textbook of Translation. He urges translators faced with this challenge to produce ‘… possibly classless speech’ and to leave out most of the dialect words (p. 195). This strategy of normalization is also suggested by Andrew Chesterman, where he names dialect normalization as one of his potential S-universals, which is a term used to ‘formulate a generalization about a difference between translations and source texts’ (Chesterman, p. 40). Although numerous scholars have written on the strategy of normalization in general (See e.g. Baker 1996; Kenny 1998; Mauranen 2007; Xia 2014), almost none have linked this procedure specifically to translating dialect. In fact, no clear strategy or procedure has emerged that could help translators overcome this challenge of translating dialectal elements in the source text. Therefore, this thesis will examine the question to what extent literary translators faced with regional and/or social dialects apply the strategy of normalization on several linguistic levels (syntax, lexical items, morphology, and orthography) in their translations. In order to examine this question, source text excerpts and their corresponding target text excerpts from two novels that contain a specific dialect were compared, namely Trainspotting and The Help. While Trainspotting is almost exclusively written in Scottish English, The Help contains examples of the African American Vernacular English dialect (AAVE) of some of the characters. These excerpts were compared with each other, focusing not on the entire text as a whole, but on specific linguistic levels within the text: syntax, lexical items, morphology, and orthography. This enabled me to examine to what extent (on which levels) the strategy of normalization was applied. Throughout my research, I will approach the notion of normalization as being ‘the tendency to conform to patterns and practices which are typical of the target language, even to the point of exaggerating them’ (Baker, pp. 176-177). I will therefore focus on those dialectal source text features that have been completely standardized to the norms of the target language in the translations of Trainspotting and The Help. The results seem to confirm that dialect normalization is an universal strategy used by literary translators to overcome the difficulty of translating specific dialectal elements in the source text. Normalization also seems to be used on all linguistic levels. However, the results show that dialect normalization is not exclusively used in these situations. Other procedures such as modulation and omission are also used to translate dialect speech, although most of these procedures work together with the strategy of normalization to standardize the Dutch target text. Furthermore, an important factor seems to be the original approach of the source text author in representing the original dialect in his or her novel. Irvine Welsh focused on the orthography in Trainspotting, resulting in a higher degree of dialect normalization on the orthographical level in the target text. Kathryn Stockett took a syntactical approach on dialect representation in her novel, The Help, resulting in a higher degree of dialect normalization on the syntax of the translation. Very few examples can be found in both novels where the author had used either an existing Dutch dialect, or had used irregular or marked language to create a similar dialect (or an effect of such) in the target text.Show less
Song translation is a relatively under-researched field in Translation Studies (Susam-Sarajeva, 2008, p. 187). Most studies that do exist revolve around singability (Low, 2003; Stopar 2016),...Show moreSong translation is a relatively under-researched field in Translation Studies (Susam-Sarajeva, 2008, p. 187). Most studies that do exist revolve around singability (Low, 2003; Stopar 2016), singability and rhyme (Low, 2008), or fidelity to the source text (Franzon 2005). The combination of song translation theory and metaphor theory, however, is a virtually unresearched combination of fields. Low (2017) states: “[s]ong lyrics are often rich in metaphor” and he recommends that song translators, more than 'regular' translators, should “attempt to maintain the richness of metaphor” (p. 34). This thesis analyses three songs from musicals that have been translated from English to Dutch. These musicals are of different genres and for different audiences, to include the influence that these factors might have had on the choices of the translators. The musicals used in this study are drama musical Les Misérables (E: 1985; D: 1991), animated film musical Anastasia (1997) and romantic comedy musical Hairspray (E: 1988; D: 2003). Using the MIPVU (Metaphor Identification Procedure VU University Amsterdam [Steen et al., 2010]), this thesis analyses the metaphors in the three songs, in both the English source text and the Dutch target text. Subsequently, it attempts to establish how the translators dealt with the metaphors, and, ultimately, to see whether the fact that the target texts are singable translations of a song had any influence on the choices of the translator. This is endeavoured by answering two questions. Firstly, can the translations of the metaphors in songs be analysed by means of Newmark's (1981) and Schäffner's (2004) categorizations of procedures used in metaphor translation? Secondly, can singularities be explained through Low's pentathlon principle (2005) for song translation?Show less
The aim of this thesis is to explore the translation procedures used in the localisation of video games. After reviewing existing literature on video game translation, which reveals that it...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to explore the translation procedures used in the localisation of video games. After reviewing existing literature on video game translation, which reveals that it requires different translation techniques, a new translation model is created and used to analyse Lufia, a role-playing game released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. The empirical part of this study is conducted by means of a contrastive analysis between the North American version and the Dutch localisation of Lufia. The results show that the literal translation procedure is by far the most predominant technique and they therefore do not support the expectation that the video game was mainly translated creatively, as transcreation was used to a much lesser extent than originally hypothesised. In conclusion, even though video game translation requires translators to demonstrate a certain degree of creativity in their translations, adopting the literal approach remains most predominant.Show less
This thesis reports on an empirical investigation of the language in both company posts and customer comments on the Dutch H&M Facebook page and on the results of a small-scale online self...Show moreThis thesis reports on an empirical investigation of the language in both company posts and customer comments on the Dutch H&M Facebook page and on the results of a small-scale online self-completion questionnaire on the appreciation and understanding of English words by Dutch Facebook users in order to investigate the role of the translator in online social media. After carrying out the case-study it became obvious that influences of the English language are evidently present on the H&M Facebook page as 89 per cent of the company posts and 37 per cent of the accompanying customer comments contained English and/or (standardised) loanwords. The results from the questionnaire remained open to different interpretations as comprehension of fashion related terminology was high but preferences and attitudes towards code-switching and the use of English, Dutch or hybrid one-liners that often appear in the H&M company posts varied depending on the phrasing of the specific questions in the questionnaire. However, the results do suggest that language mixing through hybrid posts is generally not recommendable as exclusively Dutch and exclusively English one-liners were often preferred by the participants of this study. Yet, the data did not provide a conclusive answer to whether English posts on social media should be translated or creatively re-written into Dutch but underlined that this depends on factors which are relevant when translating for online social media such as the specific target audience and the purpose of the translation.Show less
When it comes to scientific TV shows, there is bit of an information gap. There are some texts, but in pales in comparison to the amount of works concerning the subtitling of humor. With the many...Show moreWhen it comes to scientific TV shows, there is bit of an information gap. There are some texts, but in pales in comparison to the amount of works concerning the subtitling of humor. With the many crime shows out there, this is quite surprising. Even though there are not a lot of sources concerning scientific translation, there are plenty concerning technical translation, such as Montgomery and Desblache. I will be using these to create an overview of how experts advise translators to translate technical terms. In order to hopefully discover a pattern in how this genre is translated, I will do a case study on two different TV shows, both of which are scientific. The shows I will be using are CSI:NY, a fictional scientific crime drama, and The Real CSI, a non-fictional crime documentary. I will analyse the translation processes used in the official subtitles of both TV shows individually, to find out what procedures are used, using Chesterman’s model of translation, and analyse why these choices were made. Then, I will compare my analyses of the two shows and compare the procedures used in order to hopefully find a pattern in how these shows are subtitled.Show less
This thesis investigates the ongoing debate about the role of translation in second language learning. In the past, scholars and teachers alike assumed that translation caused interference and...Show moreThis thesis investigates the ongoing debate about the role of translation in second language learning. In the past, scholars and teachers alike assumed that translation caused interference and therefore halted a learner’s progress in learning a second or foreign language. More recent research, however, has attempted to counter common conceptions regarding translation’s ineffectiveness as a language-learning and language-teaching tool. My thesis provides an overview of past and current language acquisition theories and teaching methods, and explains why most of these theories and methods are considered to be flawed. The recently developed task-based teaching method aims to address these flaws, and calls for task-based language exercises, including task-based translation exercises. In a pilot study I investigated the value of task-based translation exercises when Dutch secondary school students are learning grammatical aspect (i.e. the present perfect) in English. Overall, the study showed that using task-based translation exercises enhances the use and understanding of grammatical aspect (i.e. the present perfect), although there appeared to be a discrepancy between HAVO and VWO participants.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
This MA thesis consists of an annotated translation of the short story “How I Found America,” written by the Jewish American author Anzia Yezierska (1881?–1970). The story was published in her...Show moreThis MA thesis consists of an annotated translation of the short story “How I Found America,” written by the Jewish American author Anzia Yezierska (1881?–1970). The story was published in her first collection of short stories, Hungry Hearts (1920). Yezierska’s work, which is not well known and has never been translated into Dutch, offers an inside into the lives of Jewish immigrants at the start of twentieth century. Within the framework of a three-act structure, "How I Found America" tells the story of a young Russian-Jewish woman who immigrates with her family to America, the Golden Land. She quickly becomes disillusioned by her surroundings. Depressed, she goes in search for the true nature of America. After long years of hard struggle, the narrator finally finds her answer that she is the one who creates America: “We go forth all to seek America. And in the seeking we create her. In the quality of our search shall be the nature of the America that we create” (Frank qtd. in Yezierska, 1920). The translation of Yezierska’s short story is accompanied by a discussion of the work of the French translator, theorist and philosopher, Antoine Berman (1992-1991) and features an analysis of his translation model in the form of a retrospective review of the translation of Yezierska’s text.Show less
This thesis is a report on the research into the translation of advertising texts with a persuasive function that contain a so-called “cultural filter”. This cultural filter is formed by five...Show moreThis thesis is a report on the research into the translation of advertising texts with a persuasive function that contain a so-called “cultural filter”. This cultural filter is formed by five dimensions of cross-cultural differences that were distinguished by translation scholar Juliane House after her research into written and spoken English and German texts. The main issue is that House does not provide information on the linguistic features that allow these dimensions to be identified in translation. This thesis has adapted House’s model to include the linguistic elements that are characteristic for each of the individual dimensions. My research commenced with the consultation of sources on advertising strategies as well as sources who comment on the link between text functions, linguistic choices and effect on the reader such as De Mooij, Nord, Halliday and Swan. This resulted in an overview of expected linguistic features that could be indicators for the various dimensions. This overview was then used for the identification of House’s dimensions in persuasive texts in the Dutch and English IKEA catalogues. After analysis of the texts in the catalogues, the conclusion was reached that it is possible to predict the linguistic choices a translator can make in order to establish a cultural filter. An initial overview of expected linguistic features was adapted to incorporate the findings and a preliminary set of tools, including a checklist and suggested translation procedures for each dimension, was created. Furthermore, analysis of the texts in the Dutch and English IKEA catalogues proved that the Dutch text has the tendency to be more direct, more explicit and more oriented towards addressees.Show less
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” The opening sentence of one of Jane Austen’s most famous romantic novel Pride...Show more“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” The opening sentence of one of Jane Austen’s most famous romantic novel Pride and Prejudice does not only claim a universal truth on love and marriage, it also provides insight into the perceptions of love and the norms and values that govern love in the 19th Century, as does the entire novel. However, society and the social-cultural norms governing it have changed immensely since the nineteenth-century world of Pride and Prejudice, it is therefore more than likely that a modern contemporary audience, without any social-historical or cultural background, would not fully understand the social and cultural setting of the novel. Furthermore, the practice of and ideas surrounding translation also underwent great change. This thesis researches whether the changes in socio-cultural norms and perceptions are noticeable in diachronic research of romantic literature in translation, on either a linguistic (stylistic) or cultural level, by conducting a comparative study of Dutch translations of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.Show less
The main aim of this thesis was to establish whether strong reactions such as ‘Oskar would never say that!’ and ‘That’s just plain wrong!’ to the official Dutch translation of the novel Extremely...Show moreThe main aim of this thesis was to establish whether strong reactions such as ‘Oskar would never say that!’ and ‘That’s just plain wrong!’ to the official Dutch translation of the novel Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Foer, 2005) could be caused by a loss of style in the translation. In order to measure the retention of style in the translation, a translation quality assessment tool that focusses solely on style was needed. However, such a tool did not exist. Instead it was opted to adapt a translation method that prioritises style. Such a method was found in Bovelander’s 2015 style-centred translation approach. The Bovelander method includes a thorough stylistic analysis followed by the selection of translation procedures that should be used to retain style (a greenlist) as well as a listing of procedures that should be avoided because they would cause a loss of style (a blacklist). These procedures are pivotal in the adapted Bovelander method: a comparative reading of the source text and target text that reveals which procedures were used during the translation process. If blacklisted procedures occur considerably more often than greenlisted procedures, then there is a loss of style. The adapted Bovelander method suggested a severe loss of style in the Dutch translation of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Foer, 2005), which might indeed explain the strong reactions to the translation voiced by a number of translation students.Show less
Literary translation is a separate field within translation studies demanding its own approaches. This argument is supported in Part I by an assessment of the "Hermeneutical approach" to...Show moreLiterary translation is a separate field within translation studies demanding its own approaches. This argument is supported in Part I by an assessment of the "Hermeneutical approach" to Translation Studies, as represented in the thought of Jakobson, Benjamin, Derrida, Ricoeur, Jiri Levy, and George Steiner, which offers a strong foundation. Their thinking falls together in considering translation and interpretation to be full equivalents, entailing never-ending processes; in appreciating the holistic quality of the literary work of art and translation's relationship to it, as well as translation's role in the Nachleben of the work of literature; and in demanding creative language use and linguistic hospitality as part of the translator's labor. Part II of the thesis places the tasks of the literary translator as editor/redactor, particularly in consideration of the use of paratexts, on this foundation as one way of limiting hermeneutical activity. The translator redactor must act as a book compiler, a scholar-annotator, and an analyst commentator, or at least consider these roles. In this way, the thesis unites theory and practice while promoting the positive utility of hermeneutics for translation and yet setting limits for the translator's interventions, particularly in helping the reader's own process of interpretation by providing paratextual guides and aids.Show less
