There is a serious lack of research in the interdisciplinary field of humour in translation. In order to contribute to this field, this thesis discusses the analysis and translation of a humorous...Show moreThere is a serious lack of research in the interdisciplinary field of humour in translation. In order to contribute to this field, this thesis discusses the analysis and translation of a humorous short story by Douglas Adams. Verbally expressed humour, subdivided in verbal and referential humour, is argued to stem from incongruity and more specifically script opposition (Raskin, 1985; Attardo & Raskin, 1991; Attardo, 1994, 2001). The notion of ‘equivalence’ in the field of humour in translation is discussed and several translational procedures for translating verbally expressed humour are explained. The short story, Young Zaphod Plays It Safe (originally published in 1986), is then subjected to a stylistic analysis based on Leech & Short’s (2007) checklist of stylistic and linguistic categories, which shows that Adams’s style is largely characterised by his use of humour. The translation of the short story is accompanied by annotations commenting on important translational choices that affect the style of the text. Referential humour that is not culturally bound is easily transferred, but verbal humour such as puns and register humour poses a problem to the translator, who needs to choose between stylistic or semantic faithfulness. The thesis concludes with the remarks that humour theory lacks a formal set of guidelines for identifying instances of verbally expressed humour; that research in the field of humour in translation should focus on either verbal humour (puns and register humour) or culturally bound referential humour; and that the field of stylistics might be advantaged by a more in-depth analysis of Adams’s idiomatic style.Show less
Recent years have shown an increase of research into audiovisual translation, but the field of audiovisual translation for children remains severely understudied. Academically, this field is...Show moreRecent years have shown an increase of research into audiovisual translation, but the field of audiovisual translation for children remains severely understudied. Academically, this field is understudied because of the low prestige of subtitling in general and children as the audience in particular (O’Connell, 2003). In practice, subtitles for children are uncommon, because children’s programs are often dubbed (O’Connell, 1999). Rhyme for children is not considered a ‘serious’ area of translation in any medium (Nasi, 2012), but combined with subtitles this field has barely received any academic attention. However, scholars in the field of literary translation argue that style and content together form the meaning of a text and therefore style is important to maintain in translation (Boase-Beier, 2014). Consequently, the purpose of this thesis was to identify the stylistic features present in the English original and Dutch translation of the children’s illustrated book The Gruffalo, before creating new, style-centered subtitles to accompany the movie of the same name. A functional analysis based on Nord (2005) showed that the functions of the texts were to entertain children and teach them new elements of language. A linguistic and stylistic analysis after Leech & Short’s checklist (2007) showed that the most important stylistic features in the book and its translation were rhyme, rhythm and repetition. To recreate the functions in translation, the stylistic features needed to be transferred into Dutch. Style-centered subtitles were created in the form of an annotated translation, but it proved difficult to forget about subtitling’s vulnerability: that the audience can hear the original and see the translation at the same time. Nevertheless, I will argue that it is possible to create style-centered subtitles for children, as the annotated translation does contain rhyme, rhythm and repetition.Show less
This study considers the main research gaps that are important for future studies regarding the improvement of the quality of interlingual live subtitling. To identify these gaps, this thesis...Show moreThis study considers the main research gaps that are important for future studies regarding the improvement of the quality of interlingual live subtitling. To identify these gaps, this thesis provides a literature review of the available research on this topic, as well as an updated outline of the current situation of interlingual live subtitling in the Netherlands.Show less
The main topic of this thesis is yakuwarigo in translation. Yakuwarigo, the Japanese word for role language, is a type of language use often used in works of fiction which evokes the image of a...Show moreThe main topic of this thesis is yakuwarigo in translation. Yakuwarigo, the Japanese word for role language, is a type of language use often used in works of fiction which evokes the image of a certain type of character, such as an old man or a young girl, by using certain first-person pronouns, copula and sentence-ending particles (Kinsui 2013). Translating yakuwarigo can be extremely challenging because the Japanese language has many opportunities for variation where English does not. For that reason, yakuwarigo is often standardised in the target text, even though this negatively impacts the uniqueness of the characters (Terada, 2015). While there is quite a bit of literature available on yakuwarigo, hardly any research has been done on the topic of yakuwarigo in translation. In this thesis, the feasibility of translating yakuwarigo from Japanese to English using a foreignising translation strategy is examined. The research question is: “To what extent is it possible to translate yakuwarigo from Japanese to English with a foreignising translation strategy?”. The answer to this question is formed by two parts: a theoretical framework and a case study. In the theoretical framework, a number of different topics are discussed, such as translation strategies, equivalence, and stereotyping. In the case study, six characters of a manga (Japanese cartoon) are analysed in the original version as well as in a fan translation. Additionally, a new translation of is proposed based on the acquired information. It was found that despite the fact that it is impossible to translate yakuwarigo to English perfectly, it is possible to translate characters in such a way that their language reflects their main personality traits. This is done by adapting the font, punctuation and lexical choices, among others, to the character’s personality as a way of compensating for the original yakuwarigo.Show less
Swear words are present in all languages and cultures. Studies show that swear words are culturally specific, based on tabooization or demonization of language and events in certain cultures. In...Show moreSwear words are present in all languages and cultures. Studies show that swear words are culturally specific, based on tabooization or demonization of language and events in certain cultures. In the United States, slavery has been demonized, and certain swear words were used to obtain power over other people, namely slaves. This thesis aims to explore the offensiveness of the swear words used in movies about slavery in the United States and the Netherlands. The offensiveness of these swear words was rated using a survey in English for Americans and a Dutch translation of this survey for people from the Netherlands and Flanders. The results show that adjectives and the use of the singular or plural form can influence the offensiveness of swear words. However, context has the most significant influence. In the translation of swear words in the movies Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave, the choice has often been made to translate the swear words consistently. The offensiveness rating shows that this might not always be the closest equivalent in terms of connotation.Show less
De Militaire Willemsorde, a Dutch play by Rosier Faassen, can be found in the Special Collections of the Leiden University Library. It exists in several different versions, in print as well as a...Show moreDe Militaire Willemsorde, a Dutch play by Rosier Faassen, can be found in the Special Collections of the Leiden University Library. It exists in several different versions, in print as well as a manuscript in beautiful nineteenth century script, dating from 1873 until presumably 1885. This historical drama about a family torn apart by a young soldier going to war had never since been edited. After all these years, a new edition was made so that yet again this humorous play with experiences recognizable to many generations can be performed and studied anew. Furthermore, a biographical element also appears in the edition whereby parts of Faassen’s auto-biography, which also has not been edited since the late nineteenth century, was used. To provide access to the text for a broader audience, the text was translated from Dutch to English. Much of the same considerations being used to edit the text were also used to prepare the translation. Hunter’s Editing Early Modern Texts as well as Mathijsen’s Naar de Letter was used in the editing process, as a framework and point of guidance. The edition takes the form of what Mathijsen calls a ‘study-edition’ , and contains a historical, critical edition of the text, as well as a justification of the choice of copy text, extensive commentary on the text, including historical and biographical information as well as a stylistic analysis of the text (based on Leech and Short). The translation is preceded by a theoretical framework on the process and strategies that were used in the translation of this drama from the nineteenth century. The overall procedure for the translation of the text is centered around the notions of domestication versus foreignization (Venuti) as well as notions of historicization and modernization, and performability (Bassnett and Lefevere). Vinay and Darbelnet’s translation procedures were discussed and used in the annotated translation, to describe the procedures used for the variety of translation problems that arose during the process. Lefevere’s work on translation as rewriting is especially relevant here, as he also remarks that “the same basic process of rewriting is at work in translation, historiography, anthologization, criticism, and editing” (9). In Lefevere’s words lies the suggestion that a natural relationship exists between translation studies and the world of the editor and philologist, which in reality seems to be a struggled one. Translation is often underrated by philologists, with their translated texts being used for instrumental purposes. A discussion about the mutual importance of translation and philology, and the recognition awarded in their respective fields was necessary here. The question: “How can the fields of philology and translation be reconciled in the edition and translation of De Militaire Willemsorde?” is answered in the final chapter.Show less
In this thesis, I have analysed the encoding of cultural attitudes in the translation of post-war retrospective fiction, as displayed in the speech and thought presentation of the characters in...Show moreIn this thesis, I have analysed the encoding of cultural attitudes in the translation of post-war retrospective fiction, as displayed in the speech and thought presentation of the characters in Erwin Mortier’s 1999 Flemish novel, Marcel. The novel contains a fascinating insight into the cultural attitudes of everyday Belgian citizens who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. For the purposes of my research, I have used Antoine Berman’s 1985 model of translation tendencies in order to identify and subsequently analyse the effect of the process of translation on the representation of the cultural attitudes of the Belgian collaborators as displayed the English translation of the novel when juxtaposed with the original Flemish version of the novel. In my final analysis, I have both justified the importance of the source text over the translation in its irreplaceability with regard to the conveyance of cultural attitude. In addition to this, I have drawn fresh conclusions about the role and function of the translations of culturally-bound source texts. More specifically, I have highlighted the status of culturally-bound works of post-war fiction as foreign texts in their own right. In doing so, I have argued that these texts serve to make more explicit the cultural attitudes displayed in original works of post-war fiction.Show less
Jan Wolkers’ Turks Fruit (1969) was and remains a sensational novel, famous for its explicit sex scenes and use of crude language. March 2017 saw the publication of the first American English...Show moreJan Wolkers’ Turks Fruit (1969) was and remains a sensational novel, famous for its explicit sex scenes and use of crude language. March 2017 saw the publication of the first American English translation of the novel, titled Turkish Delight. So far, no scholar has analysed this new translation by Sam Garrett and even though many articles have been written about swearing in translation, e.g. Crisafulli (1997) and Santaemilia (2008 and 2013), little to no research has been done into the Dutch and English language pair. The main question that I have addressed in this thesis is this: “What was Sam Garrett’s translation strategy while translating Turks Fruit (1969) with regard to taboo language and swearing?” In answer to this question, taboo language in the ST and the TT has been analysed in this research using Pinker’s (2008) pragmatic categories of swear words and the translation procedures used in the TT, Turkish Delight, have been analysed using Vinay & Darbelnet’s (1958) theory on translation strategies. Greenall’s (2008) theory has been used to determine a difference in swearing constraint between the Dutch and American cultures. The analysis ascertains three main points. Firstly, Garrett stays fairly faithful to the ST; he has mostly used a direct translation strategy (66%) and never changes the type of swearing used in the ST. Secondly, the most striking exception to this direct translation strategy is that he has added taboo language and swear words to the TT that were not present in the ST. Thirdly, this irregularity can be explained by a difference in strength of the swearing constraint between the ST readership and the TT readership. Sam Garrett’s translation strategy with regard to taboo language and swearing in Turks Fruit (1969) seems to have been to create a translation with an equivalent attention-getting effect.Show less
The effectiveness of advertising texts largely depends on the way they are written. Torresi’s information-to-persuasion ratio is a way of defining the stylistic traits of advertising texts in terms...Show moreThe effectiveness of advertising texts largely depends on the way they are written. Torresi’s information-to-persuasion ratio is a way of defining the stylistic traits of advertising texts in terms of their informativeness and persuasiveness. This ratio can be used to determine the way an advertising text should be translated, so that the translated advertising text is effective. The purpose of this thesis was to experiment with Torresi’s theory by examining the effects different information-to-persuasion ratios have on readers, and to determine the potential this ratio holds for sales optimisation, using three translations of one English advertising text that have different information-to-persuasion ratios. One translation had the same ratio as the source text, one translation was more informative, and one was more persuasive. The results, gathered through a survey, did not always concur with Torresi’s theory. The results showed that translating texts in a more informative or persuasive manner may have a few benefits. For instance, it may provide readers with a better understanding of the product being sold. In addition, the general information about the product was considered more credible in the informative TT compared to the neutral TT. However, it appeared that changing the ratio may also have several negative effects that override the benefits. For example, it may lengthen the text to such an extent that the reader finds it more difficult to focus on the text. Moreover, the readers of the neutral TT found the product the most relevant for them. Overall, the neutral translation was the most effective translation. In other words, experimenting with the information-to-persuasion ratio did not improve advertising effectiveness in this case, and may therefore hold little to no potential for sales optimisation.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
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
