Academic literature on the topic 'Translation, dubbing, song, animated film'

Abstract:This study compares the songs from the original, English-language version of the 2013 Disney film Frozen to those of the Dutch dubbed version, investigating how the thematic representation of love and fear differ between these versions. To support this inherently qualitative analysis, this study employs the triangle of aspects, an analytical model that identifies certain aspects and variables central to animated musical film dubbing, allowing a quantification of differences between dubbed versions. It is found that the dubbed songs differ most strongly from the original songs in the verbal code, which covers issues such as semantic sense and register, and least in the musical code, which concerns matters of rhyme scheme, rhythm, and singability. The effects of the changes are a slight backgrounding of the theme of love versus fear: whereas the source version presents and explores a clear dichotomy between love and fear, the dubbed version concentrates more on love as the ultimate goal of life, eliminating much of the importance of fear. These results show that quantitative data can be useful in qualitative analyses, presenting an important step in the development of the field of animated musical film dubbing within translation studies.

The article focuses on the problem of translating songs in animated movies. Using Russian and Polish dubbing as examples, the following issues will be discussed: the place and role of the song, the translation strategy adopted, and the consequences and possible impact on reception of the translation strategy. An excellent example that will allow the problem to be fully discussed is Sing the latest animation from the Illumination Entertainment studio – a 2016 American 3D computer-animated comedy.

Audiovisual translation encompasses a number of dissimilar areas. To quote Frederic Valera Chaume, AVT “covers both well-established and new ground-breaking linguistic and semiotic transfers like dubbing, subtitling, surtitling, respeaking, audiosubtitling, voice-over, simultaneous interpreting at film festivals, free-commentary and goblin translation, subtitling for the deaf and the hard of hearing, audiodescription, fansubbing and fandubbing” (2013, p. 105). This paper analyses the importance of culture-specific elements in audiovisual products and strategies of their transfer to the target culture. Practical investigation is based on a case study of an animated film “Shrek the Third” and its Lithuanian dub. The choice for the case study was determined by the fact that the history of dubbing animated movies in independent Lithuania started with “Shrek,” the first Hollywood film dubbed into Lithuanian, which has achieved unprecedented success and become an example for further dub localizations. The aim of the research was to determine the relationship between types of synchrony that should be maintained in dubbing and culture-specific items that should be localized in the target text. The study is complemented with a research survey that questions the importance of different types of synchronies in translation. As there is no consensus about the importance of lip synchrony in dubbing, and some scholars (Doane, 1980; Chaume, 2012) claim that it plays a dominant role in dubbing, whereas others (Herbst, 1994; Jüngst, 2010) declare its overestimation, the survey research attempts to answer this debatable question.

SummaryDue to globalization, migration, tourism and other reasons multiculturalism and multilingualism have become the rule rather than the exception. In this context films, on the one hand, serve as a reflection of multilingual and multicultural reality, on the other hand, multilingualism inevitably occurs by translating films for different audiences since (interlingual) translation involves at least two languages. Films, in which characters belong to different cultures and languages, pose a considerable challenge to translators. Such a case is the American animated film “Ratatouille” (2007), which action takes place in France and most of its characters are French. However, by adapting the film for the main target audience – the children – the character identity is revealed not using complete foreign language dialogues but creatively combining various modes: verbal acoustic (dialogues and lyrics), verbal visual (written texts), nonverbal visual (images) and nonverbal acoustic (nondiegetic music). The same modes are applied to render culture-specific items, especially food and drink names. Since verbal mode varies depending on the target audience, American English source language as well as Lithuanian, Russian and French dubbed versions of the film “Ratatouille” will be compared in order to determine semiotic modes, which convey Frenchness. Additionally, by comparing selected dubbed versions of the film, amusing translations, resulting exactly from the encounter of cultures and languages, will be presented as well. For the research methodological approaches of audiovisual translation, multimodality and comparative method will be applied.

In this article, the problems of dubbing, especially related to lip synchrony as one of the most challenging aspects of audiovisual translation, are scrutinised. Contrarily to the traditional focus on bilabials and open vowels, the object of this research is lip synchrony of both rounded and protruded vowels and diphthongs since lip rounding is a visibly marked feature, which cannot be neglected especially in close-ups. The study aims at determining the inaccuracies in lip synchrony of the mentioned phonemic group in the dubbed animated feature film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 from English to Lithuanian. Qualitative and quantitative analysis is carried out by employing a comparative method. The research methodology is based on the theoretical insights and assumptions provided by Frederic Chaume (2004, 2006, 2012), Richard Barsam & Dave Monahan (2010), and Indrė Koverienė (2015). The research findings demonstrate the main issues of lip synchrony a translator might face while adapting a piece of audiovisual material for the target language audience. Also, it provides insights into the quality of the overall translation of the chosen film.

Resumen
 El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar el fenómeno de la intertextualidad en el ámbito de la traducción de la literatura infantil y juvenil en general y en el campo de la traducción audiovisual en particular. Nuestro punto de partida es el análisis de los referentes intertextuales presentes en la película Donkey Xote (José Pozo, 2007) y en su versión para doblaje en italiano. Tras identificar las dificultades y las estrategias de traducción de la “intertextualidad audiovisual” (Martínez Sierra, 2010; Chaume, 2012), presentaremos algunos referentes intertextuales añadidos en italiano para implicar de manera más directa al espectador (adulto) italiano. De hecho, la versión italiana introduce alusiones inherentes al mundo cinematográfico estadounidense e italiano inexistentes en el TO con un afán de tipo humorístico evidente.
 Palabras clave: intertextualidad, traducción, doblaje, literatura infantil y juvenil
 
 Abstract
 The aim of the present paper is to analyse the intertextuality in the field of Translation of Children’s Literature and specially in Audiovisual Translation. We analyse the presence of intertextual elements in the Spanish animated film Donkey Xote (José Pozo, 2007) and in the Italian dubbing. After the identification of the difficulties and the strategies inside the Translation of the so called “audiovisual intertextuality” (Martínez Sierra, 2010; Chaume, 2012), we propose some intertextual elements introduced in the Italian version in order to capture the interest of an adult audience. In others words, the Italian dubbing shows particular allusions regarding American and Italian films that were conceived to create humour.
 Key words: Intertextuality, Translation, Dubbing, Children’s Literature
 Resum 
 L’objectiu del present treball és analitzar el fenomen de la intertextuatlitat en l’àmbit de la traducció de la literatura infantil i juvenil en general i en el camp de la traducció audiovisual en particular. El nostre punt de partida és l’anàlisi dels referents intertextuals presents a la pel·lícula Donkey Xote (José Pozo, 2007) i en la seua versió per a doblatge en italià. Després d’identificar les dificultats i les estratègies de traducció de la “intertextualitat audiovisual” Martínez Sierra, 2010; Chaume, 2012) presentarem alguns referents intertextuals afegits en italià per implicar de manera més directa a l’espectador (adult) italià. De fet, la versió italiana introdueix al·lusions inherents al món cinematogràfic estatunidenc i italià, inexistents en el TO amb un afany de tipus humorístic evident. 
 Paraules clau: Intertextualitat, traducció, doblatge, literatura infantil i juvenil

Введение. Важную роль в анимационных фильмах выполняет музыкально-песенный аспект, выполняющий особую функцию и требующий специального подхода к иноязычному воспроизведению.Актуальность исследования обусловлена вниманием современного переводоведения к поиску эффективных способов перевода песен и улучшению качества такого перевода в связи с возрастающей ролью анимационных фильмов в качестве посредников межкультурного обмена.Цель – на основе рассмотрения основных функциональных, лингвистических и структурных аспектов песенных текстов выявить основные способы их перевода и проанализировать их применимость к переводу песен анимационных фильмов.Материал и методы. Материалами исследования послужили источники по проблемам перевода песенных и аудиовизуальных текстов, а также песенные тексты анимационного фильма «Mulan» (Walt Disney, 1998). В качестве методов использовались общенаучные методы анализа, синтеза и обобщения, а также частнонаучный метод описания.Результаты и обсуждение. Принадлежность песен к текстам художественного стиля определяет их лексико-семантическое и синтаксическое наполнение, ритмическую и структурную организацию, в совокупности обеспечивающие их эстетическую ценность. В анимационном фильме структура и смысловая интерпретация песенного текста могут варьироваться, поскольку специфика жанра связана с зависимостью песни от сюжета и образов персонажей. Как формальная организация, так и содержательное наполнение песенного текста представляют собой равную важность для его полноценного иноязычного воспроизведения.Из разновидностей аудиовизуального перевода для перевода песен в анимационных фильмах применимы субтитрование и дубляж с преимуществом последнего в случае единственного перевода. При анализе применимости к дубляжу песен методов П. Лоу и Й. Франзона выявлено, что оптимальным вариантом для анимационных фильмов является адаптация текста, с наименьшими потерями позволяющая сохранить оба основных компонента песни – смысл и мелодию, с учетом специфики анимационного кино и ограничений перевода песен, а также аудиовизуального перевода.Заключение. Лексико-семантические, синтаксические, стилистические и структурные особенности песенного текста накладывают ряд ограничений на его перевод. В случае песен в анимационных фильмах эти ограничения дополнительно лимитированы их фактом принадлежности к аудиовизуальным продуктам, связывающим переводчика с необходимостью синхронизации исполнения с экранным изображением. Несмотря на существование ряда опций, наиболее щадящим вариантом иноязычного воспроизведения таких песен является адаптация текста на переводящем языке к оригинальной мелодии. Introduction. Relevance of the research is determined by the interest of modern translation science in search of effective ways of songs rendition, as animation films are getting the significant role as participants of modern crosscultural communication.Aim and objectives. The present paper attempts to discuss main functional, linguistic and structural aspects of song lyrics and analyze methods of their translation, as well as study applicability of these methods to song rendition in animation films.Materials and methods. The research is based on theoretical materials on audiovisual- and song translation, the exemplary texts taken from animation film “Mulan” (Walt Disney, 1998).Results and discussion Belonging to belles-lettres functional style, songs share with poetic texts their lexicosemantic and syntactic features, as well as rythmic and structural organization, which adds to their esthetic value. The specificity of songs in animation films is determined by their dependence on the plot and characters, both the form and the semantics of lyrics being equally important for their full-size foreign understanding. Subtitling and dubbing are the two methods of audiovisual translation, which fit the requirements of song rendition, with the latter as more preferable. Analyzing methods of modern song rendition and their applicability to the translation of songs in animation films, while having in mind certain limitations of both song- and audiovisual translation, we found out that the optimal option probably would be text adaptation, allowing to preserve the semantics and the melody as the two inseparable sides of the song unity.Conclusion. Lexico-semantic, syntactic, stylistic and structural peculiarities of song texts determine the features of their translation. From the whole list of translation options, the gentler one would be adaptation of the text to the original melody.

Influenced by the trend of globalization, the translation and dubbing of songs in musical movies largely affects target language audience’s Influenced by the trend of globalization, the translation and dubbing of songs in musical movies largely affect the target language audience’s understanding. Xu Yuanchong’s “Three Beauties” theory has been applied in other translation fields except for the translation of songs in musical movies. Based on the “Three Beauties” theory, this study evaluates three translation versions’ lyrics of Remember Me, the theme song of the 2017 successful animated musical film Coco, which won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“Remember Me”). In this paper, we compare the Italian, Mandarin and Cantonese translation versions of Remember Me with the original English lyrics, and examines whether the three translations convey and express well and properly the feelings and emotions in the original lyrics in three dimensions: beauty in form, beauty in sound and beauty in meaning, and whether they meet the expectations of the target audience for the aesthetics of the original song, to provide reference suggestions for future song translations and music film translations.

This research paper examined the ways how translators translated metaphors in the dubbing of animation songs and measured the degree of loss occurred in rendering metaphors from English into Arabic; these two languages are culturally and linguistically distinct languages. This study employed descriptive qualitative methods. The data used in this research were metaphors of songs from three animated musical movies: Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Pocahontas. This paper analyzed the translation of metaphors depending on the cognitive theory proposed by Mandelblit (1995). The results proved that even though translating metaphors in animation songs was a laborious process, they did not always cause a problem of untranslatability; on the contrary, translators can render metaphors from English onto Arabic without a significant loss in terms of meaning and sound patterns. Compensation in kind and compensation in place helped to achieve the translatability of metaphors in cartoon films’ songs. The analysis of source and target metaphors revealed that there were three translation procedures used to translate metaphors in animation songs, namely: replacing the source metaphor with a target metaphor (substitution), translating the metaphor into sense (paraphrasing), and using literal translation.

This paper analyses the Spanish dubbed version of the animated film ‘Rio’ from a genetic point of view. Dubbing is the audiovisual translation mode which consists in re-recording the original voice track in the target language: although involving a large group of professionals, the translator’s task is pivotal to this process as he or she is responsible for transferring the information from one language to another. However, the text produced by the translator is not what will be heard on screen, as it will go through some transformations and rewritings during the dubbing process. It might even be considered a work-in-progress text, since a closer look reveals a high presence of hesitations, comments and other remarks addressed to the next agents. Once detected and classified, these marks will help us describe the dialogic relationship among some of the professionals involved in the dubbing process.