Transcreating a new kind of humour: the case of Daniele Luttazzi

In 2010 a popular but controversial Italian comedian, Daniele Luttazzi, was accused of having plagiarized the works of a number of well-known American stand-up comedians. The issue was debated among non-professionals and generated discussions that would normally occupy academic gatherings, thus making more visible laypeople’s notion of “translation”. This paper aims to offer an overview of the various aspects of the case. First, a parallel is drawn between Luttazzi’s transcreative process and that of 19th century Italian author Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, whose introduction of the Gothic tale to Italy as described in Venuti (1995) can be seen as analogous to Luttazzi’s introduction of the dark humour typical of Anglo-American sketches into Italian comedy routines. The paper also offers an overview of the political background which influenced the debate about Luttazzi’s work on both sides. Finally the role played by ComedySubs fansubbers is described together with the reporting of some of their reactions and comments, expressed both in public – on forums and social networks – and in private email interviews which were carried out for this research. Luttazzi’s humour is interesting for the Translation Studies scholar because his whole production is clearly influenced by Anglo-American comedians and the Italian public was not used to the humour he introduced. Although his work can be considered a form of infotainment, his style was so far removed from the expectations of Italian audiences that public opinion failed to rally to his support when he was attacked by politicians and his programmes were pulled off the air, making his position all the more difficult to defend. The aim of this work is to contribute to the debate about translation and copyright and to stir new debate on issues of translation and plagiarism: by pointing out what Luttazzi and Tarchetti have in common, the important role translation and transcreation can play in the dissemination of ideas and the spreading of critical awareness is highlighted and discussed.