As has been shown in several studies (Parini 1998, Pavesi and Malinverno 2000, Pavesi 2005), it is quite the norm in Italian dubbing to attenuate the level of obscenity which often characterises the language spoken in American films. This is particularly true as far as vulgar words and expressions are concerned, which are very often not translated, or are frequently mitigated. According to Galassi (1999), this sort of censorship is sometimes self-imposed by the translators themselves, who, however, act following the instructions of the dubbing and the production companies. Sometimes this sort of censorship is operated not only at the level of the single words (as in the case of insults, exclamations, or intensifiers), but rather at the level of content, namely when in the original dialogues there are references which might be considered as taboo. Explicit sexual references are present in all the screenplays written by Quentin Tarantino, and the analysis of their Italian dubbed versions reveals a lack of homogeneity in the translation strategies adopted. In some cases the translators have opted for censoring the text by omitting the sexual references. In other cases, on the contrary, the references have been maintained, as the translators have translated the original lines almost literally. Interestingly enough, though, this lack of homogeneity in the translational behaviour does not seem to be ascribable to different ideologies on the part of the translators, or on censoring policies imposed by the commissioners. This is proved by the fact that the different behaviours are observable in the very same films. The same translators have sometimes omitted the sexual references in some parts of the film, while in others they have maintained them, showing therefore a basic inconsistency in the translation strategies adopted.

Taboo and Translation in Audiovisual Works

PARINI I
2013-01-01

Abstract

As has been shown in several studies (Parini 1998, Pavesi and Malinverno 2000, Pavesi 2005), it is quite the norm in Italian dubbing to attenuate the level of obscenity which often characterises the language spoken in American films. This is particularly true as far as vulgar words and expressions are concerned, which are very often not translated, or are frequently mitigated. According to Galassi (1999), this sort of censorship is sometimes self-imposed by the translators themselves, who, however, act following the instructions of the dubbing and the production companies. Sometimes this sort of censorship is operated not only at the level of the single words (as in the case of insults, exclamations, or intensifiers), but rather at the level of content, namely when in the original dialogues there are references which might be considered as taboo. Explicit sexual references are present in all the screenplays written by Quentin Tarantino, and the analysis of their Italian dubbed versions reveals a lack of homogeneity in the translation strategies adopted. In some cases the translators have opted for censoring the text by omitting the sexual references. In other cases, on the contrary, the references have been maintained, as the translators have translated the original lines almost literally. Interestingly enough, though, this lack of homogeneity in the translational behaviour does not seem to be ascribable to different ideologies on the part of the translators, or on censoring policies imposed by the commissioners. This is proved by the fact that the different behaviours are observable in the very same films. The same translators have sometimes omitted the sexual references in some parts of the film, while in others they have maintained them, showing therefore a basic inconsistency in the translation strategies adopted.
2013
Translation. Right or Wrong
Four Courts Press
149
161
978-1-84682-372-5
Censorship in translation; Sexual references; Audiovisual translation
PARINI I
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/1847632
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