This paper examines how spoken discourse is represented and then dubbed into Italian in the four ... more This paper examines how spoken discourse is represented and then dubbed into Italian in the four sound cinema adaptations of Little Women (Cukor , LeRoy , Armstrong , Gerwig ). One of the peculiarities of Little Women, both as a novel and film, is the central narrative role played by conversations and conversational styles. The storyline, in fact, mainly focuses on the daily life of the characters and their social chit-chat with their relatives and friends. Conversation and the selection of different features of spoken discourse are the chief ingredients employed to structure the plot and to build character identity. By taking a comparative perspective across original and dubbed versions spanning several decades during which conversational styles and audiences have radically changed, we aim to shed light on the features of spoken discourse that have been considered crucial in representing believable and effective interactions in original and dubbed films at different moments in time.
This paper investigates the role of two conversational routines, greetings and leave-takings, in ... more This paper investigates the role of two conversational routines, greetings and leave-takings, in the dialogues of two period dramas (Downton Abbey, 2010-; and Upstairs Downstairs, 2010-2012). We aim to show which resources are exploited in television dialogue to construct politeness in interaction given the multiple requirements of the setting of the series under consideration and of television language in general. To do this, we analyse a corpus of 155,235 words of TV series screenplays (104,191 from Downton Abbey and 51,044 from Upstairs Downstairs), relying on corpus linguistic methodology – both corpus-based and corpus-driven – in order to establish how much narrative space they are granted, which specific linguistic features they have, how frequent conventional expressions are used, and which differences emerge across text types and time.
The aim of this book is to bring together research on several forms of audiovisual translation fr... more The aim of this book is to bring together research on several forms of audiovisual translation from a variety of perspectives, ranging from discourse analysis and pragmatics to cognitive science, second language acquisition, actor-network theory and speech recognition, to mention only a few.
The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility, 2020
This contribution aims to explore the intersection between corpus linguistics and audiovisual tra... more This contribution aims to explore the intersection between corpus linguistics and audiovisual translation by reviewing corpus-based approaches to the translation of audiovisual texts. After providing some definitions, detailing the historical development and the theoretical foundations of these approaches, the chapter focuses on the most influential and interesting research on the topic, showing its many advantages and few shortcomings. In the last part there are some considerations on the implications for teaching translation classes and suggestions on how the approach could be implemented and expanded in the future.
Les As. proposent un repertoire bibliographique sur les themes de la paraphrase, de la reformulat... more Les As. proposent un repertoire bibliographique sur les themes de la paraphrase, de la reformulation et de la repetition, accompagne de notes explicatives sur les choix terminologiques d'une part et la construction du repertoire d'autre part
INHOUDSOPGAVE:##Subtitling today: forms, trends, applications / Elisa Perego and Silvia Bruti -- ... more INHOUDSOPGAVE:##Subtitling today: forms, trends, applications / Elisa Perego and Silvia Bruti -- Audiovisual translation and sociolinguistic adequacy / Gian Luigi De Rosa -- Reading cohesive structures in subtitled films: a pilot study / Olli Philippe Lautenbacher -- The language of Inspector Montalbano: a case of irony in translation / Mariagrazia De Meo -- Cultural references in fansubs: when translating is a job for amateurs / Ornella Lepre -- The influence of shot changes on reading subtitles: a preliminary study / Agnieszka Szarkowska, Izabela Krejtz, Maria Łoginska, Łukasz Dutka and Krzysztof Krejtz -- Real time subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing: an introduction to conference respeaking / Saveria Arma -- France's national quality standard for subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing: an evaluation / Tia Muller -- Telop and titles on the Japanese small screen / Claire Maree -- It ain't over till the fat lady sings: subtitling operas and operettas for the DV...
Across lingua-cultures: Introductions and wishes in subtitled TV series Veronica Bonsignori, Silv... more Across lingua-cultures: Introductions and wishes in subtitled TV series Veronica Bonsignori, Silvia Bruti In previous studies (Bonsignori, Bruti, Masi 2011, 2012), we have focused on greetings, leave-takings and good wishes as ‘complex’ expressions that convey a vast array of socio-pragmatic meanings. The importance of such expressions and the consequences of their complexities in translation in general and in dubbing in particular have also emerged, especially as they correspond to cultural practices and habits. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of two rather negletcted English conversational routines (Coulmas 1981), namely introductions and good wishes, in Italian subtitling by establishing how much narrative space they are granted, which specific linguistic features they have, how frequent conventional expressions are used in both original dialogues and translation, and, finally, the emerging patterns of translation in subtitling, with special attention to cross-cultural habits that are necessarily reflected in the linguistic texture of an exchange. The translation of socio-pragmatic aspects has not received the lion’s share in the domain of audiovisual translation studies, although much more sensitivity towards the area has been observed in the last decade. Although it has since long been recognised that the transformation from oral to written language implicated in subtitling makes wording more formal and neat, almost devoid of the many sociolinguistic and pragmatic markers that give spoken language its natural flavour (Kovačič 1996, Hatim, Mason 2000, Greenall 2011), studies on the translation of socio-pragmatic meanings in interlingual subtitles are not particularly numerous. Blini and Matte Bon (1996), for example, pointed to the necessity of reaching a compromise in which “the illocutionary aspect of the text should […] be privileged by trying to reproduce the same speech acts in the target language on the basis of a careful analysis of the […] pragmalinguistic elements” (1996: 328, our translation). In recent years some pragmatic and cross-cultural issues have been investigated: the speech act of advice in translation from Spanish to English (Pinto 2010), vocatives in Italian subtitles (Bruti, Perego 2005, 2008), the Gricean cooperation principle in Polish subtitles (Bączkowska 2012), the translation of the nuances of meaning contained in the T/V person pronouns into English (Guillot 2010), direct, indirect and implicit compliments in (Italian) subtitles (Bruti 2006, 2009a, 2009b). Many more topics are yet still to be thoroughly explored. The data are retrieved from a small self-compiled corpus which comprises the transcription of the original dialogues of two seasons (one for each series) of Brothers & Sisters and Gilmore Girls and the Italian subtitles for the routines that are analysed. Both series are mostly ‘conversational’, as they are centred on the conversational exchanges between characters in their everyday life, a fact that potentially grants more space to the use of the two types of conversational routines under investigation. In this work we adopt a multidisciplinary approach, one that integrates an analysis of original audiovisual dialogues with the aim of identifying general trends in terms of language use and then investigates the translational practices in subtitling, by making reference to cultural scenarios in the target lingua-culture.
The paper traces a short history of subtitling and explores its most recent developments. The pro... more The paper traces a short history of subtitling and explores its most recent developments. The proliferation of audiovisual (AV) media, the need to access original versions of AV products as soon as possible and the newly-acquired flexibility of dubbing countries have recently led to an increase in the volume and a change in the nature of such activity. Subtitling started to be used in diverse and creative ways, and its originally primary role (i.e. a means for overcoming language barriers) is today just one of many. The forms and the applications of subtitling are depicted drawing from both established and fresh literature in the filed of audiovisual translation
In this article we consider the process involved in creating foreign language versions of feature... more In this article we consider the process involved in creating foreign language versions of feature films by describing and analysing paratextual elements in the dialogue list for the audiovisual source text Ocean's Eleven. We aim to assess the potential translational impact of this accompanying material on the final product and to offer insights into the complex mediation process that lies at the heart of the linguistic transfer in audiovisual translation. Our analysis initially starts out from Scene 12, the common thread focused on in the volume, but widens to consider the strategic role of paratextual elements such as translator's notes in the translation of dialogues in the whole film. The approach adopted is descriptive-qualitative as it aims to first disclose the most typical and frequent annotation types and highlight the semantic, pragmatic, and narrative aims they pursue in each case, and then to relate them with the options adopted in the dubbed dialogues. More than offering conclusive results, the study aims at opening up research into the process of translation in the context of audiovisual communication, by means of integrating descriptive analyses of the translated product and an informed consideration of professional practices that are part and parcel of the post-production process, focusing in particular on paratextual materials for the use of translators.
Paolo Virzì's film production is deeply rooted in Italian (often Tuscan) contemporary society, wi... more Paolo Virzì's film production is deeply rooted in Italian (often Tuscan) contemporary society, with a focus on the daily lives of ordinary people and the difference between their true selves and their public persona. The language spoken by his colourful characters, which includes regionalisms, slang, colloquialisms and a vast array of idiosyncratic traits, is the quintessence of Virzì's world and of his bittersweet irony. In this contribution, we aim to illustrate how these culture-specific scenarios are transposed in the English subtitled versions of three recent Virzì films, namely La prima cosa bella [The first beautiful thing] (2010), Paolo Virzì, Italy, Tutti i santi giorni [Every blessed day] (2012), Paolo Virzì, Italy, and Il capitale umano [Human capital] (2014), Paolo Virzì, Italy. We identify the indices of regional or Italian identity, linguistically or culturally expressed, in the three aforementioned films, with a view to elucidating the difficulties behind their translation in the English subtitles.
This paper examines how spoken discourse is represented and then dubbed into Italian in the four ... more This paper examines how spoken discourse is represented and then dubbed into Italian in the four sound cinema adaptations of Little Women (Cukor , LeRoy , Armstrong , Gerwig ). One of the peculiarities of Little Women, both as a novel and film, is the central narrative role played by conversations and conversational styles. The storyline, in fact, mainly focuses on the daily life of the characters and their social chit-chat with their relatives and friends. Conversation and the selection of different features of spoken discourse are the chief ingredients employed to structure the plot and to build character identity. By taking a comparative perspective across original and dubbed versions spanning several decades during which conversational styles and audiences have radically changed, we aim to shed light on the features of spoken discourse that have been considered crucial in representing believable and effective interactions in original and dubbed films at different moments in time.
This paper investigates the role of two conversational routines, greetings and leave-takings, in ... more This paper investigates the role of two conversational routines, greetings and leave-takings, in the dialogues of two period dramas (Downton Abbey, 2010-; and Upstairs Downstairs, 2010-2012). We aim to show which resources are exploited in television dialogue to construct politeness in interaction given the multiple requirements of the setting of the series under consideration and of television language in general. To do this, we analyse a corpus of 155,235 words of TV series screenplays (104,191 from Downton Abbey and 51,044 from Upstairs Downstairs), relying on corpus linguistic methodology – both corpus-based and corpus-driven – in order to establish how much narrative space they are granted, which specific linguistic features they have, how frequent conventional expressions are used, and which differences emerge across text types and time.
The aim of this book is to bring together research on several forms of audiovisual translation fr... more The aim of this book is to bring together research on several forms of audiovisual translation from a variety of perspectives, ranging from discourse analysis and pragmatics to cognitive science, second language acquisition, actor-network theory and speech recognition, to mention only a few.
The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility, 2020
This contribution aims to explore the intersection between corpus linguistics and audiovisual tra... more This contribution aims to explore the intersection between corpus linguistics and audiovisual translation by reviewing corpus-based approaches to the translation of audiovisual texts. After providing some definitions, detailing the historical development and the theoretical foundations of these approaches, the chapter focuses on the most influential and interesting research on the topic, showing its many advantages and few shortcomings. In the last part there are some considerations on the implications for teaching translation classes and suggestions on how the approach could be implemented and expanded in the future.
Les As. proposent un repertoire bibliographique sur les themes de la paraphrase, de la reformulat... more Les As. proposent un repertoire bibliographique sur les themes de la paraphrase, de la reformulation et de la repetition, accompagne de notes explicatives sur les choix terminologiques d'une part et la construction du repertoire d'autre part
INHOUDSOPGAVE:##Subtitling today: forms, trends, applications / Elisa Perego and Silvia Bruti -- ... more INHOUDSOPGAVE:##Subtitling today: forms, trends, applications / Elisa Perego and Silvia Bruti -- Audiovisual translation and sociolinguistic adequacy / Gian Luigi De Rosa -- Reading cohesive structures in subtitled films: a pilot study / Olli Philippe Lautenbacher -- The language of Inspector Montalbano: a case of irony in translation / Mariagrazia De Meo -- Cultural references in fansubs: when translating is a job for amateurs / Ornella Lepre -- The influence of shot changes on reading subtitles: a preliminary study / Agnieszka Szarkowska, Izabela Krejtz, Maria Łoginska, Łukasz Dutka and Krzysztof Krejtz -- Real time subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing: an introduction to conference respeaking / Saveria Arma -- France's national quality standard for subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing: an evaluation / Tia Muller -- Telop and titles on the Japanese small screen / Claire Maree -- It ain't over till the fat lady sings: subtitling operas and operettas for the DV...
Across lingua-cultures: Introductions and wishes in subtitled TV series Veronica Bonsignori, Silv... more Across lingua-cultures: Introductions and wishes in subtitled TV series Veronica Bonsignori, Silvia Bruti In previous studies (Bonsignori, Bruti, Masi 2011, 2012), we have focused on greetings, leave-takings and good wishes as ‘complex’ expressions that convey a vast array of socio-pragmatic meanings. The importance of such expressions and the consequences of their complexities in translation in general and in dubbing in particular have also emerged, especially as they correspond to cultural practices and habits. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of two rather negletcted English conversational routines (Coulmas 1981), namely introductions and good wishes, in Italian subtitling by establishing how much narrative space they are granted, which specific linguistic features they have, how frequent conventional expressions are used in both original dialogues and translation, and, finally, the emerging patterns of translation in subtitling, with special attention to cross-cultural habits that are necessarily reflected in the linguistic texture of an exchange. The translation of socio-pragmatic aspects has not received the lion’s share in the domain of audiovisual translation studies, although much more sensitivity towards the area has been observed in the last decade. Although it has since long been recognised that the transformation from oral to written language implicated in subtitling makes wording more formal and neat, almost devoid of the many sociolinguistic and pragmatic markers that give spoken language its natural flavour (Kovačič 1996, Hatim, Mason 2000, Greenall 2011), studies on the translation of socio-pragmatic meanings in interlingual subtitles are not particularly numerous. Blini and Matte Bon (1996), for example, pointed to the necessity of reaching a compromise in which “the illocutionary aspect of the text should […] be privileged by trying to reproduce the same speech acts in the target language on the basis of a careful analysis of the […] pragmalinguistic elements” (1996: 328, our translation). In recent years some pragmatic and cross-cultural issues have been investigated: the speech act of advice in translation from Spanish to English (Pinto 2010), vocatives in Italian subtitles (Bruti, Perego 2005, 2008), the Gricean cooperation principle in Polish subtitles (Bączkowska 2012), the translation of the nuances of meaning contained in the T/V person pronouns into English (Guillot 2010), direct, indirect and implicit compliments in (Italian) subtitles (Bruti 2006, 2009a, 2009b). Many more topics are yet still to be thoroughly explored. The data are retrieved from a small self-compiled corpus which comprises the transcription of the original dialogues of two seasons (one for each series) of Brothers & Sisters and Gilmore Girls and the Italian subtitles for the routines that are analysed. Both series are mostly ‘conversational’, as they are centred on the conversational exchanges between characters in their everyday life, a fact that potentially grants more space to the use of the two types of conversational routines under investigation. In this work we adopt a multidisciplinary approach, one that integrates an analysis of original audiovisual dialogues with the aim of identifying general trends in terms of language use and then investigates the translational practices in subtitling, by making reference to cultural scenarios in the target lingua-culture.
The paper traces a short history of subtitling and explores its most recent developments. The pro... more The paper traces a short history of subtitling and explores its most recent developments. The proliferation of audiovisual (AV) media, the need to access original versions of AV products as soon as possible and the newly-acquired flexibility of dubbing countries have recently led to an increase in the volume and a change in the nature of such activity. Subtitling started to be used in diverse and creative ways, and its originally primary role (i.e. a means for overcoming language barriers) is today just one of many. The forms and the applications of subtitling are depicted drawing from both established and fresh literature in the filed of audiovisual translation
In this article we consider the process involved in creating foreign language versions of feature... more In this article we consider the process involved in creating foreign language versions of feature films by describing and analysing paratextual elements in the dialogue list for the audiovisual source text Ocean's Eleven. We aim to assess the potential translational impact of this accompanying material on the final product and to offer insights into the complex mediation process that lies at the heart of the linguistic transfer in audiovisual translation. Our analysis initially starts out from Scene 12, the common thread focused on in the volume, but widens to consider the strategic role of paratextual elements such as translator's notes in the translation of dialogues in the whole film. The approach adopted is descriptive-qualitative as it aims to first disclose the most typical and frequent annotation types and highlight the semantic, pragmatic, and narrative aims they pursue in each case, and then to relate them with the options adopted in the dubbed dialogues. More than offering conclusive results, the study aims at opening up research into the process of translation in the context of audiovisual communication, by means of integrating descriptive analyses of the translated product and an informed consideration of professional practices that are part and parcel of the post-production process, focusing in particular on paratextual materials for the use of translators.
Paolo Virzì's film production is deeply rooted in Italian (often Tuscan) contemporary society, wi... more Paolo Virzì's film production is deeply rooted in Italian (often Tuscan) contemporary society, with a focus on the daily lives of ordinary people and the difference between their true selves and their public persona. The language spoken by his colourful characters, which includes regionalisms, slang, colloquialisms and a vast array of idiosyncratic traits, is the quintessence of Virzì's world and of his bittersweet irony. In this contribution, we aim to illustrate how these culture-specific scenarios are transposed in the English subtitled versions of three recent Virzì films, namely La prima cosa bella [The first beautiful thing] (2010), Paolo Virzì, Italy, Tutti i santi giorni [Every blessed day] (2012), Paolo Virzì, Italy, and Il capitale umano [Human capital] (2014), Paolo Virzì, Italy. We identify the indices of regional or Italian identity, linguistically or culturally expressed, in the three aforementioned films, with a view to elucidating the difficulties behind their translation in the English subtitles.
Il volume prende in esame i sottotitoli italiani di quindici film d’autore in inglese, spagnolo e... more Il volume prende in esame i sottotitoli italiani di quindici film d’autore in inglese, spagnolo e tedesco, esplorando strategie traduttive e tecniche di compensazione.Le pellicole analizzate, appartenenti a generi differenti (dalla commedia al dramma, dal film multiculturale a quello storico), si caratterizzano per un moderato multilinguismo, l’impiego di un’ampia gamma di registri, tematiche affini (gastronomiche, erotiche, socio-politiche) e un buon riscontro di pubblico e di critica. Humour e turpiloquio, elementi distintivi della cinematografia contemporanea, costituiscono inoltre un importante trait d’union in numerosi dialoghi del corpus. Completa lo studio l’analisi della pellicola italiana Habemus papam (Moretti, 2011) sottotitolata nelle tre lingue target, che permette di indagare la sottotitolazione rovesciata (reversed subtitling), rendendo possibile la prospettiva inversa. Il volume, scritto in uno stile scorrevole e accessibile, offre una grande ricchezza di esempi testuali e si rivolge sia agli studenti dei corsi universitari di lingue straniere e di traduttologia sia a studiosi e traduttori interessati ad indagare i rapporti tra le lingue analizzate e l’italiano così come ad approfondire le competenze nell’ambito della sottotitolazione cinematografica. Indice. I sottotitoli italiani di film d’autore in inglese (Ae Fond Kiss, Eat Pray, Love, Julie & Julia, Love Actually, Slumdog Millionaire) - I sottotitoli italiani di film d’autore in spagnolo (Como agua para chocolate, La flor de mi secreto, Todo sobre mi madre, Herencia, La teta asustada) - I sottotitoli italiani di film d’autore in tedesco (Lili Marleen, Rosenstraße, Die Fälscher, Soul Kitchen, Almanya. Willkommen in Deutschland) - Habemus Papam di N. Moretti (2011): analisi dei sottotitoli in inglese, spagnolo e tedesco. Conclusioni. Bibliografia. Silvia Bruti è professore associato di Lingua e Traduzione Inglese e Direttrice del Centro Linguistico presso l’Università di Pisa. Ha pubblicato numerosi lavori nell’ambito della traduzione, soprattutto degli audiovisivi, e della pragmatica del discorso. Claudia Buffagni è ricercatore confermato di Lingua e Traduzione Tedesca presso l’Università per Stranieri di Siena, dove è Presidente del Corso di Laurea triennale in Mediazione Linguistica e Culturale. Ha scritto vari saggi nel settore traduttologico, in particolare sulla sottotitolazione, e sulla comprensione e scrittura del tedesco L2. Beatrice Garzelli è professore associato di Lingua e Traduzione Spagnola all’Università per Stranieri di Siena, dove è Direttrice del Centro Linguistico CLASS e Vicedirettrice di Dipartimento. È specializzata nella traduzione letteraria di testi spagnoli del Siglo de oro e nella traduzione audiovisiva di film e cortometraggi in lingua spagnola, utilizzabili anche a fini didattici.
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Papers by Silvia Bruti
Completa lo studio l’analisi della pellicola italiana Habemus papam (Moretti, 2011) sottotitolata nelle tre lingue target, che permette di indagare la sottotitolazione rovesciata (reversed subtitling), rendendo possibile la prospettiva inversa.
Il volume, scritto in uno stile scorrevole e accessibile, offre una grande ricchezza di esempi testuali e si rivolge sia agli studenti dei corsi universitari di lingue straniere e di traduttologia sia a studiosi e traduttori interessati ad indagare i rapporti tra le lingue analizzate e l’italiano così come ad approfondire le competenze nell’ambito della sottotitolazione cinematografica.
Indice. I sottotitoli italiani di film d’autore in inglese (Ae Fond Kiss, Eat Pray, Love, Julie & Julia, Love Actually, Slumdog Millionaire) - I sottotitoli italiani di film d’autore in spagnolo (Como agua para chocolate, La flor de mi secreto, Todo sobre mi madre, Herencia, La teta asustada)
- I sottotitoli italiani di film d’autore in tedesco (Lili Marleen, Rosenstraße, Die Fälscher, Soul Kitchen, Almanya. Willkommen in Deutschland) - Habemus Papam di N. Moretti (2011): analisi dei sottotitoli in inglese, spagnolo e tedesco. Conclusioni. Bibliografia.
Silvia Bruti è professore associato di Lingua e Traduzione Inglese e Direttrice del Centro Linguistico presso l’Università di Pisa. Ha pubblicato numerosi lavori nell’ambito della traduzione,
soprattutto degli audiovisivi, e della pragmatica del discorso.
Claudia Buffagni è ricercatore confermato di Lingua e Traduzione Tedesca presso l’Università per Stranieri di Siena, dove è Presidente del Corso di Laurea triennale in Mediazione Linguistica e Culturale. Ha scritto vari saggi nel settore traduttologico, in particolare sulla sottotitolazione, e sulla comprensione e scrittura del tedesco L2.
Beatrice Garzelli è professore associato di Lingua e Traduzione Spagnola all’Università per Stranieri di Siena, dove è Direttrice del Centro Linguistico CLASS e Vicedirettrice di Dipartimento.
È specializzata nella traduzione letteraria di testi spagnoli del Siglo de oro e nella traduzione audiovisiva di film e cortometraggi in lingua spagnola, utilizzabili anche a fini didattici.