Specific problems

In addition to CRs, there are other terms that are uniquely connected to the source culture. To

make clear, there are some references which are distinctive to the source culture, and they are

related to the play with language. For instance, “anagrams, acronyms, rhyming slang and

cryptic crossword puzzles are all part of British everyday culture” (Schwarz, 2002).

The dialogues of audiovisual materials are also full of linguistic expressions such as

anagrams, acronyms, rhyming, crossword puzzle, etc. which are part of everyday

language/culture. The Harry Potter series is a clear example where many similar references are introduced. These references obviously cause huge challenges to translators, who in most

cases are unable to convey the meaning or find equivalent terms in the target language. Thus,

they declare them untranslatable.

On the contrary, Hofstadter (1997), as referred to by Schwarz, points out that dealing with such terms helps “the translator to be particularly creative and imaginative.” One of the

possibilities is to produce different versions of translations. Even though there might be some

loss, there might also be some gain. Schwarz (ibid) examines some cases of these creative

linguistic expressions in the series.

a) Acronyms

These terms are formed from the initials of other words, and generally used for

institutions and organisations. In the following example, Schwarz (ibid) claims that the “concept of the 'acronym' is shared by both SL and TL cultures and does not need to be

explained.” In a scene, Private Francis explains an acronym to his aunt. He says the letters

first and then fills in the words.

Because there is no semantic value in the acronym, the translator has to keep the content but

not the form and reproduce one in the target language that can be pronounced easily.

MELK: Mit Einem Liebevollen Kuss (with a loving kiss)

The only reason for this version, as stated by Schwarz, “is that the letters are put together in a

way that they can be easily pronounced using TL phonemes.”

b) Footnotes

Undoubtedly, there are other difficult references where there is no equivalent in the

target language. In such cases, more additional information is required which can be provided

as a footnote in literary translations. This option cannot be applied when subtitling a movie or

other audiovisual work. Instead, because of constraints of space and time, subtitlers opt for

paraphrasing CRs in order to aid the target audience in following the narrative and flow of the

dialogue. Explanatory notes in subtitling can be more disturbing than helpful.

3.2.5.8

Songs

As discussed in (3.2.4.3) in Tortoriello’s model, this is another area which brings some

particular translation difficulties. For translators, songs present most of the features and

problems of poetry (rhyme and rhythm constrains), while still having to abide by syntactic

rules and retain the meaning. In subtitling practice, lyrics of songs are usually presented in a

two-line subtitle at a time. This helps the target audience to follow the tune (even if they do

not understand them).

In ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’ series there are many instances where the author “used

songs to conform the thoughts and fantasies of characters.” Schwarz (ibid) claims that while

it might be impossible to find rhyming words, there is still a chance to keep the rhythm. This

pleasure for the target audience. However, it was very difficult for the translator to preserve

the rhythm of the songs in the subtitles of ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’, and the poetic and

musical features of the text are lost. Schwarz suggests that translators need to “recognise and

comprehend idiomatic expressions and know how to render them.” For instance, slang

expressions must be translated using appropriate TL slang terms. Therefore, the choice of

appropriate terms does not only depend on rhyme or meter but also on the “correct register,

the sound of the word and the restricted space available.”

Also, there seems to be a certain pattern which is quite clear in the translation of songs in ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’. Although the importance of the song texts supports the narrative

of the story, there was little attempt to maintain the rhythm and the poetic and musical

aspects are lost. Schwarz illustrates some specific problems of subtitling songs.

Du hast mich ganz alleingelassen beim Hitparaden-Tanz,

When you left me all alone at the record hop

Hast gesagt, du gehst kurz raus, trinkst nur mal ne Limo.

told me you were going out for a Soda pop

Du bist ne ganze Weile weggeblieben, ne halbe Stunde oder mehr.

you were gone quite a while half an hour or more

Dann bist du zurückgekommen, und Mann oh Mann, was seh ich da:

you came back and man oh man this is what I saw:

Lippenstift am Kragen hat Dich gleich verraten.

lipstick on your collar told a tale on you-ou

Lippenstift am Kragen sagt mir, du warst untreu.

lipstick on your collar said you were untrue-ue

Darauf kannst du deinen letzten Dollar verwetten: Zwischen uns ist's aus.

bet your bottom dollar you and I are through

According to Schwarz, this song is “American and therefore uses different pronunciation and

slang from the dialogue of the British play.” Translators should be aware of such differences

emphasized by Schwarz, “slang expressions must be rendered using appropriate TL slang

terms.” As Newmark (1993, cited in Schwarz, 2003: 77) points out, “slang and idioms are

closely linked to culture and a particular period.”

However, it is quite difficult to render older terms into today’s slang. Newmark justifies

that “the exact equivalent in the SL may be so obscure to understand to the present audience”,

that it would interrupt the flow of reading subtitles. Therefore, in order to find the appropriate

slang term, the decision must be the intelligibility of the subtitles, and “the audience must be

able to understand the text quickly taking into account the short time the title is displayed.”

Furthermore, according to Schwarz, in related languages, like English and German “there are sometimes instances where a word by word translation is possible.” For example,

the literal translation of the following line works well in the TL, and has the same effect as in

the SL.

Mann oh Mann man oh man

However, in many cases, translators have to find similar idiom in the target language. For

example, the literal translation of the following line, as Schwarz claims, is not idiomatic in

the TL, the line is too long compared to the ST and the number of syllables is more than the

line requires.

Darauf kannst Du deinen letzten Dollar verwetten

bet your bottom

dollar

Therefore, Schwarz suggests that “the shorter and simpler expression Darauf kannst Du