Audiovisual Translation: The Dubbing of Dialects
Dialects can be used in audiovisual contexts to evoke certain effects among the audience as it is also the case in Der Schuh des Manitu — Extra Large (2001). In the German blockbuster, a particular German dialect contributes significantly to the humour of the film. As Seiffert points out in her review of the film, “[t]hese American Indians speak Bavarian, with a hearty ‘Servus!’ instead of a sincere ‘Hoow’” (par. 2). Thus being an important humorous device in the German film, the theory behind the translation of dialects has relevance in the present blog series. Therefore, after a brief definition of the term dialect, the present article will introduce challenges and strategies concerning the translation of dialects.
Baker defines dialect as “a variety of language which has currency within a specific community or group of speakers” (15) and can be classified on geographical (e.g. American vs. British English), temporal (e.g. different age groups within a language community or different historical periods of a language) or social (e.g. different social classes) bases. Such geographical, temporal or social dialects are frequently used for humorous purposes or to reinforce prejudices as Shuy points out (qtd. in Dudek 199f.), especially within audiovisual media. Further, as Leech points out, “we ‘decode’ the social meaning of a text through our recognition of different dimensions and levels of style within the same language. We recognize some words or pronunciations as being dialectal, i.e. as telling us something of the geographical or social origin of the speaker” (“Semantics” 14). In the majority of language communities, certain dialects are connected with particular stereotypes and/or connotations concerning the speaker’s personality that, in turn, contribute significantly to the meaning of a text (cf. Herbst 90). Consequently, a dialect also adds considerably to a character’s role profile within a film or series which might have an effect on the audience’s identification with the fictional character (cf. ibid. 91–93). Thus, dialects represent an indispensable part of audiovisual media which should not be disregarded in the dubbing process. However, as Mayers and Mayers point out, “many translators face the problem of dialect; that is, should each dialect of a language have a separate translation and if not, then into which dialect should the translation be done” (186).
To translate a source language dialect into a target language dialect is not a common technique within audiovisual translation, as Herbst also stresses: “Synchronisiert wird fast ausnahmslos in die Standardsprache. Da die Ausgangstexte keineswegs rein standardsprachlich sind, ist eine direkte Äquivalenz bezüglich der Varietäten nicht gegeben” (89). In other words, direct equivalence between a source language dialect and a target language variety appears impossible (cf. ibid. 96), resulting in the frequent use of standard language within dubbing. Hence, meaning in an audiovisual product caused by dialects including stereotypes and/or connotations they evoke might be lost during the dubbing process if no equivalent dialect can be found in the target language. That is why, in audiovisual translation, translators resort to either “replacing a ST dialect with a non-standard TL variation or smoothing ST’s ‘illegible’ expressions by neutralizing or omitting them” (Dudek 200). However, especially the latter strategies of neutralisation and omission result in a reduction of “audiovisual target text to an indispensable minimum” (ibid. 195) concerning information connected to dialects.
In her analysis of dialectically-marked proper nouns translated for the English subtitles to the film The Peasants, Dudek has reviewed translation strategies for dialectal expressions suggested by other scholars. Dudek concludes that translation strategies requiring additional information or commentary in the target text cannot be applied in the field of audiovisual translation (213). Instead, on the basis of her conducted study, Dudek states “that dialectically-marked items are reduced in AVT” (221) and that “solutions of reconstructing the whole ST by means of, for instance, pidgin or rustic TT variations” (ibid.) and the “technique of stylization were not applied in any of the instances, appearing to be too elaborate and inappropriate to the analyzed mode” (ibid.). Dudek even claims that these “over-sophisticated” (ibid.) translation strategies for dialectal expressions “do more harm than good in AVT” (ibid.). For this reason, such elaborate translation strategies were not included in the typology for dialectical expressions in the present blog series.
In summary, dialects can be used in audiovisual contexts to evoke certain effects among the audience, as it is the case with the Bavarian dialect and its dialectically-marked expressions in Der Schuh des Manitu — Extra Large (2001) that probably causes laughter among the German-speaking audience. How such dialectal expressions in the German original were transferred into English this blog series will show.
Works Cited:
Baker, Mona. In Other Words: A coursebook on translation. Routledge, 1992.
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Dudek, Anna. “Dialectically-marked proper nouns in audiovisual translation: An analysis of the English subtitles to The Peasants.” Beyond Philology: An International Journal of Linguistics, Literary Studies and English Language Teaching, vol. 16, no. 4, 2019, pp. 195–225.
Herbig, Michael, director. Der Schuh des Manitu — Extra Large. Constantin Film, 2001.
Herbst, Thomas. Linguistische Aspekte der Synchronisation von Fernsehserien: Phonetik, Textlinguistik, Übersetzungstheorie. Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1994.
Leech, Geoffrey. Semantics: The Study of Meaning. 2nd ed., Penguin Books, 1981.
Mayers, Marvin, and Marilyn Mayers. “The Place of Dialect Study in Translation.” The Bible Translator: Periodical for the Assistance of Bible Translators, vol. 6, no. 4, 1955, pp. 186–191.
Seiffert, Julia. “Review ‘Der Schuh des Manitu’ (‘Manitou’s Shoe’), Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig 2002.” Yours *TrulyJuly*, 1 Feb. 2018, www.trulyjuly.wordpress.com/2018/02/01/review-of-german-movie-der-schuh-des-manitu-manitous-shoe-by-michael-bully-herbig-2002/. Accessed 12 Dec. 2020.
Shuy, Roger W. “Dialects: What they are.” Dialects and Level of Language, edited by Joseph Fletcher Littell, McDougal, Littell and Company, 1971. (qtd. in Dudek 199f.)
