Traduire dans des conditions difficiles

Relations texte-image dans la traduction audiovisuelle : cas de subtitling

Abstract

Translating in Difficult Conditions. The Text–Picture Relations in Audiovisual Translation: The Case of Subtitling

As an audio-visual translator, I often encounter situations where the image visible on the screen (stage, prop, actor’s face, etc.) forces me to make a specific translation decision. There are also cases where the combination of image, sound and dialogue makes the text almost untranslatable, as its relation (which in addition can be culture-bound and include humour, idioms, metaphors, or wordplay) with other elements of the piece is so close that one faces a difficult choice – either to generalise (remove the problematic elements) or exotise the text so much that will become incomprehensible to the viewer. This article presents selected problems faced by audiovisual translators and which are associated with complex text-image relations; it shall also discuss strategies that translators can use to solve these problems. Examples illustrating these strategies have been drawn from American and French films and series.