1. Lesson Five
Film Dubbing

2. Film language
Filmese

3. A complex semiotic event
In everyday conversation, much language use is in fact formulaic in nature, and much ordinary talk is humdrum and banal, whereas the time and space constraints of films, and the need to relate interesting, exciting or engaging stories, leads to an excess of highly pertinent, dramatic or intriguing exchanges.

4. "short, sharp and tight"
Actual conversation seems to the listener to be extremely garbled with people apparently speaking at the same time, making false starts and so on, while much film dialogue seems to be clearly separated, as actors take their cues with unerring accuracy.

5. Pleases and thankyous
Real dialogue is peppered with phatic devices, particularly repeated pleases and thankyous regardless of whether actual requests, offers or favours are involved.

6. A lifetime of experience
In real life every individual is in fact called upon to play a variety of roles in his or her normal activity, and in some senses follows an unwritten script. Although this is precisely what a film actor is required to do, the real life role is based on a lifetime of experience, responsibility and interaction that the scriptwriter or actor cannot easily invent.

7. By the way…
In ordinary dialogue an initial topic of conversation often gives way to a series of sub-topics, or even to totally different subjects, often signalled by markers of the Still..., Ooh... type.

8. BUT…
if the actor...spoke as people do in 'real life', with frequent non sequiturs, false starts, allusions, digressions, sentence fragments, etc. ...the audience would be unlikely to be getting the information it needs to get, in order that the 'two hours traffic of the stage (or film) emerges as a whole and understandable experience  
(Gregory 1978: 43).

9. Conversation - an ongoing phenomenon
Any specific interaction is just one part of a continuing conversation which, strictly, has no absolute beginning or end - only provisional, though decisive, points of opening and closure.  
Conversation is therefore part of that larger dialogue we call, variously, society, history and culture.  
(Pope, 1998: 223)

10. Dramatic……….pauses
Research has shown that, generally speaking, pauses of one second or more are rare in ordinary conversation, while dramatic pauses in film scenes are often simulated and belie this statistic, through the need to create dramatic pauses.

11. “Come up and see me sometime”
Major film stars are often given 'good lines' showing how witty, urbane or 'streetwise' they are.

12. Back to multimodality
People never express meaning through only one channel; when speaking they also use gesture, gaze, positioning, etc. Film audiences do not participate directly in the dialogue unfolding on the screen; they are more or less distant observers and cannot be expected to pick up every nuance of non-verbal communication.

13. Special case of translation
Film is a complex semiotic system consisting of verbal and non-verbal components

14. Dubbing
Gr. diplos;
lat. dopiare;
Fr. doubler;
Eng. to double
false

15. Sergio Jacquier
“quando si ha la sensazione che un film sia recitato in italiano, allora si ha un buon doppiaggio”

16. Research See proceedings of conferences in Forlì and Trieste: E.g.
“Il doppiaggio: trasposizioni linguistiche e culturali”
“Traduzione multimediale per il cinema, la televisione e la scena”
“La traduzione multimediale: Quale traduzione per quale testo?”

17. Research Trieste See proceedings of conferences in Forlì and Trieste:
E.g.
«Tradurre il Cinema»
«Emerging topics in Translation: Audio description»
AD Day

18. Horse Feathers video English

19. Horse Feathers video Italian

20. Good and Bad Horse Feathers
Many Rivers to Cross/Un napoletano nel far west
Friends

21. Talking Points Film language Levels of predictability
Translation (dubbing, subtitling)

22. Film language
Starting from the premise that film language is an artificial product “written to be spoken as if not written” (Gregory, 1992), we can agree with Marshall and Werndly (2002) that
“the only reason that characters talk to each other in television texts is so that the viewer can listen to them; not, as in real conversation, so that they can listen to each other”,

23. APS
Thus film language consists of clear-cut cues and guided discourse (cf. Ochs - planned and unplanned discourse).
The flow of images is created by film directors, cameramen, set designers, etc. in the construction of an artificial situation.
Similarly the language (and grammar) of film is a scripted construct created by screenplay writers and editors, altered by directors and actors, subsequently by dubbing actors, subtitlers, etc. in the creation of an “artificially produced situation” (APS)

24. Film language and genre
The APS can also be identified in terms of genre.
The blanket expression ‘film genre’ brings to mind such types as western, spy story, comedy, etc.
But films have their sub-genres and genrelets.

25. Seinfeld - ‘The Revenge’
LEVITAN: Remind me to tell you what we did in Lake George. Get this … I got it all on video. (laughing)
GEORGE: That’s it. This is it. I’m done. Through. It’s over. I’m gone. Finished. Over. I will never work for you again. Look at you. You think you’re an important man. Is that what you think? You are a laughing stock. You are a joke. These people are laughing at you. You’re nothing! You have no brains, no ability, nothing!. I quit!

26. Filmese? Compare the language of film with a spoken corpus of English.
Bank of English
Bergen
Etc.

27. Spoken language
Hesitation, repetition, filled pauses, false starts, etc: CRYSTAL
Lower lexical density: HALLIDAY
Marked neutralisation of unstressed vowels: DOWNING & LOCKE
Focus on interpersonal involvement: TANNEN

28. Spoken language 2
Use of large number of prefabricated fillers, both interactive and planning
(eg. so, well)
BROWN & YULE
Immediacy of context… is reflected in a high number of discourse markers
(eg. well, right)
McCARTHY

29. Examples chosen
NOW
WELL
RIGHT SO OK
YES

30. Sci-fi 1 - ALIEN (1979) Words 20,291 now 5 well 4 right 16 yes 0 OK 4

31. Metropolis (1926)
now 0
well 2
right 1
yes 4
OK 1
so 15

32. Sci-fi films - total Words 1,014,498 now 270 well 605 right 176
yes 212
OK 293
so 393

33. Bank of English Words 1,000,000 circa now 620 well 2990 right 3650
yes 3830
OK 1150 so

34. Comparison sci-fi/corpus

35. Realistic films - Casino
now 20
well 66
right 25
yes 18
OK 71
so 55

36. As good as it gets Words 21,161 now 4 well 31 right 3 yes 4 OK 32

37. Realistic films - total
Words 995,746
now 377
well 1179
right 260
yes 238
OK 670
so 1032

38. Comparison realistic/corpus

39. Comparison sci-fi/realistic

40. A Spanish example
Friends

41. Comparison between dubbing language and the register it imitates
(colloquial conversation), taking into account AVT particularities.
Corpora:
- Parallel corpus:
Friends in English (ST): 150,000 words.
Friends dubbed into Spanish (TT): 150,000 words.
- Comparable corpus:
Spanish sitcom Siete Vidas (SV): 150,000 words.
- Reference corpus:
CREA (colloquial conversation): 10 million words.
Methodology

42. Friends (English) Friends (Spanish) Siete Vidas CREA 16 18 1 2 3 4 5 6
(Spanish sitcom)
CREA
(Colloquial convers.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Hey Hi
Hello
Morning
Good morning
Hi there
Hola
Buenos días
Qué tal
Qué hay
Qué pasa
Hombre
Buenas
Muy buenas 9 10 11
How are you/ya
How are you doing
How are things going
How’s life?
How’s it going
How are we today
What’s up?
(Are) you all right
(Are) you OK
How you holding up
Cómo estás
Cómo te va
Cómo va eso
Qué hay de nuevo
Cómo lo llevas
Cómo andas
Cómo estamos
Qué (te) cuentas 16 18

43. The Pavia Corpus

44. Intertextuality
In genrelets such as telephone call protocols, presentations, service encounters, etc. there is usually little creative language use. The same formulae are used over and over again, with the same cues and the same response mechanisms.
Words and expressions are PRIMED (Hoey) to appear in particular environments.

45. Predictability
And it is these genrelets that are of interest in the tracking down of predictability.
E.g., telephone conversations, presentations, mealtime dialogue, bar talk, boy-girl exchanges, etc.

46. Translation Memory
At times the predictability is so pronounced that an element of translation memory technique, technologically aided or otherwise, could prove useful.
At least the predictability factor should be taken into account in order to save time and particularly to ensure consistency.

47. Predictability and Translation
The three strategies of
NEUTRALISATION
LOCALISATION
FOREIGNISATION
can be associated with predictability levels

48. Medium predictability (localise)
Predictability cline
High predictability (neutralise)
Medium predictability (localise)
Low predictability (foreignise)

49. Predictability cont.
But more or less predictable subgenres and gernrelets can appear within a predominantly high predictability or low predictability film.

50. Predictability and Genre
There is a general correlation between predictability and genre.
The more mundane the genre (many TV series, soap operas, etc.), the more predictable the dialogue.
The more serious/intellectual/highbrow the genre, the less predictable the dialogue.

51. Less predictable genres in translation
Even where the language transfer involves some kind of semantic or pragmatic shift (eg. bar protocols in English and Italian), matches based on predictability can be easily made.
But some genres, where cultural mores are involved, prove troublesome.

52. At table Buonissimo! Eccezionale! Sono la fine del mondo!!
(at regular intervals)
Da noi si usa solo aglio e olio.
Miles: Just bring him an iceberg lettuce and mealy tomato wedge smothered in French dressing
W: And for you?
Miles: Ham sandwich on stale rye bread lots of mayo easy on the ham.
These expressions (not the words) are difficult to translate for the
simple reason that English/Italian people don’t say them.

53. Il Commissario Montalbano (1) Caffè
Michela: (bevendo il caffè) Mhm! Sì!
Mimì: (guardando Montalbano versare il caffè) Ce n’è magari pe’mmea?
CM: .. Mi è venuto voglia di una bella granatina di caffè
Fazio: Ho portato il…
Donna: (beve l’ultimo sorso di caffè)

54. Il Commissario Montalbano (2) Pasta con broccoli
CM: Sto mangiando la pasta con broccoli, chi è che rompe…
Livia: Chi ti ha preparato la pasta con broccoli? Scommetto Adelina? Sabato mattina prendo l’aereo e vengo giù.
CM: Sabato?
Livia: Sì, sarò a Vigato per l’ora di pranzo.
CM: Ah, benissimo..ma, sei sicura?
Livia: Sicurissima. Ho già fatto il biglietto… Vai a buttare quella pasta nella spazzatura!

55. Il Commissario Montalbano (3) disturbance!
Mimì: Ma che stavi mangiando.
CM: No, no. Non ti preoccupare.
Mimì: E allora t’ho disturbato…
CM: E ti dico non ti preoccupare…
CM: Sto mangiando la pasta con broccoli, chi è che rompe…

56. Montalbano video

57. Il Commissario Montalbano (4) Spigole etc.
C- Dunque oggi c’ho pe’ vossia un risotto a nevuro di siccia ch’è megghio’ e na cassata.
M- Per me va bene, per lei?
B- Anche per me va bene.
M- Aggiudicato.
C- Ah, per secondo carissimo dottore Montalbano ci sono delle spigole freschissime pescate stanotte oppure…
M- No, per me va bene le spigole senza oppure, per lei?

58. Neutralisation (1) Caffè = coffee
(2) Disturbance and seriousness elements translated literally, regardless of audience perplexity.
(3) Pasta con broccoli = pasta with broccoli
(4) Spaghetti con sugo di ricci, risotto a nevuro di siccia, na cassata, spigole freschissime pescate stanotte, ‘spaghetti’, ‘rice’, ‘cake’, ‘fish’.

59. Localisation
(1) Caffè must be rendered more English, ironically through the use of explicit markers – cappucino, espresso, latte, etc. – depending on which of these is considered the most universal.
(2) Elements of disturbance and seriousness may be changed or tempered.
(3) Pasta con broccoli may be changed to something more recognisably Italian such as ‘spaghetti bolognese’ or ‘lasagne’. It depends on whether it can be seen.
(4) Spaghetti con sugo di ricci, risotto a nevuro di siccia, na cassata, spigole freschissime pescate stanotte, can be changed to recognisable English/American dishes – ‘spaghetti with meatballs’, ‘sausages’, ‘ice cream’, ‘snapper’.

60. Foreignisation
(1) Caffè remains – its meaning is known and is always straight ‘espresso’.
(2) Pasta con broccoli is a leitmotif of the series and can be left as it is.
(3) The disturbance and seriousness factors are part of that mind set that some of the audience will associate with Sicily and others will not be aware of.
(4) Spaghetti con sugo di ricci, risotto a nevuro di siccia, na cassata, spigole freschissime pescate stanotte, can be left and simply understood as Italian dishes.

61. WHERE THE TEXT IS HIGHLY PREDICTABLE
Conclusion 1
WHERE THE TEXT IS HIGHLY PREDICTABLE
there is a place in film translation (in the broadest sense), in subtitling but also in dubbing, for the judicious use of some kind of translation memory tool (eg, Atril’s Dejà vu).
Although this would require very careful editing it could save a lot of time and provide much needed consistency

62. WHERE TEXTS ARE NOT VERY PREDICTABLE
Conclusion 2
WHERE TEXTS ARE NOT VERY PREDICTABLE
translation choices may lie between foreignisation, localisation and standardisation.
The choice will depend on such factors as the ‘prestige’ of the film or given audience tastes.

63. WHERE TEXTS ARE GOVERNED BY CULTURAL MORES
Conclusion 3
WHERE TEXTS ARE GOVERNED BY CULTURAL MORES
predictability can be largely discounted, firstly in the patterns of the source language, and particularly in translation.
Here the translator is on his/her own in gauging to what extent the audience is attuned to the mind set of the source text culture.

64. Conclusion 4
Practically all films (or TV series, or documentaries, or advertisements, or cartoons…) will contain stretches covered by conclusions 1, 2 or 3. The special skill of the translator lies also in identifying these stretches and treating them accordingly.

65. Interview - video

66. A case study The Year of Living Dangerously

67. The Year of Living Dangerously: characters
Col Henderson (CH)
Billy Kwan (BK)
Guy Hamilton (GH)
Jill Bryant (JB)
Waiter (W)
Scene: hotel garden in Far East.

68. The Year of Living Dangerously 1
CH: Ah, Kwan.
BK: This is Guy Hamilton from ABS. Colonel Randolph Henderson.
GH: How do you do?
CH: Well, drinks all round.
JB: Oh, yes, please.
CH: Gin and tonics all round?
JB: Mm.
CH: Four.
W: Yes, sir!

69. The Year of Living Dangerously 2
CH: You’re staying at the hotel?
GH: Yes.
CH: You’re lucky. It’s a delightful spot. We’re at the ambassador’s residence since the local lads knocked down our embassy.
GH: I heard they really tore the place
apart.
CH: Yes, they seemed to have a lot of fun. It was all rather droll.
JB: Oh God, it was anything but droll.

70. The Year of Living Dangerously 3
GH: Didn’t some clown keep playing the bagpipes the whole time?
JB: That was Ralph!
CH: Ah, here are the drinks. What’s this?
W: Ah, gin tonic, sir.
CH: This is gin and tonic with ice!
W: Gin tonic always with ice, sir.
CH: Gin and tonic does not always have ice. Americans…
JB: Ralph!
CH: …always have ice. I’m not an American. Get me another.
GH: It’s all right. I’ll take it. Thank you.

71. The Year of Living Dangerously 4
BK: What do you think?
JB: About who?
BK: Hamilton.
JB: Hmm. Cheeky.

72. The Year of Living Dangerously 5
We’re at the ambassador’s residence
since the local lads knocked down our
embassy.
Noi invece alla residenza
dell’ambasciatore, da quando i terroristi
hanno bombardato la sede della nostra
ambasciata.
Noi stiamo alla residenza dell’ambasciatore, da
quando quei giovanotti hanno preso di mira la
sede della nostra ambasciata.

73. The Year of Living Dangerously 6
I heard they really tore the place apart.
Sì, ho sentito che l’hanno messo fuori uso.
Io ho sentito che hanno spaccato tutto.

74. The Year of Living Dangerously 7
Didn’t some clown keep playing the bagpipes
the whole time?
Magari qualcuno continuava anche a
suonare la zampogna!
E magari qualche buffone continuava a suonare la cornamusa!

75. The Year of Living Dangerously 8
Gin tonic always with ice, sir.
Gin and tonic vanno con il ghiaccio,
signore.
Gin tonic sempre con ghiaccio, signore.

76. The Year of Living Dangerously 9
BK: What do you think?
JB: About who?
BK: Hamilton.
JB: Hmm. Cheeky.
BK: Cosa ne pensi?
JB: A che proposito?
JB: Hmm… non male.
BK: Che ne pensi?
JB: A che riguardo?
JB: Hmm.. Sfacciato.

77. ‘The West Wing’ dubbed in Spanish
Frederic Chaume in the volume ‘A Text of Many Colours’

81. The Guard
Un poliziotto da Happy Hour?!

83. Translation
Berlinguer ti voglio bene