Abstract
D.Litt et Phil.
This thesis constitutes an investigation into the specific nature of translation for the screen and television. To this end, three films, dubbed into Afrikaans from English, French and German respectively, are studied. The language dubbing translator is faced with specific challenges such as extra-linguistic and paralinguistic factors, the most important of which is the synchronization of target language solutions with the visible lip movements of characters. These constraints compel the translator to employ various translation strategies, such as insertion, deletion and substitution. The study argues that, in view of the number of deviations from the source text, the term equivalence cannot be used to describe the relationship between the source and target text. Since the task of the dubbing translator is to create dialogue that has to be spoken by dubbing actors, the study further argues that playability can be the only true test for the success of a dubbing translation. No single definition exists for the term playability. Whereas most actors and directors can distinguish a playable text or translation from one that is not, owing to their drama training, only some dubbing translators have an instinctive feel for it. As drama training for dubbing translators is not an option, the study takes the most salient aspect of playability, namely character dialogue, as starting point and sets as its main objective the development of an instrument that would enable translators, without the above-mentioned intuitive unconscious competence, to create playable character dialogue for individual characters. Using Bateson's theory of Logical Types and Dilts's theory of Logical Levels, a congruence model is developed. Adding insights from various disciplines, such as Visual Communication and Semiotics, the model is expanded to consist of three components: visual, paralinguistic and linguistic. The model is tested next by being used for the analysis of the corpus of films. The study finds that by analysing the visual, paralinguistic and linguistic components, and their relations to one another, according to focus areas such
as Environment, Behaviour, Skills and Capabilities, Values and Beliefs, and Identity, not only are the intentions of characters clearly established, but the intention of the original sender is also revealed. This enables the dubbing translator to create character dialogue that achieves congruence among all the different levels. The study argues in conclusion that the model can also be used for the analysis and translation of other text types. Whereas the objective of the study is to make a contribution to the field of Translation Theory, the various applications suggest that the thesis also contributes to the following fields of study: Applied Linguistics, Literary Theory and Communication Studies