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ABSTRACT Title of Document: IN THE MARGINS: REPRESENTATIONS OF OTHERNESS IN SUBTITLED FRENCH FILMS Sheila Marie Turek, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Directed By: Professor Caroline Eades, Department of French and Italian Translation involves integration of a multitude of disciplines and perspectives from which to compare two or more cultures. When translation is extended to film dialogue, in subtitling, the target language viewer unfamiliar with the source language must rely upon the subtitles to access the film’s dialogue provided within the space of the verbal exchange, and often the subtitles offer an altered version of the dialogue, particularly given the time and space constraints of the medium. Subtitling, a unique form of translation, not only involves interlingual transfer but also intersemiotic transfer from a spoken dialogue to a written text. This work examines the linguistic treatment of three marginalized groups— homosexuals, women, and foreigners—as expressed in subtitles. In many instances, translation of certain elements in the films, such as forms of address and general referential language, change the meaning for the TL viewer. Cultural references present in the oral dialogue often get omitted or modified in the subtitles, altering the TL viewer’s perception of the narrative and characters. These differently rendered translations have connotative qualities that are often differ significantly from the oral dialogue. In many cases, epithets and grammatically gendered language in the SL dialogue get diluted or omitted in the TL subtitles; likewise, power relationships expressed through use of forms of address, such as titles or tutoiement and vouvoiement, cannot be adequately conveyed, and the TL viewer is excluded from this nuanced form of discourse. Cultural references providing supplemental information, including non- dialogic text, are not always rendered in the subtitles, depriving the TL viewer of additional layers of meaning. In dual-language films featuring foreigners, nuances expressed by code switching and code mixing cannot be completely represented in the subtitles. Close analysis of subtitles within the framework of the sociolinguistic and cultural interpretations of the resultant TL dialogue reveals a great deal about the transmission and reception of cultural ideas and has not been addressed to this extent from this perspective. It is to be hoped that this study will inspire interest in further explorations of this nature and contribute to the ever-growing corpus of research in subtitling studies. IN THE MARGINS: REPRESENTATIONS OF OTHERNESS IN SUBTITLED FRENCH FILMS By Sheila Marie Turek Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2008 Advisory Committee: Professor Caroline Eades, Chair Professor Joseph Brami Professor Janine Ricouart Dr. Lauretta Clough Professor Linda K. Coleman Copyright © 2008 Sheila Turek For My Parents ii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my dissertation director, Dr. Caroline Eades, whose tireless dedication, extraordinary effort and invaluable advice truly inspired me and guided me as I spent four years dans les marges between ABD and Ph.D. I also want to thank Dr. Janine Ricouart for her expert revisions, miles traveled, and words of encouragement. I thank Dr. Joseph Brami, Dr. Lauretta Clough, and Dr. Linda K. Coleman, for serving on the committee and providing their useful insights and suggestions for future research. I express my love and gratitude to my parents and other family members and friends, with particular thanks to Joe and Becky Hogan, Pilar Melero, George Savage, Peter Hoff, Moh Salama, Jennifer Burdon, Pam Grant, Gay Davidson-Zielske, Ken Zielske, Mary Pinkerton, Régis Lecoanet, Jeff Chamberlain, Sophie Vigeant, and Theresa Kennedy. I thank my other colleagues at UW-Whitewater, too numerous to name, who graciously offered support and advice. Finally, a special thank you to John Carlberg— who probably knows more about subtitles than he ever cared to— for offering years of listening, editing, patience and support. Je t’aime, chéri. iii Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................... 1 Methodology and Corpus of Films ........................................................... 3 Chapter 1: History and Theories of Subtitling .................................................... 20 1.1 Subtitling Versus Dubbing.......................................................... 20 1.2 Technical Aspects of Subtitling .................................................. 22 1.3 Subtitling in Practice .................................................................. 26 1.4 SubtitlingÐ Theories and Strategies............................................ 37 1.5 Translation and Cultural Studies ................................................. 45 Chapter 2: Pédés, Gouines, et Tapettes: Gender-Based Stereotypes of Homosexual Characters ..................................................................... 47 2.1 What Do You Call It? Pédé, Tapette and Other Terms ............... 48 2.2 Omissions .................................................................................. 58 2.3 Nuances ..................................................................................... 63 2.4 In-Group and Out-Group Usage.................................................. 77 2.4.1 In-Group UsageÐ Neutralization, Reclamation, and Reappropriation........................................................ 77 2.4.2 Out-Group UsageÐ Selective Translation Expressing Emotion........................................................ 79 2.4.3 In-Group and Out-GroupÐ A Linguistic Coming Out ....... 89 2.5 Clever Solutions? ....................................................................... 97 2.6 Gendered Language.................................................................... 99 2.7 Conclusion ............................................................................... 111 iv Chapter 3: Women, Girls, Hookers and Whores............................................... 115 3.1 How Woman is Characterized .................................................. 117 3.2 Discriminatory Language Patterns ............................................ 125 3.3 Insults and Epithets................................................................... 135 3.4 Grammatical Gender: Linguistic Discrimination....................... 141 3.5 Forms of Address ..................................................................... 152 3.5.1 Vous vs. Tu ................................................................... 152 3.5.2 Girl/Fille vs. Woman/Femme........................................ 165 3.5.3 Titles............................................................................. 181 3.6 Conclusion ............................................................................... 185 Chapter 4: Racial and National Identities Translated........................................ 188 4.1 Other-Centered Films ............................................................... 191 4.2 Code Mixing ............................................................................ 195 4.3 Code Switching ........................................................................ 199 4.3.1 Referential Function...................................................... 203 4.3.2 Directive Function ........................................................ 205 4.3.3 Expressive Function...................................................... 212 4.3.4 Phatic Function ............................................................. 217 4.3.5 Metalinguistic Function ................................................ 219 4.4 Non-Dialogic Text.................................................................... 222 4.4.1 Film Titles .................................................................... 224 4.4.2 Character Names........................................................... 226 4.4.3 Song Lyrics................................................................... 229 v 4.5 The Cultural Other.................................................................... 237 4.5.1 Family References ........................................................ 237 4.5.2 Religious References..................................................... 239 4.5.3 Political and Economic References ............................... 243 4.5.4 Le Langage des Jeunes.................................................. 247 4.5.5 Untranslatable: Proverbs, Idioms and Accents............... 251 4. 6 Language Proficiency and Syntax............................................. 259 4.7 Conclusion ............................................................................... 261 Chapter 5: Conclusion ..................................................................................... 263 Appendix I: Synopses of Films by Chapter ...................................................... 275 Works Cited .................................................................................................... 282 vi List of Figures Figure 1............................................................................................................. 79 Figure 2............................................................................................................. 80 vii Introduction Common wisdom has it that, in this country, subtitles are a foreign film's worst enemy,