French Banlieue Cinema
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Silvester, Hannah (2018) Translating Banlieue film: an integrated analysis of subtitled non-standard language. PhD thesis. https://theses.gla.ac.uk/30976/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Translating Banlieue Film: An integrated analysis of subtitled non-standard language Hannah Silvester BA in French with Hispanic Studies MA in Screen Translation Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD School of Modern Languages and Cultures College of Arts University of Glasgow October 2018 2 Abstract This thesis examines the subtitling of films depicting the French banlieue into English. The banlieues are housing estates situated on the outskirts of large towns and cities, and are primarily home to the underprivileged, and immigrants to France or their descendants. The sociolect spoken in the banlieue differs from standard French in terms of grammar, lexicon and pronunciation. Three films released between 2000 and the present day are studied; La squale (Genestal, 2000), L’esquive (Kechiche, 2003) and Divines (Benyamina, 2016). A new integrated methodology is developed, which examines the films within their broader contexts of release, and in light of paratextual material contributing to the context of reception, and to the viewer’s understanding of the topic at hand. Directors representing the banlieue on screen generally do so with a view to provoking thought or public discussion in relation to the banlieues. In addition to macro- and micro-contextual analysis of the films and subtitles, the work is underpinned by an examination of the subtitling situation, encompassing the views and experiences of subtitlers working on banlieue film, and technical analysis of the subtitles in terms of readability. Through interviews of professional subtitlers, and close technical analysis of the subtitles, this research is contextualised within the industry, and within current conventions and guidelines. Close analysis of subtitles and the translation solutions they present reveals that some of the socio-political messages presented in the films may not be evident to a non-French speaking viewer of the English-subtitled versions. Although the informal nature of many conversations featuring the langage de banlieue is sometimes clear in the subtitled version, the unique sociolect of the characters is not. In two of the case study films, a dialect-for-dialect approach was adopted, where African American vernacular English was used in the subtitles to demonstrate the use of non-standard language. However, it is argued that ultimately, this dialect-for-dialect approach, combined with cultural similarities between the French banlieue and American street culture, could lead the British Anglophone viewer to negotiate the banlieues and those who live there via their knowledge of American street culture. This could contribute to American cultural hegemony, and does not convey the specificity of France’s banlieues as cultural melting pots. 3 Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................... 2 List of Tables ................................................................................ 5 List of Figures ............................................................................... 6 Acknowledgement .......................................................................... 7 Author’s Declaration ....................................................................... 8 List of Abbreviations ....................................................................... 9 Introduction ................................................................................ 10 The Banlieue............................................................................. 12 Skopos Theory ........................................................................... 19 Research Questions ..................................................................... 23 Chapter One: The Challenges of Translating Banlieue Film ......................... 25 Audiovisual Translation: Subtitling ................................................... 25 French Banlieue Cinema ............................................................... 34 Research into the Subtitling of Banlieue Film ...................................... 42 The Langage de Banlieue .............................................................. 46 Language and Identity ................................................................. 60 Dialect-for-dialect Replacement ..................................................... 62 Conclusions .............................................................................. 66 Chapter Two: Case Study Selection and Methodology for Analysis ................. 68 Case Study Film Selection ............................................................. 68 A New Framework for Case Study Analysis .......................................... 74 The Theoretical Framework ........................................................... 79 The Subtitling Situation ............................................................. 79 The Macro-context ................................................................... 84 The Micro-context ................................................................... 90 Integrating the Macro- and Micro-contextual Analysis .......................... 93 Functionalism and Identity ......................................................... 98 Chapter Three: The Subtitling Situation .............................................. 102 The Professional Environment ....................................................... 102 Subtitling Banlieue Film – The Industry .......................................... 105 Technical Considerations ............................................................. 118 Line Breaks ........................................................................... 121 Reading Speed ....................................................................... 130 Technical Analysis Conclusions .................................................... 133 Chapter Four: Thematic and Paratextual Analysis .................................. 136 La Squale ................................................................................ 136 Plot and Themes .................................................................... 137 4 Context of Release .................................................................. 139 Paratexts ............................................................................. 140 L’Esquive ................................................................................ 143 Plot and themes ..................................................................... 147 Context of Release .................................................................. 151 Paratexts ............................................................................. 152 Divines ................................................................................... 156 Netflix ................................................................................ 156 Plot and Themes .................................................................... 158 Context of Release .................................................................. 159 Paratexts ............................................................................. 159 Macrocontextual Analysis Conclusions .............................................. 164 Chapter Five: Subtitling the Features of the Langage de Banlieue ............... 166 Verlan and Argot ....................................................................... 167 Culturally-specific Language ......................................................... 182 Swearing and Insults ................................................................... 191 Loanwords and Multilingualism ...................................................... 200 Conclusions ............................................................................. 213 Chapter Six: Socio-political Messages, Language and Identity ..................... 217 Gender .................................................................................. 218 Identity .................................................................................. 230 Americanisms and Dialect-for-dialect Replacement .............................. 244 False Semiotic Cohesion ........................................................... 253 Conclusions ............................................................................. 267 Chapter Seven: Conclusion .............................................................. 272 Appendices ................................................................................ 282 Information Sheet for Professional Subtitlers ..................................... 283 Subtitler Questionnaire ............................................................... 284 Follow-up Questions ..................................................................