Textual Analysis of Two Translated Transcripts: 2012 Presidential Debate and a Speech Presented by Cyrille De Lasteyrie
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses Dissertations and Theses November 2014 Textual Analysis of Two Translated Transcripts: 2012 Presidential Debate and a Speech Presented by Cyrille de Lasteyrie Laryssa M. Witty University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2 Part of the French Linguistics Commons Recommended Citation Witty, Laryssa M., "Textual Analysis of Two Translated Transcripts: 2012 Presidential Debate and a Speech Presented by Cyrille de Lasteyrie" (2014). Masters Theses. 121. https://doi.org/10.7275/5513728 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/121 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF TWO TRANSLATED TRANSCRIPTS: 2012 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AND A SPEECH PRESENTED BY CYRILLE DE LASTEYRIE A Thesis Presented by LARYSSA M. WITTY Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS September 2014 French and Francophone Studies © Copyright by Laryssa M. Witty 2014 All Rights Reserved TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF TWO TRANSLATED TRANSCRIPTS: 2012 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AND A SPEECH PRESENTED BY CYRILLE DE LASTEYRIE A Thesis Presented by LARYSSA M. WITTY Approved as to style and content by: ___________________________________ Philippe Baillargeon, Chair ___________________________________ Regina Galasso, Member ___________________________________ Luke Bouvier, Member ___________________________________ William Moebius, Department Head Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures ____________________________________ Luke P. Bouvier, Graduate Program Director Department of French and Francophone Studies DEDICATION This Master’s thesis is dedicated to my dear parents David and Monica Witty who have always put my needs above their own and supported me in my endeavors. Their constant support enables me to make the most of every opportunity. I am blessed to have won the parent lottery. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I joyfully give all glory and acknowledgment to God for His steadfast love, unending support and faithfulness throughout this journey. I am so very thankful that through this experience He has shown me the truth of Romans 8:28, given me the confidence of Romans 8:37 and upheld His promise in 2 Corinthians 9:8. This work is complete not because of what I have done, but because of who You are. I would like to thank Philippe Baillargeon, my thesis advisor, for his refreshing perspective and patience as he always welcomed me into his office and provided insight and encouragement. I would also like to thank Regina Galasso for graciously agreeing to join my committee with encouragement, enthusiasm and support. Her insight and valuable feedback has helped me to further develop as an aspiring translator. A special thank you also extends to Luke Bouvier for his support in helping me to develop as a scholar. His constructive feedback stretched my abilities as a writer and a learner of the French language. Additional thanks to Rhonda Tarr for her guidance, encouragement and mentoring. My deepest gratitude extends to my parents, Monica and David, sister Brittany Mills and her husband Kevin Mills, best friend Nicole Tourigny, beloved friends Aunt Diane and Sarah Yarger for believing in me no matter the circumstances and for their unwavering support. v ABSTRACT TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF TWO TRANSLATED TRANSCRIPTS: 2012 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE AND A SPEECH PRESENTED BY CYRILLE DE LASTEYRIE SEPTEMBER 2014 LARYSSA WITTY, B.A., ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE M.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Philippe Baillargeon Delia Chiaro (2010) describes humor in two broad categories: referential and verbal. The former focuses on the meaning of a story or event and the humor embedded within. In the case of the latter, idiosyncratic features such as word play display humorous undertones. This Master’s thesis examines oral text transformation to another language via transcription. The transcripts themselves consist of 10 minutes of the 2012 Presidential debate between François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy and 10 minutes of a monologue presented by French animator Cyrille de Lasteyrie. Both transcripts are linked by the commonality of humor and exhibit the two categories described above. The transcripts were translated from French into English, and the challenges that arose during the translation process were then analyzed, such as transferring the overall meaning of each idea, maintaining as much of the humor within the text as possible and conveying each speaker’s style. This study aims to provide future translators guidance in the translation of humor in oral transcripts by pinpointing the relevant scholarly research and vi discussing the various translator techniques implemented in overcoming challenges such as metaphors and collocations. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. v ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER I. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF TRANSCRIPT 2: PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE .............. 12 A. Background Information .......................................................................................... 12 B. Translation Process .................................................................................................. 13 C. Textual Analysis of Transcript 2: Presidential Debate............................................. 16 II. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF TRANSCRIPT 3: UN FINAL EN BEAUTÉ ................ 42 A. Background Information .......................................................................................... 44 B. Translation Process .................................................................................................. 46 C. Textual Analysis of Transcript 4: A Brilliant Finish ............................................. 488 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 75 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................. 81 1. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SOURCE TEXT.............................................................. 82 2. PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TARGET TEXT.............................................................. 88 3. UN FINAL EN BEAUTÉ SOURCE TEXT ................................................................. 94 4. A BRILLIANT FINISH TARGET TEXT .................................................................... 97 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 101 viii INTRODUCTION This Master’s thesis examines oral text transformation to another language via transcription. The present thesis is comprised of the translator’s translation of two transcripts: one of a political nature and one of an informal nature, both from French into English. The first transcript examines ten minutes of the 2012 Presidential Debate between Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande. François Hollande’s victory is significant for the Socialist Party, as he is the second left-wing President under the Fifth Republic – the first being François Mitterrand from 1981 to 1995. Also significant is Sarkozy’s loss, as it makes him the first president not re-elected since Valery Giscard d’Estaing in 1981 1. The result of this election marks a defining moment in France’s recent history. The candidates themselves are accustomed to public speaking; they know how to present themselves and use a formal language in which they can concisely and directly make their points. The combination of historical importance and the nature of the speakers and the nature of humor justifies this transcript for selection in this study. The second transcript examines ten minutes of a speech from French animator Cyrille de Lasteyrie, also known as “VinVin.” As founder of the audiovisual production company StoryCircus, he produces documentaries in addition to an entertainment show, Le Vinvinteur , about digital culture, which is featured on French television station France 5. His humorous perspective and creativity are directly accessible to his French audience through the medium of the audiovisual. Since VinVin is not an avid public speaker, his speech is characterized by colloquialisms, sound effects, sporadic stories and an 1 See Conan, Neal, and Ted Koppel. How France's Presidential Contest Compares to U.S. NPR, 2012. <http://www.npr.org/2012/04/17/150817062/frances-presidential-contest-like-americas-but- different ttp://www.npr.org/2012/04/17/150817062/frances-presidential- 1 unstructured format. His anxiety and nervous state propel him to make spur-of-the- moment decisions involving his speech and actions. The transcript of this speech enables the reader to visualize how he humorously presents information and processes information in an outside-the-box way. Both transcripts are linked by the commonality