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The Treatment of Offensive and Taboo Terms in the Subtitling of Reservoir Dogs Into Spanish

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The Treatment of Offensive and Taboo Terms in the Subtitling of Reservoir Dogs Into Spanish Offensive and taboo exchanges are very recurrent in Quentin Tarantino’s films, TRANS · whose screenplays are full of characters who swear, curse and make ample use núm. 20 · 2016 of taboo terms. The way subtitlers deal with such terms can cause a greater ARTÍCULO · 25-40 impact on the audience than oral speech (Díaz Cintas, 2001a). This paper aims to provide some insights, from a Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) approach, into the subtitling of offensive and taboo language into Spanish by examining Tarantino’s first blockbuster, Reservoir Dogs (1992), and making use of a multi- strategy design, which enhances triangulation (Robson, 2011). The ultimate goal is to shed some light on the way this film has been subtitled in Spain, by assessing whether the dialogue exchanges have been rendered in the subtitles in a close way to the source text or, by contrast, some type of censorship (i.e. ideological manipulation) may have taken place. KEY WORDS: Interlingual subtitling, offensive and taboo language, translation strategies, multi-strategy design, ideological manipulation. The treatment of offensive and taboo terms in the subtitling of Reservoir Dogs into Spanish El tratamiento de los términos ofensivos y tabú en la subtitulación de Reservoir Dogs al español Los diálogos ofensivos y tabú son muy recurrentes en los filmes de Quentin Tarantino, uno de los cineastas cuyos guiones incluyen personajes que dicen palabrotas y utilizan todo tipo de términos tabú. La manera en la que los sub- tituladores tratan estos términos puede causar un gran impacto en la audien- cia, mayor que el producido por el lenguaje oral (Díaz Cintas, 2001a). Este artículo pretende esclarecer, desde un punto de vista basado en los Estudios Descriptivos de Traducción (EDT), cómo se ha subtitulado el lenguaje ofensivo y JOSÉ JAVIER ÁVILA-CABRERA tabú del primer éxito cinematográfico de Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs (1992), por medio de un diseño multiestratégico que hace uso de la triangulación (Robson, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid 2011). Así pues, se espera arrojar luz con respecto al modo en que este filme se ha subtitulado en España, analizando si los subtítulos siguen de cerca el texto origen o, si por el contrario, se ha dado algún tipo de censura (como la manipu- lación ideológica). PALABRAS CLAVE: Subtitulación interlingüística, lenguaje ofensivo y tabú, estrategias traductológicas, diseño multiestratégico, manipulación ideológica. JOSÉ JAVIER ÁVILA-CABRERA TRANS. REVISTA DE TRADUCTOLOGÍA 20, 2016 1. INTRODUCTION 2. SUBTITLING Language can take the form of several registers Subtitlers not only have to deal with the ren- 26 depending on the context in which it is used. dering of a source text (ST) into a target text When dealing with informal language on (TT), but they also have to bear in mind certain screen, there are low register terms, which can restrictions impinging on the choices that they cause emotional impact leading to rejection can make. Temporal and spatial restrictions do or negative reception in the audience. Some not allow subtitlers to write as many characters authors refer to such terms as dirty language per line as they might want, since it is advisable ( Jay, 1980), strong language (Scandura, 2004), that subtitles appear on screen for a minimum bad language (McEnery, 2006), foul language of one second and a maximum of six seconds (Wajnryb, 2005), rude language (Hughes, (D’Ydewalle et al., 1987; Brondeel, 1994) and 2006), taboo language (Allan and Burridge, occupy one line (one-liners) or two lines 2006; Jay, 2009), emotionally charged language (two-liners) of text. Within these technical (Díaz Cintas and Remael, 2007) and/or offen- limitations, their use of appropriate translation sive language (Díaz Cintas, 2012; Filmer, 2014). strategies is paramount in order to tackle the In an attempt to be consistent with our termi- numerous difficulties that they have to face nology, we will resort to the phrase offensive when transferring ST terms into the TT. and taboo language (Ávila Cabrera, 2014). Subtitling Tarantino’s dialogue presents a 2.1. Technical restrictions considerable challenge to any translator because Offensive and taboo language can be said to of the difficulties encountered while dealing contribute to fulfilling a thematic function in with very fast exchanges, which are liberally the film and their deletion may therefore entail peppered with offensive and taboo elements, the loss of the characters’ linguistic attributes. while at the same time having to abide by the This type of language is, nonetheless, usually technical requirements of this particular mode toned down and even omitted when tempo- of audiovisual translation (AVT). In this regard, ral or spatial constraints are stringent (Díaz not only does this paper examine the way in Cintas and Remael, 2007). When working for which these terms have been subtitled, making the DVD industry, it is not unusual to adhere use of a taxonomy of offensive/taboo terms, to a reading speed of 180 words per minute, but it also illustrates a number of translation though some companies may resort to even strategies employed in subtitling. In addi- higher rates. Table 1 shows the calculations for tion, technical constraints have been carefully this reading speed (Díaz Cintas and Remael, observed in order to prove whether the toning 2007: 97), which are used in the present study down or deletion of this type of terms is due to to analyse all the examples extracted from the spatio-temporal constraints or, by contrast, the audiovisual corpus under scrutiny: subtitler may have flattened them because of pressure by the client or because of his/her own decision, in which case ideological manipula- tion can be said to have taken place. TRANS. REVISTA DE TRADUCTOLOGÍA 20, 2016 THE TREATMENT OF OFFENSIVE AND TABOO TERMS seconds : frames spaces seconds : frames spaces 01:00 17 02:00 35 180 words per 01:04 20 02:04 37 27 minute 01:08 23 02:08 39 01:12 26 02:12 43 01:16 28 02:16 45 01:20 30 02:20 49 seconds : frames seconds : frames spaces seconds : frames spaces 03:00 04:00 70 05:00 78 03:04 04:04 73 05:04 78 03:08 04:08 76 05:08 78 03:12 04:12 76 05:12 78 03:16 04:16 77 05:16 78 03:20 04:20 77 05:20 78 06:00 78 Table 1. Equivalence between time/space for 180 wpm These calculations are based on WinCAPS, fuck me» has been literally subtitled as ha inten- Screen’s professional subtitling preparation tado follarme [he has tried to fuck me]. software package, and show the equivalence 1. A calque (CAL) is a literal translation of a between seconds/frames and the suggested word or expression in a way that it is not maximum number of characters for the TT. usual in the TL. For example, when Mr Blonde is about to burn Officer Nash alive, 2.2. Subtitling strategies he tells him «have some fire», subtitled as The subtitling strategies chosen for this paper ten fuego [have fire] rather than the more have been selected in accordance with the common vas a arder [you are going to burn]. features of the type of register being analysed. As it can be observed, calques are not very Eight strategies are described below and fol- idiomatic and they tend to lean towards low the classifications proposed by Vinay and foreignisation. Darbelnet (2000: 86-88), in the case of strategy 2. Explicitation (EXP) has the effect of bring- one, and Díaz Cintas and Remael (2007: 202- ing the target audience closer to the subtitled 207) for the other seven, which are described text through the use of specification, by using as follows: a hyponym (i.e. a word with a more precise Literal translation (LT), also known as word meaning), or by resorting to a hypernym or for word or verbatim translation, entails the superordinate (i.e. a word with a broader direct transfer of a word/cluster of words from meaning). For example, when Mr Orange a source language (SL) into a target language uses the verb «bleed», the translation resorts (TL), in keeping with the grammar and idiom to the hyponym desangrándonos [bleeding to of the original (Vinay and Darbelnet, 2000). To death]. cite an example from the corpus, «he tried to JOSÉ JAVIER ÁVILA-CABRERA TRANS. REVISTA DE TRADUCTOLOGÍA 20, 2016 3. Substitution (SUBS) is a variant of explic- it?], where the derogatory item «fucking» has itation and constitutes a typical subtitling been deleted. 28 strategy since it tends to be used when the 7. Reformulation (REF) is used to express an spatial constraints do not allow for the inser- idea in a different way, by rephrasing the ST. tion of a long term in the subtitle. Eddie says Sometimes reformulation entails text reduc- «I know, motherfucker» which is subtitled tion/condensation and its main function is as ya lo sé, coño [I know it, bloody hell]. As it to transmit the ST terms in an idiomatic way. can be observed, the insult «motherfucker» This strategy will be considered for both is changed for a shorter term in the TL, coño cases of rephrasing and condensation, that [bloody hell], which can be said to maintain is, when the word/utterance is expressed in the tone of the original. a different way and/or it is abbreviated. Mr 4. Transposition (TRAN) is carried out when Orange recurrently says «I’m gonna die», the item from one culture is changed for which is reformulated as me muero [I die], another from a different culture, a procedure rather than the more literal me voy a morir [I that tends to imply some sort of clarification.
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