Translation of Comics and Graphic Novels an Analysis of Batman: the Dark Knight Returns

TRANSLATION OF COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS AN ANALYSIS OF BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS

Aantal woorden: 16 529

Wesley Gore Studentennummer: 01405913

Promotor: prof. dr. Lieve Jooken

Masterproef voorgelegd voor het behalen van de graad master in de richting Meertalige Communicatie

Academiejaar: 2017 - 2018

Statement of permission for use on loan

The author and the supervisor(s) give permission to make this master’s dissertation available for consultation and for personal use. In the case of any other use, the copyright terms have to be respected, in particular with regard to the obligation to state expressly the source when quoting results from this master’s dissertation.

The copyright with regard to the data referred to in this master’s dissertation lies with the supervisor(s). Copyright is limited to the manner in which the author has approached and recorded the problems of the subject. The author respects the original copyright of the individually quoted studies and any accompanying documentation, such as tables and graphs.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my thesis advisor professor Jooken, who always supported me when I ran into trouble or had a question about my research. She also provided me with excellent feedback to steer me in the right direction.

I am also extremely thankful to the translator Ger Apeldoorn who was so kind as to help me with this master’s paper, even though it meant answering my questions during his lunch break.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my sister, Whitney Gore, who was willing to proofread my thesis. Of course, I would also like to thank all the other people who supported me emotionally and had to cope with my different moods during this difficult and busy semester: my parents, Douglas Gore and Cynthia Vercruysse; my girlfriend and her mother, Julie Filez and Jenny Baudot; and my classmates, Guillian Fonteyne, Frederic Aelterman and Elisa Bueno Reyes.

Table of contents

1. Introduction ...... 7 1.1. What are graphic novels? ...... 7 1.2. Comics in the field of Translation Studies ...... 9 1.3. Delabastita’s categories of film translation ...... 11 1.4. Genre-specific characteristics in translation ...... 12 1.4.1. The concept of constrained translation ...... 14 1.4.2. Verbal elements ...... 17 1.4.2.1. Names ...... 17 1.4.2.2. Colloquial language...... 18 1.4.2.3. Titles ...... 19 1.4.3. Non-verbal elements...... 20 1.4.3.1. Comic format ...... 20 1.4.3.2. Lettering ...... 21 1.4.3.3. Inscriptions ...... 22 1.4.3.4. Onomatopoeia ...... 22 1.5. Case study: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns ...... 24 1.5.1. Introduction to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns ...... 24 1.5.2. The story of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns ...... 26 1.5.3. Frank Miller and Ger Apeldoorn ...... 27 2. Methodology ...... 28 3. Results ...... 31 3.1. The translation of interplay between verbal and non-verbal elements in Batman ...... 31 3.2. The translation of verbal elements in Batman ...... 34 3.2.1. Names ...... 34 3.2.2. Title ...... 38 3.2.3. Colloquial language...... 39 3.2.3.1. Slang ...... 39 3.2.3.2. Swear words ...... 52 3.2.3.3. Accents ...... 57 3.3. The translation of non-verbal elements in Batman ...... 59 3.3.1. Format ...... 59 3.3.2. Lettering ...... 61 3.3.3. Inscriptions ...... 64 3.3.4. Onomatopoeia ...... 69 4. Conclusion and discussion ...... 71

4.1. Conclusion ...... 71 4.2. Discussion ...... 75 5. Bibliography ...... 76 5.1. Secondary sources ...... 76 6. Appendix ...... 1

1. Introduction

1.1. What are graphic novels?

The aim of this master’s thesis is to explore the genre-specific characteristics that a comics translator needs to retain in the translation process and to chart the strategies to do so in this particular case study. The basis of this exploration is the comparison of the original English version of the graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and its Dutch translation Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight.

As this study examines the techniques that are relevant in the translation of comics and graphic novels, it is necessary to define and demarcate these two concepts. Celotti (2008) defines comics as “a narrative space where both pictures and words convey meaning and jointly create the story, with the translator “reading” the meaning of the pictorial elements and their different relationships with the verbal messages (…)” (p. 33). According to Sabin (1993) the term ‘comics’ covers all the “graphic narrative expressions” (p. 134). From that perspective, the ‘graphic novel’ can be seen as a subcategory of the comics genre.

Zanettin (2008) states that the term ‘graphic novel’ was first adopted in the 1980s in the United States to make ‘comics’ appealing to an adult audience. Baetens and Frey (2014) define the graphic novel by comparing it to the “traditional comic book form” (p. 19) on four levels: form, content, publication format and the production and distribution aspect. They conclude this comparison by stating that graphic novelists tend to play with the formal conventions of the lay-out of comics, for instance, by playing with empty spaces and grid lines, and they often discuss non-fictional content. (Baetens and Frey, 2014)

However, Vitse (2011) argues that the term ‘graphic novel’ is not easy to define for two reasons. Firstly, in Europe and the United States the term conveys different meanings: whereas in the US everything slightly larger than a single comic book is a ‘graphic novel’, in Europe the term refers to comics for an older audience. Secondly, publishing companies are prone to attach the term ‘graphic novel’ to any comic-like book that exceeds the 48- or 64-page count. Since it is not easy to give

coherent definitions which allow a clear division between ‘comics’ and ‘graphic novels’, both terms will be used interchangeably throughout the length of this paper.

1.2. Comics in the field of Translation Studies

For a long time the translation of comics was not assigned to a particular field of investigation; instead, it was studied from various perspectives across many different disciplines, such as linguistics, literary studies, communication studies, semiotics and pedagogics (Kaindl, 2010). According to Zanettin (2010), Roman Jakobson was one of the first to mention comics in the field of Translation Studies in his 1960’s study Concluding statement: Linguistics and poetics. Furthermore, the translation of comics was not investigated in great detail as comics were viewed as “intrinsically commercial” (p. 8) mass-productions that were not deemed interesting from an artistic point of view (Sabin, 1996). However, this attitude has been evolving since the late 1980s (Valero Garcés, 2000; Snell-Hornby, 2010; Sabin, 1996):

With the cultural turn in Translation Studies (…), comics as a topic of Translation Studies became more interesting because so-called mass literature, too, was now an object of study. Moreover, as translation was no longer merely referred to as a linguistic operation, multimodal texts such as films, children’s books (…) and comics increasingly became the centre of attention in case studies in the field of translation. (Kaindl, 2010, para. 4)

Nevertheless, Celotti (2008) finds that Translation Studies has not yet fully recognized the specificity of comics. It is, however, important to note that Celotti’s vision on the translation of comics in the field of Translation Studies (2008) precedes the entry on comics in The Handbook of Translation Studies (2010) and that this genre-specific translation has now evolved into a clearer field of its own right.

There is, however, a real necessity to investigate the translation process of comics or graphic novels, first of all because of the sheer volume they represent on the international book market. According to Kaindl (1999), who refers to a survey of 107 publishers in 15 countries (cf. Abret and Hennart, 1991), the market for comics is one of export countries such as the US, France, Belgium, and Japan, which produce most of their comics themselves; and import countries such as Scandinavia, Germany and Austria, which import (and translate) most of their comics. In Spain and Italy, the amount of comics that is exported and imported is practically identical (Kaindl, 2010). Valero Garcés (2000) argues that in 1997 67,2 % of all the comics that were available, were translations. Moreover, Rota (2003) mentions that around 70% of all the comics that are published in Italy are translated products (as cited in D’arcangelo and Zanettin, 2004).

Celotti (2008), D’arcangelo and Zanettin (2004) and Kaindl (1999) argue that contemporary literature on the translation of comics is fragmented and confines itself to linguistic features which are part of but not always specific to the medium (e.g. puns, onomatopoeia, etc.) or remains focused on one specific comic series (e.g. Astérix). However, as D’arcangelo and Zanettin (2004) and Kaindl (1999) mention, there are also studies that are more semiotically-oriented and focus on the relationship between text and imagery. These studies view the translation of comics as ‘constrained translations’, or spatially limited translations (see section 1.4.1) (cf. Grun and Dollerup, 2003, p. 198).

In addition to the linguistic and semiotic approach, there is also another approach to the translation of comics, viz. Kaindl’s (1999) sociological approach: “If translation is understood not as a linguistic or textual operation, but as a social practice, the social context of action in which the translation process is embedded has to be taken as the starting point for analysis” (p. 265). In order to avoid a too deterministic view in which the translation is viewed as “the immediate reflection of a certain social and economic situation” (p. 265) Kaindl refers to Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of field and habitus, in which the translator is seen as having “freedom of choice within social structures” (p. 266). Bourdieu’s theory consists of three components: the field, the habitus and the agent. The agent’s actions are influenced by his position in the social field which consists of unformulated rules. In addition to the social field, also the habitus of the individual agent, i.e. the changes only s/he experiences, knowingly or unknowingly, by their position in the social field, influences his or her view of the world, and thus his or her actions (Kaindl, 1999).

1.3. Delabastita’s categories of film translation

I draw on the strategies used by Delebastita (1989) for his analysis of film translation, taking into account that Kaindl (1999) suggests that these can also be used to analyse comics. Delabastita describes six categories, which have been matched below with Kaindl’s definition (1999, p. 275- 283):

- repetitio: source language, typography or picture elements are taken over in their identical form - adiectio: operations in which linguistic/pictorial material which was not there in the original is added in the translation to replace or supplement the source material - detractio: parts of linguistic/pictorial/typographic elements are cut in the translation - transmutatio: a change in the order of source language or source pictorial elements - substitutio: those translation procedures in which the original linguistic/typographic/pictorial material is replaced by more or less equivalent material - deletio: the removal of text or pictures;

These six strategies will be referred to as a framework of translation possibilities for the genre- specific characteristics of comics.

1.4. Genre-specific characteristics in translation

This section of the paper discusses the genre-specific characteristics of the comics genre in translation, viz. the concept of ‘constrained translation’, the translation of verbal elements and the translation of non-verbal elements. Table 1 provides an overview of the eleven consulted studies, matched with the genre-specific characteristic(s) they cover.

Mayoral, Kelly and Gallardo (1988) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation

Garcés (2000) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation 2. Section 1.4.2.2, colloquial language 3. Section 1.4.3.4, onomatopoeia

Grun and Dollerup (2003) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation 2. Section 1.4.2.1, names

Taran (2014) 1. Section 1.4.3.4, onomatopoeia

Jacobs (2007) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation

Coumans (2008) 1. Section 1.4.2.2, colloquial language

Rota (2008) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation 2. Section 1.4.3, non-verbal elements 3. Section 1.4.3.1, comic format

Kaindl (2010) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation 2. Section 1.4.2.2, colloquial language 3. Section 1.4.2.3, titles 4. Section 1.4.3.2, lettering 5. Section 1.4.3.3, inscriptions 6. Section 1.4.3.4, onomatopoeia

Borodo (2015) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation

Guillaume (2015) 1. Section 1.4.1, the concept of constrained translation 2. Section 1.4.3.4, onomatopoeia

Urdiales-Shaw (2015) 1. Section 1.4.2.2, colloquial language

Table 1: Overview of consulted studies, arranged from oldest to most recent

1.4.1. The concept of constrained translation

This section focusses on the particular difference between the translation of a comic and of a text- only book, viz. the concept of ‘constrained translation’. Translations of comics are ‘constrained translations’, which means that the written component that needs translating is intrinsically linked to another communication medium, notably images (Mayoral, Kelly and Gallardo, 1988). Valero Garcés (2000) mentions that constrained translations pose two main restrictions: quantitative restrictions and qualitative restrictions.

Quantitative restrictions refer to the spatially limited character of comics resulting from the use of speech and thought balloons or text boxes, and image panels. This is what Grun and Dollerup (2003) refer to, in their definition of ‘constrained translation’, as “(…) translations that are, for practical or commercial reasons, spatially limited (…)” (p. 198). Because the translator does not have unlimited space available when translating comics, s/he has to make the translation as concise as possible, without affecting the story. According to Kaindl (2010) modern digitisation methods facilitate the work of comics translators as they can now use electronic graphics programmes, which makes it possible to solve the space problem by changing the size of the handwritten characters. Nevertheless, a font that is too small could affect the readability of the comic.

Exploiting images is another technique to overcome the issue of space. This implies that the translator omits an explicit message produced by text because it is implied visually in the images. A case in point can be found in Borodo’s study (2015) on the translation of the Franco-Belgian comic book series Thorgal into Polish. In one of the panels two knights are climbing a cliff. One has nearly reached the top, while the other, Thorgal, is still clinging to the rock underneath him. In the image, Thorgal holds his hand under the other knight’s boot to give him a lift. In the original Franco-Belgian panel Thorgal says: “Appuie-toi sur ma main… vas-y… hisse-toi”. As Borodo (2015, p. 36) mentions this can be translated into English as: “Stand on my hand… Go ahead… Pull yourself up…”. The 1989 translation into Polish, however, can be translated as: “Go ahead… climb…”. In the latter translation “Stand on my hand” has been omitted (‘deletio’). Even though Borodo (2015) claims that the image is not capable of fully compensating for the interplay between text and image in the original comic, which implies a slight loss of meaning, this

omission of text whose message is visually accessible is a possible translation technique that is unique to the comics genre.

The qualitative restrictions, as referred to by Valero Garcés (2000), result from the multimodal character of comics, i.e. the interplay between the text and the images which creates an effect that would not have been achieved separately by either text or images (Jacobs, 2007). A comics translator has to translate the message of verbal (text) and non-verbal (imagery) elements at the same time as. Both the text and the images in a comic are part of the story and the congruency of both is the pivotal element for translating comics.

The main restriction, however, is that generally a translator can only intervene in the textual parts of the comics, and thus, has no control over the images (Valero Garcés, 2000). This adds to the difficulty of translating culture-specific elements since the culturally specific elements are presented visually, which makes it challenging to find a textual translation in the target culture that still remains congruent with the culture-specific image (Guillaume, 2015).

A possible example of how the interaction between words and images may affect the translation process can be found in Guillaume (2015): in the cartoon National Character from Simmonds’ Literary Life there are several groups of people who are walking in the English countryside. When they pass a bed of daffodils, every single one of them starts reciting the famous Wordsworth poem Daffodils (1807). According to Guillaume there are, theoretically, four main possible translations of Daffodils: 1) keeping the English text since there is a great chance that the poem itself will have been read in the original language; 2) keeping the English version and adding a footnote to elucidate the cultural reference; 3) using a published French translation; 4) transposing the joke, for example, by replacing the original by a French poem on another kind of flower.

The adaptation of images can be a difficult area, especially in Europe, where the publishing houses want to change the imagery as little as possible, not only to cut the costs of the extensive redrawing process but also because readers expect to be reading a near-original comic (Rota, 2008). There is, however, a reason why some of the comics’ formats are adapted to fit the target culture:

potentialities, is not just an incidental feature, but rather a fundamental creative element in comics. This element, with its proportions and its characteristics, cannot be easily modified in translation through editorial processes without altering the original work substantially; therefore, changing the size of the original publication is an operation which has important consequences for the translated comic and its enjoyment. (Rota, 2008, p. 83)

Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that the term ‘constrained’ in constrained translations only refers to the complicated nature of the translation process of comics and the obstacles a translator has to overcome (“Woord in beeld - ten geleide”, 2017). The presence of images can actually relieve the translation effort as well, since they offer guidance to the comics translator: “(…) the visual should not be merely viewed as an obstacle. It is the element that may also potentially reinforce the textual, clear up confusion, offer clues, inspire and generally facilitate the process of translation” (Borodo, 2015, p. 25).

A case in point is suggested by Guillaume (2015) with an example from Simmonds’ Gemma Bovery, which is an English graphic novel in a bilingual style, as it uses French phrases. In the narrative of the novel the French baker Joubert finds the diaries written in English by Gemma before her death. He does not understand English and, thus, when he reads Gemma’s description of a hideous tie with penguins “on the job” he comments: “What? Je n’ai aucune idée de ce que veulent dire ces usages”. As Guillaume (2015) mentions, the English readers understand the phrase “on the job”, so this leaves the translator again with a choice: 1) translating the expression, which renders Joubert’s intervention pointless; 2) keeping the expression and conveying Joubert’s thoughts in order to allow the reader to relate to him more easily. Since the explicit illustration of the mating penguins is actually visible to the reader, the latter option is a helpful one for a comic, but might be too obscure for a text-only novel (Guillaume, 2015).

1.4.2. Verbal elements

This part of the study will focus on the verbal elements only, i.e. the elements that are constructed in language and play a typically significant role in comics or graphic novels, viz. names, colloquial language and titles.

1.4.2.1. Names

In any translation of literature, proper names play an important role. This is because names are not always randomly chosen, but may have an exophoric reference, i.e. “a linguistic unit referring directly to the extralinguistic situation accompanying an utterance” (Crystal, 2011, “exophora”). This allusion could be lost to the target audience if it were to be copied literally.

A good example of the translation of names can be found in the Danish translation of character names in the American strip Calvin and Hobbes as studied by Grun and Dollerup (2003). The name ‘Calvin’ refers to the reformer John Calvin and has been translated into ‘Steen’ which is a common boy’s name in Danish. The name ‘Hobbes’ refers to the English social and political reformer Thomas Hobbes and has been translated into ‘Stoffer’ which is the abbreviated form of the common name ‘Christoffer’ and also a word play on ‘stof’, or textile, because Hobbes is a stuffed tiger (Grun and Dollerup, 2003). These forms of ‘substitutio’ cause a slight shift in meaning, however, since in the original English version the names, and thus the title of the comic, are more attractive to an older and more literate audience because they would have understood the reference. The Danish translation loses this type of reference for the literate public but introduces an alliteration in the match between the new names (Grun and Dollerup, 2003).

In other cases, however, a writer will choose a name because it sounds creative in the original language because of its literary style, e.g. alliteration, assonance, etc. In the Danish translation of the Donald Duck universe we can see how assonance and alliteration can be translated, again as studied by Grun and Dollerup (2003). Both ‘Donald Duck’ and ‘Daisy Duck’ are forms of alliteration. ‘Duck’ is faithfully translated into ‘And’, while ‘Donald’ and ‘Daisy’ are respectively translated into ‘Anders’ and ‘Andersine’. Not only does this alternative continue the sound play of the original, but Danish linguistic morphology allows for the feminine form ‘Andersine’, which makes the character’s name a close auditory match to ‘Anders’. This means that next to

‘substitutio’ also ‘adiectio’ was used. As for assonance, Donald Duck’s nephews ‘Huey’, ‘Dewey’ and ‘Louie’ are good examples. These become ‘Rip’, ‘Rap’ and ‘Rup’ in the Danish translation, which implies that the assonance is replaced (‘substitutio’) by another stylistic feature, viz. alliteration. Nevertheless, there are also two cases of ‘adiectio’: 1) the Danish names ‘Rip’, ‘Rap’ and ‘Rup’ are phonetic minimal pairs that begin and end with identical letters, a different kind of wordplay than in the original comic; 2) ‘Rap’ is also the Danish onomatopoeic word to refer to a duck’s quacking (Grun and Dollerup, 2003).

1.4.2.2. Colloquial language

The most genre-specific verbal characteristic of comics is the use of colloquial language, since most of the text is built on conversational patterns visible both in speech and thought balloons. Colloquial expressions carry specific associations in a certain culture, which have to be adapted to convey the same message in a different cultural setting (Kaindl, 2010). The term ‘colloquial language’ is actually a collective term for more specific language features including dialects and sociolects. Of these features slang, swear words and accents will be focussed on in this paper.

Valero Garcés (2000) mentions two possible obstacles for a comics translator who is confronted with slang in the source text: 1) s/he needs to identify terms as being slang, and try to retrieve their meaning; 2) s/he needs to find an equivalent that is as embedded in target language usage, keeping in mind that slang language rapidly becomes outdated. On the topic of swear words, Rabasa (1991, p.43; as cited by Valero Garcés, 2000) adds that there are also intercultural differences as the English language prefers references to a person’s “illegitimate past”, e.g. “bastard” or to “physiological needs”, e.g. “shit!”, whilst the Spanish language prefers “religious references”, e.g. “Me cago en Dios”, literally ‘I shit on God’).

Coumans (2008) claims that for both slang and swear words, keeping to originality and finding expressions that sound natural is more important than suggesting a literal translation. An example of this can be found in his study (2008) on the translation of French comics into Dutch. The French expression “L’est cinglé, c’type-là” (‘He is crazy, that guy there’) plays on sound elision “L’est” (he, is), “c’type-là (that, guy, there) combined with the word “cinglé” (‘crazy’). In Dutch the translator omitted the elision because it is uncommon in Dutch: “Die is mesjogge” (‘He’s nuts’).

Here the ‘substitutio’ strategy was used to create a more natural-sounding expression, but sometimes a foreign-sounding expression may be retained (‘repetitio’) in the target text to recreate the connotation of the expression in the original culture, which is called a ‘foreignising strategy’. A case in point can be found in Urdiales-Shaw’s study (2015) on the translation into English and Romance languages of culture-bound expressions from Art Spiegelman’s Maus. For this comic/graphic novel the author converted his father’s voice recording into English, but preserved many foreign words taken from languages such as German, Yiddish, Hebrew and Polish. He uses this multilingual style to foreignise his comic and recreate the atmosphere of the Holocaust. An example of this can be found in the translation of the word ‘kombinator’. When Art asks his father what it means, he answers “A guy what [sic] makes kombinacja, a schemer . . . a crook” (Urdiales-Shaw, 2015, p. 118). Art chooses to just keep the word ‘kombinator’ because for him ‘schemer’ or ‘crook’ convey only a small part of the meaning. This is not the only possible translation, however. In the translation into the major Romance languages, viz. Spanish, Portuguese and French, the translators use words from the target language which imply ‘cunning’, which is again an example of ‘substitutio’.

1.4.2.3. Titles

The bibliographic search (see section 2) regarding the translation of comics/graphic novels yielded few studies that discussed the translation of titles in comics and graphic novels. Titles are often inspired by marketing criteria. Kaindl (2010) suggests that in the first half of the 20th century titles would be adapted for the target culture and that since the 1960’s it has become common practice to keep the original title, especially if the protagonists’ name is in it. Nevertheless, there are many examples that contradict this statement, such as the one that will be discussed in this paper, viz. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and its Dutch translation Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight.

1.4.3. Non-verbal elements

This section will discuss the non-verbal elements that are relevant in the translation of comics, viz. comic format, lettering, inscriptions and onomatopoeia. Lettering, inscriptions and onomatopoeia are treated as non-verbal elements because Rota (2008) argues that even though they are representations of what characters say, they are primarily a part of the visual aspects which “can be (and are) employed to provoke specific effects on the reader” (p. 80).

1.4.3.1. Comic format

The different formats in which comics are produced also generate cultural differences, the adaptation of which can significantly lengthen the translation process, and consequently, make it more expensive:

Besides revealing the history of comics in a given cultural setting, formats have important effects on the production of comics, on their style, and also on the attitude of the reader towards this form of art. The page, then, imposing artistic restrictions and potentialities, is not just an incidental feature, but rather a fundamental creative element in comics. This element, with its proportions and its characteristics , cannot be easily modified in translation through editorial processes without altering the original work substantially; therefore, changing the size of the original publication is an operation which has important consequences for the translated comic and its enjoyment. (Rota, 2008, p.83)

In other words, Rota (2008) claims that it is difficult to adapt the comic format of a particular culture to the format of another culture without changing the content of the original work (Rota, 2008). The author also gives examples of some cultural differences, which enforce alterations to the “Western Comics format” of the translated comics. First, the European publishing houses tend to make as few changes to the format as possible for two reasons: 1) every change costs money; 2) the European reader tends to be interculturally conscious and alert and often prefers the comic to be as close to the original as possible. Furthermore, whereas American readers like reading stories in short instalments, European readers prefer the story to be completed in one issue. Finally, popular French stories tend to be published in deluxe colour albums while Italian stories are published in the ‘bonelliana’ format, which is smaller and printed periodically in black and white, yet both formats contain practically the same kind of content. Rota (2008, p. 84) proposes three different ways to translate formats: 1) “adaptation to a local format”, which is a domesticating

strategy; 2) “retention of the original format”, which is a foreignising strategy; 3) “adoption of a third format, different from both the original and the local ones”.

1.4.3.2. Lettering

Another non-verbal element that this study examines is the lettering, or form of the text, which also conveys meaning:

The sounds and intonations of speech acts can be shown iconically by appropriately selecting the font, the proportion of letters, the design of the shapes, the run of the letters, their slope, the reading direction and the colours. Moreover, the font, for example, can express the nationality or political attitude. Furthermore, the course, direction or tempo of movements can be shown, for instance, by the run, the slope or the reading direction. (Kaindl, 2010, para 12)

Kaindl (2010) also argues that the adaptation of narrative text boxes is culture-specific. He confirms his theory by referring to Hunolstein’s study (1996) in which Hunolstein looked at the translation of Disney comics from American English into German. In the German comic culture the time gaps between panels are normally quite short, whilst in the American comic culture the time gaps between panels can easily cover years and the reader is assumed to be aware of this possibility without being given any narrative cue. In translation into German translators therefore sometimes have to add narrative texts explaining that quite some time has passed between the two panels (Hunolstein, 1996, as cited by Kaindl, 2010).

1.4.3.3. Inscriptions

Another important non-verbal element are the inscriptions, which differ from the ‘text’ in the sense that they do not occur within speech balloons, thought balloons, or any other form of marked off space, but are included in the scenery or image. Kaindl (2010, para. 9) describes them as “linguistic elements inserted into the picture (…) [that] have the function of describing the context of the situation in concrete terms. They can refer to the temporal, local or atmospheric frame of a plot (…)”. Kaindl (2010) argues that the translation of these inscriptions, on the one hand, depends on the degree of dependence between the inscription and the image, because the more the inscription is integrated into the image the more difficult it is to adapt it. On the other hand, translation choices also depend on inscriptions’ importance for the plot: the more essential they are for understanding the plot, the higher the chance that they will be translated.

1.4.3.4. Onomatopoeia

The last non-verbal element covered in this thesis is the visual representation of onomatopoeia, which play a central role in comics as they are used to visualise “the acoustic dimension” (Kaindl, 2010, para. 10) of comics. Kaindl (2010, para. 10) states that “[t]ranslation strategies range from direct borrowing (…) to literal translations (…) as well as to new creations of onomatopoeia”. In other words, both the ‘repetitio’ and ‘substitutio’ strategies can be adopted to translate onomatopoeia. Also comics translator Sztajn claims in an interview with Guillaume (2015, p. 100) that “some [onomatopoeic words] are so integrated into the language that they can be kept as they are, whereas others need to be translated, because you need to make the noise explicit”. Also Valero Garcés (2000) claims that every language has a repertoire of representations of sounds that comes so naturally as language itself, which means that, among other translation strategies, the translator can choose an equivalent (‘substitutio’), adopt an orthographic change (also ‘substitutio’), or keep the original onomatopoeia (‘repetitio’). Valero Garcés (2000) adds that English onomatopoeic words referring to metallic sounds, for example “smack” or “click”, mostly remain untranslated in Spanish translations.

Not translating onomatopoeia (‘repetitio’) in spite of their uncommon form in the target language, however, can be a possible translation strategy as well. An example can be found in Guillaume’s study (2015) on the translation of English comics into French. The comic in this example is a Dr

Derek strip in Simmonds’s Literary Life in which the character, who is a writer, is shocked to discover that her new book is marked as “purple prose”. The sound of this reaction is visualised as “choke”. The translator chose not to translate “choke”, which is uncommon in French, into the more common “gloups”, which “indicates swallowing and implies surprise or anxiety” (Guillaume, 2015, p. 101). According to Guillaume (2015) the retention of “choke” creates a double effect: first, the reader sees an unexpected onomatopoeic word, which fits the humorous style of the comic, and secondly, the reader is given a reinforced reference to the 1950’s romance comic graphic style that Simmonds adopted for Dr Derek. In this example, the ‘repetitio’ strategy also brings forth ‘adiectio’ since it adds an additional humorous element.

There is, however, a tendency not to translate onomatopoeic words if they are integrated into the image for the same reason that inscriptions are kept as well: translations would lead to extra costs for the publishing houses as the image would have to be retouched. As a result of the expensive retouching costs, many factors will play a role in whether the onomatopoeic word remains untranslated or not, among them the scale of the retouching effort, whether the comics is coloured or not, and the prestige of the language. For example, onomatopoeia of English origin are more likely to stay untranslated because English onomatopoeic words have gained a certain prestige position as a result of the US’ long tradition in creating action comics (Taran, 2014; Valero Garcés, 2000).

1.5. Case study: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

1.5.1. Introduction to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

This part of the study considers the Batman universe as proposed in the graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, since, as suggested by Kaindl’s sociological approach (1999) (see section 1.2.), context plays an important role in producing a coherent translation. The graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns was written and drawn by Frank Miller with Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley and lettered by John Costanza, and was originally published in 1986 as a mini-series consisting of four separate magazines by DC Comics. The edition that is analysed in this master’s thesis is the 2011 reissue of the graphic novel, which consists of the following sections: an introduction by Frank Miller; all four books introduced as chapters; their original cover images; and part of the script of the originally intended plot for the fourth magazine. The Dutch translation, Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight, is the 2011 revised translation by Ger Apeldoorn, who also translated the original separate comic books in 1988, and covers the same sections as the 2011 reissue of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

The character of ‘Batman’ was created by the artist Bob Kane and was first introduced in the comic book Detective Comics #27 in 1939 (Manning, 2014). This is, however, not the same Batman that appears in Miller’s graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Batman and the Batman universe have undergone quite a few changes since their creation in 1939, when the protagonist was a caped crusader who did not shun killing villains in the dark and dreary city called Gotham City. In the 1940s, many other characters were written into the Batman universe who continue to play an important role up to now: Robin, his sidekick; the Joker, Batman’s arch- enemy; Two Face; Catwoman; the Riddler; etc. The 1950s was an arduous period for comics publishers as the American psychologist dr. Fredric Wertham wrote his book Seduction of the Innocent (1954) in which he blamed comics for having a bad influence on the youth, who by then were still alleged to be the main readers of comic books. His work and the subsequent paranoia it caused led to the creation of the “self-regulating censors known as the Comics Code Authority” (Manning, 2014, p. 44). This resulted in the Batman universe having to discard most of its violence, gore and blood, and led to the creation of the “tongue-in-cheek” (p.104) dynamic duo of the popular 1966-8 Batman TV show. Nevertheless, at the end of the 1960s the Batman universe

once again became a darker one, and Batman once again became a creature of the night: a trend that would continue throughout the 1970s. This brings us to the 1980s, the era in which Batman transformed from “a sometimes-troubled adventurer and team-up partner” to “a grim and driven Dark Knight” (p. 132) and in which the comics, or graphic novels, found their way to an mainstream and older audience (Manning, 2014).

1.5.2. The story of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is situated in a dystopian 1980s Gotham City, the fictional city where Batman lives, with Ronald Reagan as president and punks being portrayed as unintelligent criminals. At the start of the story, millionaire Bruce Wayne, now 55 years old, has stopped fighting crime as his alter ego Batman since the death of his partner Jason Todd, the second Robin to have stood by his side, ten years earlier. Subsequently, the city is now flooded by criminals and at the heart of all evil lies the large new criminal gang known as ‘the Mutants’, mainly composed of teenagers. These ‘Mutants’ are quite interesting from a linguistic point of view, because they communicate in a very particular slang, consisting of a special jargon and a non-standard pronunciation, which according to Apeldoorn (personal communication, April 4, 2018) was the most challenging part of translating the graphic novel. We will expand on this subject later on in this study (see section 3.2.3). The story continues with Batman returning to fighting crime, conscious at all times of his older and weakened body. One of his first acts as Batman is saving a girl named Carrie Kelly, who eventually joins Batman as his new partner, the first female Robin to have appeared in a Batman comic. After Batman and Robin defeat the leader of ‘The Mutants’, the members of the gang find a new leader in Batman, calling themselves ‘Sons of Batman’, although they initially use his name in vain by not following his ethical code. Then, the Joker plays a significant role throughout the third chapter which ends with a memorable scene in which the Joker kills himself after Batman proves unable to. In the fourth and final chapter there is a formidable fight between Superman, who is ordered by the president to kill Batman, and Batman. Batman then stages his own death, destroys all data involving himself and has himself buried, only to return and teach the ‘Sons of Batman’ the ways of Batman.

1.5.3. Frank Miller and Ger Apeldoorn

This section provides background information on both the writer of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller, and the series’ Dutch translator Ger Apeldoorn. All information on the Dutch translator Ger Apeldoorn was obtained via a personal telephone interview on April 4 2018 and the information on Frank Miller was retrieved from the online encyclopaedia. www.britannica.com.

Frank Miller (1957) is an American comic book artist who is known for his gritty storytelling techniques. He has worked for the two largest superhero publishing houses, viz. Marvel and DC Comics. Not only is Miller highly appraised for his work on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which was one of the works that helped launch the term ‘graphic novel’ (Greenblatt, 2009) and was translated into eleven languages (http://www.worldcat.org), but he also authored well- received graphic novels such as Sin City (1991-1992), 300 (1998) and Rōnin (1983-1984).

Ger Apeldoorn (1959) is a Dutch television writer who also adapts English television and theatre shows into Dutch. He launched his translation career by translating pocket comic books from English into Dutch. These pocket comics were later acquired by the publishing house Junior Press, for which Apeldoorn became a regular translator. As he translated many Marvel superhero comics, he gained much insight into the superhero genre. Even though he was very eager to translate Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, he admits that the translation process was more challenging than he had anticipated on account of two reasons: 1) for the Mutant language Miller invented slang expressions which were arduous to interpret; 2) Miller used smaller speech balloons than Apeldoorn had experienced in other comics, which meant he was compelled to count words in Dutch. Apeldoorn also mentions that he thoroughly revised his 1988 original translation of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as he felt that he had translated it too freely. This was due to the fact that he originally translated Marvel comics, in which writer and illustrator were two separate people, which allowed for more free translations as well. Miller’s writing process, on the other hand, joins the roles of writer and illustrator in one person and this produces a stronger union between text and image.

2. Methodology

The aim of this case study is to analyse the translation of genre-specific characteristics of the English graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in its Dutch translation Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight. These characteristics were selected on the basis of a literature review of 11 (see section 1.4, table 1) academic sources, which were mainly retrieved from the online databases MLA International Bibliography and Translation Studies Bibliography as well as from the handbook Comics in Translation. Additionally, 8 other sources were examined to construct an even more coherent and complete literature review, viz. “Frank Miller”, 2016; Crystal, 2011; Greenblatt, 2009; Kaindl, 1999; Vitse, 2011; D’arcangelo and Zanettin, 2004; Mannin, 2016; Snell-Hornby, 2010. These sources were retrieved from the online databases Google Scholar and Translation Studies Bibliography, the online encyclopaedia Encyclopædia Britannica online as well as from the journal DW B and the book Batman: A Visual History. The background information on the translator Ger Apeldoorn was obtained via a telephone interview on April 4, 2018. All sources were selected on the basis of their relevance (1) and date (2): 1) they had to cover the material necessary to construct an adequate literature study on the graphic novel as a genre, the graphic novels in the field of Translation Studies and the genre-specific characters of comics and graphic novels in translation; 2) the sources had to be published between 1990 and 2018 in order to obtain the most recent results of academic studies. This selection process eventually yielded the 19 sources that are covered in the introductory literature review.

The qualitative case study itself examines the 2011 reissue of the graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley and the 2011 revised Dutch translation Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight by Ger Apeldoorn.

The results section (section 3) mirrors the topics covered in section 1.4 to facilitate the analysis of the graphic novel: section 3.1 investigates the interplay between the verbal and non-verbal element in translation, sections 3.2 and 3.3 focus specifically on the translation of verbal elements and non- verbal elements, respectively.

The process of collecting data from the graphic novel and its translation was finalized in two steps:

Firstly, in order to obtain a representative data collection, I made a selection of the first eleven pages of every chapter, viz. pp. 10-21; pp. 58-69; pp. 106-117 and pp. 154-165, instead of focusing on one chapter. This selection yielded a first overview of salient graphic and textual differences between the original English version and the Dutch translation in 25% of the whole graphic novel, as each chapter consists of 44 pages. The selection can be consulted in the appendix.

Secondly, I focused on retrieving more specific elements such as names, colloquial conversations, swear words, accents, comic format, lettering, inscriptions and onomatopoeia.

Section 3.1 provides a detailed analysis of how the interaction between the verbal elements and the non-verbal elements was translated. It draws on three images from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and its Dutch translation which can be found on pages 11, 68, 82 of the graphic novel and its translation.

Section 3.2 analyses the translation of three verbal elements, viz. names (section 3.2.1), titles (section 3.2.2) and colloquial language (section 3.2.3).

Section 3.2.1 required a meticulous survey of all the proper names that occur in the text, which can be found in the table 2, 3 and 4.

Section 3.2.2 provides an analysis of the translation of the main title, which can be found on the front cover and the four chapter titles, which can be found on pages 9, 57, 105 and 153 of the graphic novel and its translation.

For the structure of section 3.2.3.1 and 3.2.3.2 I retrieved the conversations that contain the speech of Mutants, or in a broader sense the speech of villains, as well as the conversations involving characters that use a German accent. I then narrowed the conversations down to those containing the slang expressions that can be found in in table 6 (see section 3.2.3.1) and those containing the accents that can be found in table 11 (see section 3.2.3.2). This yielded a selection of conversations from pages 28, 30, 60, 62, 93, 95, 100, 106, 116, 122, 126, 127, 141, 145, 170, 171. I also drew on the information from the online blog website dkreturns.blogspot.be (Beno, 2013) to define the slang expressions in table 6.

The selection of the data for section 3.2.3.3 was based on the data I previously retrieved for section 3.2.3.1, viz. the conversations of Mutant speech, as well as the initial selection from the first eleven pages of each chapter (see supra). From all these conversations I then selected those containing swear words and listed them in tables 8, 9 and 10.

Section 3.3 provides an analysis of the translation of four non-verbal elements, viz. comic format (section 3.3.1), lettering (section 3.3.2), inscriptions (section 3.3.3), and onomatopoeia (section 3.3.4), in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and it Dutch translation.

For the analysis of the comic format (section 3.3.1) I examined the comic as a whole, focusing on the difference in size, type of paper as well as the difference in the lay-out of the front and back cover.

The data for section 3.3.2 was retrieved on the basis of a selection of special characteristics of the lettering, viz. difference in typeface, font, size and color of the lettering. I chose to keep to a selection of four images (see section 3.3.2), retrieved from pages 196, 73 and 36 of the graphic novel and its translation, as these reflect the general trend.

The analysis of section 3.3.3 was built on a detailed observation of all the inscriptions in the graphic novel. Both table 12 and 13 discuss text outside of a demarcated text box: in table 12 a special type of red inscriptions is examined and in table 13 a special kind of white inscriptions is examined . Table 14 shows all inscriptions on objects that were translated and adapted.

Finally, section 3.3.4 was constructed by meticulously going through the entire graphic novel and selecting only the occurrences of onomatopoeia in the text boxes as the onomatopoeia as part of the image are not translated or adapted. Some cases are not treated in detail in the discussion of section 3.3.4 but they can be consulted in table 5 of the appendix.

3. Results

3.1. The translation of interplay between verbal and non-verbal elements in Batman

As has been stated in section 1.4.1., the congruence between images and text plays an important role in the translation of comics. In this section three cases from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns will be discussed that illustrate the interplay between verbal and non-verbal elements.

In the first example (see image 1) Batman is on the verge of being defeated by the Mutant gang leader. As Batman is being attacked, he wonders where his old side-kick Dick might be, and in a moment of nostalgia he then declares that Dick had always been his “little monkey wrench”. In this case, ‘Monkey wrench’ has two references: 1) ‘monkey wrench’ is an informal word to refer to someone who tries to sabotage things, and Batman uses it to express that Dick often got himself and Batman into difficult situations; 2) ‘monkey wrench’ is also an implement; as ‘monkey wrench’ is printed in bold, the image depicts another kind of implement, viz. a crowbar, which is visually accentuated by its red colour against a grey background. ‘My little monkey wrench’ was translated into ‘mijn stok in het wiel’, a Dutch expression which means: someone who obstructs someone’s plans. The Dutch expression can be seen as faithful rendition of the original meaning (‘substitutio’). Furthermore, by choosing a translation containing the word ‘stok’ (‘stick’), the translator also faithfully conveys the relations between the image of a large stick-like object, viz. the crowbar, and the words, just as in the original version (‘substitutio’).

However, a single observation should be added: the Dutch translation has a slightly more negative connotation than the original version, as the adjective ‘little’, which has a mitigating effect on what Batman says, has been left out (‘detractio’).

Image 1: Translation of ‘my little monkey wrench’: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 82

The second example (see image 2) illustrates Robin planting a fire cracker in a swindler’s trousers while the swindler is telling another person to watch his red card. As the fire cracker explodes, the swindler drops his cards, making them visible to the reader. Whereas the original speech balloon only mentions ‘red card’, the translator chose to specify (‘adiectio’) the red card even more according to its visual representation, and thus, used ‘rode aas’ (‘red ace’). Even though both the original statement and the translation make use of the image, the translation is more specific as it refers to both the letter ‘a’ on the card and the colour red.

Image 2: Translation of ‘red card’: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 68

The final example (see image 3) depicts the newsreader Lola Chong reading a news story about the murder of three nuns, while there is an image showing the three deceased nuns lying on the ground. However, in the translated version ‘nuns’ was translated as ‘mannen’ (‘men’), which means that there is a discordance between what the target audience reads and what it sees (‘detractio’). It is possible that the translator initially translated ‘nuns’ literally as ‘nonnen’ and that somewhere during the publishing process an error was made as ‘nonnen’ and ‘mannen’ are quite similar in terms of spelling.

Image 3: Translation of ‘nuns’: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 11

It should be stated, however, that these examples are just a selection of interesting cases in which the interaction between text and image is clearly visible. In general, the translator is faithful in translating the text in accordance with the image.

3.2. The translation of verbal elements in Batman

3.2.1. Names

Names that occur in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns can be categorized in two main groups. The first group consist of names that already belonged to the Batman and DC universe before the graphic novel was published (see table 1). The second group covers all the names that were invented for the graphic novel series.

Bruce Wayne / Batman Protagonist Dick Grayson Batman’s first side-kick (Robin) Jason Todd Batman’s second side-kick (Robin) The Joker Batman’s psychopathic arch-enemy Harvey Dent / Two-Face Enemy of Batman whose trademark is flipping a coin to decide his actions Selina Kyle / Catwoman Burglar dressed up as a cat, with whom Batman has a love-hate relation Alfred Pennyworth Bruce Wayne’s butler James ‘Jim’ Gordon Police commissioner of Gotham City Oliver Queen / Green Arrow DC universe superhero Clark Kent / Superman DC universe superhero Table 2: Popular DC universe characters

The first group of names was not translated, which is not uncommon in the translation of superhero-comics into Dutch. The second group can actually be divided into two subdivisions: 1) the characters who play a significant role throughout the entire story (see table 2); 2) the characters who only play a secondary role. The names in the first subdivision remain untranslated; even when the spelling of dr. Bartholomew’s name changes a single time to ‘Bartholemew’, the translator adopts this spelling instead of retaining ‘Bartholomew’.

Ellen Yindel The new (female) police commissioner of Gotham City Carrie Kelly / Robin The new (female) Robin, Batman’s side- kick Dr. Bartholomew (Bartholemew) Wolper The psychiatrist treating both Harvey Dent and the Joker Table 3: characters who play an important role in this story

The second subdivisions is more complex as it consists of names that are both translated and untranslated (see table 3). There is, however, a clear preference for retaining (‘repetitio’) the original English name: out of the 50 names that belong to the second subdivision, only 9 are adapted in the translated version.

Carol Carol Lola Lola Dr. Herbert Willing Dr. Herbert Willing Lana Lana Bill Bill Tom Tom Dave Dave Morrie Morrie Louis Gallagher Louis Gallagher John Dale John Dale Joyce Ridley Joyce Ridley Kevin Kevin Michelle Michelle Brad Brad Merkel Merkel Chuck Brick Chuck Brick Ted Ted Margaret Corcoran Margaret Corcoran Robert Robert

Nathan Briggs Nathan Briggs Hot Gates Hot Gates Trish Trish Iron Man Vasquez Iron Man Vasquez Biggers Biggers Peppi Spandeck Peppi Spandeck Abner Abner Rob Rob Don Don Bruno Bruno Julie Parks Julie Parks Dr. Ruth Weisenheimer Dr. Ruth Weisenheimer Paul Paul Whittaker Whittaker Noches Noches O’Halloran O’Halloran Lucius Lockheed Lucius Lockheed Bobbie Bobbie Jeff Stricken Jeff Stricken Dan Dan Sarah Sarah Boner Boner Murray Murray Ingersoll Ingersol Joannie Joannie/Joan Arnold Crimp Arnold Krimp Father Don De priester Sunflower Standish Sunflower De Witt Byron Brassballs Byron Brassball Carla Shriek Carla Schriek

Ziplip (absent) Silk (absent) Table 4: secondary characters in Batman: the Dark Knight Returns and their Dutch representations

Two names were given a different spelling (‘substitutio’), one which is more in tune with the Dutch language system: 1) Arnold Crimp becomes Arnold Krimp; 2) Carla Shriek becomes Carla Schriek. The Dutch word ‘krimp’ is quite similar in meaning to the English word ‘crimp’, while ‘shriek’ and ‘schriek’ have little in common. ‘schriek’ is an uncommonly used noun to refer to two species of birds; however, it is more likely that ‘schriek’ was chosen as the Dutch language more easily accepts ‘sch’ as consecutive letters than just ‘sh’. As many names remain untranslated it is not even entirely sure whether the translator changed these names deliberately or accidentally; nevertheless, an accidental change would also confirm the naturalness of the adaptations in the Dutch language. An example of a change in names which is more conspicuous, is that of ‘Sunflower Standish’ which has become ‘Sunflower De Witt’.

A peculiar case is that of the name ‘Byron Brassballs’ which was translated into ‘Byron Brassball’, in which just the letter ‘s’ is deleted (‘detractio’). The last name ‘Brassballs’ is derived from the informal expression ‘to have brass balls’, meaning ‘to be tough’, which fits the quite insensitive character. However, as in the Dutch language ‘brass ball(s)’ has no meaning and as there was enough space available to write the full original name, it can be assumed that this is a printing error. Another example in which the final letter of the word is deleted (‘detractio’) is ‘Ingersoll’ which becomes ‘Ingersol’, but this is probably due to the fact that there was not enough space for the final ‘l’ (see section 3.3.4, image 10).

Sometimes the translator is forced to adapt a name as space is scarce within a speech balloon. A case in point is the adaptation of the name ‘Joannie’ which can be found untranslated (‘repetitio’) if the spelling can be fitted into the speech balloon, and also occurs as ‘Joan’ when space is limited.

Finally, some characters whose role is less crucial to the narrative have been left out (‘deletio’) as happens with ‘father Don’ who just becomes ‘de priester’ (‘the father’) or ‘Silk’ and ‘Ziplip’ who are left out altogether.

3.2.2. Title

Kaindl (2010) claims that since the sixties there is a tendency to keep titles untranslated, especially when the protagonists’ name is involved. However, the translation of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a clear example that this is not always the case, as it has been faithfully translated into Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight. (‘Batman: the return of the Dark Knight’), in which the verb ‘to return’ has been nominalized and so finds its way to the beginning of the title (‘transmutatio’). Nevertheless, two parts of the title remain untranslated (‘repetitio’), viz. ‘Batman’ and ‘Dark Knight’, both of which are nicknames referring to the same protagonist. As mentioned in section 3.2.1, all the names that are part of the Batman and DC universe are used in their original form.

In addition, the titles of the four chapters, and thus, the titles of the original four-issue magazines (see section 1.5.1) are also translated into Dutch (see table 5); however, their translations are only mentioned in the table of contents, and not on the introductory pages of the four chapters. There only the main title ‘De Terugkeer Van De Dark Knight’ recurs four times, whereas the original version specifies the individual four titles on these pages.

The four translations are constructed in parallel fashion, starting with the article ‘de’ (‘the’) and followed by a noun phrase, except for title two, which ends with a verb phrase. It is worth mentioning that when a verb is used in the original titles, viz. ‘returns’, ‘hunt’, ‘falls’, the translator chose to nominalise the verb: ‘terugkeer’ (‘return’), ‘jacht op’ (‘hunt for’), ‘val’ (‘fall’), which moves these words to sentence-initial position (‘transmutatio’). Moreover, while the original second title contains the adjective ‘triumphant’, the translated version contains the verb ‘triomfeert’ (‘triumphs’).

The Dark Knight Returns De Terugkeer Van De Dark Knight The Dark Knight Triumphant De Dark Knight Triomfeert Hunt the Dark Knight De Jacht Op De Dark Knight The Dark Knight Falls De Val Van De Dark Knight Table 5: titles of the four books and their translation

3.2.3. Colloquial language

As is mentioned in section 1.4.2.2, comics visualise conversations, utterances and thoughts by means of speech and thought balloons. Invoking informal speech is one of the textual qualities of the comics genre that introduces realism and contributes to the pace of the narrative. In this section of the paper, we will compare the colloquial language in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and its Dutch translation, and focus in particular on slang expressions, swear words and the use of accents.

3.2.3.1. Slang

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns abounds with slang expressions, some of which were created by the makers, and thus entirely new (Apeldoorn, personal communication, April 4, 2018). The translator Ger Apeldoorn admitted that the translation of the slang expressions was the most challenging part of the whole translation process and his aim was to make them sound natural in the Dutch language.

In analysing relevant translation techniques in this part of the corpus, this section will first itemise a non-exhaustive list (see table 6) of invented slang expressions, accompanied by their definition. It is important to mention that these definitions have not been compiled from any authoritative sources, but are based on my own understanding of the expressions in context and on comments by fans who read the work multiple times and shared their views on the blog website dkreturns.blogspot.be (Beno, 2013). Secondly, the slang expressions will be contextualized through short parts of conversations and will then be compared to their Dutch translations.

Balls (adverb) Very, extremely Billy 1. (adjective) 1. Insane 2. (adverb) 2. Completely 3. Billy up (verb) 3. To ruin (cf. mess up) or to raise Chicken leg or (licken) cheg (noun) A girl with a beautiful appearance (I) figure… (expression) Used to emphasize that the next part of the sentence is sarcastic. Peg (verb) To defeat Sebbin Lebbin (noun) 7-Eleven: chain of convenience stores

Shiv (verb), usually ‘don’t shiv’ 1. To concern oneself with 2. To believe 3. To play about Slicer-Dicer (noun) An experienced member of the Mutant gang Spud (noun) An unexperienced member of the Mutant gang Stick (verb) To blame Table 6: slang expressions and their definitions in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

This part of the analysis considers 4 conversations in which slang expressions were used and conversation 2 is divided into 4 parts in order to facilitate its analysis. The first conversation takes place when Batman is fighting the Mutant leader, while they are surrounded by members of the Mutant gang. As two recurring members, Don and Rob, enter into a conversation, the intensifying adverb ‘balls’, as well as some other colloquial constructions are used.

1. Rob: You see, Don. Batman -- he nasty. 2. Don: Hope Rob don’t say balls nasty. 3. Rob: Balls nasty.

1. Rob: Zie je Batman, Don? Een taaie. 2. Don: Maar niet retetaai, hè Rob? 3. Rob: Retetaai!

Conversation 1: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 100

In the first line the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ has been left out between the pronoun ‘he’ and the adjective ‘nasty’, which is recurring characteristic of Mutant speech. In the translation the personal pronoun ‘he’ has been left out (‘detractio’) and the indefinite article ‘een’ (‘a’) was added (‘adiectio’). The word ‘nasty’, which is regularly used in Mutant speech, was in this instance faithfully translated as the adjective ‘taaie’ (‘tough’) used as a noun (‘tough one’). Even though the deletion of the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ has been adopted in the translation, the expression ‘een taaie’ (‘a tough one’) is a common elliptical expression in the Dutch language, and thus, the faulty

syntax of the Mutants is standardized and is more coherent in the Dutch translation (‘deletio’). This is a recurring trend throughout the Mutant conversations (see infra). The repositioning of ‘Batman’ (‘transmutatio’) from the second sentence to the first sentence causes a slight change in meaning as a result of a shift in sentence type. Whereas ‘you see, Don’ is used to confirm that Batman is a tough character, ‘zie je Batman, Don’ (‘do you see Batman, Don’) is a question to direct Don’s sight of Batman.

The second line is a complex one. It could initially be interpreted as ‘I hope Rob doesn’t say: “balls nasty”’, after which Rob would exclaim: ‘Balls nasty’. On the one hand, this interpretation is not very probable as Don’s statement is a direct reaction to Rob’s statement and the reader can see Don facing Rob as he speaks. Yet, on the other hand, the members of the Mutant gang are frequently represented as being unintelligent, which can be often deduced from their faulty syntax , and thus, this interpretation cannot be discarded as impossible. However, there is another possible interpretation of you ‘don’t say’, viz. an utterance of disbelief, as for example, ‘you don’t mean that…’ Support for this interpretation can be found in an example 7(a) in which a group of Mutant members is about to escape from prison and one member says: ‘Boner don’t say we breakin out’. As it is obvious that the group will break out, the expression ‘don’t say’ can be seen as an expression of disbelief, especially since Boner then confirms: ‘Ziplip we breakin out’.

In the translation of both contexts ‘don’t say’ is translated differently. In conversation 1 ‘Hope Rob don’t say balls nasty’ is translated into ‘Maar niet retetaai, hè Rob?’, which is actually in line with the interpretation of ‘don’t say’ as an expression of disbelief as the statement has been turned into a question. Furthermore, the adaptation into a question makes for a more coherent form of speech in which the question ‘hè Rob?’ (‘right, Rob?’) highlights a coherent dialogue whereas the original statement is incoherent and difficult the interpret. There are many other cases in which the translator renders an incoherent Mutant speech statement into a coherent question (see infra). In the second context, ‘Boner don’t say we breakin out’ is translated into ‘hoop dat Boner niet wil uitbreken’ (‘(I) hope Boner does not want to break out’), which is a whole different interpretation altogether.

It would be interesting to consider the translation of the adverb ‘balls’ within the construction ‘balls nasty’. As mentioned in table 6, ‘balls’ is a colloquially used adverb which means ‘extremely’. The translator adopted a Dutch equivalent, viz. ‘rete’ (‘extremely’; literally, ’arse’) to convey the same level of colloquialism as in the original version (‘substitutio’). In another instance (see 7(b)), the translator also uses a different translation for ‘balls nasty’, viz. the noun ‘lefgozer’ (a courageous person). The scenario is again that of the Mutants who are on the verge of escaping prison as a member named Boner attacks and kills one of the warders. A gang member who is impressed by Boner’s actions exclaims: “balls nasty”, which is translated by ‘lefgozer’ (‘substitutio’).

Finally, as was mentioned before (see supra) it should be noted that the translator has the tendency to translate the faulty syntax and speech of the Mutants into coherent and correct Dutch sentences, meaning that the colloquial expressions are often standardized, and thus lost (‘deletio’). Quite often the incoherent Mutant speech was rendered as a question in the Dutch translation, creating a more coherent form of speech as the interrogative sentence emphasises dialogue: 1) conversation 1, line 2; 2) conversation 2 - part 2, lines 1 and 3; 3) conversation 2 - part 3, line 2. In other cases, however, the loss of colloquial expressions is rendered in the same sentence type: 1) conversation 1, line 1; 2) conversation 2 - part 1, line 1; 3) conversation 2 - part 2, lines 2, 4 and 5; 4) conversation 3, line 2; 5) conversation 4, line 3. These cases will be extensively discussed below the conversation in which they occur.

The second conversation is the longest conversation in Mutant slang in the graphic novel and will be divided into separate sections to facilitate the analysis. Again, the excerpt revolves around the two members Rob and Don. At first, they are just talking to each other, but then they are surprised by a ‘Mutant girl’ who is walking past them. Actually the girl is Robin in disguise.

1. Rob: That Batman -- he nasty. Tossed Spike right through th sign, Don. 2. Don: I figure that real cool, Rob. Figure fixing the sign didn’t billy up th price of th games. 3. And leader don’t shiv on Batman -- leader say he pegged Batman. (…)

1. Rob: Die Batman, da’s een taaie, Don. Heeft Spike zo door gevel gegooid. 2. Don: Dat maakt mij niet uit, Rob. Billy heeft het gerepareerd zonder de games duurder te maken. 3. En leider maalt niet om Batman… leider heeft hem gecrushed! (…)

Conversation 2 - part 1: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 95

In the first line, the same sentence appears that was discussed in conversation 1 above, viz. ‘he nasty’. The translator, however, opted for a slightly different translation than in the previous example, viz. ‘da’s een taaie’ (that’s a tough one’) instead of ‘een taaie’ (‘a tough one’). the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ that is absent in the original English version, was added as a contracted form, viz. ‘s’ instead of ‘is’, in the Dutch translation. Furthermore, the contracted form of the verb was attached to a contracted demonstrative pronoun, viz. ‘da’ (that) ‘instead of ‘dat’, which substitutes the personal pronoun ‘he’ of the original version. In other words, whereas the writer of the original graphic novel creates slang speech by leaving out the auxiliary verb, the translator does so by using contracted forms (‘substitutio’).

The second line holds two of the slang constructions that are listed in table 6, viz. ‘figure…’ and ‘billy (up)’. The expression ‘figure’ is used to emphasize that the second part of the sentence is sarcastic, meaning that ‘I figure that real cool’ could actually be read as ‘that is not cool’. The translator chose to utilise the unambiguous version, and thus implicitly conveyed the meaning of ‘figure’ (‘substitutio’), viz. ‘dat maakt mij niet uit’ (‘I do not care about that’). Nevertheless, in the second sentence ‘figure’ is not translated; moreover, the whole sentence has been moved to a

different meaning (‘deletio’ and ‘adiectio’) as the slang verb ‘billy’ has become a proper name, viz. ‘Billy’. In the original version Don is complaining that because Batman broke the sign, the prices of the games will be raised or may have been raised. In the translated version, however, Don states that a person named Billy has repaired the sign without making the games more expensive.

In line three, two other slang expressions occur that are defined in table 6, viz. the verbs ‘shiv’ and ‘peg’. The verb ‘shiv’ always appears in the construction ‘don’t shiv’, which, depending on the context, can mean ‘does not concern himself with’, ‘do/does not believe it’ or ‘does not play about’. In this case, the first definition applies and the structure has been faithfully translated (‘substitutio’) to ‘maalt niet op’ (‘does not concern himself with’). The translations of the other instances of ‘shiv’ will be covered under conversation 2 - part 4 and conversation 3 below. The translation of ‘peg’ is quite interesting as the translator has opted for another English word which was adapted to Dutch spelling, viz. ‘gecrushed’ (‘crushed’), rather than a Dutch translation (‘substitutio’).

An interesting observation can be made on the translations of lines one and three where the translator left out the articles: 1) in ‘door [de] gevel’ (‘through [the] front’); 2) two times in ‘ [de] leider’ (‘[the] leader’). In the first case, the original English line shows the definite article ‘the’ displayed in the Mutant accent, viz. ‘th’ (see section 3.2.3.3 for a detailed analysis of the Mutant accent). The translator conveyed the characteristics of Mutant speech, viz. faulty syntax and non- standard pronunciations, by deleting the article (‘substitutio’). In the second example, the articles are absent in the original English line as well, and thus, this translation can be seen as a faithful rendition of the original (‘repetitio’).

1. Rob: Hey -- eyes slideways, Don. Chicken leg comin -- wearin colors. 2. My mon, licken chegs -- 3. Robin: All lines are busy. 4. Don: Chegs kinda my nasty, Rob. 5. Rob: Chegs billy… chegs pre-school Mutant.

1. Rob: Hé, wat zien we daar, Don? Poezebeentjes… in onze kleuren? 2. Kom eens, lekkertje… 3. Robin: Ik ben bezet, oké? 4. Don: O, ze heeft lef, Don (sic). 5. Rob: Een echte lefpoes uit de kleuterschool!

Conversation 2 - part 2: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 95

The slang term to refer to a young attractive girl in Mutant speech takes multiple forms as can be seen in the excerpt above, viz. ‘chicken leg’, ‘licken chegs’ or ‘chegs’. Similarly, their Dutch translations take distinct forms as well, viz. ‘poezebeentjes’ (literally, ‘cat legs’), ‘lekkertje’ (‘hottie’) and ‘lefpoes’ (‘a courageous girl’; literally, ‘courageous cat’). Interestingly, the translation retains the reference to an animal, albeit a cat instead of a chicken. Another relevant observation is that ‘lefpoes’ is actually a blend of two slang expressions, viz. the adjective ‘billy’ and the noun ‘chegs’. In this example, ‘billy’, which means ‘insane’ has been translated by ‘lef’ (‘courage’). Even though this translation is not faithful to the original, it is consistent with the translation of ‘nasty’ into ‘lef’ in the previous line.

It this observation it can easily be observed that the conversation in English is extremely more deficient than the conversation in Dutch. In line 1, ‘Hey -- eyes slideways, Don’ is again translated into a question, viz. ‘hé, wat zien we daar, Don?’ (‘hey, what have we got over there, Don?’). Another point in case can be found in line 3, where ‘all lines are busy’ was translated into ‘Ik ben bezet, oké?’ (‘I’m taken, okay?’). These adaptations render the dialogue style more explicit, delivering a more coherent speech style. Furthermore, line 5 in the original English version is fragmented, viz. ‘Chegs billy… Chegs pre-school Mutant’, while in the translated version it is again rendered as a sentence which is more grammatical, viz. ‘een echte lefpoes uit de kleuterschool’ (‘a real courageous girl from pre-school’). Moreover, whereas the Mutants in the original English version use the word ‘chegs’ four times, the translator, as discussed above, uses a more diverse vocabulary to refer to ‘chegs’, which renders the Mutant speech less basic and deficient in the Dutch graphic novel (‘deletio’).

1. Robin: Leader take you face f touchin me, spud. (…) 2. Figure you are Mutants. 3. Don: We Mutants! We slicer-dicers!

1. Robin: Leider verbouwt je als je me aanraakt. (…) 2. Zijn jullie wel Mutants? 3. Rob: Ja, Mutanten! Hakkers-en-snijders!

Conversation 2 - part 3: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 95

In this part, two terms can be found which are used to distinguish between an unexperienced and an experienced of the Mutant gang, viz. ‘spud’ and ‘slicer-dicer’ respectively. The word ‘spud’ which occurs in line eleven is not translated (‘detracio’) whilst ‘slicer-dicer’ is translated literally (‘substitutio’) into ‘hakker-en-snijder’. A notable observation can be made concerning the translation of ‘spud’: when it is used as a vocative it is not retained in the translation. However, on one occasion (see 7(c)) it appears in a separate speech balloon and it is translated as ‘debiel’ (‘retard’) whilst in example 7(d) the English word is retained (‘repetitio’). Even though the translation ‘debiel’ communicates the connotation of being unexperienced it does lose its meaning (‘detractio’) as a term to distinguish between the rank of members, as it is used only once as a translation of ‘spud’. Keeping the word in its original form, viz. ‘spud’ would be defined as ‘repetitio’ in Delabastita’s terminology; however, in terms of meaning, it could be argued that the meaning of ‘spud’ is lost to the target audience even if it is repeated, so in that sense even repetition can be considered a form of ‘detractio’.

The word ‘Mutants’, which can be found in lines two and three (conversation 2 - part 3), are rendered differently in both translations, viz. once as the literal Dutch translation ‘Mutanten’ and once as the retention of the English word ‘Mutants’. As we have seen in another instance, viz. translation of ‘pegged’ into ‘gecrushed’ (‘crushed’), the translator sometimes uses English words, either in form that is adapted to the Dutch language system or in their original English formal and syntactical pattern. This is consistent with the translator’s preference to create a foreignising translation (personal communication, April 4, 2018), in this case, a translation that demonstrates to the readers that the story takes place in America.

Line 2 is again a good example of how a typical Mutants speech expression, viz. ‘figure you are Mutants’ is translated into a grammatical interrogative sentence (‘deletio’), viz. ‘zijn jullie wel Mutants?’ (‘are you even Mutants?’).

Lastly, from a grammatical point of view, the use of the personal pronoun ‘you’ in ‘you face’ is curious as it substitutes the possessive pronoun ‘your’, which is a trend that can be found throughout the whole story. Nevertheless, also this characteristic of the Mutant slang is lost in the translated version (‘deletio’).

1. Robin: I’m sure. That’s why you at th pipe. 2. I don’t shiv. 3. Don: Bawd! She don’t shiv.

1. Robin: Waarom zijn jullie dan niet bij de buis? 2. Dat spoort niet. 3. Don: Je spoort zelf niet!

Conversation 2 - part 4: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 95

As mentioned before, ‘don’t shiv’ does not have a single clear definition. In this conversation ‘don’t shiv’ can be interpreted as an expression of disbelief, viz. ‘do not believe it’. In the original English version Robin says she does not believe that Don and Rob are Mutant members as they are not at ‘the pipe’. As she says, ‘I don’t shiv’, Don repeats her words in frustration: ‘bawd, she don’t shiv’. In the Dutch translation the meaning of Robins’ statement is translated faithfully (‘subtitutio’), viz. ‘dat spoort niet’ (‘that’s not right’), even though the subject of the sentence shifts from ‘I’ to the false subject ‘dat’ (‘that’). However, ‘she don’t shiv’ is translated as ‘je spoort zelf niet’ (‘you’re not right’), which conveys the same connotation of annoyance (‘substitutio’) but makes the expression more direct as it is aimed directly at Robin. Furthermore, the expression of surprise ‘bawd’ remains untranslated (‘detractio’).

It is interesting that what is rendered as a statement in line 1 of the English version once again becomes a question in the Dutch translation, viz. ‘that’s why you at th pipe’ becomes ‘waarom zijn jullie dan niet bij de buis?’ (‘then why are you not at the pipe?’). A shift that has already been observed quite a few times and makes the Dutch version of the Mutant speech more coherent.

The following conversation between Rob and Don takes place at a grocery store when they are with a new boss called Bruno who is extorting the shop clerk. Suddenly, they are startled by shouts coming from Batman in disguise who is laying a trap for Bruno.

1. Don: Clerk gone billy, Rob. 2. Rob: Bruno get nasty, Don. You see. 3. Bruno don’t shiv. 4. Batman: Thief! You’re a thief! Sebbin Lebbin sells this for two-fifty!

1. Don: Hij slaat door, Rob. 2. Rob: Nu wordt Bruno kwaad, Don. 3. Bruno is keihard. 4. Batman: Diefstal! Dit is diefstal! Die gestoorde randdebiel vraagt hier een tientje voor!

Conversation 3: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 106

The adjective ‘billy’ meaning ‘insane’ and its translation have already been discussed (see conversation 2 - part 2). In part 2 of conversation 2 ‘billy’ was not translated literally, but contextualised into ‘lef’ (‘courage’). In this conversation the line ‘clerk gone billy, Rob’ is faithfully translated as ‘hij slaat door, Rob’ (‘He’s losing it, Rob’). In a single other case (see 7(e)), the term ‘billy’ is used as an adverb meaning ‘extremely’, viz. “Leader billy berserk, spud.” However, in the Dutch translation, viz. ‘leider is kwaad’ (‘leader is angry’), not only the adverb is deleted (‘detractio’) but ‘berserk’ has been translated by a neutral Dutch equivalent, viz. ‘kwaad’ (‘angry’), which has a mitigating effect on the utterance. Nevertheless, this is one of the few cases where the faulty syntax of the Mutant speech was carried over in the Dutch translation by leaving the definite article ‘de’ (‘the’) out (‘repetitio’).

The final form of ‘don’t shiv’ can be found in line three, where Don says: “Bruno don’t shiv.” As is listed in table 6, this could be paraphrased as ‘Bruno does not play about’. Again, the translator chose another existing Dutch expression, viz. ‘Bruno is keihard’ (‘Bruno is extremely tough’), as an alternative for the slang phrase ‘don’t shiv’ which has several distinct meanings in the original English version. The negated form of the verb ‘shiv’ was translated into a construction consisting of the third person of ‘to be’ and the compound adjective ‘keihard’ (‘extremely tough’). This is again an example in which a typical Mutant expression is standardised in the translation, conveying a more rational speech (‘deletio’). The same happens in line 2 where ‘Bruno get nasty, Don. You see.’ was translated into ‘nu wordt Bruno kwaad, Don’ (‘Now Bruno will get mad, Don’).

In line four, the word ‘Sebbin Lebbin’ is introduced, which is actually a distorted pronunciation of ‘7-Eleven’, an international chain of convenience stores. In the original graphic novel Batman calls the clerk a thief because he asks a higher price for the product than he could find in ‘Sebbin Lebbin’. In the translation, however, the reference to ‘7-eleven’ is lost (‘deletio’). ‘Sebbin Lebbin’, which is the subject of the sentence in the original version, is replaced by ‘die gestoorde randdebiel’ (‘that crazy retard’), which causes a shift in perspective and also adds a pejorative reference to the clerk (‘adiectio’). Nevertheless, it should be mentioned that the meaning of the line, viz. the shop clerk is a thief for asking such a high price, was faithfully conveyed in the translation (‘substitutio’).

The final conversation takes place in the back seat of a taxi where a prostitute (Joannie) is being punished by her procurer (Silk). Suddenly, the occupants of the taxi are startled by a loud sound.

1. Silk: What the… 2. Taxi driver: Ease up back there, man. I’m still payin for these wheels. 3. Silk: Don stick us. That was on th roof.

1. Silk: Wat nou…?! 2. Taxi driver: Een beetje rustig, man. Deze kar is nog niet afbetaald. 3. Silk: Dat was ik niet. Dat was het dak.

Conversation 4: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 28

The last slang term that will be considered is the verb ‘stick’, which means ‘blame’. As the taxi driver thinks that his passengers are making the noise, he calls out to them. Silk, however, knows that the sounds come from the roof and tells the taxi driver not to ‘stick’ (‘blame’) him. The translator again opted for a neutral Dutch equivalent, viz. ‘dat was ik niet’ (‘it wasn’t me’), which is grammatically correct (‘deletio’). More notable is the shift from the first person plural ‘us’ in the English version to the first person singular ‘ik’ (‘me’) in the Dutch version.

As was mentioned above, the translator often accentuated the dialogue style by adding a question mark to the sentences, rendering the Mutant speech more coherent. However, next to question marks, he often adds exclamation marks as well (‘adiectio’), while they are absent in the original conversations: 1) conversation 1, line 3; 2) conversation 2 -part 1, line 3; 3) conversation 2 - part 2, line 5; 4) conversation 2 - part 4, line 3; and 5) conversation 4, line 1.

Finally, in line 2, two things can be observed. First of all, the contracted form ‘I’m’ is lost in the translation (‘detractio’). Moreover, the sentence changed from an active form to passive form as the subject changed from ‘I’ to ‘deze kar’ (‘these wheels’). The second observation has to do with the translation of the informal expression to refer to a car, viz. ‘wheels’, which was faithfully translated into ‘kar’, a Dutch informal equivalent for ‘car’.

a. (p. 171) Boner don’t say we breakin out Geen kop meer, joch. Ziplip we breakin out Spuds voorop. b. (p. 170) Balls nasty Lefgozer. c. (p. 171) Spud Debiel. d. (p. 171) Spuds in front. Spuds voorop. e. (p. 100) Leader billy berserk, spud. Leader peg Leider is kwaad. Hij verplettert Batman. Batman. You see. Kijk maar. Table 7: Separate speech balloons, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

3.2.3.2. Swear words

This part analyses the translation of 24 swear words in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which can be divided into three types of usage: 1) terms of insult (see table 8) ; 2) exclamatory swear word that reflect a character’s frustration (see table 9); 3) swear words used as intensifiers (see table 10). a. You like that bitch, don’t you, Merkel? Je mag die trut wel, hè Merkel? b. Get you ugly ass in there, bitch. We takin a Instappen, teef. We gaan een eindje rijden. ride. c. Frigid bitch -- Frigide koe. d. Eyuuh yourself, bitch. Bitch, ik heb je! e. Go screw, fat boy -- Lik m’n reet, fatso! f. I mean Dent -- not dip stick here. Ik bedoel Dent, niet de kaarten. g. Thas right, man -- one million -- or you Snappu? Eén miljoen… of je hoort dat never hear th little shit cry again. schijtjoch nooit meer janken! h. God damn milk baby. Stomme slappe softie! i. Thief! You’re a thief! Sebbin Lebbin sells Diefstal! Dit is diefstal! Die gestoorde this for two-fifty! randdebiel vraagt hier een tientje voor! j. Spud. Debiel. Table 8: terms of insult, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

As table 8 shows, ‘bitch’ appears four times as an insulting term and its translation varies. In 8(d), the English form is retained (‘repetitio’), viz. ‘Bitch, ik heb je!’ (Bitch, I’ve got you’), but it is moved from sentence-final to sentence-initial position. The other translations, as can be found in 8(a), 8(b) and 8(c), are ‘trut’, ‘teef’ (which is the most literal translation), and ‘koe’ (‘cow’). Another observation that can be made about 8(b) is the fact that the translation shifts (‘detractio’)

the tone of the original expletive into a neutral variant as ‘get you ugly ass in there’ has been translated by only a verb ‘instappen’ (‘get in’).

Examples 8(e) and 8(h) are insults that occur only once; they are all translated into an equivalent Dutch swear word except for the insult in 8(f). Example 8(e), viz. ‘go screw, fat boy’, is faithfully translated into ‘lik m’n reet, fatso!’ (‘go screw yourself, fatso’) as both ‘go screw (yourself)’ and ‘lik m’n reet’ (literally, ‘lick my ass’) are colloquial expressions of contempt and actually belong to category 2 as well, viz. exclamatory swear words resulting from frustration. The insult can be found in the second part of the quote: the ‘fat boy’ is translated into the English insult ‘fatso’, which again illustrates the translator’s preference for the foreignising strategy (see section 3.2.3.1).

Example 8(f) is an excerpt from a conversation (p. 20) between multiple crooks who belong to Two-Face’s gang. As they are playing cards and watching the news about Dent, one crook asks: ‘So -- what do you think?’, to which he replies: ‘I think it’s too damn hot -- and I think he should see it or fold.’ Since they are playing cards the first crook assumes that ‘play’ and ‘fold’ refer to the third crook in the room whose turn it is to play his cards. He makes his question more explicit by saying: ‘I mean Dent -- not dip stick here’. However, the translation of this part is ‘ik bedoel Dent, niet de kaarten’ (‘ I mean Dent, not the cards’) and so the insult ‘dip stick’ remains untranslated (‘detractio’) as the translator moves the reference from a person to an object, viz. from ‘dip stick’, referring to the third crook, to ‘de kaarten’ (‘the cards’).

In 8(g), the insult ‘little shit’ refers to a small child that is kidnapped by some members of the Mutant gang. This reference to the small child has been made slightly more explicit by choosing the translation ‘schijtjoch’ (literally, ‘shit boy’).

Example 8(h) is another example that belongs to two categories, viz. category 1 and category 2. The first part consists of the intensifier ‘god damn’ and the second part is the insult ‘milk baby’. The intensifier ‘god damn’ was translated into two adjectives (‘substitutio’), viz. ‘stomme’ (‘stupid’) and ‘slappe’ (‘weak’). Furthermore, the insult ‘milk baby’ was translated into the English insult ‘softie’ (‘substitutio’), which has been adopted into Dutch usage.

Even though 8(i) and 8(j) have been covered in section 3.2.1.1, they are relevant to the present section since the translation introduces a swear word where none occurs in the original version

(‘adiectio’). A case in point is the translation ‘die gestoorde randdebiel’ (‘that crazy retard’), which refers to the shop clerk, while in the original English version no such reference is made as ‘Sebbin Lebbin’ refers to the international chain store ‘7-Eleven’ (see section 3.2.3.1). The final case, ‘spud’, is a little different as ‘spud’ is a pejorative reference to an unexperienced member of the Mutant gang, yet the translation, viz. ‘debiel’ (‘retard’), is a proper insult and does no longer refer to the rank of the gang member (‘detractio’). a. Bruce, you son of a Bruce, doe niet zo… b. Jesus -- Jezus! c. Christ it’s -- Jezus, het… d. Holy -- Shit… e. Oh, God, no… O God, nee… f. Piss off. Rot op. Table 9: exclamations of frustration, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

Example 9(a) might be perceived as a swear word belonging to category 1, viz. an insult to someone; however, it is not so much intended as an insult to Bruce but rather as an utterance of frustration because Bruce does not listen. The ellipsis in the expression ‘you son of a’, as it would normally be completed by ‘bitch’, viz. ‘you son of a (bitch)’ is matched in the translation (‘substitutio’) as the expression ‘doe niet zo…’ can be completed with ‘stom’ or ‘dom’ (‘stupid’), viz. ‘doe niet zo stom/dom’ (‘don’t be stupid’). However, the translated expression shifts the register from an expletive to a colloquial term (‘detractio’).

Cases 9(b), 9(c), 9(d) and 9(e) show religious swear words, viz. ‘Jesus’, ‘Christ’, ‘holy’, ‘God’. Both ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’ are translated into ‘Jezus’ (‘Jesus’) as ‘Christus’ (‘Christ’) is not used as a swear expression in the Dutch language. The adverb ‘holy’, an intensifier that is a fixed part of multiple swear words such as ‘holy shit’, ‘holy fuck’, etc., has been translated into the English ‘shit’, dropping the combination with ‘heilige’ (‘holy’), which is not idiomatic in Dutch. Finally, the expression ‘oh, God, no…’ was faithfully translated into ‘o God, nee…’.

In 9(f) the expression ‘piss off’, which is a colloquial expression for ‘go away’, is faithfully translated into a Dutch informal equivalent (‘substitutio’), viz. ‘rot op’ (‘piss off’). a. Still huh? I’m damn sorry about that. Nog steeds niet? Dat is jammer. b. I think it’s too damn hot -- Ik denk dat het te warm is… c. -- Can’t see a damn thing -- … Ik zie geen bal! d. Can’t see a damn thing Ik zie geen bal, hier… e. Chill, man -- It’s just a god damn -- Easy, man! Het is gewoon een vleer… --bat… … muis… f. -- Swear I’ll blow his god damn head off -- … Ik zweer je dat ik z’n kop d’r af knal! g. So dark, man… Shit, wat donker… h. You got to kick his -- Trap hem in z’n … Table 10: intensifying swear words, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

Cases 10(a), 10(b), 10(c) and 10(d) demonstrate the use of the intensifying adverb ‘damn’. In the examples 10(a) and 10(b) the intensifier remains untranslated (‘detractio’): ‘I’m damn sorry about that’ becomes ‘dat is jammer’ (‘I’m sorry about that’). Nevertheless, in 10(c) and 10(d) the intensifier ‘damn’ was translated, but in a different form (‘substitutio’), viz. the intensifying effect of the adverb ‘damn’ is incorporated in the noun ‘bal’ which is part of the colloquial expression ‘ik zie geen bal’ (‘I can’t see a damn thing’).

In 10(e) and 10(f) the stronger intensifier ‘god damn’ is introduced. As was the case in 10(a) and 10(b), also the expression ‘god damn’ is not rendered in the Dutch translation (‘detractio’).

Case 10(g) is an example in which the translator adds a swear word while it is absent in the original English version (‘adiectio’), viz. ‘so dark, man’ becomes ‘shit, wat donker…’ (‘shit, so dark’). The use of the English word ‘shit’, commonly used in Dutch, is a straightforward foreignising strategy, which the translator uses elsewhere as well. Furthermore, the addition of

‘shit’ causes a shift in the sentence structure as ‘so dark’ moves from sentence-initial position to sentence-final position (‘transmutatio’).

Example 10(h), finally, is uttered by a child who tells Batman he has to ‘kick the Joker’s ass’, but Batman intervenes just before the child can finish his sentence, telling him to watch his language. Whereas ‘to kick someone’s ass (or butt)’ is an informal expression meaning ‘to defeat someone’, the translated version opts for the literal ‘trap hem in z’n …’ (‘kick him in his …’), which is not an idiomatic Dutch expression, but it mirrors the original English expression and in that sense it can be seen as a foreignising strategy.

A final observation can be made regarding the use of punctuation marks: whereas the original English graphic novel uses both em dashes and ellipses to visualise a pause, the translation only uses ellipses (‘substitutio’).

3.2.3.3. Accents

There are two notable accents that can be distinguished in Batman: the Dark Knight Returns: 1) the dialectic speech of the ‘Mutants’, and in a broader sense of the villains, which is used throughout the whole story; 2) the German accent of a character who only appears in chapter three.

As section 3.3.3.1. explains, the colloquial language of ‘The Mutants’ plays an important in the translation of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Even though the accent is only one part of an extensive colloquial register, it is a part that has been largely lost in the translation. The speech of the villains in the original comics abounds with non-standard pronunciations and contracted construction which are systematically used throughout the story (see table 11).

1. Verbs in ing-form losing the ‘g’ Painin, messin, beggin, goin… 2. ‘th’ of the word ‘with’ replaced by ‘f’ Wif 3. Contraction of multiple words Lookit (look at), thas (that is), soon’s (as soon as), les (let us)… 4. Deletion of letters An (and), fr/f (for), coo (cool), th (the), course (of course)… 5. Bastardisation of reflexive pronouns Hisself (himself), yusself (yourself) Table 11: the accent of villains in original graphic novel

A comprehensive observation of the translation of the same conversations (see section 2) in which the above cases were found, led only to five cases of non-standard pronunciation. Four of them belong to the third category (see table 11), viz. ‘ik doe’t’ (‘I’ll do it), two times ‘da’s’ (that’s) and ‘snappu’ (a bastardisation of ‘snapt u ?’, meaning ‘you understand ?’ The other case is an example of category two (see table 11), viz. ‘z’n’ (contracted form of ‘his’). In terms of Delabastita’s translation categories, these five translations are cases of ‘substitutio’. However, ‘deletio’ abounds as most of English non-standard speech is not translated, and thus deleted.

The German accent of dr. Ruth Weisenheimer (see conversation 5), on the other hand, has been systematically adapted to the Dutch language system. The most striking difference between the

two representations of a German accent is that in the original English version the accent is created graphemically in phonetic spelling , while in the translated version the ‘accent’ is more frequently represented by the use of existing German words.

… people zhould haf zex und zex und zex -- all ze time, David… ‘… die menschen moeten meer zex hebben… zex, zex, noer zex allein, David…’ *Ahem* Dr. Volper -- you haf blemmed ze Batman for zese killings, yes? ‘Eh… dr. Wolper… sie haben Batman die schuld gegeben für al die moorden, ja?’ Und what iz ze nature uf Batman’s pzychosis ? ‘Und die psychosen von Batman, von welke art ist die?’ Zexual repression -- zis is a terrible zing… ‘Zexuele verdrinking… das ist ja sehr schlimm, ja…’ Zex und zex… ‘Zex und zex…’ …und zex und zex… ‘… und zex und zex…’

Conversation 5: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, pp. 26-27

As can be seen from the examples (see conversation 5), the German accent in English is represented by: 1) ‘f’ [f] instead of ‘ve’ [v]; 2) ‘z’ [z] instead of ‘s’ [s] and ‘th’ ([θ] or [ð]); 3) ‘u’ ([ʊ], which differs slightly from its English pronunciation) instead of ‘o’ [ə]; 4) ‘e’ [ɛ] instead of ‘ai’ [eɪ]; 5) v [v] instead of w [w]. Furthermore, there is one existing German word that is repeated, viz. ‘und’ (‘and’).

In addition to the repetition of the German word ‘und’ (‘repetitio’), the Dutch translation uses a great deal of existing German words to evoke the linguistic effect of the German accent in the original work (‘substitutio’), viz. ‘die’ (‘the’), ‘menschen’ (‘people’), ‘gegeben’ (‘given’), ‘schlimm’ (‘bad’), among others. Also ‘noer’ [nuːr] (‘only’) is an example of this, even though its spelling is closer to the English graphemic technique as the spelling has been adapted to the Dutch language system, ‘nur’ [nuːɐ̯ ] being the correct spelling in German. In other instances, the translator chose to represent the German accent by use of non-existent words, viz. ‘zex’ for ‘sex’ and ‘zexuele’ for ‘sexual’, just as in the original work (‘repetitio’).

3.3. The translation of non-verbal elements in Batman

3.3.1. Format

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight both were published in different formats. The translated product is thicker in a material sense than the original work, which is largely the effect of the difference in paper: while the original comic consists of a thin and smooth kind of paper, the translated comic consists of a thicker and rougher- surfaced paper. Furthermore, the translated product is slightly smaller than the original product, viz. from 26 cm by 17 cm to 25 cm by 16 cm, which means that the pages in the translated work are smaller as well. This was realised by cutting the original pages. A good example can be found on page 31, where, for example, the onomatopoeia ‘thunkk’ is half a ‘k’ shorter than in the original version see (image 4). It is also worth mentioning that the translation has lost the page numbering.

Image 4: adaptation of page size (p. 31)

In addition to the differences in paper, another striking difference is the cover image. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns uses images that recur within the graphic novel: two large images, one of Batman’s face and one of the Joker’s face, and a series of smaller portraits of other characters’ faces. Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight uses part of the original cover of book three (Hunt the Dark Knight) as a front image, and part of the original cover of book one (The Dark Knight Returns) as a back image.

Image 5: cover images (front and back)

3.3.2. Lettering

The most striking difference between the lettering in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and its Dutch translation is that the original English version is lettered by hand, while the translated version is lettered digitally. This part of the analysis will consider whether this difference in lettering process has any implications for the associations that are conveyed through the choice of lettering and typography.

As is mentioned in section 1.4.3.2, the lettering of a comic plays a role in the telling of the story. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns characters or events can be distinguished by means of a difference in the shape or colour of the speech balloons, but also by a distinct typeface or font. A case in point can be found towards the end of the story, when Alfred Pennyworth watches the Wayne Manor burn down just as he is about to die. The typeface of the narrative text then changes into a calligraphic typeface (see image 6). In the translated work a similar, yet not identical, typeface was adopted (‘substitutio’). However, while in the original version some words are accentuated through capitalisation, no words are emphasised in the translated version (‘detractio’).

Another instance in which the translator does not adopt the same kind of typographic focus as in the original version can be seen in image 7 (‘detractio’). In the original graphic novel the two occurrences ‘kill’ are both highlighted in a larger font, whereas the translation is set in the regular font size. It should also be mentioned that the translated text is printed in bold and italics which is partially in line with the original version (‘substitutio’) and that the full stop has changed into a exclamation mark which also conveys the effect of yelling. Nevertheless, this addition of the exclamation mark only partially conveys the same screaming effect (‘detractio’) as in the original English speech balloon.

Nevertheless, there are cases in which words that are written in a larger font in the original graphic novel are also conveyed as such (‘substitutio’) in the translation. This happens when they are the only words inside the speech balloon, as is shown in image 8 in which the translation of ‘kid’ is represented in a larger font size as well. An example of other cases in which the translated versions are faithful renditions of the original versions, can be seen in image 9, where the distinct typeface for ‘mine!’ is adopted in the Dutch translation.

Image 6: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 196

Image 7: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 73

Image 8: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 36

Image 9: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, p. 36

3.3.3. Inscriptions

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns includes many types of inscriptions, i.e. text integrated into the imagery, viz. text on objects, speech uttered by characters outside of a demarcated text box and onomatopoeia. The onomatopoeias will only be discussed briefly as inscriptions, since they are examined extensively in section 3.4.4, and as all of them remain untranslated (‘repetitio’).

The first thing that stands out is that not every inscription is translated, and it is difficult to determine on the basis of which elements the publishing house decided to adapt some inscriptions while others remained untouched. However, it is clear that speech which is located outside of a text box, and thus belongs to the imagery, is always translated and adapted.

The first speech inscription (see table 12), is a faithful translation of the original English text, although it uses different punctuation marks to visualize suspense, viz. the em dash in English and the ellipsis in Dutch. Visually, the translation differs from the original in that the font style is different and it has a burgundy red colour, while the original has a bright red colour. The difference in font type can be attributed to the fact that in the original version the inscriptions were drawn manually, while they were drawn by machine in the translation (see section 3.3.2).

Mutants! Mutanten! Surrender Geef je over… now -- or be of jullie gaan destroyed! eraan! Table 12: speech inscriptions, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

A different kind of speech inscriptions are those that appear in a large white typeface and represent the loud screaming through a megaphone (see table 13). In the original graphic novel, they mostly appear without punctuation marks, except for example D. In the translation, punctuation marks were added (‘adiectio’), again a different font style was used (‘substitutio’) and the first three inscriptions are framed by a narrow purple border was. Other than that, the translation is faithful to the original (‘substitutio’).

Two observations can be made regarding the translations of these speech inscriptions. In 13(b) there is a change of perspective: whereas the original version states: ‘you are surrounded’, the translated version says: ‘we hebben je omsingeld’ (‘we have you surrounded’). Example 13(c) is

interesting for the fact that the visual effect of repeating the letter ‘o’ seems to be replaced (‘substitutio’) by alliteration, viz. the repetition of ‘s’ at the beginning of both words. a. Batman Batman, you are je staat under onder arrest arrest! b. You are We hebben je surrounded omsingeld! c. Do Sta not stil! move d. We’re We zijn bastards klootzakken… let’s laten we ons act like… dan ook No… gedragen als… Nee! e. NO NEE! Table 13: speech inscriptions, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

Another type of inscriptions is the text that appears on drawings of objects in the story (see table 14), e.g. in newspapers, on signs, on television sets etc. Example 14(a) is writing on a wall and appears in a panel without any text boxes. ‘Arkham’ is the only element that has been kept in its original form, for the other text a slightly different font style was used. Example 14(c), has exactly the same text as 14(a), and so, the translation is the same as well: again ‘Arkham’ has been kept without any changes, while the other words are translated. However, whereas the original version uses another font style than in 14(a), the translated version of 14(c) reuses the font style that was adopted for the translation of 14(a).

Example 14(b) is the text of sign of the intensive treatment ward of a psychiatric facility (Arkham). In the original version ‘Intensive’ has a dark blue colour and has a larger font size than the other black-coloured text, which is quite similar to the translated version where “Intensive care” has a slightly brighter blue colour. It is worth mentioning that the translator chose an English equivalent of ‘intensive treatment ward’, viz. ‘intensive care afdeling’. Although the English equivalent is commonly used in the Dutch language, there is a Dutch equivalent as well, viz. ‘afdeling intensieve zorgen’. However, as ‘intensivecareafdeling’ is common in the Dutch language and as the word order allows for the same emphasis on ‘intensive’, it seems the more natural translation.

Example 14(d) is an inscription on a door handle; the imperative ‘push’ with a purple hue and and clearly handmade, has been translated into its Dutch counterpart ‘duwen’, and changed into a computer-made black font (‘substitutio’). More poignant is the fact that other the inscriptions on the door are kept in their original English form (‘repetitio’).

Examples 14(e) and 14(f) both are the same inscriptions on a door in two subsequent panels. As in other examples mentioned above, ‘Ellen Yindel’ remains unchanged, whilst the subscript ‘Commissioner op police’ does not. In the translation of 14(f), a striking adaptation has been made as the subscript has been printed backwards, i.e. as a mirror image, which is not in accordance with the name above, viz. ‘Ellen Yindel’, which is not a mirror image.

Example 14(g) is an inscription on a sign above a cotton candy stand at a carnival. The colour scheme of the letters has been kept in the translation, viz. ‘free’ and ‘gratis’ in red; ‘cotton candy’ and ‘suiker spin’ in white and pink. However, while ‘cotton candy’ consist of two words in English, its Dutch translation ‘suikerspin’ should be written as one word. However, it appears there is a general tendency to write shorter inscriptions on objects in the same fashion as in the original English version, viz. ‘suikerspin’ is written in two words ‘suiker spin’ just like ‘cotton candy’ and ‘intensivecareafdeling’ is written in three words ‘intensive care afdeling’ just like ‘intensive treatment ward’. Strikingly, the inscriptions on other attractions at the carnival remain untranslated.

Example 14(h), is an inscription made by Superman using his superpowers to burn ‘Where ?’ into the ground. The letters and question mark are drawn as letters that are on fire, and in the translated

print the reoccurring characters ‘w’, ‘r’ and ‘?’ are an exact copy of those in the original version, and two letters ‘a’ have been added in the same style.

Finally, example 14(i) is the writing on a time bomb which is about to explode. The translator chose to translate ‘detonation’ into ‘ontploffing’, while ‘t minus’ remained untranslated, yet its font style changed according to the style of ‘ontploffing’. ‘t minus’ is a frequently used specialised term to refer to countdowns, and has no real Dutch translation; the translator would have to give an explanatory translation, e.g. ‘nog … voor de ontploffing’ (‘… before detonation’), which would be quite a difficult intervention as space is scarce in comic panels (cf. constrained translation) and it would be costly as well. Moreover, the translator, Apeldoorn (personal communication, April 4, 2018), prefers a foreignising strategy, viz. he wants convey the American cultural elements as much as possible into the Dutch translation without affecting the readability and understandability of the translation. a. Arkham Arkham Home Tehuis for the voor emotioneel emotionally troubled verwarde patiënten b. Intensive Intensive care treatment afdeling ward

No visitors Geen bezoek c. Arkham Arkham Home Tehuis for the voor emotioneel emotionally troubled verwarde patiënten d. push duwen e. Ellen Ellen Yindel Yindel Commissioner Politie- of police commissaris

f. Ellen Ellen Yindel Yindel Commissioner - Politie of police commissaris g. Free cotton Gratis suiker candy spin h. Where? Waar? i. Detonation Ontploffing t minus t minus Table 14: object inscriptions, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

3.3.4. Onomatopoeia

In regard to the translation of onomatopoeia, the representation of sound, in the graphic novel, two translation strategies are used, viz. ‘repetitio’ and ‘substitutio’, the former of which is used most frequently. Most of the onomatopoeia in the comic are integrated into the images and remain unchanged in the translated version. Those onomatopoeic words that appear in speech balloons will be discussed in this part of the paper and the full list of these onomatopoeia and their Dutch translations can be consulted in the appendix (table 5).

A frequent onomatopoeic expressions that occurs in the speech balloons is ‘aaaa’ or ‘aaah’, or any other variation multiplying the letter ‘a’, to express surprise or pain. The translation has a clear preference for the form ending in the letter ‘h’, meaning that either an ‘h’ is added or the onomatopoeia can be copied, in addition to a frequent inclusion or deletion of the letter ‘a’. Some cases of onomatopoeia like ‘oof!’ or ‘oww!’ are translated into a Dutch variant in Dutch spelling, viz. ‘oef!’ And ‘au!’. Others received a different spelling, viz. ‘uff’ becomes ‘unf’, ‘hmp’ becomes ‘hm’ and ‘hyuh’ becomes ‘hjah’; however, it is difficult to say whether this has to with cultural differences or the translator’s preference. In three cases the onomatopoeic words were cut (‘detractio’) in the translation.

Sometimes multiple translations are used for one onomatopoeic expression: a case in point is the onomatopoeia to solicit silence, viz. ‘shh’, which is translated into the elliptical imperative form ‘Stil!’ (‘quiet!’) but also into the onomatopoeic form ‘ssst’.

A special case is that of ‘detractio’ which can be found in the translation of ‘Carrie oh go[d] MMP’ which becomes ‘Carrie! o!’ discarding the word ‘go[d]’ and the onomatopoeia ‘MMP’ and substituting the ‘oh’ with and ‘o’; this latter substitution of the ‘oh’ happens throughout the whole graphic novel. Other cases of ‘detracio’ can be found in the translation of two cases of onomatopoeia that are accompanied by six motion lines in the original comic, viz. ‘skrikk’ and ‘ahem’; however, in the translated version, viz. ‘gschchgchch’ and ‘eh’ respectively, the onomatopoeia has been changed (‘substitutio’) and the motion lines have disappeared (‘detractio’), which is probably due to the fact that lettering was provided digitally and not manually as in the original version. (see image 10 and 11).

Image 10: deletion of pictorial elements in speech balloon (p. 138)

Image 11: deletion of pictorial elements in speech balloon (p. 126)

4. Conclusion and discussion

4.1. Conclusion

This master’s thesis has examined how the genre-specific characteristics of the English graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns are conveyed into its Dutch translation Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight. The study’s findings were categorised on the basis of the theoretical framework developed in Delabastita’s six translation categories for film translation (1989), which, according to Kaindl (1999), can be used to analyse comics. The theoretical framework provided a structured overview of the different translation strategies the translator has adopted.

This conclusion will synthesise the most salient shifts in translation and interpret them by taking into account findings of previous studies of graphic novels in translation.

As section 1.4.1 demonstrates, the translation of graphic novels, or comics, is characterised by quantitative restrictions, resulting from the limitation of space, and qualitative restrictions, resulting from the multimodal character (Garcés, 2000). The issue of limited space can be solved by utilising electronic graphics programmes to create a smaller font (Kaindl, 2010) or by exploiting the image, i.e. omitting an explicit message produced by text because it is implied visually in the images (Borodo, 2015). Furthermore, the translator does not simply translate a text or images, but the interplay between both. This interaction can hinder the translation process (cf. Guillaume, 2015), but it can also facilitate it if the image can be used to accentuate the text (Borodo, 2015).

Section 1.4.2 focusses on the verbal elements that are present in comics: names, titles and colloquial language. An elaborate analysis on the translation of names can be found in Grun and Dollerup (2003). The possible translation strategies that can be drawn from their study are: 1) ‘substitutio’, to use names that are more common in the target culture; 2) ‘substitutio’ and ‘adiectio’, to create a literary effects, such as assonance and alliteration. As for the translation of colloquial language, the small number of studies devoted to this topic is quite striking since most of the comics present characters talking to each other in a colloquial manner. Garcés (2000) mentions two possible obstacles in the translation of comics, viz. 1) identifying the expressions as being slang; and 2) finding an equivalent in the target language. Coumans (2008) adds that in the

case of translating colloquial expressions, originality and natural-sounding expressions should be preferred. The possible translation strategies regarding colloquial expressions as presented in the literature review are: 1) ‘substitutio’, to create a more natural-sounding expression in the target language; 2) ‘repetitio’, to recreate the connotation of the expression in the original culture (Coumans, 2008; Urdiales-Shaw, 2015). On the translation of comic titles not many studies were yielded. However, Kaindl (2010) suggests that titles are often inspired by marketing criteria.

Section 1.4.3 examines the non-verbal elements that are present in comics: comic format, lettering, inscriptions and onomatopoeia. For the translation of the comic format the publishing house has to take into account that different cultures prefer different formats. As was exemplified by Rota (2008), the ‘Western Comics format’ is susceptible to cultural differences in a number of ways, for example: 1) European publishing houses tend to make as few changes as possible; 2) the European reader, in opposition to the American reader, prefers stories that do not come in instalments, but that are complete; 3) also within Europe the preference for a certain format can differ. Rota (2008) also adds that the publishing house can choose between adopting a local format, retaining the original format or adopting a format that is different from the local format as well as from the original one. Furthermore, Kaindl (2010) notes that the lettering of comics can be culture-bound as well. On the subject of inscriptions, Kaindl (2010) claims that their translation depends on two factors: 1) the degree of dependence between the inscriptions and the imagery; 2) the importance of inscriptions for the plot. Finally, two possible translation strategies for onomatopoeia are: 1) ‘repetitio’, if they are commonly used in the target language, create a comical effect that fits the storyline or if they are too expensive to retouch; 2) ‘substitutio’, to explicate the noise as each language has a repertoire of onomatopoeia that come very naturally. (Guillaume, 2015; Garcés, 2000; Taran, 2003).

The case study focusses on the translation of a selection of genre-specific elements, viz. interaction between text and image, verbal elements and non-verbal elements, in the English graphic novel Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2011) and its 2011 revised Dutch translation Batman - De terugkeer van de Dark Knight. The collection of data for the corpus was finalized in two steps: 1) a selection of the first eleven pages of every chapter (25% of the full graphic novel and its translation), which yielded a first overview of salient graphic and textual differences between the original graphic novel and its translation; 2) a more detailed selection of specific

elements, such as names, colloquial conversations, swear words, accents, comic format, lettering, inscriptions and onomatopoeia.

The translation strategy that recurs most frequently across the different categories studied in this case study is ‘substitutio’, or the faithful conveyance of the meaning, the visuals and their interdependence from the source language into the target language. It is interesting, however, that the translator, in the translation of verbal elements, often uses a foreignising strategy in which he translates the original English expression into another English expression, which may or may not be adapted to the Dutch spelling. The translator’s preference for the foreignising strategy is also apparent in the use of the ‘repetitio’ translation strategy, in which terms from the original English graphic novel were adopted in the Dutch translation without any adaptations. Also Urdiales-Shaw (2015) mentioned that the ‘repetito’ strategy can be used as a foreignising strategy; however, the case study has shown that next to ‘repetitio’ also the ‘substitutio’ strategy can create a foreignising effect (see section 3.2.3.1).

In regard to the interplay between text and image (see section 3.1), the translation generally conveys the same relation between the verbal and non-verbal elements as in the original graphic novel (‘substitutio’).

Section 3.2 focusses on the translation of the verbal elements of the graphic novel, viz. names, titles and colloquial language.

The names (see section 3.2.1) were mostly adopted in their original form (85%) in the translation (‘repetitio’). In some cases (5%) the translator adapted a name slightly, usually to fit it into the speech balloon (‘substitutio’). Furthermore, some names (3%) were adapted to the Dutch spelling (‘substitutio’) and in one case (2%) the surname was changed completely. Some names (5%) were left out as well (‘detractio’). These results are quite different from those of Grun and Dollerup’s study (2003) in which ‘substitutio’ was the main translation strategy.

All titles in the graphic novel were faithfully translated into Dutch (‘substitutio’), which differs from Kaindl’s (2010) observation that most titles remain untranslated, especially if it contains the protagonist’s name.

The graphic novel is marked by its use of many colloquial expressions (see section 3.2.2), more specifically, in Mutant speech, which abounds with ungrammatical structures and idiosyncratic

slang expressions. In most cases the translator faithfully translates the meaning of the various slang expressions (‘substitutio’); however, he does not replace them with new and unique Dutch expressions, but he uses existing Dutch colloquial expressions. Nevertheless, in some instances the colloquial English expression is not conveyed in the translation (‘detractio’). The frequent use of the ‘substitutio’ strategy can be linked to Coumans’s (2008) and Urdiales-Shaw’s (2015) studies, in which they propose that this translation strategy can be used to convey the same meaning of the original expression to an expression that sounds more natural in the target language.

Furthermore, the translator tends to standardise the faulty syntax and the special accent of the Mutants (see section 3.2.2.1 and 3.2.2.2), which portrays these characters as less unintelligent creatures than they are made out to be in the original version (‘deletio’). One of the interesting ways in which the translation makes the Mutant language more coherent is by turning a declarative sentence into an interrogative sentence, which makes the dialogue style more explicit. The addition of question marks is not the only difference in punctuation, as the translator often adds exclamation marks (‘adiectio’) and substitutes em dashes by ellipses (‘substitutio’).

A close observation of the expletives demonstrates that insults and expressions of frustration were mainly translated faithfully (‘substitutio’), whilst most of the intensifying swear words were left out (‘detractio’). As with the translation of the other colloquial language elements, also for the translation of expletives the ‘substitutio’ strategy has mainly been used to create a natural- sounding Dutch colloquial expression (Coumans, 2008; Urdiales-Shaw, 2015).

Section 3.3 examines the translation of the non-verbal elements of the graphic novel, viz. format, lettering, inscriptions and onomatopoeia.

In the translation of the non-verbal elements it can be observed that interventions in the images are much rarer than interventions in the text boxes. This is especially true of the translation of onomatopoeia which were never adapted if they belonged to the image (‘repetitio’), but were frequently adapted in the speech balloons (‘substitutio’). These two translation strategies were also proposed by Guillaume (2015), Garcés (2000) and Taran (2003) for the translation of onomatopoeia. Nevertheless, for the translation of inscriptions, which are part of the image as well, some pictorial adaptations were made. Interestingly, for some of the smaller inscriptions on

objects the translator stayed close to the visual representation of the original English inscriptions, even if it meant spelling the word in discordance with its correct Dutch spelling.

The original English graphic novel was lettered by hand, while the translation is lettered digitally. This may have explained some of the changes in visual effects: highlighted words stand out less clearly in translation (‘detractio’), but mainly, the lettering was conveyed faithfully (‘substitutio’).

Finally, the comic format of the translation differs slightly from the original graphic novel. Even though the content is similar, the translation has different dimensions, a distinct cover and uses a different kind of paper. However, there is insufficient evidence to verify whether this difference is culture-bound, as was proposed by Rota (2008).

4.2. Discussion

This paper should not be viewed as an exhaustive list of all the possible translation strategies for each verbal and non-verbal element of the comic or graphic novel as it is an analysis of only one particular case. Moreover, as the study mainly focussed on the translation of the genre-specific characteristics of the comics genre, not the full translation style of the translator was examined in detail. A telephone interview with the translator Ger Apeldoorn provided interesting information, that motivated a number of translation choices. Still, it is impossible to decide whether strategies are creative personal decisions or align with policies of a publishing house or a broader cultural code. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of different translation techniques used to translate genre-specific characteristics of comics, and graphic novels, and should in that sense be seen as point of reference for further studies on the translation of comics or graphic novels.

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Taran, T. (2014). Problems in the Translation of Comics and Cartoons. Analele ştiinţifice ale universităţii de studii Europene din Moldova, 3, 90-100. Moldova: Universitatea de studii Europene din Moldova. Urdiales-Shaw, M. (2015). Between Transmission and Translation: The Rearticulation of Vladek Spiegelman’s Languages in Maus. Translation and Literature, 24(1), 23–41. Valero-Garcés, Carmen. (2000). La traducción del comic: retos, estrategias y resultados. TRANS: revista de traductología, (4), 75-88. Vitse, S. (2011). Twee beeldverhalen. Een verkenning van het medium. DW B: Zzzzzzz, de laatste graphic novel, (5), 765-774. Zanettin, F. (2008). Comics in translation: An overview. Comics in translation (pp. 1–32). Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.

6. Appendix

Table 1: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, pp. 11-21

I’ve got the home stretch all to myself when Er is niemand meer tussen mij en de the readings stop making sense. I switch to eindstreep als de meters gaan tollen. Ik ga manual-- over op handbediening… Bruce, this is Carol. You’re going too fast! Bruce, dit is Carol. Je gaat te hard. -- but the computer crosses its own circuits … maar de computer doet wat hij wil en laat and refuses to let go. I coax it. me er niet bij. Ik dring aan. It isn’t programmed to — Bruce! Die is niet geprogrammeerd om… Bruce! Bruce, you son of a Bruce, doe niet zo… It shoves hot needles in my face and tries to Hij schiet hete naalden in mijn gezicht en make me blind. I’m in charge now and I like probeert me te verblinden. Maar ik rijd zelf it. weer en het bevalt me. Then the front end lurches, all wrong. I Dan slingert de voorkant. Niet de bedoeling. know what’s coming. Ik weet wat er nu gaat komen. I’ve got just under two seconds to shut this Ik heb amper twee seconden om dit ding af mess down and forfeit the race. te sluiten en de race op te geven. The engine, angry, argues the point with me. De motor gromt tegenargumenten. De finish The finish line is close, it roars. Too close. is te dichtbij, zegt hij. Te dichtbij. The left front tire decides to turn all on its De linker voorband begint voor zichzelf. Ik own. I laugh at it and jerk the steering wheel lach erom en geef het stuur een ruk naar to the right. rechts. The nose digs up a chunk of macadam. I De neus graaft een stuk wegdek op. Het look at it-- vliegt langs me… --Then straight into the eye of the sun. … en ik kijk recht in het oog van de zon. This would be a good death… Dit zou een mooie dood kunnen zijn… …but not good enough. … maar niet mooi genoeg. …spectacular finish to the Neuman … spectaculair einde van de Neuman elimination, as the Ferris 6000 pinwheeled afvalrace. De Ferris 6000 tuimelde over de across the finish line, a flaming coffin for finish, als een brandende lijkkist voor Bruce Bruce Wayne… Wayne… …or so everyone thought. Turns out the … tenminste… dat dacht iedereen. En wat millionaire bailed out at the last second. blijkt? De miljonair is er op het laatste Suffered only superficial burns, Lola? moment uitgesprongen. Met niet meer dan oppervlakkige brandwonden. Lola? Thanks, Bill. I’m surprised anyone can even Dank je, Bill. Het verbaast me dat iemand think of sports in this weather. Right, Dave? zelfs maar aan sport kan denken met dit weer. Nietwaar, Dave?

Right, Lola. At Gotham’s magnificent twin Ja, Lola. De temperatuur vlak buiten de towers it’s ninety-seven--with no relief in studio in Gotham is vijfendertig graden… en sight. er is geen verlichting in zicht. Thanks, Dave. This heat wave has sparked Dank je, Dave. Deze hittegolf heeft veel many acts of civil violence here in Gotham gewelddadige uitbarstingen tot gevolg gehad City… hier in Gotham City… …the most hideous of which has to be the … De meest afstotelijke is ontegenzeggelijk brutal slaying of three nuns last week by the de wrede moord op drie mannen, vorige gang known as the mutants. week gepleegd door een bende die zich de mutanten noemt. And today police found a death threat nailed En vandaag vond politiecommissaris to the door of the office of police Gordon een brief op de deur van zijn commissioner James Gordon. kantoor, waarin hij met de dood bedreigd wordt. Gordon, facing retirement on his seventieth Commissaris Gordon, die volgende maand birthday next month, spoke to a news two bij de gelegenheid van zijn zeventigste reporter… verjaardag met pensioen zal gaan, zei tegen onze verslaggever… I’ve got four weeks to nail those bastards. If ‘Ik heb nog vier weken om die ellendelingen this means they’re willing to take me on, te vangen. Als dit betekent dat ze willen I’m delighted. vechten… des te beter!’ Ironically, today also marks the tenth Vandaag is het toevallig ook tien jaar anniversary of the last recorded sighting of geleden dat Batman voor het laatst werd the Batman. Dead or retired, his fate remains gezien. Of hij dood is of eveneens met unknown. pensioen, weet niemand. Our younger viewers will not remember the Onze jongere kijkers zullen zich Batman Batman. A recent survey shows that most niet herinneren. Een recent onderzoek high schoolers consider him a myth. toonde aan dat de schoolgaande jeugd zijn bestaan als een legende ziet. But real he was. Even today, debate Maar hij was echt. Tot op de dag van continues on the right and wrong of his one- vandaag wordt er nog gedebatteerd over de man war on crime. morele juistheid van zijn eenzame ‘kruistocht’ tegen het kwaad. This reporter would like to think that he’s Ik zelf zou graag geloven dat hij nog alive and well, enjoying a celebratory drink springlevend is en deze dag viert in in the company of friends… gezelschap van zijn vrienden en een goed glas… To Batman. Op Batman. It’s good that he retired--isn’t it? Het is goed dat hij stopte. Toch? I’m grateful he survived retiring. Ik ben blij dat hij het overleefd heeft.

He didn’t. But Bruce Wayne is… alive and Dat heeft hij niet. Maar Bruce Wayne… well. leeft nog wel. Glad to hear that. You’ve certainly learned Dat is toch mooi? Nu mag je drinken. Weet to drink. Remember the old days, Bruce? je nog vroeger, Bruce? Jij met je That playboy routine… playboyact… You with your ginger ale pretending it was Ginger ale drinken en doen alsof het champagne, fooling everybody-- --almost. champagne was. Iedereen trapte erin… … Bijna dan. Now--well, I’d almost worry. Spoken to En nu maak ik me zorgen. Heb je Dick nog Dick lately? gezien? Not for seven years, Jim. You know that. Al zeven jaar niet, Jim. Dat weet je. Still, huh? I’m damn sorry about that. Nog steeds niet? Dat is jammer. Especially with what happened to Jason… Zeker na die geschiedenis met Jason… Let’s call it a night, Jim. Ik ga maar weer eens, Jim. As we part, Jim squeezes my shoulder and Als ik de deur uit loop, slaat Jim me op mijn grins. “You just need a woman,” he says. rug en zegt: ‘Je hebt gewoon een vrouw nodig.’ Dat zegt hij altijd. … While in my gut the creature writhes and snarls and tells me what I need… … Maar vanbinnen kronkelt en gromt het monster en zegt me wat ik echt nodig hebt… I leave my car in the lot. I can’t stand to be inside anything right now. I walk the streets Ik laat mijn auto op de parkeerplaats staan. of this city I’m learning to hate, the city Ik wil even nergens in zitten. Ik loop door that’s given up, like the whole world seems de straten van de stad die ik heb leren haten. to have. De stad die het opgegeven heeft, net als de hele wereld trouwens. I’m a zombie. A flying Dutchman. A dead man, ten years dead… Ik ben een zombie. De Vliegende Hollander. Dood ben ik, een tien jaar oud lijk. I’ll feel better in the morning. At least I’ll Ik voel me morgenochtend wel beter… of in feel it less… elk geval voel ik minder. It’s the night -- when the city’s smells call De nachten zijn het moeilijkst. Als de stank out to him, though I lie between silk sheets van de stad hem roept, hoewel ik kilometers in a million-dollar mansion miles away… ver weg ben, tussen de lakens in mijn peperdure landhuis… … when a police siren wakes me, and, for a … als een politiesirene me wakker maakt en moment, I forget that it’s all over… ik ben heel even vergeten dat het voorbij is… But Batman was a young man. If it was Maar Batman was jong. En als hij wraak revenge it was after, he’s taken it. It’s been zocht… dan had hij dat gevonden. Het is forty years since he was born… veertig jaar sinds hij geboren werd…

… born here. … op deze plek.

Once again, he’s brought me back -- to show Hij heeft me weer eens hierheen gebracht. me how little it has changed. It’s older, Om me te laten zien hoe weinig er dirtier, but -- veranderd is. Het is ouder en vuiler…

-- it could have happened yesterday. … maar het had gisteren kunnen gebeuren.

It could be happening right now. Het kan nu hier gebeuren…

They could be lying at your feet. Twitching, Je ouders… ze kunnen nu voor je liggen. bleeding… Stuiptrekkend en badend in het bloed… …and the man who stole all sense from your … En de man die elke zin in je leven heeft life, he could be standing… weggenomen kan weer achter je staan… …right over there… … Daar in die hoek… He sees us -- Hij ziet ons. Get around behind him -- Ga eromheen! Come on, honey, slice and dice -- Kom joh, hakken en snijden… -- I don’t know, man. He’s awful big -- … Ik weet het niet, man. Hij is groot… It is him, it is. And we know so many ways Hij is er weer. Ik ken zoveel manieren om to hurt him… hem pijn te doen… So many lovely ways to punish him… … zoveel manier om hem te straffen… No, it’s not him. Maar hij is het niet! Slice and dice, we got a quota-- Hakken en snijden, we zouden… So many… … zo veel… I don’t know, man, look at him. He’s into it- Ik weet het niet, man. Moet je zien! Hij - vraagt erom! Not him. He flinched when he pulled the Hij is het niet. Hij was zenuwachtig en ziek trigger. He was sick and guilty over what he toen hij het pistool afvuurde. did. Can’t do murders when they’re into it-- Ik kan het niet als ze er zelf om vragen! All he wanted was money. I was naïve Hij deed het alleen voor het geld. Ik was zo enough to think him the lowest sort of man. naïef om te denken dat hij het laagste soort was. Let’s hit the arcade, man-- Ik wil naar de speelhal… These-- these are his children. A purer Dit… dit zijn kinderen. Erger… breed… -- always a good time at the arcade-- In de speelhal hebben we lol. … and the world is theirs. … en dit is hun wereld.

… butchery of every member of the family. … de hele familie aan stukken gehakt. The mutant organization is believed to have Aangenomen wordt dat geld het motief was committed this atrocity for money the voor de mutanten, ook al bedroeg de buit… family had… … something under twelve dollars. This is … minder dan twaalf dollar. Ook wordt considered a drug-related crime at present, gedacht aan de invloed van drugs, maar but surely this heat wave is a factor, right, uiteraard is de hittegolf ook een belangrijke doc? factor. Nietwaar, doc? Absolutely, Bill. Rough month in the big Absoluut, Bill. Het is een moeilijke maand. town. Right now the mercury is climbing to Vandaag is het kwik gestegen tot een an unseasonal one hundred and three… ongelooflijke hoogte van… veertig graden! …and it looks like it’s going to get worse … En het ziet ernaar uit dat het nog erger before it gets better… zal worden voor het gaat afkoelen. This just in -- a dead cat has been found Een nagekomen bericht… op de deur van de stapled to the door of the First Church of Kerk van Christus de Verlosser is zojuist Christ the Redeemer… the mutant gang is een dode kat aangetroffen… die eraan was suspected… vastgespijkerd. Men verdenkt de mutanten ervan… Arkham Home Arkham Tehuis for the emotionally troubled voor emotioneel verwarde patiënten Intensive treatment ward Intensive care afdeling No visitors Geen bezoek Ninety-nine degrees and the air conditioner Negenendertig graden en de airconditioner blows… staat aan… Water’s out in my building, too. Couldn’t Ik heb thuis geen water meer. Ik kon even take a shower this morning. vanochtend niet eens douchen. You know what I hate most about the heat? Weet je wat ik het ergste vind van dit weer? It’s the way your underwear sticks to-- Dat je onderbroek zo blijft plakken aan… Shut up. Ho maar. Yeah, well. You don’t see him sweating. Ja… hem zie je nooit zweten. Just look at him. Moet je ‘m nou zien. You look at him. Kijk jij maar. He makes me sick. Hij is eng. Yeah, well. Guess being crazy has its Ja, ach. Gek zijn heeft ook zijn voordelen. moments. Been a long time since any of these guys Het is lang geleden dat deze jongens had moments. voordeeltjes gehad hebben. When I came here, they said-- Toen ik hier kwam zeiden ze… -- I could never be cured. … dat ik te ver heen was.

We know what they said, Harvey. But that’s Dat was toen, Harvey. Maar de chirurgische history. Surgical procedures have improved- wetenschap is vooruit gegaan… - -- as have psychiatric. You’re fit to return to … Net als de psychiatrie. Je kunt weer terug society -- no matter what our septuagenarian naar de maatschappij. Wat onze police commissioner says. zeventigjarige commissaris ook zegt! Maybe Gordon… En wat als Gordon… …is right about me. … gelijk heeft over mij? Nonsense. Gordon’s just gone senile. Onzin. Gordon is seniel. Dr. Willing isn’t qualified to judge that-- Daar gaat dr. Willing niet over, maar ik… -- but I concur. … geef hem gelijk. Thank you, Dr. Wolper. And now, Harvey Dank u, dr. Wolper. En nu ziet Harvey Dent-- Dent… -- meet Harvey Dent. … Harvey Dent. Oh, my god… Oh, mijn god. What can I say? Wat kan ik zeggen? … Thank you, Tom. A new life begins … Dank je, Tom. Vandaag is een nieuw today for Harvey Dent. leven begonnen voor Harvey Dent. Dent, a former district attorney, became Dent, een voormalig openbaar aanklager, obsessed with the number two when half his raakte geobsedeerd door het nummer twee face was scarred by acid. toen zijn gezicht voor de helft weggevreten werd door een gevaarlijk zuur. Dent believed his disfiguration revealed his Dent geloofde dat deze verwonding een nature. He adopted as his personal symbol a verborgen kwade kant van zijn karakter aan dollar coin… het licht had gebracht. Als symbool voor zijn toestand nam hij een dollarmunt… … one side of which was defaced, to … waarvan hij één kant bekraste. De twee represent the warring sides of his split- zijden van de munt waren de twee zijden personality. A flip of the coin could mean van zijn karakter. Eén worp van die munt life or death for his victims. bepaalde leven of dood voor zijn slachtoffers. Dent’s crimes were brilliantly pathological, De misdaden van Dent weren perfect the most horrendous of which was his last -- psychotisch. De laatste was… -- the kidnapping and ransoming of Siamese … de ontvoering van een Siamese tweeling. twins, one of whom he attempted to murder Nadat het losgeld was betaald, probeerde hij even after the ransom was paid. alsnog één van de twee te vermoorden. He was apprehended in the act by Gotham’s Dat werd echter voorkomen door Batman, famous vigilante, the Batman, and die hem aan de politie uitleverde. Precies committed to Arkham Asylum twelve years twaalf jaar geleden kwam hij zo in de ago. Arkham Inrichting terecht.

For the past three years Dent has been De afgelopen drie jaar werd Dent daar treated by Dr. Bartholomew Wolper for his behandeld door dr. Bartholomew Wolper psychosis… voor zijn geestestoestand… … while Nobel prize-winning plastic … terwijl de Nobelprijswinnaar en plastisch surgeon Dr. Herbert Willing dedicated chirurg dr. Herbert Willing zich inzette voor himself to restoring the face of Harvey Dent. het herstel van Dents uiterlijk. Speaking today, both doctors were jubilant. Op de persconferentie waren de beide doktoren extreem positief. Harvey’s ready to look at the world and say ‘Harvey Dent kan de wereld instappen en , ”Hey -- I’m okay.” zeggen: “Hé, ik ben oké!”’ And he looks great. ‘En hij ziet er geweldig uit.’ Dent read a brief statement to the media… Dent las een verklaring voor aan de pers… I do not ask Gotham City to forgive my ‘Ik vraag niet aan Gotham City om mijn crimes. I must earn that, by dedicating misdaden te vergeven. Dat zal ik moeten myself to public service. verdienen, met mijn inzet voor de goede zaak.’ For me, this is the end of a long ‘Voor mij is dit het einde van de lange nightmare… and the first step on the long nachtmerrie… en de eerste stap naar road to absolution. vergeving.’ Next, Dent drew fond applause by Daarna toonde Dent onder luid applaus een producing a newly-minted dollar coin. nieuw geslagen dollarmunt. It was, of course, unmarred. Deze was uiteraard volledig ongeschonden. But police commissioner James Gordon’s Maar de reactie van politiecommissaris reaction to Dent’s release was not James Gordon op de vrijlating van Dent was enthusiastic… minder enthousiast… No, I’m not satisfied. Dr. Wolper’s report ‘Nee, ik ben niet tevreden. Het rapport van seems overly optimistic -- not to mention dr. Wolper is in mijn ogen veel te sloppy. optimistisch… en zelfs slordig.’ While millionaire Bruce Wayne who Miljonair Bruce Wayne, die de genezing van sponsored Dent’s treatment, had this to Harvey Dent bekostigd heeft, had daar het say… volgende over te zeggen… Gordon’s remarks seem overly pessimistic -- ‘De opmerkingen van commissaris Gordon not to mention rude. lijken mij onnodig pessimistisch… en zelfs grof.’ The commissioner is an excellent cop -- but, ‘De commissaris is een goede politieman… I think, a poor judge of character. We must maar helaas heeft hij weinig mensenkennis. believe in Harvey Dent. Ik denk dat we in Harvey Dent moeten geloven.’ We must believe that our private demons ‘We moeten geloven dat onze eigen can be defeated… demonen verslagen kunnen worden…’ … faster than a rabbit… … sneller dan een konijn…

… faster than a rabbit, mom! Just watch! … sneller dan een konijn, mam! Kijk dan! Look at that boy run! We’ve got an athlete Moet je hem zien rennen. Onze jongen on our hands. wordt een atleet! Bruce -- what are you going to do with it Bruce… wat ga je ermee doen als je hem when you catch -- vangt?! Don’t go in that hole -- Kijk uit voor dat gat…!! Won’t get away from me… Mij ontkomt hij niet…! Bruce! Bruce! OOF! OWW! OEF! AU! No! Go way! Nee! Ga weg! Go way! Ga weg! Then… Dan… … something shuffles out of sight… … fladdert er iets ongezien… … something sucks the stale air… … zuigt de muffe lucht naar binnen… … and hisses. … en sist! Gliding with ancient grace… Met oeroude gratie… Unwilling to retreat as his brother did… … zonder te keren als zijn broeders… Eyes gleaming, untouched by love or joy or Met ogen die fonkelen, zonder teken van sorrow… blijdschap of verdriet… Breath hot with the taste of fallen foes… the Zijn hete adem ruikt naar eerdere stench of dead things, damned things… slachtoffers… de stank van dood en verdoemnis… Surely the fiercest survivor -- the purest De sterkste overlevende… de puurste krijger warrior… Glaring, hating… … vleesgeworden haat… … claiming me as his own. … die mij voor zichzelf opeist. Dreaming… Een droom… I was only six years old when that happened. Ik was pas zes jaar toen het gebeurde. Toen When I first saw the cave… ik de grot ontdekte… … huge, empty, silent as a church, waiting, … groot, leeg en stil als een kerk. De grot as the bat was waiting. die op mij wachtte, net als hij.

And now the cobwebs grow and the dust En nu groeit er overal spinrag en stapelt het thickens in here as it does in me -- stof zich op, zoals ook in mij…

-- and he laughs at me, curses me. Calls me … en hij lacht me uit. Vervloekt me. Noemt a fool. He fills my sleep, he tricks me. me een idioot. Verleidt me. Haalt me Brings me here when the night is long and hierheen als de nachten lang zijn en mijn wil my will is weak. He struggles relentlessly, zwak. Hij worstelt onophoudelijk. Hij wil hatefully, to be free -- zijn vrijheid…

I will not let him. I gave my word. Die krijgt hij niet. Ik heb het gezworen.

For Jason. Voor Jason.

Never. Nooit.

Never again. Nooit meer. Master Bruce? Meneer Bruce? You set off the alarm, sir. U liet het alarm afgaan. This somnambulism is becoming a bit of a Dat slaapwandelen van u wordt een beetje problem, certainly for those of us with a een probleem, zeker voor degenen onder ons penchant for sleeping in our beds. die de nacht gewoon in bed willen doorbrengen. It’s the spirits, I suspect. Tends to make one Zijn het spoken uit het verleden, die u overly sentimental. sentimenteel maken? Come, sir. Hardly the hour for antiques, is Dit is toch geen tijdstip voor nostalgie? it? … Hardly Alfred. Sorry to wake you. Nee… het spijt me als ik je gewekt heb. It is half past three… Het is al halfvier… Master Bruce. Meneer Bruce… Whatever happened to your mustache? Wat is er met uw snor gebeurd? For me, this is the end of a long ‘Voor mij is dit het einde van de lange nightmare… and the first step on the long nachtmerrie… en de eerste stap op weg naar road to absolution. vergeving.’ … Those were the last words spoken by Dat waren de laatste woorden die Harvey Harvey Dent before his disappearing this Dent in het openbaar gezegd heeft, voor zijn morning. verdwijning deze morgen. While police commissioner Gordon issued Politiecommissaris Gordon heeft an all points bulletin for Dent, one voice was onmiddellijk een opsporingsbevel raised in protest… uitgevaardigd, ondanks het protest van één man… … that of Dr. Bartholomew Wolper, Dent’s … dr. Bartholomew Wolper, Dents psychiatrist… psychiater… So -- what do you think? Nou, wat vind jij ervan? I think it’s too damn hot -- Ik denk dat het te warm is… -- and I think he should see it or fold. … en dat hij moet spelen of passen. Gordon’s reaction is one of textbook ‘Gordons reactie is een klassiek voorbeeld hysteria… van hysterie…’ I mean Dent -- not dip stickf here. Ik bedoel Dent, niet de kaarten. So do I. Oughtta see it or fold. Ik ook. Spelen of passen zeg ik. We been getting by without him. We redden het best zonder hem.

Uh huh. Ja, hoor. … and characteristic insensitivity. Harvey, ‘… met het daarvoor karakteristieke gebrek on the other hand, is an extremely sensitive aan gevoel. Harvey Dent daarentegen, is een man… hele gevoelige man…’ I mean, it ain’t been great… Ik bedoel, niet optimaal… That’s right. Zeg dat wel. … in extremely vulnerable emotional ‘… in een zeer kwetsbare emotionele staat. condition. I believe… Ik geloof…’

Table 2: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, pp. 58-69

Problem with crime is the more you know, Het probleem met misdaad is: hoe meer je the more nervous it makes you. weet, des te nerveuzer word je ervan. Me. Me, I can’t look at that doorway over Ik, ik kan niet naar die deur kijken zonder te there without thinking of the seventy-two denken aan de tweeënzeventig lijken, die ik corpses I’ve found in spots like that… op dat soort plekken heb gevonden… … shot or stabbed or just beaten to death … neergeschoten, neergestoken, of gewoon because they were too stupid to keep their tot pulp geslagen omdat ze te stom waren distance. om afstand te houden. Too stupid, or too civilized. One’s the same Te stom, of te beschaafd. Het één is as the other in Gotham City. hetzelfde als het andere hier in Gotham City. I pass a liquor store, run my eyes over the Ik loop langs een avondwinkel en ik zie de rigid features of the hunk of metal that used verharde gelaatstrekken van het blok metaal to be friendly merchant. dat vroeger een vriendelijke winkelier was. I wonder how many men he’s had to kill, Hoeveel mensen heeft hij neer moeten just to stay in business. schieten om zijn zaak open te houden? I see a high-priced car, gleaming like new in Ik zie een dure slee, glanzend nieuw in de the streetlight, once a symbol of wealth and schaarse straatverlichting… Ooit een power, now just another target in a city of symbool van rijkdom en macht, nu gewoon victims. een doelwit in een stad van slachtoffers. A young boy dashes past me, healthy, dirty, Een jonge knul schiet langs me. Hij is and beautiful. You don’t want to know what gezond, vuil en knap. Ik zal maar niet he makes me think of. zeggen wat ik daarbij denk. I curse Sarah, not meaning it, for her hippie Ik vervloek Sarah, maar ik meen het niet. vegetarian recipes and the bean sprouts she Wil zonodig modern zijn en vegetarisch forgot to pick up. eten, maar wel de taugé vergeten. Then my cigar does its usual and I cough up Dan doet mijn sigaar zijn werk en ik hoest a load of the brown stuff. en rochel een lading bruin spul op. I’m amazed -- as my head goes light and the Het verbaast me… Als mijn hoofd licht spots dance in front of me -- that she wordt en de stippen voor mijn ogen

convinced me not to smoke in my own dansen… dat ze me ervan overtuigd heeft home. dat ik thuis niet mag roken. Then I suck it again. Dan neem ik nog een trek. Dying never seemed real to me when I was Doodgaan leek nooit zo werkelijk toen ik young… jong was… For some reason I want to see Bruce -- not Om een of andere reden wil ik Bruce zien. to talk… I mean sure, to talk, and maybe to Niet om me te praten… Ik bedoel, tuurlijk drink, even though he seems to have given om mee te praten en om samen te drinken, that up. hoewel hij dat opgegeven schijnt te hebben. Suddenly the hair bristles on the back of my Opeens staan alle haren in mijn nek recht neck. overeind. I hear a girlish giggle and the cold, oiled Ik hoor iemand giechelen en het droge sound of a gun being cocked behind me. geluid van het spannen van de haan van een pistool. I see the face of a killer who isn’t even old Ik zie het gezicht van een moordenaar die enough to shave. nog te jong is om zicht te scheren. I think of Sarah. Ik denk aan Sarah. The rest is easy. De rest is makkelijk. … The Council of Mothers today petitioned ‘… de Raad van Moeders heeft vandaag bij the mayor to issue a warrant for the de burgemeester een petitie ingediend immediate arrest of the Batman, citing him a waarin verzocht wordt om de aanhouding harmful influence on the children of van Batman, die een schadelijk invloed op Gotham. de jeugd van Gotham zou hebben.’ Another petition on the mayor’s desk came ‘Vlak daarna ontving de burgemeester een from the Victim’s Right Task Force, petitie van het Slachtoffercomité, waarin een demanding an official sanction of the sterk optreden tegen deze petitie wordt vigilante’s activities… geëist…’ The mayor spoke to reporters this De burgemeester vertelde de pers afternoon… vanmiddag… Still in consultation. It’s still in consultation. ‘Onder behandeling. De zaak is onder behandeling.’ Incidents of violence to criminals continue ‘Het geweld tegen misdadigers neemt in to abound in Gotham. We cannot be sure Gotham City nog steeds toe. Het is niet which are the work of Batman -- duidelijk wat nog het werk van Batman is…’ -- and which he has inspired. Excuse me -- … en wat van zijn navolgers. Momentje… -- I’ve just been handed this bulletin -- Ik krijg net een bericht aangereikt… Commissioner James Gordon has been shot Commissaris James Gordon is zojuist and killed -- neergeschoten door… -- oops! Sorry, folks. I read it wrong… O, sorry! Ik lees het verkeerd…

… Gordon has shot and killed a seventeen- Commissaris Gordon hééft zojuist een year-old member of the mutant gang. zeventienjarig lid van de mutanten neergeschoten. Gordon was attacked outside his West End De commissaris werd voor zijn huis apartment… aangevallen… Oh, wow… O, wow… … what a bringdown. Seventeen years old… … wat een downer! Zeventien jaar… Machismo with a badge -- just like Chicago. Geef ze een pistool hè…! Net als bij de rellen! Remember Chicago, hon… ? Weet je nog, de rellen. Not real well. I was tripping the whole Niet echt. Ik was de hele tijd high… time… One-step street pizza. Instant trottoirpizza! Maximum check-out. Waanzinnig uitkijken. Wind’s aces. And the ledge isn’t too much Wind oké. En de richel is niet veel smaller smaller than a balance beam. dan de evenwichtsbalk. Sure. Just slippery and about a mile up. Ja, hoor. Alleen gladder en hoger. Wall’s keeping me real clean -- like under a Lekker schoon, zo’n muur. Als onder een car. auto. Figure I didn’t spend two weeks’ lunch Alsof ik niet twee weken heb moeten sparen money on the suit… voor dit pak…! Oh, real good, Carrie… O, geweldig, Carrie. Some Robin. Net Robin. I figure. Hoop ik. Commissioner -- you just shot a boy. How Commissaris… u hebt net een kind does that feel? Commissioner?... doodgeschoten. Hoe voelt dat nou? Thank you, Hernando. This is the third Dank je, Hernando. Dit is al de derde attempt on Gordon’s life in the three weeks aanslag op het leven van Gordon, sinds de since the leader of the mutant organization leider van de bende die zichzelf de mutanten made his videotaped death threat… noemt op videoband dit dreigement uitte… We will kill the old man Gordon. His We zullen die oude man Gordon women will weep for him. We will chop vermoorden. Zijn vrouwen zullen om hem him. We will grind him. We will bathe in his huilen. We hakken hem aan blokjes. We blood. vermalen hem. We zullen ons baden in zijn bloed. I myself will kill the fool Batman. I will rip Ikzelf ga die gek Batman vermoorden. Ik the meat from his bones and suck them dry. scheur het vlees van zijn botten en kluif hem I will eat his heart and drag his body through kaal. Ik eet zijn hart op en sleep zijn dode the street. lichaam door de straat. Don’t call us a gang. Don’t call us criminals. Noem ons geen bende. Noem ons geen We are the law. We are the future. Gotham misdadigers. Wij zijn de wet. Wij zijn de

City belongs to the mutants. Soon the world toekomst. Gotham City is van de mutanten. will be ours. Binnenkort is de hele wereld van ons. Gordon, facing mandatory retirement later Gordon, die volgende week verplicht met this week, has offered to stay at the job until pensioen zou gaan, heeft aangeboden aan te the mutant crisis has been resolved. Police blijven tot de crisis met de mutanten is media relations director Louis Gallagher had opgelost. De perscoördinator Louis this to say… Gallagher had daar het volgende over te zeggen… Nice of Jim to offer, but I think we all know Het is een fijn aanbod van Jim, maar ik things’ll cool out once he steps down. The geloof dat we allemaal weten dat alles mutants have a thing about him… No, I rustiger zal zijn als hij weg is. De mutanten think it’s time for new blood… hebben iets tegen hem… nee, ik geloof dat het tijd is voor jong bloed… Strangely, that “new blood” has yet to be Wie het ‘jonge bloed’ moet leveren is nog officially announced. While inspector John steeds niet bekend. Inspecteur John Dale Dale seems to be the obvious choice, the lijkt de aangewezen man, maar de mayor has yet to commit himself… burgemeester moet zijn keuze nog maken… I’m still pooling opinions. I’m still pooling We zijn ons nog aan het oriënteren. We zijn opinions. ons nog aan het oriënteren. With a scant six hours remaining, the De tijd dringt en de vraag hangt voorlopig questions hang in the air -- who will replace nog even in de lucht… Wie zal James Jim Gordon? And what will become the Gordon opvolgen en wat wordt de officiële official position on the Batman? Tom? houding van de politie ten opzichte van Batman? Tom? Good question, Lola. Mrs. Joyce Ridley was Goeie vraag, Lola. Mevrouw Joyce Ridley is admitted to a private hospital upstate for opgenomen in een privékliniek voor psychiatric observation following her psychiatrische observatie, na een collapse this morning. zenuwinzinking eerder op de dag. Her ten-month baby, Kevin, heir to the Haar tien maanden jonge zoon Kevin, Ridley chewing gum fortune, is still erfgenaam van de Ridley-kauwgom missing. Anyone with information is urged miljoenen is nog steeds spoorloos to call the crisis hotline… verdwenen. Iedereen die informatie heeft omtrent de verblijfplaats van de jongen wordt verzocht dit nummer te bellen… Thas right, man -- one million -- or you Snappu? Eén miljoen… of je hoort dat never hear th little shit cry again. schijtjoch nooit meer janken! I be callin in an hour wif th where and when. Ik bel over een uur terug met waar en wanneer. Bye. Doei. Ridley’s goin frit. Beggin to pay. Ridley gaat door het lint. Die dokt wel. Hit it wif the trank, man… Geef hem nog wat kalmeer…

Les jus flush im down th john, man. Kunnen we hem niet door de plee spoelen? He’s flushed, man. Soon’s we get th mill. We trekken hem door zodra we onze centen hebben. Jesus -- he’s messed hisself… Jezus… Dat joch blijft schijten! Man -- stick his butt anyw -- Steek dan een kurk in… -- Door was locked -- … Die deur was op slot… Shh… Ssst… AAAAA AAAAA Chill, man -- It’s just a god damn -- Easy, man! Het is gewoon een vleer… -- bat… … muis… Jesus -- Jezus… -- Get away -- … Ga weg! Oh, man -- it is him -- O, man… Hij is het! Grace -- keep your gun on the kid -- Grace… hou je pistool op het joch. Spot -- get out of th way -- Spot… ga eens opzij, man! Should’ve gotten out of th way, Spot -- Niet snel genoeg, Spot…! Wh -- Huh? Th wall -- De muur… ? Back off, man -- Achteruit… Ik schiet, hoor. -- Believe me, man, I will -- Ik knal dat kind neer! Believe me -- Geloof me… Ik doe ’t…! I believe you. Ik geloof je. … a ruthless, monstrous vigilante, strikes at ‘… een genadeloze vigilante, die knaagt aan the foundations of our democracy -- de wortels van onze democratie… die zich maliciously opposed to the principles that moedwillig verzet tegen de principes die ons make ours the most noble nation in the de meest nobele natie op deze planeet world -- and the kindest… maken…’ … frankly, I’m surprised there aren’t a ‘… eerlijk gezegd vind ik het vreemd dat er hundred like him out there -- a thousand niet nog honderd zoals hij zijn… iedereen people are fed up with terror -- with stupid wordt opgevoed met angst… met stomme laws and social cowardice. He’s only taking wetten en ingeburgerde lafheid. Hij pakt back what’s ours… terug wat al van ons was…’ These -- and many, many others -- are a Dat… en nog veel meer… zijn de reacties reaction to a phenomenon that has struck a op een fenomeen dat ons in het hart van nerve center in our society -- the return of onze maatschappij heeft getroffen… de the Batman. terugkeer van de Batman. Tonight, we will examine his impact on our Vanavond kijken we wat de gevolgen zijn consciousness. From Metropolis -- we have voor onze manier van denken. Uit Lana Lang, managing editor of the Daily Metropolis hebben we Lana Lang, Planet… eindredactrice van de Daily Planet…

… joining us from Gotham City -- dr. … en hier uit Gotham City dr. Bartholemew Bartholemew Wolper, popular psychologist Wolper, bekende psycholoog en sociaal and social scientist, author of the best- wetenschapper en schrijver van de bestseller selling “Hey -- I’m okay”… Hé, ik ben oké… … with us tonight from his office in … En in de studio in Washington zit… de Washington -- presidential media advisor media-adviseur van de president, Chuck Chuck Brick. Brick. Dr. Wolper -- you have claimed that the Dr. Wolper… u hebt gezegd dat Batman zelf Batman is himself responsible for the crimes verantwoordelijk is voor de misdaden die hij he fights. Still, crime rates have shown a bestrijdt. Nu is het aantal misdaden sinds steady drop in the weeks since his return. zijn terugkeer gestadig afgenomen. Hoe How do you explain this? verklaart u dit? I’m glad you asked me that question, Ted. It Ik ben blij dat je me die vraag stelt, Ted. Het is true that this Batman has terrorized the is waar dat Batman de economische en economically disadvantaged and socially sociale onderlaag tijdelijk heeft opgejaagd… misaligned -- but his effects are far from maar het effect daarvan is verre van positief. positive. Picture the public psyche as a vast, moist Je moet het bewustzijn van de massa zien membrane -- Through the media Batman has als een vochtig membraan… Via de media struck this membrane a vicious blow, and it heeft Batman dat membraan een behoorlijke has recoiled. Hence your misleading klap uitgedeeld. Het heeft zich statistics. samengetrokken. Vandaar de misleidende statistieken. But you see, Ted, the membrane is flexible - Maar het membraan is flexibel… en poreus. - and permeable. Here the more significant En van daaruit zijn de uiteindelijke effecten effects of the blow become calculable, even van deze klap te berekenen en zelfs te predictable. To wit -- voorspellen. Kijk… Every anti-social act can be traced to … Elke contrasociale gewelddaad kan irresponsible media input. Given this, the worden teruggevoerd naar presence of such an aberrant; violent force onverantwoordelijke media-input. Dat in the media can only lead to anti-social betekent dat dit gezwel van geweld in de programming. media maar tot één ding kan leiden: een contrasociale herprogrammering van haar publiek! Just as Harvey Dent -- who’s recovering Zoals Harvey Dent… die alweer steadily, thanks for asking -- assumed the herstellende is, dank je voor de interesse… role of ideological doppelganger to the automatisch in de rol van Batmans Batman, so a whole new generation, ideologische tegenhanger verviel, zo zal een confused and angry -- hele generatie van verwarde en boze jongeren… -- will be bent to the matrix of Batman’s … zichzelf buigen in het patroon van pathological self-delusion. Batman is, in this Batmans pathologische zelfmisleiding.

context -- and pardon the term -- a social Batman is in deze context een sociale disease… aandoening… That’s the dumbest load of… Dat is je reinste gel… Lana… Please… The network… Lana… we zijn op televisie… Didn’t suck. Al beter. Mr. Brick -- the president has remained Mr. Brick… de president heeft zich tot nu silent on this issue. Don’t you -- and he -- toe nog niet uitgesproken over deze zaak. feel that the national uproar over the Batman Vindt u niet dat al het tumult rond Batman warrants, if not action, a statement of zo niet een feitelijke reactie dan toch zeker position? een standpuntverklaring behoeft? Heck, Ted. He’ll get around to a press Kijk Ted, hij zal uiteindelijk heus wel met conference sooner or later. But the een persverklaring komen. Maar de president’s got to keep his eye on the big president moet ook een beetje naar het grote picture, y’know? And this Batman flaptrap, plaatje blijven kijken, weet je? Die heisa well… rond Batman… … it’s noisy, all right. That big cape and … oké, het trekt een hoop aandacht. Die pointy ears -- it’s great show biz. And you grote cape en die puntoortjes… dat is pure know the president knows his show biz. You showbizz. En je weet dat de president z’n just keep your shorts on, Ted… showbizz kent. Maar maak je nou niet te dik, Ted… … pretty soon now the ratings’ll drop on … als straks de kijkcijfers weer dalen dan is this one and it’ll blow over. Besides, I think het allemaal zo weer voorbij. Voor hetzelfde the whole thing’s just as likely a hoax. geld is het allemaal verzonnen. Ik weet toch Networks’ve done worse. hoe de omroep werkt? I mean, batboy’d be pushing sixty by now -- Ik bedoel, battie zou nu op z’n minst al if he ever was real. Funny nobody’s ever zestig moeten zijn… als hij al ooit bestaan taken a picture of him… mighty funny, I heeft. Maar er heeft nog nooit iemand een say… foto van hem genomen. Gek, hè? Dat vind ik vrij gek… Miss Lang, you are the Batman’s most vocal Miss Lang, u bent de meest uitgesproken supporter. How can you condone behavior voorstander van Batman. Hoe kunt u iets that’s so blatantly illegal? What about due goedkeuren dat zo duidelijk illegaal is? Wat process -- civil rights? is uw standpunt ten opzichte van burgerrechten? We live in the shadow of crime, Ted, with Wij leven in de schaduw van de misdaad, the unspoken understanding that we are Ted. Niemand zegt het, maar we weten victims -- of fear, of violence, of social allemaal dat we slachtoffers zijn. Van de impotence. angst, van het geweld, van de onmacht. A man has risen to show us that the power Er is nu een man opgestaan die ons laat zien is, and always has been, in our hands. We dat de macht bij ons ligt… en altijd heeft

are under siege -- he’s showing us that we gelegen. We worden belaagd… en hij laat can resist. zien dat we in opstand kunnen komen. Lana -- you haven’t exactly answered my Ja… maar dat is geen antwoord op mijn question... vraag, Lana… Next up -- fighting crimes. En nu de misdaad! Do you know who I am, punk? Weet je wie ik ben, schorem? Wh… Huh… ? I’m the worst nightmare you ever had. Kind Ik ben je ergste nachtmerrie. Zo één that made you wake up screaming for your waarvan je gillend om je moeder wakker mother. wordt. Wh… Where am I… W… Waar ben ik… ? You’ve got a mother, don’t you? Every Je hebt toch wel een moeder? Zelfs een stuk punk should have a mother… schorem heeft een moeder.

C… Can’t see, man… Ik… zie niks, joh. What’s … on my face… Wat… heb ik… op m’n gezicht? Quite an arsenal you and your buddies Jullie hadden een flink arsenaal… had… The .45 was nothing special, of course… Die .45 was niks bijzonders… … I think I’m bleeding, man… I need a … Ik geloof dat ik bloed, man… een doctor… dokter… … But that Smith & Wesson .41 your pal … Maar die .41 die je vriend bij zich had… was carrying -- -- you know which pal, the one you … je weet wel, die ene die je doorzeefd perforated -- hebt… -- that pistol was odd. … die was wel bijzonder. Man… Man… Especially since it was adapted for a Zoals hij aangepast was aan de demper. Dat silencer. You just don’t run across that -- not soort wapens kom je eigenlijk alleen maar outside of military intelligence. tegen in het leger. But that M60 of yours -- that’s combat En die M60 van jou… Da’s weaponry oorlogsmaterieel. Same kind another member of your gang Net zo één als jullie wilden gebruiken bij tried to use on Jim Gordon. James Gordon. So fill me in, punk -- the mutants have a Dus vertel me eens… Hebben jullie een deal wholesale deal with the army? lopen met het leger? You’ve got a lot of teeth left. And I haven’t Je hebt nog een paar tanden over. En ik heb even touched your tongue… je tong niet aangeraakt… S… Solid, man… I’ll tell you… Hé… Ik vertel je alles… … Deal is… … een deal… … No cops, man… I walk… … geen politie… Ik ga vrijuit…

… What do you say, man? Wat zeg je, man? I don’t think you understand the situation. Ik geloof niet dat je de situatie begrijpt. Er You’re not in a position to negotiate. valt niks te onderhandelen. Let me show you… Kijk zelf maar… Mutants! Surrender now -- or be destroyed! Mutanten! Geef je over… of jullie gaan eraan! You were always… Jij was altijd… … my little monkey wrench… … mijn stok in het wiel… That Batman -- he nasty. Tossed Spike right Die Batman, da’s een taaie, Don. Heeft through th sign, Don. Spike zo door gevel gegooid. I figure that real cool, Rob. Figure fixing the Dat maakt mij niet uit, Rob. Billy heeft het sign didn’t billy up th price of th games. gerepareerd zonder de games duurder te maken. And leader don’t shiv on Batman - leader En leider maalt niet om Batman… Leider say he pegged Batman. heeft hem gecrushed! Leader say, but leader chill -- in a cell, Don. Maar leider zit wel mooi vast, Don. An Batman -- he nuke half the gang radical. En Batman… heeft de halve bende omvergemaaid. Hey -- eyes slideways, Don. Chicken leg Hé, wat zien we daar, Don? comin -- wearin colors. Poezebeentjes… in onze kleuren? My mon licken chegs -- Kom eens, lekkertje… All lines are busy. Ik ben bezet, oké? Chegs kinda my nasty, Rob. O, ze heeft lef, Don. Chegs Billy… Chegs pre-school mutant. Een echte lefpoes uit de kleuterschool! Leader take you face f touchin me, spud. Leider verbouwt je als je me aanraakt. Yeahh. You leader squeeze I figure. O ja… Jij bent de poes van de leider? Gee, boys -- I figure you ain’t all bright. Oké, jullie zijn niet helemaal debiel. Figure you are mutants. Zijn jullie wel Mutants? We mutants! We slicer-dicers! Ja, Mutanten! Hakkers-en-snijders! I’m sure. That’s why you at the pipe. Waarom zijn jullie dan niet bij de buis? I don’t shiv. Dat spoort niet. Bawd! She don’t shiv. Je spoort zelf niet! Ain’t fan. What pipe, chicken leg? Over welke buis heb je het? Ears only, spud. As in members. Da’s privé, alleen voor Mutanten. We mutants! What’s the pipe? Dat zijn wij! Waar is die buis? Pipe, spud. West River and Forty. De West River, veertigste straat. Iedereen Attendance. As in mandatory. verplicht aanwezig! Sure. Th pipe. We heard. Tuurlijk! Buis! Begrepen. Didn’t hear it from me. Ik heb niks gezegd. Spud. Debiel. Real coo, Rob. Reuze cool, Ron.

Ellen Yindel Ellen Yindel Commissioner of police Politiecommissaris

Table 3: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, pp. 106-117

Bruce, you idiot. Bruce, idioot. You’ll ruin everything. Je verpest alles. For all of us. Voor ons allemaal. I always knew you would… Ik kon erop wachten… I’ve waited long enough, you soft glob of Ik heb lang genoeg gewacht, stinkende zak snot. snot! Empty the cash register - - or my bullets will Hall die kassa leeg… of ik verander je hoofd tear through your brain, breaking it into in een kom et bebloede, klonterige moist, gooey lumps… hersensap! That’s if I don’t give with a surprise from up Als ik tenminste geen verrassing achter de the sleeve, huh, Bruno? ellenbogen heb, hè, Bruno. Clerk gone billy, Rob. Hij slaat door, Rob. Bruno get nasty, don. You see. No wordt Bruno kwaad, Don. Bruno don’t shiv. Bruno is keihard. Your boys -- used to be mutants, huh? Guess Je hulpjes… dat waren vroeger Mutanten, since their boss got his ass flattened they’ll toch? Maar nu hun baas op zijn donder heeft work for anybody. gehad, werken ze natuurlijk voor iedereen. Guess with your boyfriend in the loony bin En met je vriendje in het gekkenhuis moet je you got to pay for your own bodywork. al je operaties zelf betalen. Nice work, too. Can barely see the stretch Mooi werk, trouwens. Ik zie haast geen marks. littekens. I’ll strip your flesh with my teeth… Ik bijt je neus eraf met mijn tanden… Thief! You’re a thief! Sebbin Lebbin sells Diefstal! Dit is diefstal! Die gestoorde this for two-fifty! randdebiel vraagt hier een tientje voor! He’s young -- Hij is jong… He’s quick -- Hij is snel… He almost pulls the trigger -- Hij haalt bijna de trekker over… -- They almost get the drop on me -- … Ze kunnen me bij neerleggen… I wish I could say it’s the suit -- Ik wou dat ik kon zeggen… -- that slows me down -- … dat het dit pak was… -- that makes me sweat… … waardoor ik zo traag ben… Hey, bats -- Hé, bats… -- Bruno -- she’s getting’ away! … Bruno… ze gaat er vandoor! Now we settle up. Nu jij en ik nog. Pull that trigger -- Als je schiet…

-- and I’ll be back. For you. … kom ik terug. Voor jou. Bruno is coming your way, Robin. Bruno komt jouw kant op, Robin. Get her into the alley. Do not let her see Zorg dat ze de steeg ingaat en jou niet ziet. you. Boys, boys, boys… One at a time now… Jongens, jongens… Niet allemaal tegelijk… Now how about that smartly dressed Eh… die jongeman met dat mooie pak hier youngster in the front row there… vooraan maar weer eens… Mr. president -- we’re all anxious to hear Meneer de president… We zijn allemaal erg your plans for the Corto Maltese crisis. But benieuwd naar uw plannen rond de crisis in first, another question much on the minds of Corto Maltese. Maar er is nog een vraag die America. What is your position on the heel Amerika bezighoudt. Wat gaat u doen Batman controversy? met Batman? Well, I don’t think that’s my bull to -- my Kijk, ik gelood niet dat ik deze stier mijn row to hoe, boys… heh… you see. That’s a eh… dat het mijn pakkie an is, jongens… right big state, all its own… and it got its eh… Het is tenslotte een flinke staat… en ze own solid, clear-headed governor, yes, it hebben hun eigen gouverneur, nietwaar… does… Sorry guys, I’m the governor. Got a whole Het spijt me. Ik ben de gouverneur van de state to look after. I trust the judgement of hele staat. Ik heb genoeg te doen. Ik the mayor of Gotham City implicitly. vertrouw volkomen op het oordeel van de burgemeester van de Gotham City. As mayor, it is my duty to administrate -- Als burgemeester moet ik leiding geven… not to render moral judgements Don’t ask In administratieve zin! Ik ben hier niet om me to interfere with the decision-making morele oordelen te vellen. Ik ga mij niet power of our new police commissioner. bemoeien met de beslissingen van de nieuwe commissaris van de politie. And so the Batman buck is passed -- to En zo wordt de kwestie Batman Ellen Yindel, who replaces James Gordon as afgeschoven… op Ellen Yindel, die police commissioner tonight. Will she fulfill vanavond James Gordon opvolgt als her promise to issue an arrest warrant for the commissaris van de politie. Houdt ze zich Batman? aan haar woord en vaardigt ze een arrestatiebevel uit voor Batman? Channel Two will broadcast the banquet Wij van Net Twee zullen een livereportage live, Gordon is scheduled to introduce uitzenden van het banket, waar Gordon Yindel -- a graceful gesture, considering Yindel voorstelt… Een groot gebaar, gezien their differences. We may see some sparks hun onder onderlinge verschillen. Dat zou fly, Tom? wel eens vuurwerk kunnen worden, Tom? That we may, Lola. We’ll be right back, as Inderdaad, Lola. Maar nu eerst reclame en Julie Sparks brings us a story we don’t know daarna zijn we terug met Julie Parks, die whether to classify as an atmosphere filmbeelden heeft van een vreemd anomaly -- or a UFO sighting.

atmosferisch verschijnsel… of is het een ufo? I repeat. Do not let Bruno see you. This is an Hoor je me? Zorg dat Bruno jou niet ziet! order. Dat is een bevel! Tom, Sunflower Standish has operated his ‘Tom, Sunflower De Witt staat nu al vijftien corner newsstand for fifteen years. He’s jaar met zijn krantenstalletje op deze hoek. never seen the like of what struck seventh Maar wat hij vandaag heeft gezien , heeft hij avenue this evening. Have you, mr. nog nooit eerder gezien. Nietwaar, meneer Standish? De Witt?’ Not without acid. I mean, no -- I didn’t see ‘Niet zonder LDS, nee. Ik bedoel… nee, ik it. My magazines and newspapers -- them I zag niks. Mijn kranten en mijn saw, blowing like leaves. But I didn’t see it. tijdschriften… die zag ik wegvliegen. Maar It was too fast -- it was faster than anything. verder zag ik niks. Het ging allemaal zo snel… sneller dan wat dan ook.’ Faster than a speeding -- ‘Sneller dan een kogel?’ Careful now, Lola. ‘Rustig aan, Lola’ Must have gone through that door! Hij zit achter die deur! Ha! If you’re lucky, Bruno -- Als je geluk hebt… -- you’ll go to jail tonight. … zit je vanavond in een cel. But first you’ll tell me what your boss has Maar dan wil ik erst weten wat je baas van planned. plan is. On his TV appearance. Nij zijn tv-optreden. Don’t take the stairs. Niet de trap nemen, hoor. They aren’t safe. Da’s niet veilig. Never meant -- to give her time -- Een vergissing… Ze had tijd… -- to cock that thing -- … om dat ding te spannen… This -- would be a stupid death… … een domme manier om te sterven… Missed. Mis. Lucky -- Je boft. -- lucky old man… Je boft, ouwe. Another bizarre incident -- this one in the En dat was niet het enige bizarre incident. In South Street subway station. Advertising het metrostation van South Street sprak een agent Byron Brassballs told reporters… van onze reporters met reclameman Byron Brassball… I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just trying ‘Ik stond in mijn recht. Ik wilde alleen to protect myself. The subways are mijzelf verdedigen. De metro is gevaarlijk. dangerous. You don’t need me to tell you Dat hoef je mij niet te vertellen. Dus daar that. So there I was, alone in the station stond ik, op het perron, in mijn eentje met except for this “beggar” -- I want hat in die ‘bedelaar’… en dat zeg ik express tussen quotes -- haakjes…’

-- What? … How was I to know he didn’t ‘Hoe kon ik nou weten dat hij geen had? Die have a gun? They never show you that until zie je nooit voor ze jou neerknallen… Wat? they’re ready to kill you -- What? … Oh, JA, natuurlijk had hij krukken. Ze hebben sure. The crutches. A lot of them use allemaal krukken. Als je begrijpt wat ik crutches; You know what I mean. bedoel.’ Hey -- he started it. And it was his crutches ‘Hij was begonnen. En hij struikelde over that tripped him up, babe -- What?… You zijn eigen krukken… Wat? Natuurlijk riep bet he yelled. Wanted me to jump down and hij om hulp. Hij wilde dat ik bij hem kwam die with him. Of course I ran. Who om ook dood te gaan! Daarom rende ik weg. wouldn’t? Then something hit me hard -- in Dat zou iedereen toch doen? En toen kreeg the chest -- die klap… op mijn borst.’ -- haven’t seen a doctor yet, but I’m sure I … Ik ben nog niet bij de dokter geweest, slipped a disc landing on the tracks… No, I maar ik weet zeker dat ik een paar ribben couldn’t see. Not a frigging thing. That wind heb gekneusd toen ik op die rails viel… kicked up too much soot. Spent a second Nee, ik zag niks, geen kloot. De wind blies listening to that beggar pray like an idiot… te veel stof op. En die bedelaar naast mij maar bidden, die idioot… … Yes, I am religious. But I’ve got the Ja, ik ben katholiek. Maar alleen in de kerk, decency to keep it in church. Then I heard zoals het hoort. En daarna die krijsende the cream of twisting metal -- shouts from herrie van ingedeukt metaal… Gegil uit de inside the train, people bitching. Finally the metrowagen, gevloek. En toen het stof soot settled… eindelijk was gaan liggen… … and there it was -- the train, I mean -- its … Toen stond-ie daar. De trein, bedoel ik… front end crushed inward, like it ran into De voorkant helemaal ingedeukt, alsof hij something… Well, something… ergens tegenop gereden was… iets eh… Something more powerful than a Wat ‘sterker was dan een locomotief’? locomotive, right, Tom? Bedoel je dat, Tom? Lola -- the last thing we need is trouble with ‘Lola… We willen geen moeilijkheden met the F.C.C. … de obsceniteitencommissie…’ Softening up -- she’ll start talking soon -- Ze wordt moe… zal zo wel gaan praten… -- what’s that sound -- … Wat is dat geluid? -- the floor -- De vloer… -- it’s shaking -- … hij trilt… -- not an earthquake. Do not panic. … geen aardbeving is. Geen reden tot Whatever it is, it’s localized -- and moving paniek. Wat het ook is, het is plaatselijk… across Gotham’s South Side… en het beweegt zich naar he zuiden van de stad… No -- no -- -- not him -- … niet hij… -- not now -- … niet nu… -- I have you -- Nu heb ik je!

The room goes hot -- metal explodes -- Het wordt mij te heet hier… Overal kogels… Bruce -- We have to talk. Bruce… we moeten praten. I’m busy tonight, you’ve just cost me hours. Ik ben bezig. Dit kost me een paar uur. Tomorrow morning. My place. Stay out of Morgenochtend. In mijn huis. En blijf tot die my way until then. tijd uit de buurt. Something hurls itself into the sky. Er schiet iets of iemand omhoog. Something leaps a tall building with a single Het springt over een flat in één sprong! bound. … Soviet representatives stormed out of the … verlieten de Russische onderhandelaars hall. Repeating this late-breaking story -- het gebouw. We herhalen nog even de U.S. / Soviet talks on the Corto Maltese hoofdpunten… De onderhandelingen met de crisis have broken down. Russen over Corto Maltese zijn mislukt. Terming U.S. military support of the regime De Russen noemen de Amerikaanse of general Montalban as “fascist militaire steun aan de regering van generaal aggression,” the Soviets pledged a “total Montalban ‘fascistische agressie’ en military commitment.” This has been a beloofden ‘totale militaire betrokkenheid’ News Six special report. bij het verzet. Dit was een speciaal verslag van nieuws op Zes. … Bodies of a pusher and junkie found … De lichamen van een junkie en een hacked to pieces in a West End tenement. pusher zijn aan stukken gehakt. De leden Members of the disbanded Mutant gang are van de voormalige mutanten bende maken carrying out their threat to Gotham’s hun eerdere belofte aan Gothams underworld. onderwereld waar. The Mutants are dead. The Mutants are ‘De mutanten zijn dood. De Mutanten zijn history. This is the mark of the future. verleden tijd. Dit is het teken van de Gotham City belongs to the Batman. toekomst. Gotham City is van Batman!’ Do not expect any further statements. The ‘Dit is onze laatste officiële mededeling. De Sons of Batman do not talk. We act. Let Kinderen van Batman praten niet. Ze doen Gotham’s criminals beware. They are about wat ze moeten doen. En tegen de to enter hell. misdadigers van Gotham zeggen we… er wacht jullie maar één ding… de hel!’ Batman’s culpability for this atrocity is our Vanavond praten we over de vraag of subject tonight. With us is the world’s Batman verantwoordelijk is voor dit geweld. leading expert on the sociological impact of Bij ons in de studio, een expert op het the Batman -- Dr. Bartholomew Wolper. gebied van de sociologiche impact van Batman… dr. Bartholomew Wolper. Batman is a menace to society. Batman is een gevaar voor onze samenleving. Now, I know that’s something of an Kijk, ik weet dat dit een verouderde outdated term. Sure sounds strange, coming uitdrukking is. En het klinkt misschien

out of my mouth. Nonetheless, it applies. vreemd uit mijn mond. Maar het is hier op Despite my alerting the city to the inevitable zijn plaats. Ondanks mijn waarschuwingen consequences -- over de onvermijdelijke gevolgen… -- nothing has been done to stop this … heeft niemand iets ondernomen om deze psychosocial infection. Batman should be psychosociale infectie een halt toe te roepen. considered personally responsible for every Batman is verantwoordelijk voor elke moord human being murdered by this gang. die in zijn naam gepleegd wordt door deze bende. My order were specific -- Ik had het bevolen! Watch it -- Kijk uit. Yeah, but… Ja, maar… -- Still, you made yourself visible to Bruno. Je hebt jezelf blootgegeven aan Bruno. Ik I will not tolerate insubordination -- moet kunnen vertrouwen dat je doet wat ik zeg… -- careful -- … voorzichtig… … But back there -- was that him? Maar daarnet… was dat acht…? … The hall is silent, as the man who has … De zaal is stil. De man die de afgelopen been police commissioner of Gotham City zesentwintig jaar commissaris van politie for twenty-six years steps to the podium. geweest is in deze stad, stapt naar voren… Nice watch. ‘Mooi horloge.’ … James Gordon draws a fond chuckle from … het publiek lacht om het grapje van the audience… James Gordon… Ladies and gentlemen… it is my pleasure to ‘Dames en heren… het is met het grootste introduce you to your new police genoegen dat ik u voorstel aan de nieuwe commissioner. I do not envy her the next commissaris. Ik ben benijd haar niet. Haar few years. The job has few rewards. baan heeft weinig positieve kanten.’ The best you can hope for is that when ‘Het beste dat je kunt bereiken is, dat als je you’re finished with it, things aren’t as lousy aftreedt de stad geen grotere puinhoop is dan as they would’ve been without you. Ellen het geweest zou zijn zonder jou. Ellen Yindel is eminently qualified for this job… Yindel is uitermate geschikt voor die baan…’ To attempt to quote her outstanding record ‘Als ik zou proberen haar successen tot nu in the minutes I’m allowed would be a toe in deze korte rijd samen te vatten, zou ik disservice to her. Rather, I offer my haar onrecht aandoen. In plaats daarvan wil sympathy, in the knowledge of what she ik haar, in de wetenschap wat haar te faces. wachten staat, sterkte wensen.’ If you disobey, ever again -- Dus nog één keer niet luisteren… -- you’re fired. … en je ligt eruit! We going somewhere or what? Gaan we nog iets doen? To the only solid lead I’ve got left, Robin. We volgen het enige spoor dat ik nog heb. A man named Abner. Hij heet Abner.

She faces a city of thieves and murderers ‘Ze staat alleen tegenover een stad vol and honest people too frightened to hope. moordenaars en dieven en eerlijke mensen She faces life-and-death decisions, every die te bang zijn om nog te hopen. Ze zal hour to come. Some will torture her. moeten beslissen over leven en dood. En ervan wakker liggen.’ She will face a man who is the living spirit ‘Ze zal tegenover een man komen te staan of… something we need, she may be his die de levende verbeelding is van… iets wat enemy. She may learn from him. I wish her we nodig hebben. Misschien zal ze zijn well. Thank you -- and good-bye. vijand zijn… misschien leert ze iets van hem. Ik wens haar sterkte met haar beslissing. Goedenavond.’ … There is strained applause for James … Er kan met moeite een applausje af voor Gordon… James Gordon… Figure we’ve been doing the spider here for Hoelang zitten we hier nu al spinneman te less than three years… spelen? Patience, Robin. It’ll keep alive. Abner isn’t Geduld, Robin. Dat houdt je in leven. home. Abner is niet thuis. Aces. I get some clues. Zal wel. Ik ga kijken. Robin! No! Robin! Nee! … And yes -- a standing ovation for police … en uiteraard… een staande ovatie voor commissioner Yindel! commissaris Yindel! Thank you… I am honored to share the ‘Dank u. Het is een eer om het podium te stage with James Gordon. He spoke of mogen delen met James Gordon. Hij had het decisions. Now I must make my own. over beslissingen. Die moet ik nu zelf nemen.’ Eyuuuh. Getver! Eyuuh yourself, bitch. Bitch, ik heb je! I said no! Ik zei nee! It talks… Ze praat… Despite Gotham’s plague of crime, I believe ‘Ik geloof dat het handhaven van de wet our only recourse is law enforcement. I will boven alles gaat, hoe groot de misdaadplaag not participate in the activities of a vigilante. ook is. Ik kan de activiteiten van een Therefore, as your police commissioner -- vigilante niet gedogen, zoals commissaris Gordon…’ -- I issue this arrest order for the Batman on Daarom vaardig ik een arrestatiebevel uit charges of breaking and entering, assault oor Batman. Hij wordt gezocht wegens and battery, creating a public menace -- openbare geweldpleging, inbraak, en het in gevaar brengen van onschuldige levens… Batman you are under arrest Batman, je staat onder arrest! You are surrounded We hebben je omsingeld!

Do not move Sta stil! Ahem dr. Volper -- You haf blemmed ze ‘Eh… dr. Wolper… Sie haben Batman die Batman for zese killings, yes? schuld gegeben für al die moorden, ja? Und what iz ze nature uf Batman’s ‘Und die psychosen von Batman, von welke pzychosis? art ist die?’ Zexual repression -- zi is a terrible zing… ‘Zexuele verdrinking… Das ist ja sehr schlimm, ja…’ Zex und zex… ‘Zex un zex…’ … und zex un zex… ‘… und zex und zex…’ By then the PBI was in it and things were De FBI bemoeide zich ermee. Het liep uit de getting out of hand. hand. Free Cotton Candy Gratis Suikerspin … Pentagon chief general Lucius Lockheed … Lucius Lockheed, hoofd van het confirms that strategic air command stands Pentagon, heeft bevestigd dat de luchtmacht at def con three -- a heartbeat from op defcon drie staat… gereed om te vuren. deployment. “We’re primed”, says ‘Wij zijn er klaar voor,’ zei Lockheed… Lockheed… House of Mirrors House of Mirrors

Table 4: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation, pp. 154-165

That’s right, captain -- the commissioner got Inderdaad, meneer… de commissaris wilde tired of waiting . Took a squad in herself. liever niet wachten. Ze is zelf naar binnen. -- Got the other end sealed -- no way they’ll … Alles zit potdicht. Deze keer ontkomen get past us -- ze niet… -- Get some body bags -- Got two cold ones … Neem bodybags mee… Ik heb er nog -- twee… You like that bitch, don’t you, Merkel? Je mag die trut wel, hè Merkel? -- Witnesses say both got guns -- … Ze schijnen allebei gewapend te zijn… -- Keep an eye out -- … Dus kijk goed uit… … showdown at the county fair, where the … een handgemeen op de kermis, waarbij Joker is said to have murdered at least de Joker meer dan twintig mensen heeft twenty. Sighted was Batman, in hot pursuit gedood. Hij werd achterna gezeten door of the Joker… Batman… Tunnel of love Tunnel of love … led by commissioner Yindel, police were … onder leiding van commissaris Yindel is last seen converging on the tunnel of love, de politie de tunnel of love binnengegaan with arrest orders for both the Joker -- and met arrestatiebevelen voor de Joker… en for Gotham’s vigilante… Gothams vigilante… So dark, man… Shit, wat donker…

Careful, now… quiet… Voorzichtig zijn nou… Stil… -- Can’t see a damn thing -- … Ik zie geen bal! Take it slow… Kalm aan… -- So dark -- … Zo donker… The incendiaries… are in place… De brandbommen… liggen op hun plaats… The enemy… is seconds away… … De vijand… is vlakbij… I waste one second… with a good-bye… … Ik verspil één seconde… met het afscheid… Commissioner -- over here -- Commissaris… ik zie iets! It’s the Joker -- Het is de Joker! -- it’s no suicide -- Dat is geen zelfmoord! Sergeant -- don’t touch it -- Sergeant… niet aanraken! I said don’t touch -- Wat zei ik nou?! -- Lieutenant -- Get him covered -- Luitenant… Geef hem dekking… Jesus -- Jezus! Rigged the body -- … een boobytrap! -- Son of a bitch rigged the body -- … Die klootzak heeft het lijk gebruikt… Now… while they’re scared… Nu… nu de schrik er nog in zit… While my guts are still… where they … en mijn ingewanden nog op hun plaats belong… zitten… Christ it’s -- Jezus, het… Spreading -- it’s -- … is overal… Het… Fire’s spreading -- … het vuur is overal! Holy -- Shit… Robin… Robin… … Come in… Robin… … Hoor je mij… Robin Summon… the copter… … Breng me… de helikopter. Follow… my signal… … Track dit signaal… … Yes, sir. I’m punching the code in -- … Eh, ja, ik tik nu de code in… Uh-oh -- got trouble, boss. Eh… klein probleempje, baas! Attention. As in media. We zijn in het nieuws. Closer -- move in closer -- Lola -- Can you Inzoomen… iets meer nog… Kunnen jullie see it? -- Live from the News Two copter -- het zien? Live vanuit onze nieuwshelikopter It’s Robin -- the boy wonder! brengen wij u… Robin… Batmans jonge partner! He’s young -- can’t be older than thirteen -- En jong is hij inderdaad… Niet veel ouder He’s riding the roller coaster -- He’s wait -- dan dertien, schat ik… Hij rijdt over de He’s -- achtbaan. Hij… wacht, hij… Freeze, you -- Blijf uit de buurt… One of them has the brains to jump clear… … Slechts één is zo slim om te bukken… -- You son of a bitch… Freeze -- Vuile klootzak… Ik heb je!

Cute gun… … Geinig pistool… Stop… … Stop laughing… Hou op… … hou op… … met lachen. We’re moving in, men -- no time to waste -- Ogen open houden… en geen tijd verspillen… If it’s not a cop -- shoot it. … als het geen agent is, mag je schieten! Blow that bastard’s head off -- … Ik knal z’n kop d’r af… -- Swear I’ll blow his god damn head off -- … Ik zweer je dat ik z’n kop d’r af knal! SWAT team… Mariniers. They’re armored… Won’t have to… restrain In vol harnas… dus ik hoef me niet in te myself… houden… Just enough time to -- Net genoeg tijd om… Blacked out… Can’t afford that… Een black-out… Niet nu… Good… Didn’t get the gun wet… Gelukkig is het pistool niet nat… I’ll need it… provided I can fit my finger in Dat kan ik goed gebruiken… als mijn vinger the trigger guard… om de trekker past… Something… to keep an old man awake… Heeft het oudje wat te doen… blijft hij wakker… … and something else… Maar eerst… … to bring the house down… … de tent platleggen. …. He seems confident -- What the -- That’s … Lijkt ervan overtuigd dat… Wat is…?! not one of ours -- coming right at us -- bank, Die is niet van ons! Hij komt recht op ons you idiot -- bank -- af! Er onderdoor, idioot… Er onderdoor! Coming right at us -- Het komt hierheen… Look out -- Kijk uit! Find him. Haal hem. Jesus what a mess. Jezus, wat een bende. Can’t see a damn thing -- Ik zie geen bal, hier… He’s in here somewhere -- Look sharp -- Hij moet ergens zijn. Kijk goed… My finger… fits… Mijn vinger… past… Plastique… all set… Kneedplastic… klaar… … Easy shot. Anybody could hit it… Makkelijk schot. Haalt een kind… Anyb Een… ody… Kind… Clumsy… Stomme… Stupid… Oude… Senile… Seniele… There -- Daar… ! Shoot to kill -- Schiet hem neer… Doddering… Stuntelige… Helpless… Hulpeloze… … lucky -- … bofkont.

-- the plastique goes up -- … Het kneedplastic doet zijn werk… -- My heart only skips -- one beat… … Mijn hart staat maar even stil… … lucky… … Bofkont… … The roof lands on the SWAT team… … Het plafond landt op de mariniers… … lucky old man… … ouwe bofkont… Property damage. Geen personen - Auto. Auto. I knew she’s make it… Ik wist dat ze het kon… … I might’ve… at her age… … net als ik… op haar leeftijd… Yindel’s going to kill us… Yindel maakt ons af… Gotham City will no longer tolerate this ‘Gotham kan dit soort schaamteloze vagrant violation of the law -- This violent overtredingen van de wet niet langer assault on the very underpinnings of our tolereren… Het is een gewelddadige aanval society… op de fundering van onze maatschappij…’ By attacking Gotham’s police, Batman has ‘Door de politie van Gotham aan te vallen, revealed himself as an unqualified menace. I heeft Batman laten zien wat voor have instructed the attorney general to place weergaloze bedreiging hij is. Daarom heb ik the state police at Gotham’s disposal… Gotham de hulp toegezegd van de hulptroepen van de staat New York…’ … the Joker’s body found mutilated and … Het lichaam van de Joker was verminkt burned… Murder is added to the charges en verbrand… Batman heeft nu ook van against the Batman… moord aan zijn lijst met misdaden toegevoegd… Bruce. It’s over. Dat was het , Bruce. You look tires, Kent. Je zit er moe uit, Kent. Well, you’ve earned a good night’s sleep. Je hebt wel een nachtje rust verdiend. Heck of a police action, if you ask me… Na zo’n politionele actie, hm? I didn’t… Ja, meneer… You can say what you want. You can call ‘Jullie kunnen zeggen wat jullie willen en him what you want. You don’t have to walk jullie kunnen hem uitmaken voor wat jullie down Avenue D at night. willen, maar jullie hoeven niet ’s avonds over straat te lopen.’ You don’t have to hear the sucking sounds ‘Jullie hoeven niet te luisteren naar de they make every time you walk by. This zuigende geluiden die ze maken als je one. He’d been working the nerve up for langsloopt. Die ene had zich al weken lopen weeks before he was horny enough… op te geilen…’ … No, horny he wasn’t. He was just looking ‘… Of neen, hij was niet geil, hij wilde to hurt somebody and he’s the kind who gewoon iemand in elkaar slaan. En hij sloeg hurts women. I wish they were rare. He gave natuurlijk alleen vrouwen. Zal eens niet zo himself an excuse… zijn. Hij had alleen en excuus nodig…’

So now he’s giggling like he’s turned on! I ‘… dus hij begint te lachen alsof hij d’r lol figure he’s serious enough to run after me. I in heeft. En ik zie dat het geen zin meer go for the Mace. heeft om weg te rennen Dus ik pak m’n spuitbus.’ The creep’s pulling out his weapon when ‘Haalt die engerd een wapen tevoorschijn. there’s a shriek. Maar dan hoor ik een gil.’ Straight out of hell there’s this shriek… ‘Een gil uit de diepste diepten van de hel…’ … It turned into a growl -- flapping of wings ‘… Het wordt een soort gegrom… -- big wings -- fladderende vleugels… grote vleugels.’ -- Something wet happens to the creep -- ‘… Er gebeurt iets nattigs met de engerd.’ -- A side of beef slams into the lamppost -- ‘… En homp vlees slaat tegen de lantaarnpaal…’ -- A switchblade snaps open -- ‘… Een stiletto klikt open…’ Bones start popping inside the creep -- He’s ‘… En in de engerd beginnen botten te screaming and begging -- kraken. Hij schreeuwt, hij smeekt…’ -- what grabbed him is laughing and so am ‘… En zijn aanvaller lacht. Net als ik.’ I… And the man who assaulted you? ‘En waar is hij nu, die man die jou aanviel?’ Still in the hospital. ‘In het ziekenhuis.’ He’s old, he’s almost dead… Hij is oud. Hij is bijna dood… Suture. Klem. He’s going to be okay, right? Hij wordt wel weer beter, hè? He’ll live… Hij overleeft het. Do not expect any further statements. The ‘Verwacht geen verdere verklaringen. De Sons of the Batman do not talk. We act. Let Zonen van Batman praten niet, die doen. De Gotham’s criminals beware. They are about misdadigers van Gotham zijn to enter hell. gewaarschuwd. Wat hen wacht, is de hel.’ The Mutants are dead. The Mutants are ‘De Mutanten zijn dood. De Mutanten zijn history. This is the mark of the future. verleden tijd. Dit is het teken van de Gotham City belongs to the Batman. toekomst. Gotham is voortaan van Batman.’ … The Sons of the Batman have struck … De Zonen van Batman hebben opnieuw again. Jeff Stricken was closing up the toegeslagen. Jeff Stricken was zijn South Street 7-11 when he became both avondwinkel aan het afsluiten toen hij witness -- and victim… getuige… én slachtoffer werd… They’re younger than you’d think -- this one ‘Ze zijn jonger dan je denkt… Deze in elk was, anyway. Couldn’t have been older than geval wel, hij zal niet vele ouder zijn sixteen… That’s right, there was just one of geweest dan zestien… Dat klopt, het was er them… maar één…’ … But I’m getting ahead of myself. It all ‘… Maar ik ga te snel. Het begon toen er started when three Nixons came into the drie Nixons mijn winkel binnenkwamen… store. What?... No, I did not go for the Wat? Nee, ik sloeg geen alarm. Voor die

alarm. They don’t pay me enough for paar centen die ik krijg pleeg ik geen suicide. zelfmoord.’ I was clearing out the register when that off- ‘Ik haalde de kassa leeg, toen die agent van duty cop came up from the back. achter uit de winkel kwam. In zijn vrije tijd.’ He only saw two of the Nixons. ‘Hij zag maar twee Nixons.’ I’d have loved to have warned him. ‘Ik wou hem nog waarschuwen, maar ja.’ The cop was still twitching when they ‘De agent lag nog te stuiptrekken toe ze headed for the door. weggingen.’ I heard a thunderclap. ‘Ik hoorde een rotklap.’ The tall Nixon went for his piece. ‘De lange Nixon pakte zijn geweer.’ More thunder. ‘Nog een klap.’ The last one watched the S.O.B. reload his ‘De laatste zag dat kutkind zijn buks laden shotgun and didn’t say a word. en hij zei geen woord.’ Then the S.O.B., he told me I should have ‘En toen zei dat kutkind dat ik me tegen de put up a fight with the Nixons. Said I didn’t Nixons had moeten verzetten. Dat ik niet deserve to run a cash register. He grabbed a achter de kassa hoorde. En hij pakte een pair of wire cutters -- heggenschaar…’ The Nixons are the newest splinter group of De Nixons zijn een nieuwe afsplitsing van the Mutant army, which experts believe de Mutanten, die naar het schijnt is ontstaan disbanded when the Batman defeated their nadat Batman hun leider heeft verslagen. leader. Tom? Tom? Thank you, Lola. Still held at Gotham jail Dank je, Lola. Hier in de gevangenis van are eighty-seven members of the Mutant Gotham zitten zevenentachtig leden van de gang, who were captured by Batman. Mutanten nog steeds gevangen, sinds ze hier gebracht zijn door Batman. Commissioner Yindel has requested that Commissaris Yindel heeft gevraagd of ze they be moved to the state penitentiary, overgebracht kunnen worden naar de while they await trial… federale gevangenis, om aldaar hun proces af te wachten… No -- no trouble , commissioner… They’re Nee… Geen enkel probleem, commissaris… still just watching TV… ze kijken nog steeds tv… Yindel’s request was cut short by a court ‘Het verzoek van de commissaris is echter order, acquired by the Mutants’ attorney… geblokkeerd door een gerechtelijk bevel, dat de advocaat van de Mutanten heeft losgekregen…’ My clients are young people -- minors, most ‘Mijn cliënten zijn nog jong… veelal of them. If there isn’t room in the jail, they minderjarig. Als er voor hem geen plaats is should be returned to the care of their in de gevangenis, moeten ze worden parents. overgedragen aan hun ouders.’ Following the attorney’s statement, a ‘De verklaring van de advocaat werd petition signed by seventy-one of the gevolgd door een petitie getekend door

Mutants’ parents, urged the mayor not to eenenzeventig van de ouders, waarin zij de release -- burgemeester verzoeken hun kinderen vooral niet vrij…’ * special report * * special report * We interrupt this broadcast for a News Two Wij onderbreken deze uitzending voor een special report… Ladies and gentlemen, the speciale reportage… president of the United States. … Dames en heren, de president van de Verenigde Staten. Well, folks, I’ve got some good news -- and ‘Nou, kijk… Ik heb goed nieuws… en ik some bad news -- heh… The good news is heb slecht nieuws… hèh… Het goede that the Soviets have withdrawn their forces nieuws is dat de Russen hun troepen hebben from the island of Corto Maltese… teruggetrokken uit Corto Maltese…’ Something wrong, Kent? Is er iets, Kent? … and the bad news, well… It looks like ‘… En het slechte nieuws is, nou ja… het those Soviets are pretty bad losers, yes, they blijkt dat de Russen niet goed tegen hun are… verlies kunnen… hèh…’ K … Twenty million die by fire… Twintig miljoen mensen komen om in vlammen… … If I am weak… … als ik zwak ben… I could be sitting at home catching up on my Ik had nu thuis kunnen zitten met een boek reading -- yes, some of us still read -- if not op schoot - ja, er zijn nog mensen die lezen - for Sarah and the one more thing she always als Sarah niet altijd ‘nog één dingetje’ nodig needs from the grocery store. had uit de supermarkt. This time it’s beans. Vegetarian beans. Took Nu moet ze weer bonen hebben. me ten minutes to figure out that it isn’t in Vegetarische bonen. Kostte me tien minuten the health food section. It’s just beans voor ik door had dat die niet bij de without meat. vegetarische spullen staan, maar gewoon bij de bonen. Ten minutes of my life. Tien minuten van m’n leven. I need a cigar. Ik wil een sigaar. Twenty-three days without. Everybody’s Drieëntwintig dagen zonder. Iedereen proud as hell. apetrots. One cigar and everything would be right Eén sigaar. Dan zou alles weer goed zijn… with the world… What -- Wat? What’s she saying -- Wat zegt-ie? Oh, God, no… O God, nee… Quiet -- I can’t hear -- Stil… ik versta ’t niet!

Table 5: Onomatopoeia, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Dutch translation

Oof! Oef! Oww! Au! Aaa -- Aah… Uff Unf! Aaaah -- Aah! Aaaa.. Aah! Mmp Shh -- Stil! Aaah -- Aah! Shhh! Ssst! Ding Aaahh! Aaah! Hmf Hmf. Shh… Ssst… Aa Aa Uh -- Ja… Shh! Stil! Shh! Ssst! Eyuuuh Getver! Eyuuh Aa Aaaa Uhh… Ahem Eh… Shh… Ssst… Whef Wunf Skrikk gschchgchch Hmf Hm Hyuh Hjah Oww Au!