ADAPTATION OF EDUCATIONAL FILMS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University IBRAHIM MIKHAIL HANNA HEFZALLAH, B. Sc. and Ed., B. Sc.(Physics), M.A. The Ohio State University 1959 Approved Department of Education ACKNOVJLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my adviser Dr. Edgar Dale. Without his guidance and inspira­ tion this study would have been impossible. Also, I wish to thank Dr. Norman Woelfel, Dr. I. Keith Tyler, and Dr. Robert Wagner for reading the rough draft and for their valuable suggestions. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I INTRODUCTION---------------------------- 1 II MOTION PICTURE L A N G U A G E ------------------ 10 III REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON FILM TRANSLATION - - 82 IV ANALYSIS OF SIGHT EDUCATIONAL FILMS TRANSLATED FROM ENGLISH INTO A R A B I C ----- 95 V PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATING PRINTED MATERIALS - 135 VI THE SOUND TRACK IN THE PROCESS OF FILM ADAPTATION-----------------------171 VII THE PICTURE ELEMENT IN THE PROCESS OF FILM ADAPTATION --------------------- 186 VIII CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS -------------198 BIBLIOGRAPHY -------------------------- 216 AUTOBIOGRAPHY -------------------------- 221 -iii- LIST OF TABIES PAGE 1 FILMS UNDER STUDY--------------------------------- 98 2 PARAPHRASING THE ORIGINAL NARRATION -------------- 10? 3 RE INTERPRETATION OF THE ORIGINiL NARRATION---------- 109 4 PARAPHRASING THE ORIGINAL D I A L O G U E -----------------HO 5 ADAPTING THE ORIGINAL D I A L O G U E -------------------- 112 6 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE FILM "ALCOHOL AND THE HUMAN B O D Y " -------------------- 114 7 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE FILM "BODY DEFENSES AGAINST DISEASE" -----------------115 8 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE F U M "CARE OF THE S K I N " -----------------------------116 9 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE F U M "THE EARS AND H E A R I N G " ------------------------- 117 10 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE Fill'd "ENDOCRINE GLANDS"" ---------------------------- 119 n ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE FILM "EYES AND THEIR CARE"--------------------------- 122 12 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE FILM "HELPING THE CHILD TO FACE THE DON'T1 S» ---------- 123 13 ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE FILM "HOME NURSING" 124 lb THE ENGLISH VOCABULARY LEVELS OF THE FILMS UNDER STUDY 127 15 THE RATE OF DELIVERY OF THE ENGLISH AND THE ARABIC VERSIONS OF THE FILMS UNDER S T U D Y ---------- 129 16 THE ENGLISH NARRATION OMITTED FROM THE ARABIC VERSION OF THE FILM "ALCOHOL AND THE HUMAN BODY 130 -iv- LIST OF TABLES (Continued) TABLE Page 17 THE ENGLISH NARRATION OMITTED FROM THE ARABIC VERSION OF THE FILM "HOME NURSING"---------- 131 18 CALCULATING THE CORRECTED RATE OF DELIVERY OF THE ARABIC VERSIONS OF "ALCOHOL AND THE HUMAN BODY," AND "HOME N U R S I N G " ----------------- 133 19 COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CORRECTED RATE OF DELIVERY OF THE ARABIC AND THE RATE OF DELIVERY OF THE ' ENGLISH VERSIONS OF "ALCOHOL AND THE HUMAN BODY," AND "HOME NURSING" ----------------------- 133 20 LOSING SCENE SYNCHRONIZATION ---------------- 173 21 A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PRINCIPLE OF TRANSLATING THE VERBAL ELEMENT IN MOTION PICTURES AND OF PRINCIPLES OF TRANSLATING WRITTEN MATERIALS - - 182 -v- LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 PICTURES C M STIR M O T I O N S ------------------- 22 2 A CENTRAL VIEWPOINT FROM AVERAGE HEIGHT ------ 37 3 THE VIEWPOINT IS LOWERED FROM THE AVERAGE HEIGHT - 37 4 THE VIEWPOINT IS SHIFTED TO THE L E F T ----------- 37 5 THE VIEWPOINT IS SHIFTED TO THE RIGHT AND NEARER TO THE OBJECT 38 6 THE VIEWPOINT IS FURTHER LOWERED FROM THE AVERAGE HEIGHT 38 7 THE VIEWPOINT IS RAISED ABOVE THE AVERAGE HEIGHT 38 8 A SHOT REVEALING THE ACTOR'S VIEWPOINT------- 42 9 A SHOT REVEALING THE ACTOR'S VIEW P O I N T------- 43 10 A COMPOSITIONAL PLAN FOR A SHOT IN THE FILM ''OCTOBER" (FORM I) ------------- 44 11 A COMPOSITIONAL PLAN FOR A SHOT IN THE F U M ''OCTOBER" (FORM II)----- ------------- 44 12 A COMPOSITIONAL PLAN FOR A SHOT IN THE FILM "OCTOBER" (FORM III) SHOWING TILTING OF FRAME 45 13 THE ACTUAL SHOT FROM THE FILM "OCTOBER ----- 45 14 DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF WIPES----------------- 77 15 OF SEVEN VIEWERS, THREE MENTIONED DANGER IN CUTTING TREE SO THAT IT FALLS TOWARD THE FAMILY ------------------------------- 192 16 OF SEVEN PEOPLE SEEING THE ILLUSTRATION, THREE THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE LEG OF THE COW; 0®; THOUGHT THAT THE BOY WAS CUTTING THE LEG O F F -------------------- 192 -vi- CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This study aims to develop a practical theory for adapting educational films from one language to another« Adaptation of a film is the process of making a film produced in language A intell­ igible to audiences of language B. The term "translation" is not accurate since there is more than translating the verbal component of a film in language A to make it intelligible to audiences of language B. This idea is illustrated by the following incident: More than one worker in fundamental education in underdeveloped countries has reported that films showing the deadly malaria mosquitoes have been ineffective with natives. The close- ups on the screen made the mosquitoes of huge size. Natives viewing such magnifications have said: 'We need not worry about our mosquitoes, they are so tiny. Tours in America are indeed very large and possibly very dangerous. In this incident the verbal sound track was in the native's tongue. Misunderstanding occurred,however, from misinterpreting the picture. The writer maintains that the motion picture is a unique language. It differs from the languages of its components: verbal, picture, music, and sound effects. This unique language — the ^Edgar Dale, Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching. Revised Edi­ tion, New York: The Dryden Press, 195*+. pp. 219-220. 1 - 2 - motion picture language — needs different treatments in "transla­ tion" from those of the verbal language. The process of translating this peculiar language is called adaptation. The second term which we have to define is "educational filmsAudio-visual educators have classified films under different categories, and no one classification is recognized by all the field's leaders. However, it is absolutely necessary to define exactly what the writer means by "educational films" for these two reasons: (a) the selection of the films for the experimental part of this study will be made according to this definition, and (b) it is assumed that different types of films demand different treatments in adaptation. Accordingly, a theory for adapting a certain type of films is not necessarily applicable to other types. In its infancy the motion picture was recognized as an enter­ tainment medium. Till now, it is "principally associated in the public mind with the theater, . ."2 However, thoughtful people have realized the motion picture's potentiality as an educational medium. Hoban^ reports that Edison, who is credited with the invention of the medium, predicted its contribution to education. Today, motion pictures have an established role in instruction, 2Charles Hoban, Jr., Focus on Learning. Washington, D.C.; American Council on Education, 19^2, p. 9* ^Ibid.. p. 5 . -3- On the basis of film research studies, Hoban and van Grmer have listed five major values of motion pictures in teaching: . 1. People learn from films. They learn factual knowledge, concepts, motor skills, attitudes, and opinions. Probably, films are useful in achieving other educational objectives, such as appreciations and creative imagination, but there is little evidence available on these outcomes. 2. When effective and appropriate films are properly used, people learn more in less time and are better able to retain what they have learned. 3. Instructional films may stimulate other learn­ ing activities (such as discussions, voluntary reading, investigation, art work, etc.) h. Certain films may facilitate thinking and problem solving. 5. Appropriate films are equivalent to at least an average teacher, and sometimes even to an excellent instructor insofar as the instructor's function is communicating the facts or demonstrat­ ing the procedures presented in the film.^ Therefore, a medium ordinarily considered as an entertaining device had a powerful role in education. Films, therefore, have a twofold function: to entertain, and to educate. Is it possible to draw a meaningful line between what we might call entertainment films and educational films? The first criterion that may come to the mind is that enter­ tainment films are devised to entertain, and educational films are ^ Charles Hoban, Jr. and Edward van Ormer, Instructional Film Research (Rapid Mass Learning). 1918-1950. Technical Report No. SP c 269-7-19, pp. 9:1-2. -4- intended to teach. Classifying films in this way is both inaccurate and fruitless. This is because films devised to entertain have a pronounced educative value. Albright indicated the educative func­ tion of entertainment motion picture when he said: The introduction of sound to film in late 20’s opened up new vistas of entertainment. This made it possible for the vast audience not only to see pantomime but along with it to hear the words of well-written stories and even of literary master­ pieces . Although these films were produced largely. if not solely, for their high entertainment appeal, they carry with them significant overtones of education. Millions of people around the world who had thought of some of our best literature as being dull and stodgy and condemned