Translation Strategies and Techniques in Audiovisual Translation of Humour: Analysis of "Shrek 2" and "Ice Age"

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1. Theoretical part
• 1.1. Humour - its definition and classification
• 1.2. Humour translation
• 1.2.1. Definition of humour translation
• 1.2.2. Untranslatability
• 1.2.3. Shifts of meaning
• 1.2.4. Humour translation and theory
• 1.2.5. Translation strategies and techniques in humour translation
• 1.3. Audiovisual translation
• 1.3.1. Definition of audiovisual translation
• 1.3.2. Subtitling
• 1.3.3. Dubbing
• 1.3.4. Translation or adaptation
• 2. Analytical part
• 2.1. Shrek 2 and Ice Age as humorous films
• 2.2. Translation techniques and strategies used in Shrek 2 and Ice Age
• 2.3. Language of film characters creating humorous effect
• 2.4. Skopos and the choice of translation strategy and technique

Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis investigates the challenges of translating humor in dubbing and subtitling. It aims to analyze translation strategies and techniques employed in adapting humorous content from two animated films, Shrek 2 and Ice Age, for a Polish audience. The analysis compares the original English dialogue with its Polish dubbed and subtitled versions.

• The nature and definition of humor and its translation
• Translation strategies and techniques used in humor translation
• Specificities of audiovisual translation, particularly subtitling and dubbing
• The impact of translation on the humorous effect in the target language
• The role of Skopos (purpose) in guiding translation choices

Chapter Summaries

The first chapter explores the concept of humor, its definition, and classification. It delves into the specific challenges of translating humor and examines different approaches to the task, focusing on the complexities of untranslatability, meaning shifts, and translation strategies. The chapter also discusses the nature of audiovisual translation, specifically subtitling and dubbing.

The second chapter delves into the analysis of humor translation in the two films, Shrek 2 and Ice Age. It examines translation techniques and strategies employed by the translators, comparing the humorous effect achieved in the Polish versions to the original English dialogue. The analysis considers the language used by the film characters to create humor and how translation strategies contribute to achieving a similar humorous effect in the target language.

Keywords

This study focuses on key concepts like humor translation, audiovisual translation, dubbing, subtitling, translation strategies, translation techniques, and Skopos. The research utilizes the example of animated films, Shrek 2 and Ice Age, to analyze how humor is translated effectively in different cultural contexts.