Discourse Marker well and Functional Approach to its Translation into Russian in Film Subtitling and Dubbing

Abstract

The article is concerned with pragmatic functions of the discourse marker well in film dialogues and the means of its functional translation into Russian in subtitles and dubbing. A number of linguistic and extralinguistic parameters are used for a thorough contextual analysis of each occurrence of well in 11 feature films made between 1997 and 2017. The analysis results in identifying the following textual: floor-gaining, arranging topic shifts, indicating dialogue frames, contraposition, justification, clarification, repair and quotation - and interpersonal functions of well: prompting, hesitation, evasion, emphasis and humility. The article continues with a qualitative and quantitative account of translation decisions for the discourse marker well in subtitles and dubbing. For every textual and interpersonal function of well, we establish functional equivalents and assess the proportion of marker omission and the proportion of functional losses. Finally, the subtitled and dubbed versions are compared in terms of the proportion of marker omission and the proportion of functional losses. The conclusion is drawn on the apparent correlation between the degree of functional equivalence achieved in translation of well, on the one hand, and technical and textual constraints of both subtitling and dubbing, on the other.