Looking behind the scenes: an analysis of dialogue lists for Ocean's Eleven

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article we consider the process involved in creating foreign language versions of feature films by describing and analysing paratextual elements in the dialogue list for the audiovisual source text Ocean's Eleven. We aim to assess the potential translational impact of this accompanying material on the final product and to offer insights into the complex mediation process that lies at the heart of the linguistic transfer in audiovisual translation. Our analysis initially starts out from Scene 12, the common thread focused on in the volume, but widens to consider the strategic role of paratextual elements such as translator's notes in the translation of dialogues in the whole film. The approach adopted is descriptive-qualitative as it aims to first disclose the most typical and frequent annotation types and highlight the semantic, pragmatic, and narrative aims they pursue in each case, and then to relate them with the options adopted in the dubbed dialogues. More than offering conclusive results, the study aims at opening up research into the process of translation in the context of audiovisual communication, by means of integrating descriptive analyses of the translated product and an informed consideration of professional practices that are part and parcel of the post-production process, focusing in particular on paratextual materials for the use of translators.