‘No Revolutionary Roads please, we’re Turkish’: The translation of film titles as an object of translation research

Abstract

This paper endeavours to promote further research into the relatively neglected field of film title translation by highlighting the fascinating range of factors and agents (including not just translators) that help determine the names used to market films imported into a country. As a survey article, it cannot dwell on all the variables that shape the choice of such titles but instead focuses on five: the diversity of translation tactics available; the influnce of the cultural background of the target audience; local patterns and conventions with regards to title translation; commercial considerations and the techniques they engender; and the impact of the international process and business relations from which translated film titles emerge. To illustrate these factors and to lend the paper a comparative and international perspective, the article draws on data from two countries on the margins of Europe, Turkey and Slovenia, who (albeit in different proportions) are heavily dependent on imported films, especially from the USA: it analyses a parallel corpus of film titles from the year 2009 and incorporates the findings from a questionnaire completed by professionals involved in the translation of titles in these two territories.