Subtitle Translation: Cultural Components in the Translation of the Film Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au bon Dieu?

Abstract

Subtitle translation which is one
 of the oldest types of translation, can be defined as translation of
 audio-visual constituents in the source language simultaneously into the target
 language in a limited duration. In this translation type, the source text
 should be translated into the target text without meaning and information loss,
 in a correct and understandable way, simultaneously with picture and sound. In
 subtitle translation, which is a type of both intralingual and interlingual
 translations, audiovisual elements in the source text should be translated in a
 simple, clear and effective way in a short time in accordance with grammar and
 syntax rules of the target language. What the audience reads in the target
 language is what they hear in the source language. Subtitle translation which
 is presented together with the original sound of the movie is a bare
 translation; therefore it is open to criticism in this respect as well. In
 addition, it is observed that there is a challenge being faced in subtitle translation
 to convey cultural components. Based on the translation approach adopted,
 subtitle translation can be target-oriented and foreignization between the
 audience and the product belonging to a different culture can disappear. On the
 other hand, it can be source-oriented and foreignization between the audience
 and the product can occur. And yet, translator is the person who decides how to
 represent a foreign culture and what kind of strategy to follow in the
 translation of the cultural components. From this point forth, the cultural
 components in subtitle translation will be examined in this study through
 translator decisions in the light of Venuti’s domestication and foreignization
 approaches. For this purpose, in the translation of cultural components from
 French to Turkish in the film called Qu'est-ce
 qu'on a fait au bon Dieu?, it was attempted to determine the restrictions
 that the translator was exposed to, which strategies were followed and what
 kind of decisions were made by the translator.