Taking as a starting point the success of TV series dealing with elements of the black comedy genre, which were recently broadcast by Italian satellite as well as national channels, this paper sets out to investigate the translation of humour as portrayed in the pilot episode of the American TV series Six Feet Under. Although not entirely focused on humour, and not at all a comedy, the series offers some interesting research ideas as to how the very peculiar humorous elements present in the dialogues are translated for Italian viewers, who are likely to be fairly unfamiliar with the unambiguous portrayal of themes such as death, explicit sexual behaviour, homosexuality, and incest. As a matter of fact, an analysis of the Italian dubbed and subtitled versions of the pilot episode found that significantly different translation choices have been made in the two modes of audiovisual translation, both available on the first season DVD. The two versions were compared with particular attention to the rendering of humorous elements, in an attempt not to establish the superiority of one mode over the other, but to achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms that lie behind them. Observations will also be made on the implications that these different translation choices might have on the Italian viewers’ appreciation of the series.

Laughing To Death: Dubbed and Subtitled Humour In Six Feet Under

BUCARIA, CHIARA
2010

Abstract

Taking as a starting point the success of TV series dealing with elements of the black comedy genre, which were recently broadcast by Italian satellite as well as national channels, this paper sets out to investigate the translation of humour as portrayed in the pilot episode of the American TV series Six Feet Under. Although not entirely focused on humour, and not at all a comedy, the series offers some interesting research ideas as to how the very peculiar humorous elements present in the dialogues are translated for Italian viewers, who are likely to be fairly unfamiliar with the unambiguous portrayal of themes such as death, explicit sexual behaviour, homosexuality, and incest. As a matter of fact, an analysis of the Italian dubbed and subtitled versions of the pilot episode found that significantly different translation choices have been made in the two modes of audiovisual translation, both available on the first season DVD. The two versions were compared with particular attention to the rendering of humorous elements, in an attempt not to establish the superiority of one mode over the other, but to achieve a better understanding of the mechanisms that lie behind them. Observations will also be made on the implications that these different translation choices might have on the Italian viewers’ appreciation of the series.
2010
Translation, Humour and the Media
222
237
Bucaria C.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/103498
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