The translation and audience reception of proper names in the official and amateur subtitles of The Witcher

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Prijevod i recepcija vlastitih imena u službenim i amaterskim titlovima serije The Witcher
• Author: Tea Božičević
• Mentor: Vinko Zgaga (mentor)
• Committee member: Kristijan Nikolić (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Nataša Pavlović (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2022-07-04, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

Audiovisual translation has been studied in academic circles since the 1950s, but it was considered an inferior translation activity (Díaz Cintas, 2004). Today, it is a well-developed and an established type of translation that some engage with as a hobby. This has led to the development of fansubs: subtitles created by fans who are usually not formally educated in the field of translation. This practice was a response to unsatisfying subtitles for Japanese anime in the 1980s, but it has spread to all genres and types of audiovisual content. Fans are considered to be better acquainted with the content they translate, they generally publish subtitles very quickly after the broadcast, and their translations are usually more source-oriented, which is why they are seen as more faithful to the source text (Ay, 2019; O'Hagan, 2009; Díaz Cintas & Muñoz Sánchez, 2006). This research focuses on the translation of proper names in fansubs and official subtitles for the Netflix’s series The Witcher, which was translated into Croatian as Vještac, and it investigates viewers’ opinions and preferences in the translation of names, as well as their general usage of amateur subtitles. The research aims to determine whether viewers are more inclined to the translations of names in amateur subtitles and if they use fansubs due to their earlier availability. The data was collected using a questionnaire about participants’ opinions on the role of proper names in movies and series and their usage of subtitles. Participants also had to choose a translation they considered the best for each of the twelve names singled out from the first season of the series. Their responses suggest that they prefer names not to be translated, i.e., they prefer keeping original names from the series in the subtitles, and their usage of fansubs does not seem to be caused by their earlier availability.

Abstract (croatian)

Audiovizualno prevođenje u akademskim se krugovima proučava od 1950-ih, ali tada se smatralo inferiornom prevoditeljskom aktivnošću (Díaz Cintas, 2004). Danas je ono dobro razvijena i ravnopravna vrsta prevođenja kojom se neki bave kao hobijem, što je dovelo do razvitka amaterskih titlova (eng. fansubs) koje stvaraju obožavatelji koji obično nisu formalno obrazovani u području prevođenja. Ova je praksa bila odgovor na nezadovoljavajuće titlove japanskog animea 1980-ih, ali se proširila na sve žanrove i vrste audiovizualnog sadržaja. Smatra se da su fanovi bolje upoznati sa sadržajem koji prevode, obično objave titlove vrlo brzo nakon emitiranja filmova ili serija, te su njihovi prijevodi obično sličniji izvornom tekstu pa se smatra da mu time ostaju vjerniji (Ay, 2019; O'Hagan, 2009; Díaz Cintas & Muñoz Sánchez, 2006). Ovo se istraživanje bavi prijevodom vlastitih imena u fansubovima i službenim titlovima Netflixove serije The Witcher, koja je na hrvatski prevedena kao Vještac, te istražuje mišljenja i preferencije publike u prijevodima imena i njihovo općenito korištenje titlova amatera. Istraživanjem se nastoji saznati jesu li gledatelji naklonjeniji imenima u titlova amatera i koriste li ih jer su ranije dostupni. Podaci su prikupljeni upitnikom o mišljenjima sudionika o ulozi vlastith imena u filmovima i serijama te o njihovoj uporabi titlova. Ispitanici su također trebali odabrati prijevod koji smatraju najboljim za svako od dvanaest imena izdvojenih iz prve sezone serije. Njihovi odgovori ukazuju na to da im je draže da se imena ne prevode, odnosno, preferiraju zadržavanje originalnih imena iz serije u titlovima, a korištenje amaterskih titlova ne može se pripisati njihovoj ranijoj dostupnosti.

• Keywords: translation studies; audiovisual translation; fansubs; proper names; The Witcher
• Keywords (croatian): znanost o prevođenju; audiovizualno prevođenje; amaterski titlovi; vlastita imena; Vještac
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:063699
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: Translation; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Access restricted to students and staff of home institution
• Created on: 2022-07-08 12:58:45