Translation strategies of subtitling taboo words in Malay: the case of the American animated sitcom ‘Family Guy’

Mohd Meera, Rehana and Mohd Basari, Shahrul Nizam (2023) Translation strategies of subtitling taboo words in Malay: the case of the American animated sitcom ‘Family Guy’. International Young Scholars Journal of Languages (IYSJL), 6 (1). pp. 56-73. E-ISSN 0128-2573

PDF - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (620kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

International audiences are now able to watch foreign films without having to worry about figuring out the plot themselves. This is owing to the entertainment industry that deems subtitles as an integral element of every production. However, subtitles are influenced by culture, and subtitling taboo words can be challenging. This research is conducted to analyse the taboo words found in an American animated sitcom ‘Family Guy’. The aims of this study are to categorise the taboo expressions uttered and to analyse the translation strategies used by the translators to subtitle the taboo expressions from English to Malay language in the sitcom. This study analysed 10 episodes of the animated sitcom ‘Family Guy’ and the sample includes the English and the Malay subtitles of the animated sitcom. Content analysis was employed as it focuses on analysing data that are obtained through speech utterances and situations in the form of a video. This research employed the theory proposed by Jay (1992) for the categorization of taboo words and Baker (1992) theory to analyse the translation strategy. The findings of this study suggest that the taboo types found include blasphemy, scatology, vulgarity, obscenity, slang, cursing, epithets and insults, and slurs. For the translation strategies, there were five strategies identified which are translated by a more general word, neutral or less expressive word, cultural substitution, paraphrasing using related words and omission. Based on the findings, insults and slurs are the most used taboo and as for the translation strategy, the most preferred was translation by paraphrasing using related words. In conclusion, subtitlists should be knowledgeable of the target culture to avoid exposing the target audience to unacceptable content and are encouraged to accustom themselves to numerous strategies for translating taboo words.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Adult animated sitcom, Audio-visual translation (AVT), Source Language (SL), Target Language (TL), Taboo expressions, Translation strategies
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PE English
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Sustainable Tourism and Contemporary Languages
Depositing User:	Dr Shahrul Nizam Mohd Basari
Date Deposited:	23 Aug 2024 15:41
Last Modified:	23 Aug 2024 15:41
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/114038

Actions (login required)

View Item