Cultural and technical transference issues encountered in the audiovisual translation of the TV series ‘Vis a Vis’ : the rendition of the Spanish dialogue into Maltese subtitles

Abstract

This is a practical study based on theoretical considerations drawn from important translation academics and scholars which aims to analyse some cultural and technical transference issues one could encounter in the subtitling process. Moreover, the analysis was based on the rendition of the original dialogue of the Pilot episode of the Spanish TV series Vis a Vis into Maltese subtitles. The main objective of this academic work is to discuss and analyse how cultural references, humour and vulgar language should be dealt with and rendered from one language/culture to another whilst still being faithful to the subtitling guidelines. Therefore, several translation strategies, which help in achieving these objectives, were discussed in detail throughout the entire study. Apart from this, attention was also given to the notion of achieving functional equivalence rather than literal equivalence in the target text. Essentially, this notion shows that an adequate translation is one that reproduces the same or a similar effect rather than the literal meaning of the source text. Since the practical part of this study deals with the creation of subtitles, various subtitling strategies which help counteract the technical subtitling issues were also discussed and eventually, applied in order to produce adequate Maltese subtitles which respect the subtitling limitations, particularly the spatial and temporal limitations, in question. Finally, more academic works which combine specific topics, subtitling and the Maltese culture and audience are significantly needed so as to raise awareness on the accessibility of subtitles in Malta and on how different topics in the subtitling field require specific strategies to be adequately transferred into the Maltese culture.