Translating Popular Film Also by Carol O’Sullivan THE POWER OF THE PEN: Translation and Censorship in 19th Century Europe (co-edited with Denise Merkle, Luc van Doorslaer and Michaela Wolf) Translating Popular Film Carol O’Sullivan University of Portsmouth © Carol O’Sullivan 2011 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2011 978-0-230-57391-8 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2011 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-36493-0 ISBN 978-0-230-31754-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230317543 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 For Pat and Kate O’Sullivan Contents List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgements x Introduction 1 1 Mimesis and Film Languages 9 2 The Dream of Instant Translation 40 3 Before and Beyond Subtitles 70 4 Subtitling and the Ethics of Representation 102 5 Where Are the Subtitles? Metalepsis, Subtitling and Narration 143 6 Translating Multilingualism on Screen 176 Notes 204 Filmography 214 Bibliography 220 Index 235 vii Illustrations Figures 1.1 V ehicular matching plus translation in The Battle at Elderbush Gulch 21 1.2 Mr Wu: an untranslated ‘Chinese’ intertitle 22 1.3 Mr Wu: another untranslated ‘Chinese’ intertitle 22 1.4 Mr Wu: a third untranslated ‘Chinese’ intertitle 23 1.5 I ncomprehension demonstrated by a nervous glance 33 1.6 Incomprehension demonstrated by a polite smile 33 2.1 The Bitter Tea of General Yen: Chinese safe conduct letter 46 2.2 T he Bitter Tea of General Yen: mid- dissolve 46 2.3 T he Bitter Tea of General Yen: safe conduct letter in English 47 2.4 A German striker’s placard in Deserter 47 2.5 Mid-d issolve 48 2.6 The ‘target text’ in Russian 48 2.7 The original Chinese message in Daughter of the Dragon 49 2.8 T he English message after the dissolve in Daughter of the Dragon 49 2.9 T he shift from representing Cantonese to representing English 58 2.10 The camera in the interpreters’ booth 60 2.11 T he camera rises out of the interpreters’ booth 61 2.12 Close-u p at the point of translation 61 2.13 T he hermeneutic close-u p in Pocahontas 66 4.1 I ntroducing a pun in Night on Earth 123 4.2 F urther explanation of the pun 123 4.3 R eproducing the sound of the French pun 124 4.4 The final step in explaining the pun 124 5.1–5.3 B eth’s painstakingly acquired Thai lets her down ... 146 5.4 Headnote in Ambush at Blood Pass 148 5.5 T he play of subtitles in the frame 149 5.6 George addresses the apes 156 5.7 T he subtitle from Chelios’ point of view 162 viii List of Illustrations ix 5.8 Chelios from the point of view of the ‘subtitled’ character 162 5.9 Establishing the location of the subtitles 164 5.10 V oltri’s subtitles from Maurice’s point of view 164 5.11 Maurice succeeds in reading Voltri’s subtitle in the mirror 165 5.12 A single word subtitled in Autumn Moon 172 6.1 H is English is good? 185 6.2 C hinese characters morph into English 1 193 6.3 C hinese characters morph into English 2 194 6.4 Chinese characters morph into English 3 194 6.5 C hinese characters morph into English 4 195 6.6 Two sets of overlaid subtitles compete for space 196 Tables 4.1 Subtitles per film 127 4.2 Subtitles per minute; words; and characters per subtitle 129 6.1 ST and English dub of Le Mépris 182 6.2 The Italian dub of The Yakuza 187 6.3 Bilingual subtitles in Le fate ignoranti 197