The Dubbing Translation of Humor based in Polisemy: the Marx Brothers cross the pond

Abstract

This thesis arises from the interest in the complexity of translating wordplay in audiovisual texts. Its main objectives are to discover and analyze the translation norms and strategies used in the dubbing of puns in the filmography of the Marx Brothers, and to develop a descriptive and interdisciplinary methodology for the contrastive study of audiovisual translations of wordplay.

The thesis is divided in two parts. The first part deals with the theoretical frame using an interdisciplinary approach: the different concepts that come together in the topic researched are explained by areas as diverse as psychology, phraseology or film studies, to name but a few.

The second part of the thesis is a corpus study: the 240 examples found in the 13 films of the Marx Brothers are classified according to the diverse complexity of the polisemic unit. Examples and strategies are analyzed and contrasted in qualitative terms, and their consequences are compared with new solutions in order to show not only what was done, but also what could be done in order to improve the reception of humor.

In order to draw conclusions, the varied translation strategies found are divided in six categories using a taxonomy that takes into account the transfer of polisemy and effect. Such a criterion allowed me to draw interesting data and percentages about the causes and repercussions of the translation strategies used in the corpus.

Finally, the thesis suggests ideas for future research and includes a bibliography on different areas related with the dubbing translation of wordplay that may be of interest to researchers dealing with this topic.