Translation of Anthroponyms in Children’s Cartoons: a comparative analysis of English dialogue and Lithuanian subtitles

Abstract

Despite being an important part of the audiovisual market, cartoon translation still lacks scholarly attention in present-day Lithuania. The article presents a comparative analysis of English dialogue and Lithuanian subtitles with consideration to anthroponym translation in five children’s cartoons. The aims are to discover the most frequently used translation strategies to subtitle anthroponyms, to find out if the translation of anthroponyms with no semantic meaning is governed by the rules proposed by the State Language Commission and whether the translation of semantically meaningful names is governed by the translation tendencies noted by Lithuanian subtitlers and scholars. The study considers Chesterman’s approach to translation as a norm-governed activity; the Lithuanian State Language Commission is seen as the main body to influence expectancy norms while the opinions expressed by Lithuanian subtitlers and scholars are considered to have influence on professional norms. The analysis shows that the dominant strategy for the rendering of the source language anthroponyms which carry semantic meaning is translation, while the majority of anthroponyms with no semantic meaning are transcribed and Lithuanian inflections are added. Thus it can be claimed that the translation of semantically meaningful anthroponyms is governed by the prevailing tendencies in Lithuania, while the translation of anthroponyms with no semantic meaning is governed by the rules proposed by the State Language Commission.