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OBLIGATORISK FORSIDE Prescribed front page
HJEMMEOPGAVER, PROJEKTER, SYNOPSER M. MUNDTLIGT FORSVAR
Home Assignments, Project Reports, Synopses with oral defence
INSTITUT FOR ERHVERVSKOMMUNIKATION
Department of Business Communication
NAVN: Name (If writing in groups, please state names of all group members)
Merete Pilegaard Rasmussen Lone Secher Wingreen Christensen
CPR-NR.: Danish ID-Number (If writing in groups*), please state ID-numbers of all group members)
EKSAMENSNR. (PÅ
STUDERENDE): Student Exam No.: (6 digits at the top left corner of you Student ID-card)
300666 300722
HOLD NR.: Class No. Ex.: U02
Oversæt 3e
FAGETS NAVN: Course/Exam Title
BA Projekt
VEJLEDER: Name of Supervisor
Anne Gram Schjoldager
ANTAL TYPEENHEDER I DIN BESVARELSE (ekskl. blanktegn): Number of Characters in your Assignment (exclusive of blanks):
99,541
*) Ved skriftlige gruppeopgaver skal den enkelte deltagers bidrag tydeligt fremgå.
*) In written group exams, your individual contribution must be clearly
identifiable.
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HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON - A comparative analysis of the translations into Danish and French subtitles focusing on the
preservation of humour.
Merete Pilegaard Rasmussen (300666) &
Lone Secher Wingreen Christensen (300722)
BA English/French
Supervisor: Anne Gram Schjoldager
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Contents 1 Introduction (LC & MR) ........................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Summary of How to Train Your Dragon (LC & MR) ...................................................... 7
2 Methodology and Theory (LC & MR) ....................................................................................... 8
2.1 Translation (LC) ................................................................................................................ 9
2.1.1 Subtitling (LC) ............................................................................................................ 9
2.1.2 Culture (LC) ..............................................................................................................10
2.1.3 Macrostrategies (MR) ................................................................................................11
2.1.3.1 Source-text oriented macrostrategy ....................................................................11
2.1.3.2 Target-text oriented macrostrategy .....................................................................12
2.1.4 The skopos theory (LC) .............................................................................................12
2.1.5 Microstrategies (LC) ..................................................................................................13
2.1.5.1 Direct transfer .....................................................................................................13
2.1.5.2 Calque ................................................................................................................14
2.1.5.3 Direct translation .................................................................................................14
2.1.5.4 Oblique translation ..............................................................................................14
2.1.5.5 Explicitation ........................................................................................................15
2.1.5.6 Paraphrase .........................................................................................................15
2.1.5.6.1 Modulation ...................................................................................................15
2.1.5.7 Condensation .....................................................................................................15
2.1.5.8 Adaptation ..........................................................................................................16
2.1.5.9 Addition ..............................................................................................................16
2.1.5.10 Substitution .......................................................................................................16
2.1.5.11 Deletion ............................................................................................................16
2.1.5.12 Permutation ......................................................................................................17
2.2 Humour (MR) ...................................................................................................................17
2.2.1 Translating Humour ...................................................................................................18
2.2.2 Types of humour .......................................................................................................18
2.2.2.1 Irony ...................................................................................................................18
2.2.2.2 Visual humour .....................................................................................................19
2.2.2.3 The Incongruity theory ........................................................................................20
2.2.2.4 Wordplay and puns .............................................................................................20
2.2.2.5 Surreal humour ...................................................................................................21
2.2.2.6 Parody ................................................................................................................21
2.2.2.7 Metaphors ..........................................................................................................21
2.2.2.8 Language-specific humour ..................................................................................22
2.2.2.9 Culture-specific humour ......................................................................................22
3 Analysis of the Danish and French subtitles (LC & MR) .........................................................23
3.1 Scene 2 (LC & MR) .........................................................................................................23
3.2 Analysis of the chosen examples (LC & MR) ...................................................................24
3.2.1 Segment 5 (LC) .........................................................................................................24
3.2.2 Segment 6 (LC) .........................................................................................................27
3.2.3. Segment 7 (LC) ........................................................................................................29
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3.2.4 Segment 10 (LC) .......................................................................................................30
3.2.5 Segment 14 (MR) ......................................................................................................31
3.2.6 Segment 19 (MR) ......................................................................................................33
3.2.7 Segment 21 (MR) ......................................................................................................34
3.2.8 Segment 23 (MR) ......................................................................................................36
3.2.9 Segment 24 (LC) .......................................................................................................38
3.2.10 Segment 30 (LC) .....................................................................................................38
3.2.11 Segment 32 (LC) .....................................................................................................39
3.2.12 Segment 33 (LC) .....................................................................................................41
3.2.13 Segment 34 (MR) ....................................................................................................43
3.2.14 Segment 37 (MR) ....................................................................................................44
3.2.15 Segment 38 (MR) ....................................................................................................46
3.2.16 Segment 39 (MR) ....................................................................................................47
3.3 The overall macrostrategy (LC & MR) ..............................................................................49
3.3.1 Estimation of the Danish macrostrategy (LC) ............................................................49
3.3.2 Estimation of the French macrostrategy (MR) ...........................................................51
4 Results and Comparison (LC & MR) .............................................................................................52
4.1 Expected results (LC & MR) ..................................................................................................52
4.2 Microstrategies (LC & MR) ...................................................................................................53
4.2.1 Danish microstrategies (LC) ...........................................................................................53
4.2.2 French microstrategies (MR) ..........................................................................................55
4.3 Macrostrategies (LC & MR) ..................................................................................................56
4.3.1 Danish macrostrategy (LC) .............................................................................................56
4.3.2 French macrostrategy (MR) ...........................................................................................57
4.4 Humour (LC & MR) ..............................................................................................................57
4.4.1 Danish humour (LC) ......................................................................................................57
4.4.2 French humour (MR) .....................................................................................................58
4.5 Comparison (LC & MR) ........................................................................................................59
5 Conclusion (LC & MR) ...........................................................................................................61
6 Discussion (LC & MR) ............................................................................................................63
References ...............................................................................................................................64
Abstract.....................................................................................................................................66
Appendix A: Manuscript ............................................................................................................67
Appendix B: Microstrategies ......................................................................................................74
Appendix C: Successful Humour ...............................................................................................75
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1 Introduction
In spite of a relatively short lifetime, Dreamworks Animation SKG has already entertained
children as well as adults with several successful movies such as Shrek, Madagascar and
Monsters vs. Aliens. The animated movie How to Train Your Dragon is based on the children’s
book of the same title by Cressida Cowell (Cressida Cowell’s webpage). It is the typical story
about a nobody becoming somebody. We have chosen to use this English-language movie and
its Danish and French subtitles as the data in our project because we fell for the charm and wit
of the characters and have wondered how these are affected by the process of translation.
While watching the movie we noticed several interesting translation choices in connection with
the subtitles which we would like to investigate. Even though this movie may appear to be a
children’s film there are several aspects of the content which are meant for adults, such as
irony and linguistic peculiarities. We know from personal experience that a poor screen
translation can make the audience lose focus and therefore it seems obvious that a good
translation is an essential criterion of success for any movie. The movie we have chosen is a
humorous one, which is why it will be natural for us to focus a great part of our attention on the
translation of humour and humour in general. When humour is involved the preservation of the
effect is crucial and the way in which this is done is very interesting. Therefore, we would like to
investigate this phenomenon. By the means of theories of humour we will seek to categorise
the way it is used in the movie and reflect upon the preservation of the original humour in the
target texts. Whether the right effect is retained in the target text is essential to the result and
for this reason we consider the aspect of humour very interesting and relevant for the subject
in question. In order to investigate this, we will select relevant examples of humorous dialogue
and analyse them.
We want to compare the Danish and French translations with the English original respectively,
after which we will compare the results. We expect the differences in translation in connection
with the translation strategies and humour to be more significant in the translation from
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English to French than in the translation from English to Danish, because we consider the
cultural distance between France and the United States of America to be greater than that
between Denmark and the USA. The different translation choices will be categorised according
to their microstrategies.
The project will start off with a section containing our choice of methodology and theories to
clarify our approach to the research. We will deal with theories concerning translation and
humour to create a foundation for the analysis. From there we will move on to the analysis
where we will study chosen segments and give an account of the applied translation strategies.
Furthermore, we will analyse the different kinds of humour used and try to discover the degree
to which it has been preserved in the translations. We will compare the translation methods
used in the Danish target text and the French target text. This will be done in order to discover
possible linguistic and cultural differences. Moreover, we will present our findings in a
conclusion to sum up our results. Finally, there will be a section with a discussion of possible
opportunities for further investigation.
In short, our main aim is to study the use of macro and microstrategies and whether the
humour of the characters is preserved from the source text to the target texts. This will be done
by taking a closer look at how the humour of the English-language movie is rendered in the
Danish and French subtitles and how the translations are made. We will investigate this by the
aid of the following sub-questions:
● What kind of humour is used?
● Which macro and microstrategies are employed in the Danish and French translations?
● What are the differences between the Danish and French subtitles and why is this so?
● Is the humorous effect preserved?
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1.1 Summary of How to Train Your Dragon
The movie is set on the Isle of Berk where Vikings live in constant fear of dragons. This is where
Hiccup lives along with his father, Stoick, who is the chief. Hiccup does not behave like a Viking
and people regard him as being weak. Stoick is not proud of his son, and has already concluded
that Hiccup is never going to be a worthy successor. However, Hiccup is determined to prove
himself. He wants to kill a dragon and one day, by accident, he actually hits something - an
unknown, extremely dangerous Night Fury. He sets out to kill the dragon but cannot make
himself do it. Instead, he names the dragon Toothless and makes him his pet. This is not normal
Viking behaviour, so Toothless has to remain a secret. In the meantime, the town is in a fever of
excitement because the young Vikings have started dragon training. Hiccup is a reluctant
participant, and has to split his time between training, and taking care of his new friend.
Through Toothless, Hiccup discovers some of the secrets of dragons and is in that way able to
tame the dragons. Toothless’ rudder is damaged and he is dependent upon Hiccup to help him
fly. Hiccup is doing well in dragon training which makes one of his opponents, Astrid, a little
suspicious. The thing with Astrid is that Hiccup is completely in love with her. She discovers
their secret and wants to turn them in, but soon she is amazed by both Toothless and Hiccup.
Hiccup has won the right to kill his first dragon, everybody is watching, and he will not do it.
Instead, he tries to convince everyone that dragons are not evil, this is where everything goes
wrong. Stoick does not believe that dragons can be tamed. Toothless rescues Hiccup but is
captured himself and is forced to take part in Stoick’s plan to find the dragons’ nest. The Vikings
set out, guided by Toothless, leaving the young recruits behind. In discovering the nest, the
Vikings also discover an enormous dragon. Luckily, Hiccup and the other recruits arrive on
dragonback to save the day. Hiccup is almost killed in the fight but Toothless saves him and
Stoick finally realises how wrong he has been all along. Days later, Hiccup wakes up to a
wooden leg, a kiss from Astrid and a town where Vikings and dragons live in harmony.
Toothless and Hiccup are both missing a spare part but together they are complete.
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2 Methodology and Theory
As previously mentioned the project is based on the computer animated movie How to Train
Your Dragon and can therefore be described as being based on an empirical analysis. The study
will focus on the subtitles of the movie and the techniques for translating English speech into
written Danish and French respectively. Our data will make it possible to conduct a comparative
analysis of the source text and the two target texts.
With a starting point in the translation strategies described by Schjoldager (2008) we will try to
clarify which techniques a translator has for translating a text in general. The focus will be on
the use of macro and microstrategies. In order to expand on and clarify the theories, the
thoughts and explanations of Jeremy Munday (2008) and Nigel Armstrong (2005) on the subject
of Vinay and Darbelnet’s theories will be incorporated into the assignment. Humour is another
important aspect of this movie and an interesting discipline of translation. Therefore, it is an
obvious choice to start off with a definition of humour and follow up with different categories
of humour to investigate the types and their usage in the translations. For this purpose we will
apply Katja Pelsmaeker’s and Fred Van Besien’s theory of irony as presented by Jeroen
Vandaele (2002). Moreover, we will incorporate the theories of Alison Ross (1998) to describe
different kinds of humour which will assist us in the classification of our examples.
Other theories will be used to provide important background information about translation in
general, and screen translation. The theories mentioned above will be applied to carefully
selected examples from scene 2 in the movie, along with others. The scene has been chosen
since the use of humour occurs very often and it is apparent that a lot of different
microstrategies have been employed. The examples have been chosen to include interesting
and varying translation strategies as well as different kinds of humour. Furthermore, the
examples should as far as possible be intriguing in both the Danish and French target texts. The
trilingual manuscript of scene 2 can be found in Appendix A.
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2.1 Translation
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines to translate as “to change written or
spoken words into another language”. This makes the discipline of translation sound rather
simple, but this is not always the case. There are different kinds of translations methods and
therefore also more than one way to get to a final result. In for example screen translation it is
very important that the translation is carefully conducted if the movie is to be a success in other
countries. Translation involves more than a change of language. The translator must always be
aware of the target group because the cultural settings might be more or less different from
one culture to another. Furthermore, the style of writing must be taken into account as well as
the enabling of understanding (Bedeker & Feinauer 2006: 135).
2.1.1 Subtitling
Subtitling is a special kind of translation which is found on screen in for example films,
documentaries and TV-series. A number of countries prefer subtitles, whereas others might
favour other kinds of screen translations such as dubbing or voice over. However, subtitling is
the less expensive type of screen translation (Gottlieb 2008: 208). The subject of screen
translation has occupied many theorists over time such as Jorge Diaz-Cintas and Aline Remael,
Jane Elisabeth Thomsen, Jan Pedersen and Henrik Gottlieb. Diaz-Cintas and Remael (2007) deal
with the discipline of subtitling and could have been a relevant source of knowledge if we had
wanted to make a translation ourselves, instead of analysing somebody else’s translation. The
work of Thomsen (2011) focuses on the macro and microstrategies used in the animated movie
Shrek and her work has been used as a source of inspiration in our research since it addresses
some of the same issues. The interesting work of Gottlieb (2008) deals with subtitles in a more
descriptive way which fits with our point of departure and will be used in this section on
subtitling.
Theorists sometimes refer to subtitling as a form of diamesic translation; this term tells us that
the translation changes not only language but also medium during translation. One example of
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this phenomenon is the change from speech to writing which occurs in motion pictures, it can,
however, also be the other way around; from writing to speech (Gottlieb 2008: 210). This form
of translation comes with some limitations as people can only understand a rather small
quantity of information or text in a limited amount of time (Gottlieb 2008: 209-210).
Furthermore, when a translator converts spoken words into text there must be some
alterations. Certain expressions belong to the spoken language and do not fit the written
language. The real challenge lies in the process of translating not only into another culture and
language but into another medium: From speech to written text (Gottlieb 2008: 208).
When translating speech into subtitles, the translator must realise that the future viewers will
always be aware of the translation taking place, since both the source text and the target text
will be present at the same time. On a side note, allowing the spectators to read a translation
while they are hearing the original words simultaneously will, in certain countries such as
Denmark, where a large percentage of the population can be thought of as bilingual (Gottlieb
2008: 234), very possibly expose the translator to some complaints, because a lot of people will
have their own opinion about how the translation should have been made. Under these
conditions “the good subtitles are the ones you never notice” (Pedersen 2007: 40), meaning
that the translation should feel as natural as possible for the audience in order to make the
subtitles as little disturbing as possible.
2.1.2 Culture
Edward Tylor defined culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art,
morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of
society.” (Longhurst et al. 2008: 2). This tells us that there are several aspects to consider
before translating a text from one language/culture to another language/culture. Some cultures
are relatively similar, whereas others may be miles apart and the further apart they are the
more adjustments are needed in the translation. The differences between cultures might be so
great that what is considered common knowledge or a part of everyday life in one culture may
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be completely unknown in another (Bedeker & Feinauer 2006: 136). An example of this could
be that even though Great Britain, France and Denmark are geographically close there are still
some expressions which are almost impossible to translate. However, they do have
translations. The problem is that people in other cultures would not understand them, as with
the English desserts spotted dick and treacle tart which are virtually unknown to Danes and
Frenchmen. (Bedeker & Feinauer 2006: 135). Therefore, they must be translated into a well-
known equivalent which would create the same feeling in the target culture.
2.1.3 Macrostrategies
The term macrostrategies refers to the overall translation method, which a translator may
employ during the translation process. When addressing a translation task there are different
ways of handling the translation problems which will occur during any translation job.
According to Anne Schjoldager, there are two possible ways of approaching the data in
question. These are the source-text oriented strategy and the target-text oriented strategy
(Schjoldager 2008: 67). The choice of strategy depends on a number of factors such as the
purpose and the audience of the text. Another thing to consider could be which effect the
translator wants to create. Before translating, one should reflect on where the focus should be,
how the translation should appear and whether the audience is aware of the fact that a
translation is taking place.
2.1.3.1 Source-text oriented macrostrategy
This strategy centres the attention on the original text and emphasises the importance of both
the style and content (Schjoldager 2008: 72). This means that an aspect such as cultural
differences is likely to be pushed aside and that the focus of the translation is turned towards a
more direct translation method. The aim is to stay loyal to the original text. Furthermore, the
source-text oriented approach is often used when the translator is translating data which can
be characterised as somebody else’s communication and doing so without changing the
meaning. Another important aspect of the source-text oriented macrostrategy is the fact that
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the translation will come across as overt to the audience. This means that the receivers are
perfectly aware of the text being a translation (Schjoldager 2008: 72). Certain types of data are
more likely to be translated by the use of the source-text oriented approach, and this
macrostrategy is often found in documents like manuals and informative labellings.
2.1.3.2 Target-text oriented macrostrategy
When using this overall translation strategy the translator will focus on the meaning of the
source text. This implies that the process of translating a text will not be as direct as it is when
using the source-text oriented macrostrategy. The most important objective in connection with
the target-text oriented macrostrategy is to recreate the effect of the source text (Schjoldager
2008: 72). The translator’s role is to adjust the target text to possible differences from one
culture to another in order to generate the right reaction from the audience. Often the material
which is translated is supposed to function as a remediation from one part to another. Hence, it
becomes more likely that the audience would not notice that the data is translated, this makes
the translation covert (Schjoldager 2008: 72). The target-text macrostrategy is often found in
documents such as poems, songs and in the translation of humour.
2.1.4 The skopos theory
In the 1970s the skopos theory was coined by Hans J. Vermeer and has been an important
translation tool ever since (Schjoldager 2008: 151). Jeremy Munday describes the skopos theory
as follows: “Skopos theory focuses above all on the purpose of the translation, which
determines the translation methods and strategies that are to be employed in order to produce
a functionally adequate result” (2008: 79). This theory has the ability to assist a translator in
determining whether a source-text oriented strategy or a target-text oriented strategy should
be used. In the determination of an overall translation strategy a translator should consider the
purpose and thereby the skopos of the target text. Furthermore, according to Anne
Schjoldager, the translator should take ”the functional and communicative nature” into account
(2008: 155). This can be done by means of the theory of translational action (Schjoldager 2008:
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155). Another important part of this theory is the brief which supplies the translator with
information about the wishes of the client, the target group etc. (Schjoldager 2008: 157). The
source text in itself greatly affects the choice of strategy as different elements of a text carry
different degrees of importance and help determine the optimal method of translation
(Schjoldager 2008: 158-159). Finally, a translator should try to remain loyal to both the source
text and the target text and in order to do that the skopos and the translation strategy are
important factors (Schjoldager 2008: 159).
2.1.5 Microstrategies
Microstrategies can be referred to as the different translation methods which can be used in
specific translation situations. This means that instead of dealing with the overall translation
(the macrostrategy), the translator takes a closer look at phrases, sentences and words on a
micro level (Schjoldager 2008: 89). Microstrategies are extremely important to consider in the
translation of texts as there are many different ways of translating. For most people, it will
probably seem obvious that a direct translation is the best option, however, this is far from
always true, sometimes it would be preferable to change the wording completely. The different
strategies which we will be focusing on within the microstrategies are: Direct transfer, calque,
direct translation, oblique translation, explicitation, paraphrase herein also modulation,
condensation, adaptation, addition, substitution, deletion and permutation.
2.1.5.1 Direct transfer
Applying this microstrategy to a translation entails using a direct copy of a unit from the source
text (Schjoldager 2008: 93). This is what Vinay and Darbelnet refer to as “borrowing” and it is
usually found in connection with names and places. This is done, for example, when retaining
foreign words in order to add a cultural twist (Munday 2008: 56). A direct transfer can also be
employed when the target language does not have a sufficient equivalent or perhaps a
suggestion which is even remotely close to the original word or term (Armstrong 2005: 143). An
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example from the movie could be the name Stoick, which has been transferred directly from
the English original to the French version.
2.1.5.2 Calque
When a translation can be identified as calque it is because it follows the original structure of
the source text. However, the outcome will usually seem unidiomatic to the target-text
audience (Schjoldager 2008: 94). This may all seem a little negative but according to Nigel
Armstrong calque translations have their advantages too; for example, these translations will
be easy to spot if they are connected to a certain culture and they will most likely also be
somewhat shorter than a translation which is the result of a direct translation as this may need
some sort of explanation (Armstrong 2005: 146).
2.1.5.3 Direct translation
Direct translation is often considered to be the obvious choice when making translations; it is a
so-called word-for-word translation. This microstrategy is, as opposed to calque, normally
perceived as idiomatic (Schjoldager 2008: 95+96). Vinay and Darbelnet refer to this as “literal
translation” and add that “literalness should only be sacrificed because of structural and
metalinguistic requirements and only after checking that the meaning is fully preserved”
(Munday 2008: 57). Direct translation places the focus on the forming of sentences, and the
placing of words, rather than on the use of words (Armstrong 2005: 147).
2.1.5.4 Oblique translation
Oblique translation is very similar to direct translation which means that the target text is very
close to the source text in both instances. However, when using an oblique approach the
translator will tend to centre the focus on the preservation of the sense of the source text, it is
a so-called sense-for-sense translation (Schjoldager 2008: 97).
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2.1.5.5 Explicitation
Another microstrategy which can be used as a translation tool is explicitation. A translator may
run into situations where it would be necessary to add certain details in order to make the
audience understand the full meaning of the translation (Schjoldager 2008: 99). For example, in
the Danish subtitles from the movie the English word inside is translated into personlighed.
2.1.5.6 Paraphrase
Paraphrasing can be defined as a translation where the meaning is retained but the wording
may be completely different from the source text. This means that the length of the text can be
severely altered (Schjoldager 2008: 100).
2.1.5.6.1 Modulation
Vinay and Darbelnet’s theory of modulation is part of Schjoldager’s microstrategy paraphrase
(Schjoldager 2008: 100). According to Vinay and Darbelnet modulation constitutes a change in
point of view from the source text to the target text (Munday 2008: 57). Modulation entails
that the source-language perception will be somewhat reversed when the term in question
reaches the target language; what is lost may become found, where may become when and so
on (Armstrong 2005: 151).
2.1.5.7 Condensation
A translator may run into situations where it would be more natural to leave out certain details
in order to make the audience understand the full meaning without telling them things they
already know. This is referred to as condensation (Schjoldager 2008: 102). Armstrong refers to
this phenomenon as “non-translation or compression”, and suggests that it may also be
employed when something occurs in the source text which will be very hard to translate into
another language because it is so closely related to the culture from which it stems (2005: 159).
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2.1.5.8 Adaptation
Adaptation puts the focus on the effect of the text, in trying to reproduce the effect of the
source text in the target text. This may very well mean that the wording and the literal meaning
of the source text will not be preserved, the effect, however, will (Schjoldager 2008: 103).
Armstrong claims that this is the “most free type of translation” as the translator may change
the content of the original text completely in the target text; Walmart may become Carrefour,
rugby may become football or an eagle may become a falcon - it all depends on the cultural
setting of the target text (2005: 155).
2.1.5.9 Addition
When applying the microstrategy of addition to a translation task the translator adds a new and
meaningful element to the target-text version. This means that the additional part does not
originate from the source text in itself. Addition is closely related to the microstrategy of
explicitation (Schjoldager 2008: 104+105).
2.1.5.10 Substitution
Substitution is found whenever there is a change in meaning in the translation from the source
text to the target text. Even though the semantic meaning is altered it is still apparent that it
originates from a certain source text. A translator might use this microstrategy in order to make
the target text seem more accurate to him or herself (Schjoldager 2008: 106). An example of
this could be the translation of Hiccup into Harold in the French version of the movie.
2.1.5.11 Deletion
The microstrategy of deletion entails deleting certain items from the source text. This means
that the units which are deleted will in no way be present in the target text, not even as implicit
or unspoken parts of another unit, they will simply be left out (Scholdager 2008: 108).
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2.1.5.12 Permutation
The term or microstrategy of permutation is the recreation of an effect from the original text, in
the target text. However, this effect will be placed differently than it is in the source text. By
using this strategy the translator makes a choice to keep a certain effect from the source text
but also to move it to another place in the text. This would most likely happen because it would
be quite difficult to keep it in its original position (Schjoldager 2008: 109).
2.2 Humour
The subject of humour has been investigated by several theorists, of which we have chosen to
include: Dirk Delabastita (1997), Marta Dynel (2009), Peter Alan Low (2011), Peter Newmark
(1988), Katja Pelsmaeker and Fred Van Besien (2002), as well as Alison Ross (1998). The works
of these theorists is relevant to our research in their own individual way and describe different
areas of humour in a more contemporary fashion than many other scholars within the field. The
works of Walter Nash (1985) and Victor Raskin (1984) could also have been made use of in our
research. However, they both seem relatively outdated compared to the other possibilities.
According to Alison Ross humour can be defined as: “Something that makes a person laugh or
smile” (1998: 1). However, humour can be a lot of things and the essential factor is that it is all
in the eyes and ears of the beholder/listener. What someone considers to be funny depends on
personal preferences, culture and social settings. When a person is alone the tendency to laugh
is diminished, whereas company can influence the amount of laughter in a positive direction,
though not always. When watching something familiar which someone would usually find
funny, company can also have the opposite effect if the majority does not laugh (Ross 1998: 1).
Humour can be difficult to define and as Ross highlights her definition may be a little too
narrow. People do not have to laugh to consider something funny as they might laugh even
though they do not find it funny at all (1998: 1). Humour might lose its power over time if it is
repeated too often and becomes too well-known (Ross 1998: 4). This indicates that humour is
most successful when our brains encounter something new and get surprised as a result.
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2.2.1 Translating Humour
Since humour is grasped differently from one person to another it might make up quite a
challenge to the translator. When translating humour, it is, according to Peter Alan Low (2011),
very important to recognise which type of humour is used. The nature of the text can assist the
translator in deciding how relevant the humour is and thereby the importance of preserving the
humour in the target text. Furthermore, the intended effect of the humour should be
considered in order to gain knowledge about how to translate the humour in question.
Moreover, it can be advantageous for the translator to reflect upon whether the humour is
specific to one language or culture to create the original effect from the source text for the new
target audience (Low 2011: 60-61). In short, the key element to a successful humour translation
is: preservation of the effect.
2.2.2 Types of humour
Humour can be divided into several different categories. The most important kinds of humour
have been selected and will be described in the following. These are: Irony, visual humour, the
incongruity theory, wordplay and puns, surreal humour, parody, language-specific humour and
culture-specific humour.
2.2.2.1 Irony
Irony is a special kind of humour which can be described as follows: “In terms of locutionary
act, irony arises when there is some kind of contrast or incongruity between what is said (the
proposal content) and what can be inferred from the situation” (Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002:
243). What is essential to irony is that it often functions as some kind of criticism since the
spoken utterance will contain either incongruity or superiority. However, irony is often
accompanied by a twinkle in the speaker’s eye and therefore it is meant to be humorous
(Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002: 242). Ironic remarks can also function as positive or complimentary
irony, but this kind of irony is not as widespread (Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002: 244). There are
different ways in which irony can be used and can for example be found as oppositions,
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understatements, overstatements and sentences which are not strictly truth-sensitive (meaning
an utterance where people would have to search for a deeper meaning which is not said),
(Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002: 243).
Irony can be difficult to use in practice because as humour in general depends on personal
preferences so does the use of irony. Some people might find a particular use of irony hilarious
while others could be offended or hurt by the utterance. According to Pelsmaeker and van
Besien this may depend on whether a person feels targeted by the content of the ironic
statement or not (Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002: 242). If someone feels criticized the irony will not
be grasped as funny and thereby the humorous function will be lost.
There are different reasons for making use of ironic utterances depending on which effect or
result is intended. Irony can for example serve as requests or statements in order to make
people act or intercept a certain message or information (Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002: 245).
To make sure that the audience knows that irony is used the sender will often tend to indicate
this by the means of what is referred to as ironic cues. These cues can either take the form of
non-verbal signs for example by talking through the nose or speaking very slowly or forcefully.
They can also function as verbal signs being expressed by reappearances, interjections and
intensifiers (Pelsmaeker & Besien 2002: 245-246).
2.2.2.2 Visual humour
Visual humour is obviously not spoken but it is something funny shown with images. It can
sometimes be connected to what is said and function as a kind of support to words which helps
underline a point or make something spoken more funny (Ross 1998: 5). However, it might also
be completely out of context. Some of the tools which can be used to convey humour in a visual
way are movements and facial expressions such as smiles, frowns, scowls and wry faces.
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2.2.2.3 The Incongruity theory
Another kind of humour relies on the incongruity theory which tells us that people find
something funny when they are surprised by the content. In order to succeed at this kind of
humour a person will most likely arrange particular words carefully and time them well (Ross
1998: 7). Incongruous humour is based on misunderstandings: A person is made to believe that
what is said has one meaning but in fact the words are ambiguous, and may suggest a
completely different meaning than anticipated. The unexpected amuses people (Ross 1998: 8).
This is closely related to wordplay and puns.
2.2.2.4 Wordplay and puns
Wordplay and puns can be identified when there is structural ambiguity. They can have many
different functions and we have chosen the ones we consider to be most relevant in connection
with humour in movies.
First of all, the phonology principle gives people the possibility of being ambiguous by playing
with words and their sounds. Homophones are words which have different meanings and
spellings but are pronounced similarly. (Ross 1998: 9). An example of this could be the words
made and maid. Another phenomenon is that of homonyms which are words with the same
spelling and pronunciation. However, these identical words have different meanings (Ross
1998: 9). An example of this could be the word mean which can be both a verb and an
adjective.
Second of all, the morphology of some words can be changed to create another meaning than
the original. This is done by adding, changing or deleting prefixes and suffixes in order to make
something funny (Ross 1998: 14). Prepositions are polysemic and can seem very similar to
homonyms. However, homonyms have completely different meanings, whereas polysemes
have the same meanings but fit into different contexts (Ross 1998: 17). As can be seen in for
example the word on: On a table or on New Year’s Eve.
Third of all, syntax can play an important role in the aspect of humour. Sentences can have
completely different meanings even though the words are the same. The placing of stress in
speech is essential to the understanding (Ross 1998: 20).
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Wordplay is a kind of humour which is usually specific to one language only (Low 2011: 62) this
will be dealt with in one of the following sections: Language-specific humour.
2.2.2.5 Surreal humour
When humour is used to illustrate something unrealistic it can be referred to as surreal
humour. Children are often unaffected by realism, they have no worries but instead they have a
lively fantasy enabling them to relate to strange and impossible situations, creatures and
objects (Ross 1998: 36). An example of this from the movie could be the fact that it features
dragons, which do not exist.
2.2.2.6 Parody
This kind of humour occurs when somebody makes fun of someone else by copying their
behaviour, attitude, manner of speaking etc. In order to poke successful fun at somebody by
the use of parody there has to be a person to make fun of whom all the listeners are familiar
with in some sort of way (Ross 1998: 48). Furthermore, a parody does not always entail
targeting a person but can also be used to imitate certain religious communities, professions,
organisations etc.
2.2.2.7 Metaphors
Peter Newmark defines metaphors as: “Any figurative expression: the transferred sense of a
physical word; the personification of an abstraction; the application of a word or collocation to
what it does not literally denote, i.e. to describe one thing in terms of another”(1988: 104).
Differently put, a metaphor is a comparison between two objects which would normally have
little in common. What makes a metaphor funny is the fact that it is unexpected and brings
something new to the situation. Furthermore, when a metaphor is created there is incoherence
between the two compared elements (Dynel 2009: 31). The audience will react by laughing or
smiling because something strange or unsuitable to the situation is mentioned.
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2.2.2.8 Language-specific humour
According to Peter Alan Low the largest part of humour specific to one language entails the use
of some sort of wordplay which can sometimes be made funny by strange pronunciations or
other useful means like for example parody - as explained in the above (2011: 62). The
humorous use of words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings, commonly
known as homophones, is something which can to a certain degree be categorised as specific to
only one language (Delabastita 1997: 217). However, there are some instances where pairs of
homophones have an equivalent in another language with the same meanings as those of the
source language (Low 2011: 63).
2.2.2.9 Culture-specific humour
This kind of humour often relies on the use or mention of a person or institution which
everybody who is part of the culture in question would know about, and thereby they would be
able to understand why it is funny (Low 2011: 68). People who are not part of the culture in
question may have a really hard time relating to what is basically a kind of private joke. This can
be because they either do not know about the things mentioned or because it is simply not in
their culture to think that these subjects are particularly funny (Low 2011: 67). Furthermore,
what is funny in one culture may be something which is rarely spoken of in another (Low 2011:
68).
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3 Analysis of the Danish and French subtitles
In the process of discovering different translation strategies and types of humour we will go
through all of the segments given below. The analysis of most examples consist of two parts:
One section concerning the translation strategies employed and another section about the
humour incorporated in the example. However, not all examples contain humour and therefore
this part will be left out. Furthermore, every part of the analysis will contain thoughts on the
Danish target text, as well as taking the French target text into account. But first of all, this
section will be introduced by a summary of scene 2.
3.1 Scene 2
Hiccup and Gobber return from a dragon attack where Hiccup succeeded in wrecking the
village. Hiccup is convinced that he hit a dragon, however, Gobber is not, and they discuss
Stoick’s reasons for disliking Hiccup. Here the scene changes and we are at a Viking’s meeting,
Stoick is speaking. He is a proponent of the Vikings taking action and finding the dragons’ nest
and encourages the other Vikings to accompany him on a quest to destroy the dragons’ home.
The others are not as enthusiastic about his proposal as he is. However, when they are
presented with the alternative of looking after Hiccup they all volunteer. The other Vikings
leave while Stoick and Gobber remain. Stoick feels dejected because he does not consider
Hiccup fit to be a Viking and Gobber tries to persuade Stoick into putting Hiccup in dragon
training. Stoick shares some childhood memories and concludes that Hiccup is not like him.
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3.2 Analysis of the chosen examples
3.2.1 Segment 5
HICCUP And when he does,
it's always with
this... disappointed
scowl. Like
someone skimped on
the meat in his
sandwich.
(MIMICKING STOICK)
Excuse me, barmaid.
I'm afraid you
brought me the wrong
offspring. I
ordered an extra
large boy with beefy
arms. Extra guts and
glory on
the side. This here.
This is a talking
fish bone.
Når han gør, er det med et
skuffet udtryk, som om
nogen har snydt med kødet
i hans sandwich.
Undskyld mig, kromutter,
men det er det forkerte
afkom. Jeg bestilte en
ekstra stor dreng med
stærke arme og ben i
næsen.
Det der er et talende
fiskeben.
Quand il écoute, il
fait la tronche,
comme si on mégotait
sur son bifteck.
Mam’zelle, y a eu
erreur sur ma
progéniture.
J’ai commandé un
taureau XL, avec
tripes et lauriers en
garniture.
Ça, c’est une arête
qui cause!
Translation strategies:
In this excerpt several different microstrategies can be found. We have chosen to focus on the
ones which in our opinion are the most interesting technically and academically. When taking a
look at the phrases highlighted in blue we find an example of the microstrategy adaptation. The
original meaning of the source text remains, but in the Danish version some of the effect is lost
in the translation. The Danish word “udtryk” only means expression, whereas the English word
“scowl” indicates more than just an expression. It is generally understood from scowl that
someone is looking at someone else in an angry way. Put differently, the intended effect is
preserved but only in part since the feeling of anger is left out in the Danish version. In the
French translation the meaning is also only maintained partially. However, the French version
has lost even more of the original effect because “faire la tronche” only means to make a face,
hence, the angry feeling contained in scowl is completely lost and the disappointed part is only
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somewhat recreated. It cannot be directly deduced from the French subtitles that there is a
feeling of disappointment but the context implies it.
The pink marking represents three different microstrategies: Direct translation, adaptation and
deletion. Direct translation is used in the Danish subtitles since it is a word-for-word translation
which is employed and it is the closest translation possible to the source text. It is an obvious
solution for the translator to make a direct translation of this phrase because it remains
completely idiomatic when translated into Danish. “Excuse me, barmaid” becomes “undskyld
mig, kromutter” which means almost exactly the same. Deletion and adaptation are both
employed in the French target text. The translator has chosen to leave out “excuse me” thereby
making a deletion. However, this can be done in French without losing any great part of the
meaning as the word “mam’zelle” when spoken with a high intonation indicates an enquiry.
Even though the French version does not include an enquiring opening, the French natives will
still understand the meaning. Furthermore, the French translator has made a small adaptation
as the word “mam’zelle” does not mean “barmaid”. It means miss and therefore does not
indicate someone working in a pub or bar and some of the meaning is thereby lost. Moreover,
the expression “mam’zelle” is an example of a colloquialism as it is an informal version of the
word mademoiselle.
The phrases highlighted in green represent two different microstrategies: Oblique in the Danish
version and a direct translation in the French version. Depending on one’s idea of the Danish
expression “ben i næsen” the translation can be categorised as either a substitution or an
oblique translation. If this saying is understood as meaning having a mind of one’s own it
changes the intended meaning of the source text, consequently, a substitution has been made.
However, if the expression is grasped in the way that we understand the expression, the
translation represents an oblique translation. We fathom this phrase as meaning tough and
strong, in this way the meaning remains the same as in the source text but the words are
different. Hence, it is an oblique translation. In the French target text, the translator has
managed to make a direct translation as the meanings and the words are the same.
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Humour:
Many different types of humour have been incorporated into this part of the movie such as:
Parody, irony, visual humour and metaphor. The last part of the extract is a parody where
Hiccup is aping his father’s way of talking, acting and looking. The audience is aware of Stoick’s
normal behaviour and can relate to his character in the movie. This is one of the conditions if a
parody is to be successful. What makes it funny is the fact that the spectators are able to
recognise Stoick in Hiccup’s exaggerated imitation. This kind of humour is supported by the use
of irony which is introduced by an ironic cue. As soon as Hiccup starts talking with an
exaggerated version of his father’s accent the audience becomes aware of the fact that he is
about to say something with an ironic twist. In fact, everything said during the parody has an
ironic meaning. Furthermore, while Hiccup is making fun of his father he is also visualising the
parody by the use of body language. He indicates strength by squeezing his own arm and
gesturing wildly. When visuals are used simultaneously with parody and irony it reinforces the
humour. This part of the scene also includes the use of a metaphor. The metaphor consists of
Hiccup comparing himself to a dish. This is clear from the specific language which is normally
associated with the placing of an order in a restaurant. Words like “ordered” and “on the side”
are meant to make the audience think of food. The Danish version makes use of the same
metaphor but because “on the side” has been left out some of the meaning is lost. However, in
the French translation both “ordered” and “on the side” have been translated into
“commandé” and “en garniture”. In general, irony and parody work well and remain intact in all
three languages. The Danish translator does not manage to recreate the effect of the original
resulting in a much weaker metaphor.
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3.2.2 Segment 6
GOBBER You're thinking about this
all wrong. It's not so much
what you look like. It's
what's inside that he can't
stand.
Du har misforstået
noget.
Det er ikke dit
udseende… Det er din
personlighed, han ikke
kan lide.
Tu as tout faux.
C’est pas ton
aspect mais ce
que tu es, qui
l’énerve.
Translation strategies:
This example contains several different microstrategies and we will be taking a closer look at
the following translation strategies: Oblique translation, paraphrase, deletion, explicitation and
adaptation. The translated sentences highlighted in blue are both translated rather freely,
which could make one think of a paraphrase. Even though the Danish translation “du har
misforstået noget”, meaning you have misunderstood something, is translated quite freely it
has still preserved the original sense from the source text. Therefore, it can be classified as an
oblique translation. The French translation, on the other hand, is what can be referred to as a
paraphrase because “tu as tout faux” means you are totally wrong. Thereby, the meaning is
somehow retained but the wording is very different and so is the length of the sentence. When
a person is totally wrong he or she could not be more wrong, whereas when a person has
misunderstood something he or she is only wrong to a certain degree. In short, it can generally
seem rather difficult to distinguish the two microstrategies used because the differences
between them are somewhat small. However, a closer look at the sentences reveals the fact
that they operate in dissimilar ways.
The microstrategy of deletion can be found in the pink marking. The English source text “it’s not
so much what you look like” is translated into the Danish sentence “det er ikke dit udseende”
and the French sentence “c’est pas ton aspect” which both mean it is not your appearance. The
translations show us that both the Danish and the French translator have chosen to leave out
“so much”, which in our opinion carries important meaning in the context. The words “so
much” hint at the fact that Hiccup’s father neither likes his son on the inside nor on the outside.
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In the two target texts the aspect of appearance is unimportant in the context, whereas the
original implies that appearance plays a subordinate part. Because a unit of meaning has been
left out, both translations can be classified as deletions.
The words marked in green provide us with the microstrategies: Explicitation and oblique
translation. The Danish word “personlighed” means personality and is an elaboration of the
word “inside” from the English original. In this connection we regard “inside” as a super
ordinate, whereas “personlighed” is a subcategory, meaning that “inside” is a broad term and
may refer to several things - personality being one of them. In short, this translation method
can be classified as an explicitation. The French words “ce que tu es” mean what you are and
retain the same sense and slight ambiguity as the English source text. Hence, we are dealing
with an oblique translation strategy.
Turning to the example highlighted in yellow, we find the microstrategies of adaptation and
somehow an oblique translation. In the English original Gobber says; “he can’t stand” and the
translations into Danish and French respectively, try to recreate the effect of the original but
they both come across as less powerful. The Danish version “han ikke kan lide” means he does
not like and seems to create the weakest effect among the three possibilities. When a person
cannot stand another he or she has trouble even being close to the person in question. If the
person, on the other hand, does not like the other then he or she is simply not satisfied with the
other person’s character. The English original seems stronger than the Danish translation, some
of the effect has been lost, making the translation an adaptation. The French translation
“l’énerve” means, directly translated, get on his nerves which could be categorised as either an
adaptation or an oblique translation. On the one hand, the effect of this example seems weaker
than that of the English source text and may therefore be categorised as an adaptation. On the
other hand, it can be discussed whether the two subtitles have the same sense and then it
might also be classified as an oblique translation.
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Humour:
Humour plays an important role in this extract from the movie in which irony and incongruity
are the most prominent types. Irony is a form of humour which is used often in the film and this
example is no exception. The irony is introduced by the use of an ironic cue, which consists of
the change in Gobber’s intonation. All the underlying criticism of Gobber’s utterance is more
easily said by the means of irony. The use of irony is closely connected to the aspect of
incongruity. When Gobber says “you are thinking about this all wrong” the audience is lead to
believe that he is about to say something comforting to Hiccup - that is not the case. Instead, he
does something unexpected and criticises all of Hiccup as opposed to just his looks. In the
Danish and the French translations some of the humour, both the irony and the incongruity,
has been lost as the importance of Hiccup’s looks is left out.
3.2.3. Segment 7
HICCUP Thank you, for summing
that up.
Tak for
påmindelsen.
Merci pour cette
precision.
Translation strategies:
In this segment the microstrategy of adaptation can be identified. In the Danish subtitles we are
dealing with an adaption, since the target text does not create the same effect as the one
presented in the source text. The Danish phrase “tak for påmindelsen” means thank you for
reminding me and in this context the meaning remains almost the same as the line “thank you
for summing that up” from the original. However, the words reminding and summing up mean
two different things and therefore the intended effect is somewhat changed. In our opinion to
remind someone of something refers to the mentioning of old knowledge, whereas summing up
does not necessarily have to refer to something already known. The same microstrategy can be
found in the French translation. The French word “précision” means precision and does not
create the same effect as summing up. When making a precision it entails the addition of
details, whereas when summing up the details tend to be left out. We consider both
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translations to be adaptations; however, they could also be classified as oblique translations
depending on how the different terms; summing up, reminding and precision are defined.
Humour:
Again, irony is the dominant type of humour used in this example. It is obvious that Hiccup does
not mean what he is saying. The audience becomes aware of the fact that Hiccup is going to say
something ironic because of the ironic cues: The change in his intonation and body language.
Even though Hiccup says “thank you, for summing that up” it is apparent that he would rather
Gobber had not summed that up. The irony is kept intact in both the Danish and the French
target texts, since some of the original effect is retained and thereby the humour has been
preserved.
3.2.4 Segment 10
STOICK Either we finish them or
they'll finish us! It's
the only way we'll be
rid of them! If we find
the nest and destroy it,
the dragons will leave.
They'll find another
home.
Det er enten dem eller
os!
Kun sådan kan vi slippe
af med dem. Finder vi
deres rede og ødelægger
den, forsvinder
dragerne. De vil slå sig
ned et andet sted.
Soit on les tue,
soit on est morts !
Seul moyen de s’en
débarrasser.
Si on détruit leur
nid, les dragons
s’en iront.
Ils s’installeront
ailleurs.
Translation strategies:
Segment 10 offers us the interesting microstrategy of condensation along with an oblique
translation strategy. We will start out with the phrases highlighted in blue. In the original
version Stoick is expressing himself very explicitly and when he says “finish” it is apparent that
he means kill. However, in the Danish translation “Det er enten dem eller os!”, “finish” has
become implicit and it is somewhat unclear what should be done to the dragons. This is an
example of the translation strategy condensation. It is obvious that there is not room for both
the Vikings and the dragons but nobody mentions death. The French translator, on the other
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hand, has chosen an oblique translation strategy where the meaning is kept. Directly and
loosely translated the French version “soit on les tue, soit on est morts!” means either we kill
them or we are dead. The words from the source text have not been preserved in the target
text, however, the sense has.
The pink markings show an oblique translation in both the Danish and the French subtitles. In
the English original the word “home” is used, whereas in the Danish version it is translated into
“et andet sted” which is an equivalent of elsewhere. The French translator has arrived at the
same solution by using “ailleurs” which is also an equivalent of elsewhere. The reason why the
subtitles do not include the word “home” in Danish and French could be that “home” is
something closely connected to humans, not dragons or other animals. Especially in French, a
direct translation may represent a problem because the French word for “home”, maison can
mean both home and house. A translator would most likely not want to create an illusion of a
dragon in a house. Instead the target texts preserve the original sense by the use of
unambiguous words.
3.2.5 Segment 14
VIKING
Today's not good for me.
VIKING
Not today
VIKING
I've gotta do my axe
returns.
Jeg kan ikke.
-
Ikke I dag.
Jeg skal lave
selvangivelse.
Compte pas sur moi.
-
Je suis pris
Je fais ma declaration
de pots.
Translation Strategies:
The phrases in this extract are spoken at the meeting by three unknown Vikings, hence the title
“Viking”. The parts highlighted in blue represent two different translation strategies: Deletion
and paraphrase. The Danish translator has chosen to leave out a meaningful part of the line as
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the word “today” is missing in the Danish subtitles, thereby making a deletion. What is missing
is an indication of time. This may have been done to avoid repetition since the following line
also includes the word “today”. However, the rest of the sentence is translated as directly as
possible. The French version has been translated quite freely as the meaning is not completely
the same as the original, making it a paraphrase. “Compte pas sur moi” means do not count on
me and is left more open to interpretation than the original. This expression can mean both I do
not have time and I do not want to, which makes it ambiguous.
The pink markings present the microstrategy of substitution, in the Danish target-text
translation. This is apparent as the meaning is somehow changed - in the English version the
words “axe returns” make up something unrealistic because Vikings probably did not have to
do “axe returns” or returns of any other kind. In the Danish subtitles “axe returns” have been
translated into “selvangivelse”, which means tax returns. Taxes and axes are not the same
things; hence, they have different meanings. The French translation retains the unrealistic
element from the original, thereby making an oblique translation. “Déclaration de pots” means
pot returns and keeps the original sense of the source text even though axes have turned into
pots.
Humour:
The pink lines offer us several different elements of humour; surreal humour and wordplay
which are closely connected to language-specific humour. The surreal humour in this part is
furnished by the words “axe returns”, “selvangivelse” and “déclaration de pots”, because
returns do not belong in the age of the Vikings. Furthermore, there is no such thing as “axe
returns” and “déclaration de pots”. However, what adds to the humour is the fact that
“returns” have been combined with “axe” and “pots” in the English and French versions. These
are objects which the Vikings most likely had and by combining them with a modern term they
are made funny. The humour in the Danish translation is not as complete as it does not
combine words from different eras but uses only a modern term. The English source text
contains wordplay as well and the writers surprise the audience on a phonological level
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because “axe” and “tax” sound alike. The wordplay from the original has not been transferred
to the Danish and French target texts probably because this phenomenon is very language-
specific and hard to translate. However, the French translation does retain some of the
wordplay; déclaration de revenue means tax returns and by keeping “déclaration” they try to
recreate some of the effect of the source text. The Danish translator, on the other hand, has
chosen to use the form which the other languages make fun of, tax returns. All in all, the Danish
translation preserves the humour partly by the use of surreal humour and the omission of
wordplay. The French subtitles include more humorous elements from the original by keeping
both the surreal humour and part of the wordplay.
3.2.6 Segment 19
GOBBER I'll pack my undies.
Jeg pakker mit undertøj.
J’emballe mes culottes.
Translation strategies:
Here is an example of the microstrategy of direct translation in both the Danish and the French
subtitles. The translators have transferred the wording of the original completely.
Humour:
Even though this sentence may not be particularly interesting from a translation strategic point
of view, it is intriguing in connection with humour. The following types of humour can be found
in the example: Surreal humour and incongruity. The word “undies” and the translations of it,
“undertøj” and “culottes”, are all surreal because they do not fit into the context. We assume
that vikings did not have items such as “undies” and therefore it is surreal. The unexpected
element of humour surprises the brain and makes the audience laugh. Furthermore, “undies”
can be defined as underwear worn primarily by females or underwear in general, making this
word ambiguous. The fact that the line is spoken by a man makes it even more surprising and
incongruous, since a man is not usually supposed to wear women’s underwear. The Danish
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translator has chosen to translate “undies” into “undertøj” which means underwear. This term
is not specific to one gender and therefore does not include the same amount of humour. The
French translator has chosen to use the word “culottes”, which has the same ambiguous
meaning as “undies”. The French expression means knickers i.e. the lower part of women’s
underwear or unisex underpants. Regarding humour, the phrase in question has been
translated better in the French version than the Danish, since the aspect of ambiguity has been
preserved in French but not in Danish.
3.2.7 Segment 21
GOBBER Oh, perfect. And while
I'm busy, Hiccup can
cover the stall. Molten
steel, razor sharp
blades, lots of time to
himself...what could
possibly go wrong?
Perfekt. Mens jeg har
travlt, kan Hikke passe
smedjen.Smeltet jern,
skarpe klinger, en masse
tid alene.
Hvad kan gå galt?
Parfait. Pendant
cee temps-là,
Harold gardera
l’échoppe.
Acier en fusion,
lames affûtées,
livré à lui-même.
Situation sous
contrôle !
Translation strategies:
The words highlighted in blue give us examples of a direct translation strategy and a
substitution. In the Danish version the name of the main character has been directly translated
from “Hiccup” to “Hikke”. They have the same meaning and provide the audience with the
same effect. However, in the French subtitles “Hiccup” is translated into “Harold”. This does not
mean the same and therefore it can be classified as a substitution. There are some similarities
between the name which the French translator has chosen and the original: The name begins
with the same letter and contains the same number of syllables. The meaning has changed as
“Harold” is an ordinary English boy’s name without any obvious meaning, whereas “Hiccup” has
a fairly straightforward meaning. Therefore the translation strategy used can be referred to as a
substitution.
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The pink markings present the microstrategies of explicitation in the Danish subtitles and a
direct translation strategy in the French translation. The English word “stall” can be defined as a
small shop with an open front, whereas the Danish word “smedje” is a blacksmith’s workshop.
The Danish translator might have chosen to use the word “smedje” because it is more exact
and provides more details than the English word “stall”, thereby making an explicitation in the
subtitles. The French word “échoppe” is an equivalent to “stall”, as it also means small shop. As
the two words have the same meaning the French translator has made a word-for-word
translation, making it a direct translation.
The lines highlighted in green offer us the microstrategies of calque and that of modulation
which is a kind of paraphrase. These strategies provide us with a new interesting angle, since
calque is identified as being unidiomatic in the target language and modulation requires a shift
in the point of view from the source text to the target text. In the Danish subtitles the line
“what could possibly go wrong?” has been translated into “hvad kan gå galt?”. At first sight, this
question might appear to be directly translated and it is, however, this creates a problem. In
our opinion, the line “hvad kan gå galt?” which means what could go wrong?, does not come
across as completely idiomatic Danish, it seems like a piece of the puzzle is missing. It would be
more idiomatic if the line had been translated into hvad kunne dog gå galt? or det kan da
umuligt gå galt. If the Danish translator had chosen to use our second proposal it would have
been similar to the approach of the French translator. “Situation sous contrôle!” means
situation under control and creates the same effect as the English original. However, the
question has now turned into a statement which generates a change in point of view. Since the
phrase is translated quite freely we are dealing with a paraphrase and because the viewpoint
has changed we are presented with the subclass modulation.
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Humour:
The use of irony is omnipresent in this extract from the movie where Gobber gives the audience
several different ironic cues, indicating that he does not mean what he says. To begin with he
rolls his eyes and opens them wide, and then he changes his tone. Furthermore, this means
that the ironic element is reinforced by the use of visuals. In order to make Stoick understand
that Hiccup cannot be left alone, Gobber criticises his order by making an ironic comment. The
funny aspect consists in the fact that the audience is aware of Gobber not meaning what he
says. This is apparent because he mentions “molten steel” and “razor sharp blades”, which are
obviously dangerous objects, as if they were harmless. Even though the Danish and the French
versions of the subtitles are not translated in a completely identical way they still retain the
same level of irony as presented in the original. Another kind of humour which is used in this
extract is surreal humour, and it consists in the fact that the main character is called “Hiccup”.
The unrealistic choice of naming a child “Hiccup” is what makes it funny in a surreal way
because the hiccups is something you get, not something you are called. The Danish translator
has translated the name directly and therefore preserved the humour. The French translator
changes the name “Hiccup” into “Harold” and thereby the surreal humour is completely lost.
“Harold” is a real name and therefore is not humorous.
3.2.8 Segment 23
GOBBER Put him in training with
the others.
Lad ham gå til
dragetræning.
Mets-le à
l’entraînement.
Translation strategies:
This example offers us some interesting translations and possible microstrategies: Explicitation,
direct translation, deletion and condensation. The part highlighted in blue contains the
microstrategies of explicitation and direct translation. The Danish subtitles “lad ham gå til
dragetræning” mean put him in dragon training and it may seem like a direct translation at first
glance. However, the Danish translator has chosen to add further information about the
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training by mentioning the Danish equivalent of the word dragon. There are two possible
microstrategies which may fit the translation strategy used, these are addition and
explicitation. Since a meaningful unit is added to the sentence it could be characterised as an
addition. However, it could also be classified as an explicitation because the kind of training in
question becomes more explicit. In our opinion we are dealing with an explicitation because it
can be deduced from the situation and the plot of the movie that “training” ultimately means
dragon training. The French version “mets-le à l’entraînement” means exactly the same as the
English original and the same words have been used, therefore it constitutes a direct
translation.
When looking at the pink marking it is obvious that this part has been left out in the target texts
- it only exists in the English original. This can be categorised as either a deletion or a
condensation depending on one’s understanding of the previous words “put him in training”. It
could be that these words imply that Hiccup is going to attend training along with the others
and if this is the case then we are dealing with a condensation since the words “with the
others” have been left out. Both the Danish and the French translations have become shorter
than the source text. If the line “with the others” is considered to contain new information then
this cannot be classified as a condensation but must be categorised as a deletion. A meaningful
part has been left out. As previously mentioned, the choice of microstrategy depends on the
understanding.
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3.2.9 Segment 24
STOICK No, I'm serious.
Nej, jeg mener det.
Je suis sérieux.
Translation strategies:
Segment 24 has been translated as closely as possible into Danish, this does, however, not
mean that it is a direct translation. “No, I’m serious” has been translated into “nej, jeg mener
det” which loosely translated becomes no, I mean it. A direct translation would sound
unidiomatic in Danish. Directly translated the original sentence would have been nej, jeg er
seriøs which does not work well in Danish. Therefore, an oblique translation strategy has been
used in order to create the exact same sense but in other words. If the Danish translator had
wanted to preserve “serious” the translation could have been nej, jeg mener det seriøst. The
French translation has been directly translated since “je suis sérieux” means exactly the same
as the original and sounds perfectly idiomatic in the target language.
3.2.10 Segment 30
STOICK No, actually I do.
Jo, jeg gør.
Si
Translation strategies:
This segment is quite interesting as it represents the translation strategies of modulation and
condensation. In the English source text Stoick says “no”, but in the Danish and French target-
texts the “no” has been translated into “jo” and “si”, which both mean yes. By doing so, the
translators have made a modulation in the translations since the viewpoint shifts. Furthermore,
the microstrategy of condensation can be found in the French subtitles as the translator has
chosen to translate the original line into something much shorter and leaves out “actually I do”.
In the Danish version, on the other hand, “actually” is the only thing to be left out. This means
that something has been left out in both the Danish and the French versions. At first sight this
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may seem like a deletion, however, by leaving them out none of the important meaning has
been lost. We consider the French translation to be an example of a condensation because it is
seriously shortened and keeps only one word, whereas the Danish version only leaves one word
out. Since “actually” is an adverb which carries very little meaning and plays a very small part in
the sentence we think that it can be left out and still leave the sentence almost directly
translated.
3.2.11 Segment 32
STOICK Listen! You know what
he's like. From the time
he could crawl he's
been...different. He
doesn't listen.
Du ved selv, hvordan
han er.
Lige siden han var
helt lille, har han
været … anderledes.
Han hører ikke efter.
Écoute! Tu le
connais.
Quand il marchait à
quatre pattes, il
était déjà...
différent.
Il écoute rien.
Translation Strategies:
This excerpt from the movie is packed with different microstrategies. The part highlighted in
blue contains the following translation strategies: Deletion and direct translation. First of all,
the exclamation “listen!” from the English original has been left out in the Danish subtitles,
which means that a meaningful unit is missing. “Listen!” is a call for attention which is why we
think it is important in this connection. This deletion may have been made to shorten the
sentence. Second of all, in the French subtitles “listen!” has been preserved and is translated
into “écoute!” which has the exact same meaning and could not possibly have been translated
more directly, hence, a direct translation has been made.
The pink marking can be difficult to categorise because it seems like many different
microstrategies are at work at once. Firstly, the Danish phrase “du ved selv, hvordan han er”
has been almost directly translated from the original. However, the word “selv” does not
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appear in the source text which is why it can be somewhat problematic to name this a direct
translation, because this kind of translation entails a word-for-word translation. Secondly, this
line could be defined as an example of explicitation because a new element, “selv”, which
makes “du” more precise and explicit, has been introduced. However, the information given in
“selv” is rather vague and it might be said that we already know it from “du”. Thirdly, the
Danish translation of the English original could also be referred to as an oblique translation
because it provides the audience with the same sense, even if the wording is not completely
the same. It is hard to decide between these three possibilities as they all make sense in some
way. The French translator has used an oblique translation strategy as “tu le connais” means
you know him. The sense from the original is retained.
The part marked in green gives us two different microstrategies: Oblique and direct translation.
In the Danish translation an interesting translation choice has been made since “from the time
he could crawl” has been translated into “lige siden han var helt lille”. Here the Danish
translator has chosen an oblique translation strategy which means that the original sense and
effect have been preserved. This could seem like a strange or unnecessary choice because the
sentence could easily have been translated directly into “lige siden han kunne kravle” which
means the same as the original. A direct translation strategy has been used in the French target
text and the phrase has been translated as directly as possible since “quand il marchait à quatre
pattes” means from the time he could crawl.
Substitution, direct and oblique translation can all be found in the sentences marked in yellow.
In the Danish version the line “he doesn’t listen” has been directly translated into “han hører
ikke efter”. The wording and the meaning remain the same from the source text to the target
text, hence, a direct translation has been made. The French section highlighted in yellow
represents two possible translation strategies: Oblique translation and substitution. This phrase
could be regarded as an oblique translation if one considers merely the sense and the effect of
the source text to be retained in the target text. However, if one, like us, finds the meaning of
the original somewhat changed in the French translation it can be categorised as a substitution.
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In our opinion “he doesn’t listen” means he does not listen to me (the speaker), whereas “il
écoute rien” means, directly translated, he does not listen to anything which we consider to
have a different meaning than the intended meaning of the original. Whether it is analysed as
being an oblique translation or a substitution depends on how the source text is perceived.
3.2.12 Segment 33
STOICK Has the attention span
of a sparrow. I take him
fishing and he goes
hunting for... for
trolls.
Hans opmærksomhed er
flyvsk som en fugl.
Jeg tager ham med ud
at fiske, og han jager
trolde!
Il est aussi
concentré qu’un
moineau.
Quand on va à la
pêche, il chasse...
les trolls !
Translation strategies:
The blue marking represents an oblique microstrategy. The English original highlighted in blue
contains a saying with the word “sparrow”. In Danish it has been translated into “fugl”, which
means bird. Something explicit becomes implicit since a sparrow is a special kind of bird,
whereas “fugl” can be any kind of bird. For this reason one might consider this a condensation.
However, as the Danish version is not shorter than the original and we are dealing with a saying
we find it more correct to categorise the translation as an oblique translation. The saying exists
in all three languages and even though the English and the Danish are not identical they still
have the same sense. Therefore, we are dealing with an oblique translation. This is also the case
in the French translation as “il est aussi concentré qu’un moineau” means he is just as
concentrated as a sparrow. A sense-for-sense translation has been used in order to retain the
effect of the original.
The part highlighted in pink offers us two microstrategies: Direct and oblique translation. The
Danish subtitles have been translated as directly as possible and is a word-for-word translation
thereby making it a direct translation. The French subtitles, on the other hand, have not been
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translated directly. The French target text is similar to the English original and creates the same
sense even if the wording is somewhat different. The French sentence is introduced by the
word “quand” which means when and brings something new to the translation. It can be
discussed whether “quand” adds new meaning to the sentence, making it an addition or
whether the word does not carry any relevant meaning in this context. In our opinion the
translation strategy used seems more like an oblique translation than an addition, because in
this context “quand” is not that important. We think that the translation is oblique, since the
sense is preserved even if the wording has been changed.
Humour:
The use of humour in this segment is not as conspicuous as in many of the other segments but
this part still contains both a metaphor and the use of surreal humour as well as wordplay. A
metaphor is created since “attention span” is compared to “sparrow”. These two terms do not
normally have anything in common and are not usually used together, making the comparison
surprising. In the Danish and the French versions the humorous effect is preserved because
they make use of metaphors which make the same comparisons and have the same meaning as
the original. Furthermore, the English and the Danish subtitles contain a form of wordplay as
the first syllable of “span” and “sparrow”, “flyvsk” and “fugl” are similar phonologically and
lexically - they sound alike and look alike as they begin with the same letter. This kind of
humour, wordplay, has been left out in the French version. However, this is due to the fact that
the French saying simply does not contain this form of humour and a saying cannot be
modified. The use of surreal humour becomes apparent in this extract of the movie, where the
word “trolls” is introduced. The funny aspect lies in the fact that trolls do not exist, not in the
real world anyway. The word “trolls” is kept both in the Danish and the French versions. In the
target texts the original humour has been preserved by almost the same means.
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3.2.13 Segment 34
GOBBER Trolls exist! They steal
your socks.
But only the left
ones. What's with that?
Trolde findes.
De stjæler vores
sokker.
Men altid kun den
venstre. Hvorfor mon
det?
Ça existe, les
trolls.
Ça vole les
chaussettes.
Mais que les gauches.
Pourquoi?
Translation strategies:
The microstrategies of modulation and oblique translation can be found in the part highlighted
in blue. In the English subtitles it says “your socks”, whereas in the Danish version it says “vores
sokker” which means our socks. This entails some sort of change in point of view because in our
opinion “your” and “vores” do not include the same people. “Your” does not necessarily include
the speaker, whereas “vores” does. This kind of translation can be referred to as a modulation.
The French translator has tackled this translation in a different way by translating “your socks”
into “les chaussettes” which means the socks or socks in general. By doing this the translation
strategy becomes oblique because the sense remains the same and the viewpoint becomes
irrelevant.
The pink marking represents the microstrategies of Condensation and oblique translation. An
oblique translation strategy has been used to translate “what’s with that?” into “hvorfor mon
det?”. However, we think a more obvious and direct translation exists as “hvorfor mon det?”
means why is that?. An alternative could be hvad sker der for det? which carries the same
meaning and effect as the English original. Even though the meaning of the Danish translation is
the same it would be more realistic in the context if Gobber’s utterance was translated more
directly. The French translation contains the microstrategy of condensation as the original line
“what’s with that?” has been reduced to “pourquoi?” which means why. Again the meaning is
preserved but the effect does not appear to be as strong as in the original.
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Humour:
One kind of humour has been identified and it takes the form of surreal humour. As in the
previous example “trolls” are mentioned, they represent something unrealistic. “Trolls” have
been mentioned in both the Danish and the French target texts. The funny element lies in the
unexpected. “Trolls exist!” this does not fit with the real world as trolls do not exist. “They steal
your socks” but trolls would not be interested in stealing socks. It is hard to imagine why trolls
would be especially interested in socks and Vikings probably did not have any socks. Another
element which makes this part unrealistic is the utterance “but only the left ones” as it is not
possible to distinguish the left sock from the right one and it seems strange to only want one
sock.
3.2.14 Segment 37
STOICK My father told me to bang
my head against a rock
and I did it. I thought
it was crazy, but I
didn't question him.
And you know what
happened?
... bad min far mig
slå hovedet mod en
klippe, og jeg
gjorde det.
Jeg syntes, det var
dumt, men jeg
adlød.
Ved du, hvad der
skete?
... mon père m’a dit
de ma taper la tête
contre un roc.
J’ai trouvé ça
délirant, mais j’ai
obéi.
Et tu sais quoi ?
Translation strategies:
In this segment from the movie many interesting microstrategies have been used, such as
modulation and substitution. The words highlighted in blue may represent either a paraphrase
or a substitution. The Danish word “dumt” means stupid, which is not a direct equivalent to the
English word “crazy”. Had it been a direct translation the Danish translator would have chosen
skørt instead. On the one hand, the translation can be categorised as a paraphrase as the
original word has been replaced by another word with a different meaning and it has been
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translated quite freely. On the other hand, this does also characterise the microstrategy of
substitution. It is apparent that “dumt” originates from the word “crazy” but there is a
significant change in the semantic meaning. In the context where this word appears, “dumt”
does not seem as powerful as “crazy”, which makes the statement weaker. In the French
translation the word “crazy” has been translated into “délirant” which means insane or
ridiculous. In this case the target text can also be categorised as either a paraphrase or a
substitution depending on one’s focus. The big difference between the Danish and the French
translation is that “délirant” sounds stronger than “crazy” and “crazy” seems stronger than
“dumt”.
The pink marking is an example of the translation strategy modulation in both the Danish and
the French target texts. In Danish “but I didn’t question him” has been translated into “men jeg
adlød” which means but I obeyed. Moreover, the French “mais j’ai obéi” means exactly the
same. It is obvious that a change in point of view has occurred in both translations. “But I didn’t
question him” indicates some sort of choice and the possibility of turning the suggestion down,
whereas but I obeyed does not seem to contain a choice.
Turning to the green lines, here we are dealing with a direct and an oblique translation. The
Danish subtitles “ved du, hvad der skete?” is translated directly from the English original “and
you know what happened?”. However, the word “and” has been left out in the target text but
since this term does not carry any significant meaning it does not influence the translation
strategy. Furthermore, the translation has retained the wording and tone of the original. The
French translation is oblique because the sense is preserved but the wording is somewhat
different than that of the English original. “Et tu sais quoi?” means and do you know what?
showing us that “happened” has been left out. However, no meaning is changed.
Humour:
This example contains a very interesting and often occurring kind of humour: Surreal humour.
The audience is supposed to get surprised by the sentence “my father told me to bang my head
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against a rock” which is very unexpected because it is not normal behaviour. The humorous
element lies in the stupidity of the act in question.
3.2.15 Segment 38
GOBBER You got a headache.
Du fik hovedpine.
T’as eu la migraine.
Translation strategies:
In this extract the Danish translation is easily classified, whereas the French translation method
is a little more ambiguous. Starting with the Danish subtitles, the translation strategy used is a
direct translation since the wording consists of terms which are direct equivalents of those of
the English original. The meaning has been completely preserved from the source text to the
target text. The French translation, on the other hand, is a little harder to categorise as more
than one microstrategy can be deduced from the translation. The translation might be regarded
as a direct translation. The French word “migraine” can mean headache and if it does, then this
translation can be categorised as a direct translation. However, “migraine” can also mean
migraine and if this is the case then the translation would be either a paraphrase or an
explicitation. How the translation is classified depends on one’s personal understanding of the
word migraine. A migraine can be defined as a very painful kind of headache which would make
the translation an explicitation. It can also be described as something more than just a
headache because it can involve other symptoms such as disruptions in eyesight or vomiting
which would make this translation a paraphrase.
Humour:
As in many of the previous examples the use of humour is a very important ingredient. In this
part of the movie two humorous elements have been incorporated namely irony and visual
humour. The irony is introduced by several different ironic cues. First of all, Gobber makes a
pause in what he is doing and a change in his behaviour gives a signal of the irony to come.
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Second of all, he rolls his eyes at Stoick’s utterance and looks quite annoyed. Third of all, the
irony is introduced by a big sigh which occurs simultaneously with the rolling of the eyes. The
funny aspect lies in the criticism behind the irony which indicates that Gobber and Stoick
probably had this conversation a couple of times before. Furthermore, he makes fun of the
previous statement made by Stoick: “My father told me to bang my head against a rock and I
did it”. Both the Danish and the French translator succeed in retaining the irony created in the
original. The irony is supported by the use of visual humour; Gobber has lost a tooth and is
trying to put it back by hammering on it with a mead mug. The act is completely out of context
and emphasises the fact that Gobber could not care less about what is said.
3.2.16 Segment 39
STOICK That rock split in
two. It taught me
what a Viking could
do, Gobber.
He could crush
mountains, level
forests, tame seas!
Even as a boy,
I knew what I was,
what I had to become.
Hiccup is not that
boy.
Klippen flækkede i to
stykker. Jeg lærte,
hvad en viking kan
gøre, Gobert.
Han kan knuse bjerge,
rydde skove, tæmme
havene!
Selv som dreng vidste
jeg, hvad jeg var, og
hvad jeg ville blive!
Hikke er ikke sådan
en dreng.
Le roc s’est cassé en
deux. Ça m’a appris de
quoi est capable un
Viking.
Broyer les montagnes,
raser les forêts,
dompter les flots.
Tout petit, je savais ce
que j’étais, ce que je
deviendrais.
Harold est pas comme ça.
Translation strategies:
Within this example many different microstrategies can be identified. In the following we will
present several interesting translation strategies: Direct translation, modulation, adaptation,
substitution and oblique translation. Starting with the part highlighted in blue, it can be said
that the Danish translation is the most intriguing. The Danish words “jeg lærte” means I learned
and are not complete equivalents of the English original “it taught me”. Since there is a change
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in the viewpoint from the source text to the target text a modulation has occurred. The change
in point of view consists in the difference in meaning between I learned and “it taught me”.
When a person learns something it entails some sort of effort on that person’s side, whereas
when somebody or something teaches something to a person it places most of the effort off
the person in question. The French translator has chosen to use a direct translation as “ça m’a
appris” means it taught me which is completely similar to the source text.
The name “Gobber” constitutes the words highlighted in pink. Here we are dealing with the
translation of a name and it would have been an obvious solution to make a direct transfer,
meaning that the name is simply copied from one text into another. However, this is not the
case in the Danish translation. “Gobber” has been changed into “Gorbert” and we categorise
this translation as an adaptation and because the two names are similar the target audience
might still experience the same effect, even though the names are slightly different. The
original impact that “Gobber” had on the audience remains intact by the use of “Gorbert”
because these words have no meaning. In the French subtitles “Gobber” has been left out and
this could be classified as a deletion if the translator considers the name to carry meaning.
Moving on to the example marked in green we will take a closer look at the microstrategy of
substitution. The Danish and the French translations of “I had to become” have been translated
rather similarly. The Danish “hvad jeg ville blive!” and the French “ce que je deviendrais” both
mean what I was going to become. In our opinion the source text has another meaning than
that of the target texts and therefore the translations can be defined as substitutions. The
sentence “I had to become” refers to something which has already been decided and leaves no
choice, whereas I was going to become describes something a person is destined to become
and leaves that person with a greater possibility to choose.
The yellow marking represents the microstrategy of oblique translation. The Danish subtitles
“Hikke er ikke sådan en dreng” retain the same sense as the original “Hiccup is not that boy”.
However, the Danish translation means Hiccup is not that kind of boy and therefore it does not
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preserve the exact same wording as that of the original. It can be concluded that we are dealing
with an oblique translation. The French translation “Harold est pas comme ça” means Harold is
not like that and something has obviously been left, “boy”, but no important meaning has been
left out and therefore we also categorise this as an oblique translation. In this example we
encounter the translation of “Hiccup” once again but since it has already been analysed in
segment 21 we will not go into further detail here. Instead we refer to this segment.
3.3 The overall macrostrategy
In this section we will focus on the macrostrategy of the Danish and the French subtitles and
analyse them by the means of the theory presented by Schjoldager (2008). We will try to
estimate the overall strategy of the Danish and French versions. When analysing a translation
on the macro-level many aspects should be considered, such as: Overtness, purpose/skopos,
the translation situation in general and the wanted result. It could have been interesting to
include the subtitling agency in the macroanalysis but surprisingly enough we have been unable
to discover the agency of both the Danish and the French translators. This makes it impossible
for us to find out what kind of material these agencies usually translate, how they do it and
their normal level of quality. The fact that the translators are unknown might indicate that
these agencies are relatively unknown and that the subtitles could be of poor quality.
3.3.1 Estimation of the Danish macrostrategy
In order to estimate the macrostrategy of the Danish translation we will start out by taking a
closer look at the nature of the translation. The Danish target text that we are dealing with
consists of subtitles. Subtitles are visible simultaneously with the spoken source text and
therefore they are impossible not to notice. Moreover, since the source language is different
from the Danish target language it should be rather obvious to the spectators that when they
are reading the subtitles they are reading a translation. Therefore, this is an overt translation. If
the audience is aware of the translation taking place, as they would be when watching this
movie, then it could be considered a source-text oriented macrostrategy. When dealing with
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subtitles it is difficult to classify the translator’s role as either communicating somebody else’s
communication or functioning as a mediator between two parties. It can be regarded as
communicating somebody else’s communication because the source text was originally
intended for an American audience and not the Danish. Furthermore, one could also perceive
the audience as spectators and not receivers, meaning that the message is not meant for the
audience but for the other characters in the movie. However, the role might also be considered
to be that of a mediator, as it can be assumed that the movie was always meant to be
translated into other languages. This means that the receivers could be the audience and if this
is the case then the target group should be rather wide because a lot of Danes would tend to
choose a subtitled version. A source-text oriented strategy should focus on the form and
content of the source text (Schjoldager, 72) and the Danish subtitles do that to a certain degree
by aiming at preserving the original content. However, especially when humour is involved it is
apparent that form and content are pushed aside in favour of the effect. This means that in the
humorous parts of the movie, the macrostrategy used tends to be more target-text oriented.
This overlap in the use of macrostrategies is very interesting and makes it difficult to choose
between them. We assess the overall macrostrategy to be a mix of both the source-text
oriented and the target-text oriented strategy. Even though there is more than one aspect
which advocates a source-text oriented strategy we believe that the target-text effect is the
most important element. Our opinion on this point stems from the fact that we are dealing with
a certain kind of genre in which humour is paramount. This is why we consider the overall
strategy to be more target-text oriented than source-text oriented and we have tried to
illustrate the choice of strategy used in the Danish subtitles below:
Source-text oriented..........................................................Subtitles→................target-text
oriented
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3.3.2 Estimation of the French macrostrategy
The choice between a source-text oriented macrostrategy and a target-text oriented
macrostrategy in the French subtitles seems rather difficult because it involves several aspects
which may contradict each other. As mentioned above with the Danish translation the effect of
the original plays a central role in this kind of movie, and this is also what the French translator
has focused on. When taking only this aspect into consideration the macrostrategy which would
be the obvious choice is a target-text oriented strategy. However, there are other aspects to
consider, such as: Overtness and the translator’s role. As with the Danish translation, it is rather
difficult to define the role of the French translator as either functioning as a mediator between
two parties or as communicating somebody else’s communication. We do not know who the
sender is and the receivers are somewhat unclear, it could be either the characters of the
movie or the audience. Logically, the audience ought not to be children because they cannot
read or because they might simply not be interested in watching a movie in English. Moreover,
we think that the majority of all Frenchmen prefer the French dubbed version when it is
available because they generally do not understand a sufficient amount of English to make the
English version advantageous. In France most movies are dubbed (Gottlieb 2008: 229) which
means that the French are not used to movies featuring English speech. Hence, the target
group seems limited but could be adults who either want to learn English or who are already
familiar with the language. Concerning overtness, we are dealing with an overt translation,
since the target text is a form of screen translation in which the English source text and the
French target text appear at the same time. When these last points are also taken into account
it becomes apparent that a source-text oriented macrostrategy has been used as well. As was
the case with the Danish translation, we identify both the target-text oriented and the source-
text oriented macrostrategy in the French translation. We have tried to illustrate the choice of
strategy used in the French subtitles below:
Source-text oriented..........................................................Subtitles→................target-text
oriented
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4 Results and Comparison
In this section we will start out by presenting the results which we expected to find before
starting the process of analysing the chosen segments from the movie. Then, we move on to
stating the actual results concerning the microstrategies used; how often the different
strategies have been used and what they can be identified as. This will be followed by the
results of our analysis of the macrostrategies. It may seem more obvious to place the results of
the macrostrategies before the microstrategy results. However, we feel that the use of
macrostrategies becomes clearer when the results of the microstrategies have been taken into
account. Next, we will turn to the results concerning the retention of humour. In this part, we
will try to discover which methods have been used in order to retain the humorous elements
from the movie and the preservation of humour. In order to create transparency and clarity we
have chosen to divide the three parts on microstrategies, macrostrategies and humour into a
part about the Danish subtitles and a part about the French subtitles. Finally, we will conduct a
comparison of the Danish and the French results to find out which translation approaches have
been used and which of the two has been the most effective.
4.1 Expected results
Before starting our analysis, we had some ideas about what we expected to find and how the
results could turn out. First of all, we regarded the Danish culture as being more closely related
to the American culture than the French. As How to Train Your Dragon is an American movie we
expected the translations from English into Danish to be more similar and direct than those
made from English to French. The Danish society is in our opinion very Americanised in general,
which might also be the case with the French society but only to a certain degree. However, the
French are known for their national pride and the tendency to want to preserve their culture.
Hence, the Danish subtitles ought to be more similar to the English original than the French
subtitles. Second of all, we know that in France American movies and tv-shows are normally
translated by the use of dubbing, whereas in Denmark we are familiar with American humour
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because we listen to the original speech as movies and tv-shows are translated by the use of
subtitles. Therefore, we expected that the French translation would lose more of the humour
from the original than the Danish translation.
4.2 Microstrategies
The two following sections will contain the results of the Danish and the French translations in
connection with the microstrategies used in all of scene 2. We will focus on the frequency of
the different strategies and their usage. The microstrategies used in the Danish translation will
be our starting point followed by the microstrategies used in the French version. In order to
create clarity we have made a counting of all the different microstrategies used in Danish and
French, which can be found in Appendix B.
4.2.1 Danish microstrategies
When looking at the microstrategies used in the making of the Danish subtitles, it becomes
apparent that some of the strategies are used frequently, whereas others never appear. Direct
transfer and permutation are the only microstrategies which are not used in scene 2 of the
movie. A reason why direct transfer is not applied could be that this strategy is often made use
of when dealing with either a name or a word which does not exist in the target language. The
Danish translator has chosen to translate or change the characters’ names into something
different than those of the original. Furthermore, there seem to be no examples of words which
are specific to one language. Therefore, there are no reasons to use the microstrategy of direct
transfer in this scene. This is also the case with the strategy of permutation. In our opinion, it
would seem quite strange to employ this strategy in translating speech into subtitles, because
the subtitles have to match the picture on the screen at the right time. It would be impossible
to translate a unit of meaning in another place without creating confusion between the
subtitles and the visuals.
The microstrategy of calque is used only once, which indicates that the translation in general is
of a high quality. Since calque is an unidiomatic form of direct translation it should appear as
little as possible. Moving on to the use of direct translation, it is obvious that this microstrategy
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is the most frequently used of them all, in the Danish translation. This means that the Danish
subtitles, generally, stay very close and loyal to the English source text. We believe that this will
be well received by the Danish audiences, because they tend to understand the speech in itself
and want the subtitles to be similar to the original. An oblique microstrategy has been used
second most in the Danish translation and that indicates once again that the Danish target text
remains similar to the source text. However, this strategy also entails a difference in wording
making the translation more its own while retaining the original sense from the source text. The
microstrategy of explicitation is found four times in the Danish translation. Compared to the
original, the Danish translator has chosen to specify more. One might presume that this
strategy is used to explain something which Danes either do not understand or do not know
about. However, this is not the case in this translation, where the strategy has been used to
clarify something which seems unnecessary.
Turning to the microstrategy of paraphrase it can be said that the subtitles stay close to the
English original, since the use of free translation only appears once. However, if we include the
subclass of modulation then the count goes up. Modulation is used four times to change the
point of view. At first, it sounds rather important but the meaning is not changed and if it is,
then the change is of minor importance. Condensation is used for two purposes in the Danish
subtitles; to make something more implicit and to shorten something. In connection with
subtitles the shortening of speech is an advantage because the translator must operate on
limited space. The microstrategy of adaptation is employed six times and plays, among others,
an important role in connection with humour. This strategy can be found in the translation of
humour but also in other non humorous contexts. The effect is important in movies and the
fact that it has been used six times indicates that the Danish translator ascribes great
importance to preserving it. Another microstrategy which can be found in the Danish
translation is that of addition. However, only once. The reason why this strategy is used so little
could be that there is no need to add information, since the text is quite straightforward. The
microstrategy of substitution is rather important, as it changes the meaning of the original
source text. The Danish translator has used this strategy three times and it occurs both in
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connection with humour and without. In our opinion, it is apparent why the meaning has been
changed in connection with translating humour, but it might seem a bit more unclear why the
other changes have been made. In the Danish subtitles there are also cases in which a unit of
meaning is left out, indicating the use of the microstrategy of deletion. This means that in some
places in the Danish translation the content has become more unclear than the original because
relatively important information is missing. In short, the microstrategies used tell us that the
Danish translator has tried to stay loyal to the source text, while also putting great emphasis on
preserving the original effect.
4.2.2 French microstrategies
In the French subtitles some microstrategies are obviously used quite often, whereas four of
them are not employed in the translation at all. These are direct transfer, calque, addition and
permutation. None of the names which have been transferred directly from the movie appear
in scene 2 and no words have been copied, making the strategy of direct transfer obsolete.
Once again, the absence of calque puts the translation in a positive light. Concerning the
microstrategies of addition and permutation, these may have remained unused due to the fact
that the translation takes the form of subtitles. When adding information to a sentence it
should logically become longer but subtitles only give limited space, making additions
impractical. The same can be said about permutations, as picture and text must conform to
each other.
The two strategies which are most commonly used in the French translation are those of direct
translation and oblique translation. Direct translation is used fifteen times and oblique
translation is used twenty seven times. These strategies make sure that the target text is very
similar to the source text. The microstrategy of explicitation appears twice in the French
translation which indicates that the French translator has not needed to specify very often.
Turning to the strategy called paraphrase we can see that a rather free translation has been
used three times giving the translator a freer hand. In addition to this, we find the subclass of
modulation which is used just as frequently. Condensation has been used five times which
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means that the French translator has chosen to shorten the text or make something more
implicit. The microstrategy of adaptation has been employed four times indicating that the
French translator has focused not only on the source text but also on the target-text effect.
Moving on to the microstrategy of substitution, it becomes apparent that the French translator
has chosen to or thought it necessary to change some of the meaning as the strategy has been
used four times. Finally, some things have been left out in the French translation. Hence,
deletion has also been used. All in all, the source text appears to have been rather important to
the French translator and also the effect of the target text.
4.3 Macrostrategies
The results of the analysis of the macrostrategies used will be given in the following sections.
Now that the results of the analysis of the microstrategies have been presented it will help us
clarify and explain which overall strategy has been used in the Danish and the French subtitles
respectively.
4.3.1 Danish macrostrategy
From the analysis it can be deduced that the macrostrategy used in the Danish subtitles cannot
be classified as either completely source-text oriented or solely target-text oriented. There are
several elements which tell us that we are dealing with a source-text oriented macrostrategy,
these are: The overtness of the translation and the fact that there is focus on the form and
content of the original, this can be deduced from the frequent use of the microstrategies of
direct and oblique translation. On the other hand, certain factors seem to point at a target-text
oriented macrostrategy, these are: The focus on the preservation of the original effect and the
frequent use of the microstrategy of adaptation. Consequently, the Danish translation leans
somewhat towards both macrostrategies. The only aspect of the macrostrategy which remains
unaddressed is that of the translator role. However, it does not provide any decisive
information which points at either of the macrostrategies. As can be discovered in the analysis,
the role of the translator can be regarded as both a mediator between two parties, which
points to a target-text oriented strategy and as communicating somebody else’s
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communication which points to a source-text oriented strategy. In conclusion, the translation is
a mixture of both macrostrategies.
4.3.2 French macrostrategy
The macrostrategy used in the French subtitles cannot be said to be either source-text or
target-text oriented. Instead we are dealing with a translation which resembles both
macrostrategies. The fact that the translation is overt and has a certain focus on the content
and form of the English original leans towards a source-text oriented macrostrategy.
Furthermore, the frequent use of oblique and direct translations gives the translation an
inclination towards this macrostrategy as well. However, the focus on the effect which the
translation of humour demands is more equal to a target-text oriented strategy. Taking a closer
look at the translator role does not change the circumstances, as it can be regarded as both
communicating somebody else’s communication and as being a mediator between two parties.
Therefore, the macrostrategy of the French subtitles must be considered a cross between the
two possibilities.
4.4 Humour
Humour is a crucial element in this movie and therefore it is interesting to find out whether it is
preserved in the Danish and the French target texts. The following results will help us find out
how often the different kinds of humour have been used and if they have been retained in the
subtitles. We have made a counting showing the number of humorous elements and
translations, which in our opinion have been successful in scene 2 (Appendix C). From this
document it can be seen that the most commonly used forms of humour in the original movie
are: Irony, incongruity and surreal humour.
4.4.1 Danish humour
After taking a closer look at our research in connection with humour, it becomes apparent that
the Danish translator has succeeded in recreating the humorous effect approximately four out
of five times (78%). In our opinion, as the movie is brimming over with humour it is a
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reasonable attempt to transfer the humour from the original into Danish. However, this
number also indicates that some of the intended humour has been lost or reduced in the
Danish subtitles. All in all, the translator has neglected to recreate the humorous effect six
times in scene 2. Several different kinds of humour have been unsuccessfully translated and
there does not seem to be any pattern which points at difficulties with one specific type of
humour. The problematic translations have involved the following types of humour: Metaphor,
irony, wordplay, language-specific humour and incongruity. When the humour has turned out
to be successful, the translator has used the same kind of humour as the one used in the
English version. In conclusion, it is obvious that the translator has attempted to transfer the
original humour to the target text. Most of the time, the results are good and provide the exact
same humour as the original, which is a sign of quality. However, there are also examples of
translations which seem half-hearted, since for example justice is not always done to
metaphors. Even though 78% seems like a high number, it could be discussed whether it is
enough when the movie is practically based on humour. However, sometimes phrases might
contain more than one kind of humour and it happens that one of them is lost, whereas the
other is retained as in segment 14 concerning the word “selvangivelse”. In the Danish subtitles
there are both examples of humour which is completely lost and of humour which is only
reduced.
4.4.2 French humour
The counting of the successful transfers of humour in the French subtitles shows that
approximately four out of five (82%) translation attempts have a positive outcome. This
indicates that the humour has been preserved in the majority of the cases. However, some
humour is lost or at least diminished. We have found five examples in which the transfer of
humour is unsuccessful; these feature the following kinds of humour: Irony, language-specific
humour, surreal humour, wordplay and metaphor. There are no specific tendencies which call
our attention to one kind of humour. Instead, the translator’s failures have been distributed
equally between different types of humour. Some of the unsuccessful translations can be
difficult to understand as they seem almost irrational, for example there seems to be no reason
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why the French translator has renamed “Hiccup” “Harold” and not the French equivalent of
“Hiccup” which is hoquet. The French word seems to be quite similar to the English word. On
the other hand, we also find examples of somewhat unsuccessfully transferred humour which
still manages to retain some of the original humour, for example “déclaration de pots” in
segment 14. All things considered, we are dealing with a good translation which manages to
recreate most of the humour.
4.5 Comparison
Microstrategies:
Even though we expected the differences between the Danish and the French microstrategies
used to be greater than they are, in fact we discovered that they were quite similar. Many of
the same strategies have been made use of and they have been employed with almost the
same frequency in the two translations. The only aspect worth mentioning is the use of direct
and oblique translation. In both translations these are the most commonly used microstrategies
but the Danish translator has used direct translation more often, whereas the French translator
tends to use oblique translation more frequently. This means that the Danish subtitles are very
close to the original words, whereas the French subtitles have kept the same sense. The use of
the other microstrategies is quite alike. Neither of the translations include permutation or
direct transfer. There are some differences but they are too insignificant to show a clear
tendency.
Macrostrategies:
The overall macrostrategy of the Danish and the French subtitles have turned out to be very
similar which is quite surprising. Both translations are a mixture of a source-text oriented and a
target-text oriented macrostrategy, and most of the elements indicating one or the other
strategy are identical. Obviously, both the Danish and the French translations are overt as they
belong to the same genre, which also makes the point about translator roles exactly alike.
Moreover, in either case the translator has stayed close to the content of the original while also
retaining most of the effect. In our analysis we have made an estimation of the two
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macrostrategies by illustrating the approximate placement of the subtitles between source text
and target text. We have placed the Danish and the French subtitles in the same place, but
there are different reasons for the location. On the one hand, the Danish translation contains
many adaptations which benefit the effect. On the other hand, the French translation has been
more successful in preserving the effect which consists mainly in humour. In short, both the
Danish and the French translators seem to have chosen the same mixture of macrostrategies.
Humour:
The tendency of similarities between the Danish and the French subtitles also exists in the
humour division. In general, the humour has been well-preserved in both translations.
However, the French translator turns out to have been a little more successful which can be
seen in Appendix C. Both translators have been good at retaining the original kinds of humour
used in the different segments. However, it is apparent that approximately 20 % of the original
humour is lost in both the Danish and the French version. There are no signs indicating that one
of the translators has used a certain type of humour more frequently than the other. In short,
the Danish translator and the French translator have chosen very similar strategies in order to
retain the humour of the original.
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5 Conclusion
Our main aim in this empirical study was to identify the different translation strategies used in
the Danish and the French subtitles from the movie How to Train Your Dragon and thereby
enable ourselves to find the differences and similarities between the two translations.
Furthermore, we wanted to identify the different kinds of humour used in scene 2 and find out
whether they had been preserved in the target texts. It became apparent that the two versions
are translated rather similarly both in connection with the translation strategies and humour,
which was not expected.
We discovered that cultural differences do not play as central a role in the translation process
as we had expected. We found no signs of intertextuality or cultural references in the movie
and the two translators address the different translation situations in quite the same way. By
means of Schjoldager’s (2008) macro- and microstrategies, we found out that both the Danish
and the French translations employ a mixture of the two possible macrostrategies (see section
4.3), which means that they are both somewhat target-text and source-text oriented.
Furthermore, it became clear that many different microstrategies have been used and that
oblique and direct translations are most commonly employed (see section 4.2). The Danish and
the French translators have arrived at surprisingly similar results in spite of quite different
cultural backgrounds, which is rather astonishing.
By consulting Ross (1998) we were able to describe and identify the different kinds of humour
used in scene 2. Humour plays a very central role in the movie and therefore the preservation
of it is crucial and it is important that the translators focus on the effect in order to do the
original justice. In our opinion, both the Danish and the French translator have succeeded in
retaining the humour as approximately 80 % (see section 4.4) has been preserved.
All in all, it seems that both of the translators have approached this task rather similarly. Even
though they have used the microstrategies somewhat differently, they end up with results
which are quite alike. The same applies to the preservation of humour.
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In order to analyse the chosen segments several different theories have been used. During the
process we discovered that most of the chosen theories were relevant and sufficient to our
main aim. Schjoldager (2008), Munday (2008) and Armstrong (2005) have been helpful in
connection with the microstrategies and they have proved themselves adequate, since they all
describe and discuss the strategies in different ways. They have functioned as useful tools,
which complement each other well, in discovering the translation choices of the translators.
Schjoldager’s (2008) macrostrategies, on the other hand, turned out to be less appropriate for
our analysis than expected. In the process of analysing the overall macrostrategy it became
apparent that it was quite difficult to estimate which one should have been used. This is due to
the fact that personal understanding makes people regard the translator role in dissimilar ways.
However, in want of a better alternative we chose to use the theory anyway, because we think
it necessary to identify an overall strategy for the translations in order to gain greater
knowledge of the translator’s overall objective.
The theories used concerning humour have all been useful in some way or another. Ross’
(1998) theory has provided a good foundation for identifying the different kinds of humour
used. Many other theories have been used in order to expand on and add further information
to the section. In general, we are very satisfied with the theories which we have selected and
they have been very helpful.
Since our results turn out to be quite different from what we had expected it can be concluded
that culture did not play as central a role as first assumed. We imagine that culture is usually an
important part of translation, especially in the translation of humour. However, this does not
seem to be the case with the subtitles of How to Train Your Dragon. All in all, we are very
surprised by this amazing movie’s ability to stay humorous without any clear cultural
references.
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6 Discussion
After having come to the unexpected conclusion that the Danish and the French subtitles are
very similar, the next step could be to take a closer look at the dubbed versions of the movie. It
might be very interesting to compare the Danish spoken version and the French spoken version
to see if they are as alike as the subtitled versions. At first, one might think that since the
subtitles are so similar then the dubbed versions may also be. However, when considering the
fact that the speech has to fit lip-movements the two translations could be rather different.
Moreover, we think that the differences between the two versions might be greater because
the target groups might have changed, especially when looking at the Danish dubbed version
we expect that mostly children would want to watch it. The change in the target group would
most likely affect the dubbed version because the content would have to be more child-
friendly. However, we imagine that the differences may be reduced if the original humour is to
be preserved.
Having watched How to Train Your Dragon quite a few times we have come across some
examples of the subtitles being different from the dubbing. The surprising element lies in the
fact that it seems like the Danish and the French subtitles are less different than for example
the Danish subtitles and the Danish dubbing. To illustrate this difference we have chosen an
example from segment 5. In English the line is: “This is a talking fishbone”. The Danish subtitles
say: “Det der er et talende fiskeben”. Whereas in the Danish dubbed version it has become:
“Det der, det er et talende kyllingeskrog”, which means That, that is a talking chicken’s carcass
in English. At first, it seems irrelevant to change the word “fishbone”, but as the two words
have very different lip-movements it might be necessary. It could be interesting to investigate
how often the lip-movements influence the dubbed translation.
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References
● Armstrong, Nigel. Translation, Linguistics, Culture: A French-English Handbook. Cromwell
Press Ltd. 1st Edition, Great Britain, 2005.
● Bedeker, Laetitia and Feinauer, Ilse. The Translator as Cultural Mediator. Southern
African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2006.
○ http://www.ajol.info/index.php/salas/article/viewFile/6574/13298
● Cressida Cowell’s webpage, http://www.cressidacowell.co.uk/, accessed 05-03-2012
● Delabastita, Dirk. Traductio: Essays on Punning and Translation. St Jerome Publishing,
Presses Universitaires de Namur, 1997.
● Diaz-Cintas, Jorge and Remael, Aline. Audiovisual Translation: Subtitling. St Jerome
Publishing, Manchester, 2007.
● Dreamworks Animation, www.dreamworksanimation.com , accessed 07-02-2012
● Dynel, Marta. Creative metaphor is a birthday cake: Metaphor as the source of humour.
University of Łódź, 2009.
○ http://www.metaphorik.de/17/dynel.pdf
● Gottlieb, Henrik. In chapter 11: Screen translation. Schjoldager, Anne et al.
Understanding Translation. Academica, Aarhus. 1st edition, 2008.
● How to Train your Dragon. Dreamworks, Blu-ray, 2010.
● Longhurst, Brian et al. Introducing Cultural Studies, second edition, Pearson Education
Limited, 2008.
● Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Pearson Longman, fifth edition, 2009.
● Low, Peter Alan. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology. Routledge, London, 2011.
● Munday, Jeremy. Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. Routledge,
2nd edition. New York, 2008.
● Nash, Walter. The language of humour. Longman Group Limited, 1985.
● Newmark, Peter. A Textbook of Translation. Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd., 1988.
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● Pedersen, Jan. Cultural Interchangeability: The Effect of Substituting Cultural References
in Subtitling, Perspectives, 15:1, 30-48. Routledge, London, 2007.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2167/pst003.0
● Pelsmaeker, Katja and Besien, Fred Van. In Subtitling Irony: Blackadder in Dutch.
Vandaele, Jeroen. Translating Humour. St Jerome Publishing, Manchester, 2002.
● Raskin, Victor. Semantic Mechanisms of Humor. Springer, 1984.
● Ross, Alison. The Language of Humour. Routledge. Kentucky, USA, 1998.
○ http://site.ebrary.com.www.baser.dk/lib/stats/docDetail.action?docID=1009511
0
● Schjoldager, Anne et al. Understanding Translation. Academica, Aarhus. 1st edition,
2008.
● Thomsen, Jane Elisabeth. Translation Strategies in Animated Films: - a comparative
analysis of macro- and microstrategies in subtitling and dubbing. Lambert Academic
Publishing, 2011.
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Abstract
Our thesis, How to Train Your Dragon - A comparative analysis of the translations into Danish
and French subtitles focusing on the preservation of humour, is an empirical and comparative
study of the different translation strategies and kinds of humour used in the movie. The
emphasis is put on the different macro and microstrategies employed in the translations from
English into Danish and French. Furthermore, the study includes a classification of the different
kinds of humour used and an estimation of whether the humorous elements have been
preserved in the two target texts. By the means of several different theories on translation and
humour, we have been able to gain sufficient knowledge of the subjects and thereby enabling
ourselves to use it as a tool for the analysis.
The study contains a section dedicated to the analysis, which is based on chosen segments from
scene 2. The analysis of the sixteen segments illustrates the tendencies in connection with the
microstrategies and humour in the Danish and French translations, respectively. Hereafter, the
results of the study are presented and they turn out be quite unexpected. It becomes apparent
that the two translators have used rather similar strategies in the making of the subtitles and
have both managed to stay loyal to the source text while retaining the original effect. In general
the humour is well-preserved in both the Danish and French translations and it turns out that
the French translator has been a bit more successful than the Danish translator. Moreover, we
discovered that the macrostrategies used in the two translations were very much alike. During
our analysis we found out that the macrostrategy theory was unsuitable for subtitles.
This study also includes an evaluation of the employed theories as well as the importance of
cultural differences in the movie. Last but not least, there is a discussion focusing on possible
opportunities for further investigation of the translation of How to Train Your Dragon.
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Appendix A: Manuscript
Seg-
ment English Danish French
1 HICCUP
I really did hit one.
Jeg ramte altså
en.
J’en ai vraiment
eu un.
2 GOBBER
Sure, Hiccup.
Helt sikkert,
Hikke.
C’est ça
3 HICCUP
He never listens.
Han hører aldrig
efter.
Il écoute jamais
4 GOBBER
Well, it runs in the
family.
Det ligger til
familien
C’est de famille
5 HICCUP
And when he does,
it's always with
this... disappointed
scowl. Like
someone skimped on
the meat in his
sandwich.
(MIMICKING STOICK)
Excuse me, barmaid.
I'm afraid you
brought me the wrong
offspring. I
ordered an extra
large boy with beefy
arms. Extra guts and
glory on
the side. This here.
This is a talking
Når han gør, er
det med et skuffet
udtryk, som om
nogen har snydt
med kødet i hans
sandwich.
Undskyld mig,
kromutter, men det
er det forkerte
afkom. Jeg
bestilte en ekstra
stor dreng med
stærke arme og ben
i næsen.
Det der er et
talende fiskeben.
Quand il écoute,
il fait la
tronche, comme
si on mégotait
sur son bifteck.
Mam’zelle, y a
eu erreur sur ma
progéniture.
J’ai commandé un
taureau XL, avec
tripes et
lauriers en
garniture.
Ça, c’est une
arête qui cause!
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fish bone.
6 GOBBER
You're thinking about
this all wrong. It's
not so much what you
look like. It's
what's inside that he
can't stand.
Du har misforstået
noget.
Det er ikke dit
udseende… Det er
din personlighed,
han ikke kan lide.
Tu as tout faux.
C’est pas ton
aspect mais ce
que tu es, qui
l’énerve.
7
HICCUP
Thank you, for
summing that up.
Tak for
påmindelsen.
Merci pour cette
precision.
8 GOBBER
Look, the point is,
stop trying so hard
to be something
you're not.
Pointen er, at du
ikke skal prøve at
være noget, du
ikke er.
Arrête de
t’acharner à
être ce que tu
n’es pas.
9 HICCUP
I just want to be one
of you guys.
Jeg vil bare være
som jer andre.
Je veux
simplement être
des vôtres.
10 STOICK
Either we finish them
or they'll finish us!
It's the only way
we'll be rid of them!
If we find the nest
and destroy it, the
dragons will leave.
They'll find another
home.
Det er enten dem
eller os!
Kun sådan kan vi
slippe af med dem.
Finder vi deres
rede og ødelægger
den, forsvinder
dragerne. De vil
slå sig ned et
andet sted.
Soit on les tue,
soit on est
morts !
Seul moyen de
s’en
débarrasser.
Si on détruit
leur nid, les
dragons s’en
iront.
Ils
s’installeront
ailleurs.
11 STOICK
One more search.
Before the ice sets
En eftersøgning
mere, før isen
fryser til.
Partons avant la
formation des
glaces.
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in.
12 VIKING
Those ships never
come back.
De skibe vender
aldrig tilbage.
Mais nos bateaux
ne reviennent
jamais.
13 STOICK
We're Vikings. It's
an occupational
hazard. Now who's
with me?
Vi er vikinger.
Det er en
erhvervsrisiko.
Hvem tager med?
Viking, c’est un
métier à risqué.
Qui me suit?
14 VIKING Today's not good for
me.
VIKING
Not today
VIKING
I've gotta do my axe
returns.
- Jeg kan ikke.
- Ikke I dag.
- Jeg skal lave
selvangivelse.
- Compte pas sur
moi.
Je suis pris
Je fais ma
déclaration de
pots.
15 STOICK
Alright. Those who
stay will look after
Hiccup.
Okay. De, der
bliver tilbage,
skal passe på
Hikke.
Très bien.
Ceux qui restent
surveilleront
Harold.
16 PHLEGMA THE FIERCE
To the ships!
Til skibene !
Aux bateaux
17 SPITELOUT
I'm with you Stoick!
Jeg tager med!
Je te suis
18 STOICK
That's more like it.
Det var bedre.
J’aime mieux ça.
19 GOBBER
I'll pack my undies.
Jeg pakker mit
undertøj.
J’emballe mes
culottes.
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20 STOICK
No, I need you to
stay and train some
new recruits.
Nej, du skal blive
her og træne nogle
nye rekrutter.
Tu restes pour
entraîner les
recrues.
21 GOBBER
Oh, perfect. And
while I'm busy,
Hiccup can cover the
stall. Molten steel,
razor sharp blades,
lots of time to
himself...what could
possibly go wrong?
Perfekt. Mens jeg
har travlt, kan
Hikke passe
smedjen.
Smeltet jern,
skarpe klinger, en
masse tid alene.
Hvad kan gå galt?
Parfait. Pendant
cee temps-là,
Harold gardera
l’échoppe.
Acier en fusion,
lames affûtées,
livré à lui-
même.
Situation sous
contrôle !
22 STOICK
What am I going to do
with him, Gobber?
Hvad skal jeg
stille op med ham,
Gorbert?
Que faire de
lui?
23 GOBBER Put him in training
with the others.
Lad ham gå til
dragetræning.
Mets-le à
l’entraînement.
24 STOICK
No, I'm serious.
Nej, jeg mener
det.
Je suis sérieux.
25 GOBBER
So am I.
Det gør jeg også.
Moi aussi
26 STOICK
He'd be killed before
you let the first
dragon out of its
cage.
Han bliver slået
Ihjel, før den
første drage er
ude af buret.
Il sera mort
avant que le
dragon sorte de
sa cage.
27 GOBBER
Oh, you don't know
that.
Det ved du ikke.
T’en sais rien
28 STOICK
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I do know that,
actually.
Jo, jeg gør. Si, je le sais
29 GOBBER
No, you don't.
Nej, du gør ikke.
Non
30 STOICK
No, actually I do.
Jo, jeg gør.
Si
31 GOBBER
No you don't!
Nej, du gør ikke.
Non.
32 STOICK
Listen! You know what
he's like. From the
time he could crawl
he's
been...different. He
doesn't listen.
Du ved selv,
hvordan han er.
Lige siden han var
helt lille, har
han været …
anderledes.
Han hører ikke
efter.
Écoute. Tu le
connais.
Quand il
marchait à
quatre pattes,
il était déjà...
différent.
Il écoute rien.
33 STOICK
Has the attention
span of a sparrow. I
take him fishing and
he goes hunting
for... for trolls.
Hans opmærksomhed
er flyvsk som en
fugl.
Jeg tager ham med
ud at fiske, og
han jager trolde!
Il est aussi
concentré qu’un
moineau.
Quand on va à la
pêche, il
chasse... les
trolls !
34 GOBBER
Trolls exist! They
steal your socks.
But only the left
ones. What's with
that?
Trolde findes.
De stjæler vores
sokker.
Men altid kun den
venstre. Hvorfor
mon det?
Ça existe, les
trolls.
Ça vole les
chaussettes.
Mais que les
gauches.
Pourquoi?
35 STOICK
When I was a boy...
Da jeg var dreng…
Quand j’étais
petit…
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36 GOBBER
Oh here we go.
Nu igen.
C’est reparti
37 STOICK
My father told me to
bang my head against
a rock and I did it.
I thought it was
crazy, but I didn't
question him.
And you know what
happened?
... bad min far
mig slå hovedet
mod en klippe, og
jeg gjorde det.
Jeg syntes, det
var dumt, men jeg
adlød.
Ved du, hvad der
skete?
... mon père m’a
dit de ma taper
la tête contre
un roc.
J’ai trouvé ça
délirant, mais
j’ai obéi.
Et tu sais quoi
?
38 GOBBER You got a headache.
Du fik hovedpine.
T’as eu la
migraine.
39
STOICK That rock split in
two. It taught me
what a Viking could
do, Gobber.
He could crush
mountains, level
forests, tame seas!
Even as a boy,
I knew what I was,
what I had to become.
Hiccup is not that
boy.
Klippen flækkede i
to stykker. Jeg
lærte, hvad en
viking kan gøre,
Gobert.
Han kan knuse
bjerge, rydde
skove, tæmme
havene!
Selv som dreng
vidste jeg, hvad
jeg var, og hvad
jeg ville blive!
Hikke er ikke
sådan en dreng.
Le roc s’est
cassé en deux.
Ça m’a appris de
quoi est capable
un Viking.
Broyer les
montagnes, raser
les forêts,
dompter les
flots.
Tout petit, je
savais ce que
j’étais, ce que
je deviendrais.
Harold est pas
comme ça.
40 GOBBER You can't stop him,
Stoick. You can only
prepare him.
Look, I know it seems
hopeless. But the
truth is you won't
always be around to
Du kan ikke stoppe
ham, Havblik.
Du kan kun
forberede ham.
Jeg ved, det
Tu peux pas
l’enfermer.
Tu peux juste
l’endurcir.
C’est mal parti,
mais tu seras
pas toujours
derrière lui.
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protect him. He's
going to get out
there again.
He's probably out
there now.
virker håbløst,
men du kan ikke
altid beskytte
ham.
Han går derud
igen. Han er
sikkert derude nu.
Il ressortira.
C’est sans doute
déjà fait.
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Appendix B: Microstrategies
Microstrategy: Danish French
Direct transfer 0 0
Calque 1 0
Direct translation 22 15
Oblique translation 17 27
Explicitation 4 2
Paraphrase 1 3
Modulation 4 3
Condensation 3 5
Adaptation 6 4
Addition 1 0
Substitution 3 4
Deletion 4 5
Permutation 0 0
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Appendix C: Successful Humour
English Danish French
Irony : 8 7 7
Visual humour* : 2 2 2
The Incongruity Theory : 6 5 6
Wordplay and Puns : 2 1 1
Surreal Humour : 5 5 4
Parody : 1 1 1
Metaphor : 3 1 2
Language-specific Humour : 1
Culture-specific Humour :
All in all : 28 22 23
*only the visual humour included in our analysis has been considered