Browsing by Author "Nanayakkara, Amaya"

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Borrowing as a technique of translating fantasy nomenclature in audiovisual translation: A comparative study
(Faculty of Graduate Studies - University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Nanayakkara, Amaya
Nomenclature is a system of devising names for things in a particular field of arts or sciences by an individual or a community. The genre of fantasy films in audiovisual translation (AVT) is generally rich with unique nomenclature specific to various fictitious fantasy cultures that are far from the real world. Borrowing is a technique of translation that refers to the utilisation of the same word in the target text as it is found in the source text when equivalent terms are not available in the target language (TL). With the unavailability of corresponding terms for such fictitious nomenclature in a TL, borrowing becomes a befitting translation technique for such terms. The present study investigates the extent to which borrowing is utilised in translating nomenclature in fantasy films in the two most prominent approaches of AVT; Subtitling and Dubbing, and assesses the acceptability of using borrowing for the translation of such terms in each approach. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are followed in the present study. The English source script and Sinhala subtitled and dubbed scripts of the film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, were chosen as sample material for the study. The nomenclature that appears on the films referring to people and places were selected for the analysis. From the relevant nomenclature, the terms translated through the technique of borrowing were first identified. The translation quality assessment model by Nababan et al., which allows a third party to rate the acceptability of translations was employed in the present study as a tool of analysis where a group of five AVT experts were asked to assess the acceptability of the utilisation of borrowing as a translation technique. It was identified that, out of the total 157 nomenclature in the English source scripts referring to people and places, 125 terms (79.62%) in the subtitled version and 101 terms (64.33%) in the dubbed version had been translated through the technique of borrowing thereby suggesting that both approaches follow the technique of borrowing in translating most of the nomenclature. In assessing the acceptability of the utilisation of borrowing in translating nomenclature, the ratings of the experts have demonstrated that, out of the 125 borrowed terms in the subtitled version referring to people and places, 54 terms (43.2%) were less acceptable, and 71 terms (56.8%) were not acceptable. Out of the 101 borrowed terms in the dubbing translation, 74 terms (73.27%) were marked acceptable, and 27 terms (26.73%) were marked less acceptable. It was observed through the qualitative analysis that the borrowed terms which are marked as not acceptable in the subtitled version were directly borrowed and displayed in English spellings in the form of pure borrowings, thereby affecting the standard Sinhala language norms. Even though the terms are also directly borrowed in the dubbed version, they are adapted towards the TL through Sinhala spellings in the dubbing script, thus making them naturalised borrowings. In contrast to subtitled borrowings that are expected to be read, dubbed borrowings are only heard by the audience without influencing the readability factor. The study concludes that in translating nomenclature, borrowings in the form of naturalised borrowing are much likely to be acceptable in AVT than pure borrowings.
A Study on Audio-visual Translation Approaches in Translat- ing Songs for Children’s Films and Cartoons
(Faculty of Humanities University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Nanayakkara, Amaya
Audio-visual translation (AVT), a novel branch in translation studies is concerned with the translation of audio-visual material from one language to another. The two most prominent approaches of this transference are subtitling and dubbing. Among the many viewers in the audio-visual entertainment industry, children are identified as one of the most significant target audiences. A prominent feature in children-oriented films is its employment of songs to improve the cinematic experience. Translation of songs is commonly believed to be a challenging task in the field of translation. Hence, this research seeks to examine the attempts in song translation in AVT, with special reference to the translation of the theme songs in two popular children’s films and cartoons in Sri Lanka, which have been translated from English to Sinhalese under the two approaches; subtitling and dubbing. It further explores the behaviour of each approach in translating songs by analysing the strategies employed by translators and their effectiveness based on the theories of translation techniques proposed by Molina and Albir. A qualitative methodology has been followed in conducting the study, where the source texts and the translated texts are comparatively analysed. Across the comparative analysis, it could be perceived that both the subtitle translator and the dubbing translator have followed several strategies to transfer songs into Sinhalese. The dubbing approach follows an adaptation strategy to nativise the song according to the Sri Lankan context, whereas the subtitling approach follows a faithful translation strategy, where the translation is conducted with strict precision to the source text. The study concludes that the two approaches of AVT behave in a significantly unique manner from one another. Accordingly, the subtitling approach becomes prominent as a result of its accuracy and faithfulness to the source text, whereas the dubbing approach becomes distinctive due to its creativeness and sense of appeal to the audience.