Specialized Translators in Documentary Audiovisual Texts: Terminology and Audience Considerations

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DOCUMENTARY TRANSLATION
 
 
DOCUMENTARIES – AUDIOVISUAL TEXTS
 
Translators not specialised.
A minimum knowledge of a maximum  of topics.
Terminological research in many specialised areas, from anthopology to medicine to
wildlife, etc.
And then sub-topics within each area
But experts in a mode (AVT)
 
SUB-TOPICS
 
Medicine, anatomy, cardiology, heart surgery, etc.
Physics, quantum physics, Higg’s boson, etc.
Sport, football, European Championships, etc.
 
SKOPOS AND TARGET
 
Audiences may be more or less technically educated – scientists, general public,
children, foreigners, but will still contain some level of specialisation.
Do we use the specialised language adopted by the scientists/technicians
themselves or the terms found in term  banks/dictionaries/glossaries.
It has to depend on the audience.
 
BEETLES: RECORD BREAKERS
 
For example the documentary ‘Beetles: Record Breakers’ uses 15 different terms for
types of beetle:
stag beetle, tiger beetle,  diving beetle, bloody nose beetle, oil beetle, etc.
 
There many types of seagull. The translator must decide between the generic
‘seagull’ or
‘black-headed gull’, ‘guillemot’, ‘herring gull’, etc.
 
HOW TO HELP
 
For a general public the juxtaposition of image and wording may solve identity
problems,. If not, provide a gloss to a specialised term.
The narrator (of the documentary)  rewords  what a specialist might have said in an
interview with a more simple explanation (Matamala).
 
ORAL UTTERANCE OF A WRITTEN TEXT
 
Voice-over: interviews, talking heads
Dubbing
Off-screen dubbing
 
OR
subtitling
 
INFORMATIVE GENRE
 
CAN BE
 
narrative
descriptive
persuasive
expository
 
All text types and registers
 
TERMINOLOGY
 
Main problems to be found in domain-specific lexis.
Identifying terms
Understanding terms
Finding the right equivalent
Dealing with the absence of a right equivalent
Dealing with denomination variation
Avoiding wrong transcriptions
THIS TAKES TIME!
 
TIME CONSTRAINTS
 
When a documentary deals with current ‘newsy’ issues there may be a need to
translate it immediately.
Eg. a documentary about the ‘Cirque Soleil’ to be translated into Catalan had to be
done in one day as the Cirque was to begin performing the next day.
 
TOOLS
 
Dictionaries
Glossaries
Similar texts
Data-banks
Translation memory tools
  
where there is
Terminology extraction systems
  
repetition
 
And if possible, a transcription!? Which may in any case be full of errors.
 
ERRORS
 
Errors occur principally with specialised terminology and real names.
 
Jungle Reinhard – Django Reinhardt
Jorn Asten – Jane Austen
Magnus Axle - Aldous Huxley
 
WHAT TO DO?
 
Merv was one of the most prestigious of the ancient cities of Central Asia. This urban
centre contains the secrets of five great eras. The archeologists can continually gain
insight into the populations’ movements, their way of life … 
The first city dates back to
16 BC.
 
BUT sources such as the British Museum tell us that the first city dates back to 6 BC.
 
MIXTURE
 
Documentaries contain general utterances, domain-specific terminology and
recurring terminology.
We hear general utterances for example in interviews along with the other features of
(semi) spontaneous talk (hesitation, false starts, etc.) which are removed. The
interviewee may not speak good English and this must be addressed.
 
FEATURES
 
Semantic field
Collocations
Norms
Intertextuality
 
ECHO OF THE ELEPHANTS
 
A nature documentary dealing with elephants.
A multimodal text
Generic structure with obligatory and optional features
Intertextual properties
 
GENRE
 
Nature documentary
 
Sub-genre: 
 
a nature documentary dealing 
 
with wild African animals
Sub-sub genre
 
a nature documentary dealing 
 
with elephants
Genrelets
  
specific scenes of the life of elephants (eating, travelling,
  
etc.)
 
OBLIGATORY FEATURES OF THE GENRE
 
Pictures of nature, animals, etc.
Sounds of nature
Off-screen narrator
 
OPTIONAL FEATURES COULD BE…
 
Music
A second speaker
Etc.
 
OBLIGATORY FEATURES IN ‘ECHO’
 
Elephants, grass, birds, acacia, Kilimanjaro, svannah
Trumpeting, tweeting, wind, leaves rustling
David Attenborough
 
OPTIONAL FEATURES IN ‘ECHO’
 
Music
Cynthia Moss
 
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS
 
Place and time markers:
 
‘Here in the Amboseli National Park’
‘As the rainy season approaches’
 
Minor clauses:
 
‘The great forest’
 
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS CONT.
 
(semi) scientific language:
 
Patrick is in 
musth
, … she is in 
oestrus
 
LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS CONT.
 
Pseudo-poetic language:
 
‘The majestic presence ofthe male juggernaut stills the jungle community’
 
VERBAL AND VISUAL
 
In multimodal, documentary texts, the verbal and visual elements are ‘manipulated’
in the sense that they are worked out beforehand.
The text is thus reasonably predictable.
 
BUT manipulable
 
FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
 
Interpersonal 
 
eg. conversation
 
Broadcast
  
eg. TV and radio
 
Documentary
 
eg. newspapers, books
 
MANIPULATION
 
 
Communication is more manipulable as we move from the most interpersonal
(spontaneuous conversation) to the most documentary (a newspaper editorial, a
politician’s speech).
 
Documentary films lie along this cline.
 
DOCUMENTARY TRANSLATION
 
The translator works with a pre-existng framework reflecting the genre.
S/he must adapt the target language to this structure eg. a predominance of short,
paratactic sentences.
 
EXAMPLE
 
There’s a group of vultures on the ground in the far distance.
The birds were squabbling over the remains of what could be an elephant’s placenta.
 
 
(the visual image frames this text by gradually moving closer to the birds)
 
 
TRY A TRANSLATION
 
THERE MIGHT BE A TEMPTATION …
 
… in the interest of concision, to create a single hypotactic sentence:
 
In lontananza, sul suolo, si scorge un gruppo di avvoltoi intenti a disputarsi…
 
BUT
 
There is a deliberately structured pause and silence in the original. This requires two
sentences:
 
In lontananza, sul suolo, si scorge un gruppo di avvoltoi.
Gli uccelli sono intenti a disputarsi…
 
TENSE USAGE
 
Note:
Ther
e’s
 a group of vultures on the ground in the far distance.
The birds 
were squabbling 
over the remains of what could be an elephant’s placenta.
 
The tenses (present then past) seem incongruous, but the visuals confirm the
tense/time conundrum.
 
SO TRANSLATE…
 
… using the Italian norm ie. present tenses.
 
Cf.
But the calf 
was
 still in difficulty and he 
has to 
reach up and find Echo’s nipple.
 
Ma il cucciolo ha ancora grosse difficoltà, deve alzarsi per poter trovare il capezzolo
della madre.
 
REPETITION
 
The term ‘elephant’ appears 22 times, 5 times in one paragraph.
Italia style might suggest some synonyms eg ‘pachidermi’.
 
VISUAL CLUES
 
The English text refers constantly to elephants’ legs.
In translation neither ‘gambe’ not ‘zampe’ are totally appropriate but, for example, in
the case of the injured calf, it is the visuals that suggest the solution ‘ginocchia’.
 
ENID RETURNING TO THE CALF
 
Enid’s sudden run is accompanied by a dramatic pause and then the deliberate
reversal of the verb components to create emphasis, assisted also by intonation:
‘… back she came’
 
In Italian the adverbial marker ‘Eccola … che torno indietro’ plus intonation.
 
SPECIFIC TO GENERIC
 
This may be necessary with obscure vocbulary. For example the term 
in musth 
is
unknown to most native speakers and comes from Urdu.
The Italian equivalent is ‘in calore’ but this only applies to females.
Thus the need for a more general term – ‘eccitati’, sessualmente attivi’
 
TO TRANSLATE
 
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Specialized translators in documentary audiovisual texts require a broad knowledge across various topics, from anthropology to medicine, including sub-topics like anatomy and quantum physics. Understanding the target audience, which may range from children to scientists, helps determine the level of specialization and language used in translations. Translators face challenges such as choosing between terms for different types of beetles in documentaries. Providing glosses in images may aid in conveying specialized terms to a general audience.

  • Translators
  • Audiovisual
  • Terminology
  • Audience
  • Specialization

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  1. DOCUMENTARIES AUDIOVISUAL TEXTS Translators Translators not not specialised specialised. . A minimum A minimum knowledge knowledge of a maximum of of a maximum of topics topics. . Terminological Terminological research wildlife wildlife, etc. , etc. research in in many many specialised specialised areas areas, from , from anthopology anthopology to medicine to to medicine to And And then then sub sub- -topics topics within within each each area area But But experts experts in a mode (AVT) in a mode (AVT)

  2. SUB-TOPICS Medicine, Medicine, anatomy anatomy, , cardiology cardiology, , heart heart surgery surgery, etc. , etc. Physics Physics, quantum , quantum physics physics, , Higg s Higg s boson boson, etc. , etc. Sport, football, Sport, football, European European Championships Championships, etc. , etc.

  3. SKOPOS AND TARGET Audiences Audiences may children children, , foreigners foreigners, , but may be more or be more or less but will less technically technically educated will still still contain contain some educated scientists some level level of of specialisation scientists, general public, , general public, specialisation. . Do Do we themselves themselves or the we use the use the specialised or the terms specialised language terms found found in language adopted in term term banks adopted by the banks/ /dictionaries dictionaries/ /glossaries by the scientists scientists/ /technicians glossaries. . technicians It It has has to to depend depend on the audience. on the audience.

  4. BEETLES: RECORD BREAKERS For For example example the types types of of beetle the documentary documentary Beetles beetle: : Beetles: Record : Record Breakers Breakers uses uses 15 15 different different terms terms for for stag stag beetle beetle, , tiger tiger beetle beetle, , diving diving beetle beetle, , bloody bloody nose nose beetle beetle, , oil oil beetle beetle, etc. , etc. There There many seagull seagull or many types or types of of seagull seagull. The . The translator translator must decide must decide between between the the generic generic black black- -headed headed gull gull , , guillemot guillemot , , herring herring gull gull , etc. , etc.

  5. HOW TO HELP For a general public the For a general public the juxtaposition problems problems,. ,. If If not not, , provide provide a a gloss juxtaposition of image and of image and wording gloss to a to a specialised specialised term wording may term. . may solve solve identity identity The narrator (of the The narrator (of the documentary interview interview with a more with a more simple documentary) ) rewords simple explanation explanation ( (Matamala rewords what Matamala). ). what a a specialist specialist might might have have said said in an in an

  6. ORAL UTTERANCE OF A WRITTEN TEXT Voice Voice- -over: over: interviews interviews, , talking talking heads heads Dubbing Dubbing Off Off- -screen screen dubbing dubbing OR OR subtitling subtitling

  7. INFORMATIVE GENRE CAN BE CAN BE narrative narrative descriptive descriptive persuasive persuasive expository expository All All text text types types and and registers registers

  8. TERMINOLOGY Main Main problems problems to be to be found found in domain in domain- -specific specific lexis lexis. . Identifying Identifying terms terms Understanding Understanding terms terms Finding Finding the right the right equivalent equivalent Dealing Dealing with the with the absence absence of a right of a right equivalent equivalent Dealing Dealing with with denomination denomination variation variation Avoiding Avoiding wrong wrong transcriptions transcriptions THIS TAKES TIME! THIS TAKES TIME!

  9. TIME CONSTRAINTS When When a a documentary documentary deals translate translate it it immediately immediately. . deals with with current current newsy newsy issues issues there there may may be a be a need need to to Eg Eg. a . a documentary documentary about done done in in one one day day as about the as the the Cirque Cirque was the Cirque Cirque Soleil to be Soleil to be translated was to to begin begin performing translated into performing the into Catalan Catalan had the next next day day. . had to be to be

  10. TOOLS Dictionaries Dictionaries Glossaries Glossaries Similar Similar texts texts Data Data- -banks banks Translation Translation memory memory tools tools where where there there is is Terminology Terminology extraction extraction systems systems repetition repetition And And if if possible possible, a , a transcription transcription!? !? Which Which may may in in any any case be full of case be full of errors errors. .

  11. ERRORS Errors Errors occur occur principally principally with with specialised specialised terminology terminology and and real real names names. . Jungle Jungle Reinhard Reinhard Django Django Reinhardt Reinhardt Jorn Jorn Asten Asten Jane Jane Austen Austen Magnus Magnus Axle Axle - - Aldous Aldous Huxley Huxley

  12. WHAT TO DO? Merv Merv was centre centre contains contains the insight insight into into the 16 BC. 16 BC. was one one of the of the most the secrets the populations populations movements most prestigious prestigious of the secrets of of five five great movements, , their of the ancient ancient cities great eras eras. The . The archeologists their way of life way of life The first city cities of Central Asia. of Central Asia. This archeologists can can continually The first city dates This urban urban continually gain dates back to gain back to BUT BUT sources sources such such as as the the British British Museum Museum tell tell us us that that the first city the first city dates dates back to 6 BC. back to 6 BC.

  13. MIXTURE Documentaries Documentaries contain recurring recurring terminology terminology. . contain general general utterances utterances, domain , domain- -specific specific terminology terminology and and We We hear hear general (semi) (semi) spontaneous spontaneous talk (hesitation, false talk (hesitation, false starts interviewee interviewee may may not not speak speak good general utterances utterances for for example example in in interviews interviews along starts, etc.) , etc.) which English and this this must be along with the with the other which are are removed must be addressed addressed. . other features features of removed. The . The of good English and

  14. FEATURES Semantic Semantic field field Collocations Collocations Norms Norms Intertextuality Intertextuality

  15. ECHO OF THE ELEPHANTS A nature A nature documentary documentary dealing dealing with with elephants elephants. . A A multimodal multimodal text text Generic Generic structure structure with with obligatory obligatory and optional and optional features features Intertextual Intertextual properties properties

  16. GENRE Nature Nature documentary documentary Sub Sub- -genre genre: : a a nature nature documentary documentary dealing dealing with with wild wild African African animals animals Sub Sub- -sub sub genre genre a a nature nature documentary documentary dealing dealing with with elephants elephants Genrelets Genrelets specific specific scenes etc etc. .) ) scenes of of the the life life of of elephants elephants ( (eating eating, , travelling travelling, ,

  17. OBLIGATORY FEATURES OF THE GENRE Pictures Pictures of nature, of nature, animals animals, etc. , etc. Sounds of nature Sounds of nature Off Off- -screen narrator screen narrator

  18. OPTIONAL FEATURES COULD BE Music Music A A second second speaker speaker Etc. Etc.

  19. OBLIGATORY FEATURES IN ECHO Elephants Elephants, , grass grass, , birds birds, acacia, , acacia, Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro, , svannah svannah Trumpeting Trumpeting, , tweeting tweeting, , wind wind, , leaves leaves rustling rustling David Attenborough David Attenborough

  20. OPTIONAL FEATURES IN ECHO Music Music Cynthia Cynthia Moss Moss

  21. LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS Place Place and time and time markers markers: : Here in the Here in the Amboseli Amboseli National Park National Park As As the the rainy rainy season season approaches approaches Minor Minor clauses clauses: : The The great great forest forest

  22. LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS CONT. (semi) (semi) scientific scientific language language: : Patrick Patrick is is in in musth musth, , she she is is in in oestrus oestrus

  23. LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS CONT. Pseudo Pseudo- -poetic poetic language language: : The The majestic majestic presence presence ofthe ofthe male male juggernaut juggernaut stills stills the jungle community the jungle community

  24. VERBAL AND VISUAL In In multimodal multimodal, , documentary in the in the sense sense that that they documentary texts they are are worked texts, the , the verbal worked out out beforehand verbal and beforehand. . and visual visual elements elements are are manipulated manipulated The text The text is is thus thus reasonably reasonably predictable predictable. . BUT BUT manipulable manipulable

  25. FORMS OF COMMUNICATION Interpersonal Interpersonal eg eg. . conversation conversation Broadcast Broadcast eg eg. TV and radio . TV and radio Documentary Documentary eg eg. . newspapers newspapers, books , books

  26. MANIPULATION Communication Communication is is more ( (spontaneuous spontaneuous conversation politician s politician s speech speech). ). more manipulable manipulable as conversation) to the as we most documentary documentary (a we move move from the from the most (a newspaper newspaper editorial most interpersonal interpersonal ) to the most editorial, a , a Documentary Documentary films films lie lie along along this this cline. cline.

  27. DOCUMENTARY TRANSLATION The The translator translator works works with a with a pre pre- -existng existng framework framework reflecting reflecting the the genre genre. . S/he must S/he must adapt paratactic paratactic sentences adapt the target the target language sentences. . language to to this this structure structure eg eg. a . a predominance predominance of short, of short,

  28. EXAMPLE There s There s a a group group of of vultures vultures on the on the ground ground in the far in the far distance distance. . The The birds birds were were squabbling squabbling over the over the remains remains of of what what could could be an be an elephant s elephant s placenta. placenta. (the (the visual visual image image frames frames this this text by text by gradually gradually moving moving closer closer to the to the birds birds) ) TRY A TRANSLATION TRY A TRANSLATION

  29. THERE MIGHT BE A TEMPTATION in the in the interest interest of of concision concision, to create a single , to create a single hypotactic hypotactic sentence sentence: : In lontananza, sul suolo, si scorge un gruppo di avvoltoi intenti a disputarsi In lontananza, sul suolo, si scorge un gruppo di avvoltoi intenti a disputarsi

  30. BUT There There is is a a deliberately deliberately structured sentences sentences: : structured pause and pause and silence silence in the in the original original. . This This requires requires two two In lontananza, sul suolo, si scorge un gruppo di avvoltoi. In lontananza, sul suolo, si scorge un gruppo di avvoltoi. Gli uccelli sono intenti a disputarsi Gli uccelli sono intenti a disputarsi

  31. TENSE USAGE Note: Note: Ther There s e s a a group group of of vultures vultures on the on the ground ground in the far in the far distance distance. . The The birds birds were were squabbling squabbling over the over the remains remains of of what what could could be an be an elephant s elephant s placenta. placenta. The The tenses tenses ( (present tense/time tense/time conundrum present then conundrum. . then past past) ) seem seem incongruous incongruous, , but but the the visuals visuals confirm confirm the the

  32. SO TRANSLATE using using the the Italian Italian norm norm ie ie. . present present tenses tenses. . Cf Cf. . But But the the calf calf was was still still in in difficulty difficulty and he and he has has to to reach reach up and up and find find Echo s Echo s nipple nipple. . Ma il cucciolo ha ancora grosse difficolt , deve alzarsi per poter trovare il capezzolo Ma il cucciolo ha ancora grosse difficolt , deve alzarsi per poter trovare il capezzolo della madre. della madre.

  33. REPETITION The The term term elephant elephant appears appears 22 22 times times, 5 , 5 times times in in one one paragraph paragraph. . Italia style Italia style might might suggest suggest some some synonyms synonyms eg eg pachidermi . pachidermi .

  34. VISUAL CLUES The English text The English text refers refers constantly constantly to to elephants elephants legs legs. . In In translation translation neither the case of the the case of the injured neither gambe gambe not injured calf calf, , it it is is the not zampe are zampe are totally the visuals visuals that totally appropriate appropriate but that suggest suggest the but, for , for example example, in the solution solution ginocchia . ginocchia . , in

  35. ENID RETURNING TO THE CALF Enid s Enid s sudden sudden run reversal reversal of the of the verb run is is accompanied accompanied by a verb components components to create by a dramatic dramatic pause and to create emphasis emphasis, , assisted pause and then assisted also then the deliberate the deliberate also by by intonation intonation: : back back she she came came In In Italian Italian the the adverbial adverbial marker Eccola che torno indietro plus marker Eccola che torno indietro plus intonation intonation. .

  36. SPECIFIC TO GENERIC This This may unknown unknown to may be be necessary necessary with to most most native speakers and native speakers and comes with obscure obscure vocbulary vocbulary. For comes from Urdu. from Urdu. . For example example the the term term in in musth musth is is The The Italian Italian equivalent equivalent is is in calore in calore but but this this only only applies applies to to females females. . Thus Thus the the need need for a more general for a more general term term eccitati , sessualmente attivi eccitati , sessualmente attivi

  37. TO TRANSLATE

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