The dubbing of foreign and regional accents in The Simpsons

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Published: Oct 15, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2019.ne4.10
Keywords:
accents, dubbing, stereotypes, multilingualism, audiovisual translation

Main Article Content

Anjana Martínez Tejerina
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5852-5684
Samantha Sánchez Martínez
Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Abstract

Although the dubbing of accents is a common phenomenon on our screens, it has not received enough scholarly attention. This study compares the original version with the dubbed version of the animated series The Simpsons (Matt Groening 1989- ), and analyses 32 characters with a non-standard accent. The research is also based on the first-person experience of María José Aguirre de Cárcer, the current translator of the series to European Spanish. This investigation discloses that factors such as linguistic obstacles, visual restrictions or stereotypes determine the final solution. Despite the close link between accents and identity, the results obtained suggest that most translation techniques imply changes in characterisation to a greater or lesser extent.

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How to Cite
Martínez Tejerina, A., & Sánchez Martínez, S. (2019). The dubbing of foreign and regional accents in The Simpsons. MonTI. Monographs in Translation and Interpreting, 281–307. https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2019.ne4.10
Issue
2019: Special Issue 4. Multilingualism and representation of identities in audiovisual texts
Section
Articles

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Author Biographies

Anjana Martínez Tejerina, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Anjana Martínez Tejerina has been teaching Translation and Subtitling at Universitat Pompeu Fabra since 2009. She also works as an external tutor and evaluator for other universities such as Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Besides, she has worked as a freelance translator specialized in subtitling for over ten years. In 2016 she published the book El doblaje de los juegos de palabras (The dubbing of wordplay).

Samantha Sánchez Martínez, Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Samantha Sánchez Martínez obtained her Degree in Translation and Interpretation in English and German at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She was selected by that university to take part in the Programa de Mentorías, a formation and training service in which senior students teach junior students from the same degree. Nowadays, after having studied the Masters on Secondary Education, Language Teaching and Vocational Training at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in order to become an English teacher, she is working as coordinator and teacher in a well-reputed English academy

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Filmografía:

Around the World in Eighty Days (La vuelta al mundo en 80 días, Michael Anderson 1956)

Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale y Kirk Wise 1991)

Hotel Transylvania (Genndy Tartakovsky 2012)

Puss in Boots (El gato con botas, Chris Miller 2011)

The Big Bang Theory (Chuck Lorre y Bill Prady 2007- )

The Simpsons (Matt Groening 1989- )

Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich 2010).