Chapter 6 Conclusion
In any society, vulgar and offensive words and expressions are commonly forbidden but exist in a large quantity even though ‘no one is supposed to say but that everyone does say—or nearly everyone’ (Andersson and Trudgill 1990:14).
As Andersson and Trudgill argue in their statement, swearing and other forms of bad language are quite common in everyday speech and far more frequent than expected in public language. The examples taken from the original and the
translated version of the screenplay of Superbad offer an idea of the most commonly used English and Chinese swearwords, the important role they play in characterizing both speech and speakers, and the attention they deserve in the audiovisual translation studies.
In the thesis I try to examine closely the functions of swearing proposed by Steven Pinker, namely, dysphemistic, abusive, idiomatic, emphatic and cathartic and the four ways they are rendered into Chinese such as ‘No-Shift’, ‘Omission’,
‘Addition’ and ‘Change.’ After comparing the translation strategies undertaken in the DVD-subtitled version and each swearword’s function in the context, I have gained some interesting observation on how different categories of swearing are translated into the Chinese subtitles.
When mentioned metaphorically, swearwords referring to bodily organs are changed and the translator uses an adaptation approach to deal with the words. And certain swearwords, such as religion-related ones, are usually not used in
dysphemistic ways. Similarly, 'sexist term of abuse' is not commonly used in
idiomatic and cathartic swearing. Swearing of bodily organ is not used in emphatic and cathartic swearing.
Through examining the examples, I have first come to observe the limited
relevance of the time-and-space constraints on translator’s choice when rendering swearwords. Since vulgarism is emotionally charged expressions whose literal meaning has been altered in some way or completely lost, and its literal and referential meaning of the original lexical item has little relevance, the translator’s first priority is to explain the meaning and locate the words in the target language which carries the same level of emotional charge, and better be of the same register too. Falling prey of the literal meaning in producing the Chinese equivalents will only make the translation sound strange and unidiomatic. The one observation I have made through the course of carefully examining the examples of vulgarism is that since swearwords may derive new meanings in different contextual expressions, they can even connote positive associations, quite different from the literal meaning.
This variation is an impertinent task for the translator to resolve. What I have noted in the case study of ‘Superbad’, the translator is inclined to first produce an emotional or situational equivalent in the TL, possibly to contain the same emotional charge, or, in other words, to first explain the word in the target language. By doing so, the translation decision has limited relevance of the notorious time-and-space constraints, although the limitation may play a part in translator’s choosing of words. However, many pun-intended sex jokes are rendered into much less powerful translations, or toned-down because of the adaptation approach.
I argue that the translator is innately aware of the functions of swearwords and thus takes quite a similar approach in dealing with different categories of swearing.
For example, all the emphatic swearing with ‘the fuck’ and ‘fucking’ is omitted.
Although when used emphatically, the swearwords disappear in the subtitle, it doesn’t mean the emotional charge is completely gone as the nature of audiovisual text simultaneously provides other emotional semiotics, such as the visual or the suspension music to compensate the loss of emotional power in subtitles.
Therefore, translating literally is not effective when dealing with swearing. In this process it is important to bear in mind the cultural-linguistic range existing between the speakers of the two languages in the range, frequency and emotional intensity of the expletives used. The comparative analysis carried out in this thesis provide evidence of both differences and similarities existing between the English and the Chinese swearing systems, and the translatological problems which may arise in the transference of English swearing into Chinese. The great versatility and vivid, pictorial illustration of English swear words on the one hand, and the social-cultural factors in the Chinese swearing system on the other, account to a great extent for the lack of exact equivalence between most English and Chinese expletives. But by breaking the swearwords by their functions, the translator is offered a solution naturally, whether it is omission or adaptation.
The examples selected for the thesis also illustrate the range of translation strategies available for the translator in order to provide better rendition of English swearwords into Chinese, and how, despite some unavoidable loss of cultural
information and subtle alterations of register, English expletives may be rendered into Chinese to a satisfactory degree of success.
However, the limits of a study of this nature do not allow a comprehensive analysis of the endless possibilities of English swearing and its Chinese translation, but the illustrative examples here analyzed provide a rather clear overview of this translation issue which may be of interest for future translator works and studies.
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A Subtitling Table of Swearwords
Category 1. Religion
No English Original DVD Subtitled Version Function Strategy 1 Judas You fucking Judas.
Goddamn it. This is bullshit.
該死,胡說八道
Cathartic Change
7 Holy shit, they busted Fogell.
要命,他們逮到佛戈了 9 Holy shit. were you just getting
laid?
不得了,你剛才在打炮?
Cathartic Change
10
Holy shit
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
It's them.
No English Original DVD Subtitled Version Function Strategy 12 Shit (excrement) ..like feet and pee-pee and shit
and stuff like that.
像是戀足,大小便之類的癖好
Dysphemistic No shift
13 ...while you were taking a shit.
當時你去上大號
Dysphemistic No shift
14 Everyone takes this class to get an A. It's bullshit, and I'm sorry.
大家選這門課是為了拿優等
16 Life's bullshit, Miroki.
生活就是鬼扯,米代紀
Abusive Change 17 I've wasted the last three years
sitting around talking bullshit with you.
我過去三年來都在浪費時間 跟你鬼扯淡
Abusive Change
18 I don't believe this bullshit.
我不敢相信這種怪事 sorry, bro. I'm sorry, bro.
要命,我很對不起,兄弟…
Idiomatic Change
Empty the clip. Empty the clip on it, man. Shit!
You're weird for not liking porn.
I'm normal as shit.
你是因為不喜歡色情才奇怪 我正常得要命
Emphatic Change
30
Plus your parents are gonna be looking at the bill, dipshit.
何況你爸媽會查看賬單,屎蛋
I didn't know you could get arrested for this shit.
我不知道會因為這種事被逮捕
Idiomatic Change
35 Good shit, right, Miroki?
做得好,對吧,米代紀?
Idiomatic Change
36
There's so much other fun shit that's gonna be happening...
有那麼多有趣的玩意都要舉行
Idiomatic Change
37 Shit
Because I could think of other shit... .
因為我可以想到其他…
Idiomatic Omit
38 If we get it now, we can get to the party faster with Jules' shit.
假如我們現在去買 就能快點 到茱兒的派對上玩
Idiomatic Omit
39
My older brother says, like, the nastiest shit.
我哥哥喜歡開最黃的黃腔
Idiomatic Change
40
How'd he get into Dartmouth? I don't get it.
He's got shit for brains.
他怎麼會被達特茅斯錄取的?
-Evan, that's psycho shit, man. - No, it's not.
This isn't gonna do shit. Get in the car.
這樣沒用,快點上車
Idiomatic Change
47 Shit
-He's gotta check this shit out. - Fuck, yeah.
49 Bullshit phone. Piece of shit.
電話爛斃了
Abusive Change
50
Piece of Shit
-Can you hear? Piece of shit!
-聽得到嗎…?爛斃了
Abusive Change
51 Sack of Shit where's that sack of shit, Fogell?
那個混帳佛戈在哪裡?
No? well, if nothing comes up, we can get shitfaced again, yeah?
when you guys are shitfaced, you get with her.
你們在派對喝掛時,你就跟她 玩
Idiomatic Change
55
‘I was so shitfaced last night. I shouldn't have fucked that guy.’
〝我昨晚喝到掛 真不該跟那 男的上床〞
Idiomatic Change
56
I don't wanna get shitcanned. I like this job.
You better get us a shitload of cash or a shitload of alcohol...
你最好是給我們一大筆錢 或 是一大堆酒
Emphatic Change
58
Shitload So should I just get a shitload of different shit?
I don't wanna sit here alone cooking this shitty food.
我不想單獨坐在這裡 煮這種 爛食物
Dysphemistic Change
No. All right, I gotta take a piss.
對,好了,我得去尿尿了
- Buses smell like piss, generally.
You pissed everywhere, you son of a bitch! there was a security breach.
滾開,我本來想下手 但是有保 全礙事
Abusive No Shift
68
They're gonna kill that guy tonight. That chick's boyfriend
And next time you're pissed off about something...
下次你對什麼事很火大
Dysphemistic Change
Category 3. Fuck
No English Original DVD Subtitled Version Function Strategy
70
..and we can fucking fuck some girls already.
72 How badly do you wanna fuck Dysphemistic Change
...prepare to be fucked by the long dick of the law.
準備被法律這根大老二 臭幹一場
Dysphemistic Addition
77
Tonight is the night that fucking is an actual possibility.
You really fucked me on this one.
你這次真的把我整慘了
Cathartic Change
80
The fucked-up thing is, I actually do, okay?
84
Well, I hope your friends are ready to get fucked up.
我希望妳的朋友們準備茫了
- Look at those nipples.
-要命 -看那奶頭
How did this happen, Evan?
Fuck, man!
怎麼會發生這種事,艾文?幹
Idiomatic No shift
Fuck! The money, man! Fuck!
How much money can you get?
要命,錢,要命 你能籌到多少
we arrested a man－lady who was legally named ‘Fuck.’
Motherfucker Take note. That's how you take down a motherfucker.
114 That's right, motherfucker.
沒錯,混蛋
Abusive No shift
115
Yeah, man. Let's show these fuckers how we roll!
And I'm not gonna dance around it, she looks like a good fucker.
我不會拐彎抹角 她看起來床 技很強
Dysphemistic Change
117 You fucking left me hanging.
你讓我獨撐場面
Emphatic Omit
118
Even I thought I was fucking crazy.
連我都以為自己瘋了
Emphatic Omit
119 Fucking calm down
冷靜一點
122 Just fucking listen, okay?
你聽就對了
Emphatic Omit
123 That's a fucking funny joke. 對, 那真好笑
Emphatic Omit
124 You fucking killed her!
你殺了她
Emphatic Omit
125 It's fucking humiliating!
那樣很丟臉
Emphatic Omit
126
Fuck as adv
So grow a pair of nuts and fucking walk in there and buy the alcohol!
所以帶種一點 快點滾進去買 酒
Emphatic Change
127
He finds this Ghostbusters lunchbox dick treasure chest. ...
and he fucking flips out.
129 Then I'll fucking kill you, okay?
我就會殺了你,懂嗎?
Emphatic Omit
130
Are you fucking serious? This isn't enough. what are you, a 6-year-old?
你在搞笑嗎?這樣不夠 你以為 自己才六歲大嗎?
Emphatic Omit
131
I don't like this idea. This guy's fucking creepy, man. Look at him.
我不喜歡這點子 這傢伙很鬼 崇,看看他
Emphatic Omit
132
I get one bar everywhere I fucking go.
134 This is fucking crazy.
瘋狂到極點
You gotta fucking take care of this.
是你的錯,由你負責
Emphatic Omit
138 Because I fucking rule.
因為我最強
Emphatic Omit
139 This kid's fucking crazy.
這小子瘋到極點
這小子瘋到極點