Censoring or Queering? TV-Subtitling of South Park in Türkiye

Cihan Alan

Article Details

Censoring or Queering? TV-Subtitling of South Park in Türkiye

Authors:

Cihan Alan

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Çeviri ve Yorum Çalışmaları

Journal:

İstanbul Üniversitesi Çeviribilim Dergisi Issue 21, pp.150-163

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340986

pISSN:

2717-6959

Keywords:

Abstract:

 TV subtitles are mostly euphemized and ideologically recontextualized with individual andor institutional motivations for the target viewer in Türkiye due to varying socio-cultural and political factors. Accordingly, subtitlers are faced with challenges in providing adequate translations for source taboo language, including sexually explicit swearwords and vulgar slang. However, censorship policies in AVT may conversely urge translators to be involved in a more creative process, which may, in turn, result in the subversion of the very censorious discourse. The aim of this study is to investigate censorship as an ideological and translation constraint in TV subtitling, as well as a factor laying the grounds for creating possible meanings in subtitling. To this end, a descriptive analysis was conducted based on the TV subtitles of South Park, an American sitcom animation show. The analysis shows that institutional norms force translators to be creative in transferring the taboo language to preserve humorous and obscene narrative content, which appears as a queer effort whereby the taboo meaning is destabilized, particularly in the case of references to sexual organs and homosexuality. The qualitative and quantitative analyses provide an overview of the translation strategies employed and the pragmatic effect created by freelance subtitlers translating for private media institutions from English into Turkish in the case of the taboo language. The case presented in this study can also give an insight into the translators performativity in AVT through which meanings are created in the target culture under repressive circumstances.

 TV subtitles are mostly euphemized and ideologically recontextualized with individual andor institutional motivations for the target viewer in Türkiye due to varying socio-cultural and political factors. Accordingly, subtitlers are faced with challenges in providing adequate translations for source taboo language, including sexually explicit swearwords and vulgar slang. However, censorship policies in AVT may conversely urge translators to be involved in a more creative process, which may, in turn, result in the subversion of the very censorious discourse. The aim of this study is to investigate censorship as an ideological and translation constraint in TV subtitling, as well as a factor laying the grounds for creating possible meanings in subtitling. To this end, a descriptive analysis was conducted based on the TV subtitles of South Park, an American sitcom animation show. The analysis shows that institutional norms force translators to be creative in transferring the taboo language to preserve humorous and obscene narrative content, which appears as a queer effort whereby the taboo meaning is destabilized, particularly in the case of references to sexual organs and homosexuality. The qualitative and quantitative analyses provide an overview of the translation strategies employed and the pragmatic effect created by freelance subtitlers translating for private media institutions from English into Turkish in the case of the taboo language. The case presented in this study can also give an insight into the translators performativity in AVT through which meanings are created in the target culture under repressive circumstances.

 TV subtitles are mostly euphemized and ideologically recontextualized with individual andor institutional motivations for the target viewer in Türkiye due to varying socio-cultural and political factors. Accordingly, subtitlers are faced with challenges in providing adequate translations for source taboo language, including sexually explicit swearwords and vulgar slang. However, censorship policies in AVT may conversely urge translators to be involved in a more creative process, which may, in turn, result in the subversion of the very censorious discourse. The aim of this study is to investigate censorship as an ideological and translation constraint in TV subtitling, as well as a factor laying the grounds for creating possible meanings in subtitling. To this end, a descriptive analysis was conducted based on the TV subtitles of South Park, an American sitcom animation show. The analysis shows that institutional norms force translators to be creative in transferring the taboo language to preserve humorous and obscene narrative content, which appears as a queer effort whereby the taboo meaning is destabilized, particularly in the case of references to sexual organs and homosexuality. The qualitative and quantitative analyses provide an overview of the translation strategies employed and the pragmatic effect created by freelance subtitlers translating for private media institutions from English into Turkish in the case of the taboo language. The case presented in this study can also give an insight into the translators performativity in AVT through which meanings are created in the target culture under repressive circumstances.

 Türkiyede TV altyazıları, çeşitli sosyo-kültürel ve politik etmenler temelinde, bireysel veveya kurumsal motivasyonlarla, hedef izleyici için ideolojik olarak örtmeceli ve yeniden bağlamsallaştırılmış şekilde sunulmaktadır. Buna bağlı olarak, altyazı çevirmenleri, cinsel içerikli küfürler ve kaba argo ifadeler de dahil, kaynak tabu dilin çevirisinde yeterliliği sağlamakta zorluklarla karşılaşmaktadır. Ancak, görsel-işitsel çeviride sansür politikaları, aksi yönde çevirmenleri daha yaratıcı bir sürece dahil edebilir ve bu da sansürcü söylemin altüst edilmesiyle sonuçlanabilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, TV altyazılamada bir ideolojik ve çeviri kısıtı olarak, yanı sıra altyazıda olası anlamların yaratılmasına zemin hazırlayan bir etmen olarak sansür olgusunu incelemektir. Bu amaçla, Amerikan yapımı bir durum komedisi animasyonu olan South Parkın Türkçe TV altyazıları üzerinden betimleyici bir çözümleme gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çözümlemenin sonuçları, kurumsal normlara bağlı çevirmenlerin tabu dili aktarırken mizahi ve müstehcen anlatıyı korumak amacıyla yaratıcı çözümler bulmaya zorladığını; bunun durumun da, özellikle cinsel organlara ya da eşcinselliğe gönderme içeren anlamların istikrarsızlaştırıldığı, kuir bir çaba olarak kendini göstediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu nitel ve nicel çözümleme, özel medya kuruluşları için İngilizceden Türkçeye çeviri yapan serbest altyazı çevirmenlerinin tabu dil söz konusu olduğunda kullandıkları çeviri stratejilerine ve yarattıkları pragmatik etkiye genel bir bakış sunmaktadır. Çalışma olgusu aynı zamanda baskıcı koşullar altında çevirmenin performatifliği yoluyla erek kültürde anlamların nasıl yaratıldığına ilişkin bir fikir de verebilir.

Article Details

Censoring or Queering? TV-Subtitling of South Park in Türkiye

Authors:

Cihan Alan

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Çeviri ve Yorum Çalışmaları

Journal:

İstanbul Üniversitesi Çeviribilim Dergisi Issue 21, pp.150-163

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340986

pISSN:

2717-6959

Lubunca

queering translation

self-censorship

subtitling

taboo languagealtyazı çevirisi

çevirin kuirleştirilmesi

Lubunca

otosansür

tabu dil

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Cihan Alan

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Çeviri ve Yorum Çalışmaları

Journal: İstanbul Üniversitesi Çeviribilim Dergisi Issue 21, pp.150-163

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2024

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001340986

pISSN: 2717-6959

Issues

Authors:

Cihan Alan

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Çeviri ve Yorum Çalışmaları

Journal:

İstanbul Üniversitesi Çeviribilim Dergisi Issue 21, pp.150-163

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001340986

pISSN:

2717-6959