Publication details
Lest the jokes fail: Trans-cultural transfer in humour fan-subtitling
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | This chapter contributes to the field of humour studies by focusing on an innovative subtitling strategy that non-professional translators may turn to when explaining culture-specific references crucial for the successful reception of humour in comedic performances. Based on the controversial humorous performance of the British comedian Ricky Gervais while hosting the 2020 Golden Globes, the analysis shows how the fan-produced subtitling practice seeks to compensate for the cultural references that may be unintelligible to target audiences outside the Anglo-American cultural context. The chapter describes a transmedial practice of placing explanatory notes on the screen as a compensatory strategy enabling some trans-cultural transfer. It is suggested that while this type of explicitation may be unthinkable in the field of professional telecinematic subtitling, it can have a distinct role within a fan-based translation as an attempt to prevent humour failure, although such a practice could be described as the ‘glossing of humour’ rather than ‘humour translation’. |
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