The findings of this study can be summarised by answering the research questions listed in Chapter 1. I will present the findings by answering these questions, which are reproduced below.
James (2001:154) points out that English programmes with Welsh subtitles are watched by both Welsh and non-Welsh speakers and that as a result ―any errors in subtitling are apparent to many viewers‖. This is equally applicable to Afrikaans viewers and 7de Laan. As illustrated in the graph in the introductory chapter (Figure 1.1), about half of the viewers of 7de Laan (between 57,8% and 63,1%) are Afrikaans speakers. The demographics in terms of first language of the remaining viewers are English: 12,7% to 16,4%, Nguni: 11,2% to 12,5% and Sotho: 11,8% to 16%. These data represent the viewers between August 2009 and December 2010.
Subtitles that do not meet viewers‘ expectations may cause viewers who understand Afrikaans to mistrust the subtitles. Viewers‘ possible negative perception of the acceptability of the subtitles is not reflected in reality, as this analysis shows. The hearing viewers who understand Afrikaans may expect a certain level and type of equivalence, even if they do not rely on the subtitles. These expectations of what the subtitles should be affect their opinion of the subtitles as they are.
How, and which, constraining factors of subtitling influenced the translations?
The spatiotemporal constraining factors of subtitles definitely influenced the translations.
Translators opted for shorter, if less accurate or sometimes even grammatically incorrect, translations. Translating for SDH probably further compounded the need for short subtitles.
6.3.1 Adequacy and acceptability
Are the translations acceptable or adequate?
The subtitles are more acceptable than adequate. On average, about two thirds of the
translation pairs analysed are acceptable. However, there are a few translation pairs in which the TT is problematic in terms of grammar or intention. The person who checks the subtitles is English (Roets 2011). This might explain acceptable TTs that do not accurately reflect the ST – the checker might change the subtitles to be acceptable without consulting with the translators about the ST‘s intention.
6.3.2 Figurative language
How is figurative speech translated?
Figurative speech does not have a separate translation approach to that of literal speech, as evidenced by the types of translation strategies used (as seen in the previous chapter). There seems to be a tendency to use less figurative language in the subtitles. Most figurative language is omitted in favour of non-rhetorical language in the TT.
However, when figurative language is rendered in the subtitles it is most often by means of another type of rhetorical language to what is present in the ST. The other most frequently used translation strategies are the use of equivalent TL figurative speech followed by the use of a similar image. There is very little addition and literal translation of figurative language.
6.3.3 Language varieties and SDH
Are the distinctive ways of speaking of some characters represented in the subtitles?
How does the representation in the subtitles of characters from different sociolinguistic groups differ, specifically in terms of race and age?
In terms of sociolects, age, rather than race, seems to be the feature conveyed in the subtitles.
This is particularly the case with the younger people; their more informal and slang-filled language use is the type of marked language that is most easily represented in the subtitles.
Translators do attempt to convey the idiolects of people with distinctive speech patterns, but the
constrained nature of subtitles does limit how much of the idiolects they can convey in the subtitles. Idiolects with distinguishing features based on codeswitching and word choice are more challenging to convey than those with marked grammatical features. Thus, the speech patterns of characters with grammatically marked idiolects are more accurately reflected in the subtitles to those of characters with a particular language style or a slang-filled lexicon.
How do the subtitles cater for hearing-impaired viewers and how does this influence the translation approach?
One of the translators‘ directives is to translate so that hearing-impaired people can understand what is happening. This includes catering for their inability to access paralinguistic information and their slower reading speeds. This means subtitle space is given to paralinguistic sounds and that subtitles of 7de Laan have to be even shorter than subtitles usually are to ensure that slower readers do not miss anything. This suggests that the subtitles are simplified as a result of SDH.
6.3.4 Comparison of 2007 and 2010
Which norms governed the translation process?
The changes in percentage of acceptability and adequacy do not follow a clear pattern across episodes, but acceptability does increase from 2007 to 2010. The norms governing the
translation over the years did not change significantly, but changes include more non-figurative or non-rhetorical language in the TT and less specific, therefore more general (hypernymous), words. Additionally, there does appear to have been a trend to shorten the subtitles even more in 2010, as is evident by the increase in the use of paraphrase.
Which translation strategies were used?
Is an adaptation in translation strategies evident in comparing 2007 to 2010?
While acceptability increases, the translation strategies used between the years remain about the same, with the same types of strategies being used with similar frequencies. This indicates that there has not been a significant change in strategies used, only small changes, for example less literal translation both overall and for figurative-specific translation strategies. Possible reasons for these slight changes might be increased familiarity with the TL, knowledge of figurative TL expressions and becoming accustomed to subtitling.
Fewer figurative-specific strategies were used in 2010. This points to either a trend of levelling out the figurative language in the subtitles, that is translating a figurative ST with a
non-rhetorical TT, or possibly a shift in the use of figurative language in the ST itself. It might even be a combination of the two. In the figurative-specific strategies used, translators employed less figurative language and more non-rhetorical, literal language in the TT in 2010. Translators also used less literal translation of figurative language in 2010.