Translation of Allusions in Subtitling from English into Persian

Abstract

Allusion as a culture-specific item can pose significant problems to translation. Therefore, the intercultural communication is affected by the way it is translated. This study explores the translation of allusions in subtitling from English into Persian. It can help the translators to know how to tra

Allusion as a culture-specific item can pose significant problems to translation. Therefore, the intercultural communication is affected by the way it is translated. This study explores the translation of allusions in subtitling from English into Persian. It can help the translators to know how to translate allusions intelligibly and to maintain the functions and connotations of allusions in translation as much as possible. This is a descriptive study which is conducted within the framework of intertextuality to find the most frequently used translation strategy/strategies of allusions and their change of functions, if any, on macro- and micro-level in Persian subtitles. The data include the allusions on verbal auditory and verbal visual channel collected from four films. This study indicates that the most frequently used translation strategies of allusions are ‘minimum change’ and ‘to keep the name unaltered’. Moreover, the current study shows that in most cases functions of allusions weaken or change on macro- and micro-level in translation.  

nslate allusions intelligibly and to maintain the functions and connotations of allusions in translation as much as possible. This is a descriptive study which is conducted within the framework of intertextuality to find the most frequently used translation strategy/strategies of allusions and their change of functions, if any, on macro- and micro-level in Persian subtitles. The data include the allusions on verbal auditory and verbal visual channel collected from four films. This study indicates that the most frequently used translation strategies of allusions are ‘minimum change’ and ‘to keep the name unaltered’. Moreover, the current study shows that in most cases functions of allusions weaken or change on macro- and micro-level in translation.