STRATEGIES FOR ATTAINING FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENCE IN AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/gph2026.858-859.137-144Keywords:
film discourse, subtitling, voice-over, multimodality, semiotic complex, functional equivalence, translation transformations, realiaAbstract
The article explores the specifics of film translation as a particular type of audiovisual translation (AVT). The aim of the study is to identify the features of the interaction between verbal and non-verbal components during the creation of Ukrainian subtitles and voice-overs. To achieve this, a set of methods was employed: descriptive method, comparative analysis of the source and target texts, and multimodal analysis based on Ying-Ting Chuang’s model.
The main theses of the research are grounded in the fact that AVT is a polyphonic process where the translator works not only with text but also with sound effects, imagery, and the overall atmosphere of the video. The author examines various types of AVT, specifically subtitling, defined as an intermodal form due to the shift from audio to written medium, and voice-over (pseudo-dubbing), which is more resource-efficient compared to full dubbing.
The results obtained during the research are as follows: it was established that the visual track directly influences the choice of translation strategies. Specifically, the analysis of still frames from the movie "Who Am I" demonstrated that in subtitling, text compression is advisable to facilitate viewer perception. In contrast, in voice-over, the priority is conveying the emotional state of characters through intonation and functionally equivalent vocabulary. Typical errors in rendering realia and emotional particles in subtitles were identified, which lead to distortions of pragmatic meaning.
The conclusions confirm that the equivalence of an audiovisual product is not merely linguistic correspondence but an adequate connection between verbal and non-verbal structures. A translator must consider the influence of all modes (speech, music, image), as they form a single semiotic whole.
Downloads
References
Becher, B. (2025). Kritik der Filmstarts-Redaktion. Who Am I – Kein System ist sicher [Criticism of the Filmstarts editorial office]. Filmstarts. http://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/184748/kritik.html
Chuang, Y.-T. (2006). Studying subtitle translation from a multi-modal approach. Babel, 52(4), 372–383.
Duden. (2026). Duden online URL: https://www.duden.de/
ESIST. (2025). European Association for Studies in Screen Translation. Professional Training and Standards URL:. https://www.esist.org/
Jüngst, H. E. (2010). Audiovisuelles Übersetzen – Ein Lehr- und Arbeitsbuch [Audiovisual Translation – A Textbook and Workbook]. Tübingen: Narr Franke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. KG.
Kress, G., Jewitt, C., Ogbom, J., & Tsatsarelis, C. (2001). Multimodal Teaching and Learning: The Rhetorics of the Science Classroom. London; New York: Continuum.
Kuzenko, H. M. (2017). Kinopereklad yak osoblyvyi vyd khudozhnoho perekladu (na materiali anhliiskoi movy) [Film translation as a special type of literary translation (based on the English language)]. Odeskyi linhvistychnyi visnyk, 9(3), 70–74. http://oljournal.in.ua/v9_3/16.pdf[In Ukrainian]
Lutianska, N. I. (2021). Osoblyvosti zakadrovoho perekladu dokumentalnykh filmiv [Features of voice-over translation of documentaries]. Naukovyi visnyk Mizhnarodnoho humanitarnoho universytetu. Seriia: Filolohiia, 49(2), 166–169. https://doi.org/10.32841/2409-1154.2021.49-2.38 [In Ukrainian]
Matkivska, N. A. (2015). Pytannia metodolohii doslidzhennia audiovizualnoho perekladu [Questions of research methodology of audiovisual translation]. Naukovyi visnyk DDPU imeni I. Franka. Seriia “Filolohichni nauky”. Movoznavstvo, (3), 147–152. [In Ukrainian]
Matkivska, N. O. (2021). Osoblyvosti zakadrovoho perekladu dokumentalnykh filmiv [Features of voice-over translation of documentaries]. Naukovyi visnyk Mizhnarodnoho humanitarnoho universytetu. Seriia: Filolohiia, 49(2), 247–250. [In Ukrainian]
Remael, A. (2010). Audiovisual Translation [Audiovisual Translation]. In Y. Gambier & L. Van Doorslaer (Eds.), Handbook of Translation Studies (Vol. 1, pp. 12–17). Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Who Am I – Kein System ist sicher [Who Am I – No System is Safe] (Хто я / Who Am I – Kein System ist sicher). (2021). URL: https://uakino.club/film/genre_drama/5020-hto-ya.html
Who Am I – Kein System ist sicher [Who Am I – No System is Safe]. (2021). URL:. http://www.mediabiz.de/film/firmen/programm/who-am-i-kein-system-ist-sicher/150287
