The (under)representation of ethnic identity and sociolect in (re)dubbing: a case study

Abstract

[EN] This study presents the results of the analysis carried out on an audiovisual corpus consisting of the original version or source text (ST), the first dubbing (FD) and the redub (RD) of the western White Feather (Robert Webb 1955). We will be looking at how ethnic identity and sociolect have been dealt with in translation; more precisely, whether they have been reproduced in the dubbed texts and, if so, to what extent. The first dubbing of the film into Spanish dates back to 1991, when it was recorded at a voice studio in Madrid. The redubbed version, on the other hand, was commissioned nearly a decade later, in 1999, and then recorded at a studio in Bilbao that used to work for the regional Basque TV corporation on a regular basis. The name of the translators is unknown for both versions, which is a commonplace of the audiovisual industry in Spain (Cabanillas 2016: 221). The findings are expected to provide new insights into the complex field of audiovisual translation.

The film tells the story of a peace mission from the US cavalry to the Cheyenne Indians in Wyoming in the late nineteenth century. The mission is threatened when a white surveyor meets the Indian chief’s son and falls in love with the chief’s daughter. The relationships among members of such different communities will eventually lead to conflict.