Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of The Film Paris À Tout Prix PDF

Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix
[PP: 177-191]
Dr. AYONGHE LUM Suzanne

Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI)
University of Buea
Cameroon
ABSTRACT
Subtitles are a transcription or translation of a film, video and television presentations displayed as
text on the lower part of the screen. An emotion is basically defined as a mental and physiological state
associated with thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The preparation of film subtitles imposes certain
requirements that make this type of translation complex. One of the constraints with subtitles is the failure
sometimes to indicate the emotional nuances of dialogue, such as intonation, volume, and other vital
information which may be required to fully comprehend the message conveyed. Consequently, the wrong
use of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) techniques and strategies may lead to communication problems for
the receiving audience. The aim of this article was therefore to i) identify the difficulties faced by the
translator/subtitler in the translation of emotions in the subtitling process of the film Paris tout prix from
French into English for multilingual context viewers in Cameroon and ii) establish the strategies used in this
process and propose solutions where necessary. The methodology involved the viewing of the two versions
of the film [French version (Paris a tout prix) and its subtitled English version (Paris at any cost)],
identification of emotions cases in the two versions, examination of the subtitling strategies used to translate
the identified emotions in the films and highlighting inherent difficulties in rendering them into the target
language of the audience. Findings revealed that the translator/subtitler used the strategies of modulation and
adaptation to improve understanding of emotions in the film and thereby facilitating communication issues
in the target language of the viewers. Proposals aimed at improving the quality of the subtitles of the film in
particular and, the quality of Cameroonian audiovisual products in general are made where necessary.
Keywords: Audiovisual translation, modulation and adaptation strategies, emotions, subtitling emotions,
multilingual context viewers
ARTICLE The paper received on: 07/05/2016 Reviewed on: 24/06/2016 Accepted after revisions on: 30/06/2016
INFO
Suggested citation:
Suzanne, A. (2016). Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix. International Journal of English
Language & Translation Studies. 4(2), 177-191. Retrieved From http://www.eltsjournal.org
1. Introduction
Screen translation is a very prominent
activity in the world today and the most
common methods of translation used are
dubbing and subtitling. This goes in line with
Mona Baker and Brano Hochel (1997) who
state that:
Whether domesticating (dubbing) or

foreignising (subtitling) in its approach, any
form of audiovisual translation ultimately
plays a unique role in developing both
national identities and national stereotypes.
The transmission of cultural values in screen
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

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translation has received very little attention in

the literature and remains one of the most
pressing areas of research in translation
studies. (p. 76)
In this light, it is an undeniable fact

that one of the problems involved in this
transfer exercise includes dealing with the
language present in the production (French in
this case) and especially the expressions
which are particular to a specific culture.
Cameroon is known to have 284 indigenous
languages (Ethnologue, 2016), two major
exoglossic languages (English and French)
and Cameroon Pidgin English (CPE),
extensively used as lingua franca. This does
not only reflect the nature of cultural
diversity in the country, it also shows how
difficult it can be to translate films between
and within these languages and cultures. In
the same vein, Ellender (2016) asserts that:
From an intersemiotic perspective,
the transfer from oral SL to written TL will
always pose challenges regarding register.
Even spoken language which may be
classified as relatively standard4 is typically
more informal than the written word, and this
oral register is reflected in grammatical and
lexical uses. Clearly then, the more a film
contains language which deviates from a
standard (oral) TL register, the more
challenging the task of subtitling becomes. (p.
2)
Cinema translation is relatively new

on the African continent and Cameroon in
particular. Translating a complex system like
a film from French into English, two different
languages although with the same cultural
macro system, means taking it apart and
reassembling
it.
Subtitling
involves
strategies, both at linguistic, cultural and
technical levels. This could only announce
the challenges to be envisaged. It is with
delight that we have noticed the existence of
emerging French Cameroonian films which
have been translated into English. One of
such rare films is Paris tout prix by
Josephine Ndagnou (2007), translated by

means of subtitling with the assistance of
TITRA FILM subtitling company.
Emotions are universal to the animal
species called humans across space and time
and are most often expressed in an idiomatic
way. Idioms are elements in any language
that confer naturalness to the language and
are often the most recalcitrant to translation.
The difficulty in translating them has been
underlined by translation scholars and
researchers [Baker, 1992:68-71, Newmark,
1988:125, Nida & Taber, 1982:106, Pergnier,
1980:324-326]. The claimed ideal way of
rendering idioms from one language to
another is from idiom to idiom in order to
preserve the authors intention and aesthetics.
Although the typical challenges of film
translation are somehow known worldwide,
there are several other components that make
these issues even harder than usual.
However, a preliminary survey of the corpus
of study revealed the absence of naturalness
in the English translations of the idioms of
emotions. That is, the translators or subtitlers
sometimes chose an expression which is not
natural to the target audience (the
Cameroonian English-speaking public). This
absence of naturalness in the English
translations of the French clichs of emotions
in the movie could be attributed to the
constraints of the audiovisual setting and the
translators wish to produce a faithful
translation. Coping with these challenges is
probably the hardest part of translating films.
The wrong use of Audiovisual
Translation (AVT) techniques and strategies
leads to communication problems for the
receiving audience. For example, omissions,
loss and lack of emotions in the target
language of the audience, makes the reading
of
subtitles
very
difficult
and
incomprehensible. These limitations may
derive from the lack of professionalism of the
Cite this article as: Suzanne, A. (2016). Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix.
International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies. 4(2), 177-191. Retrieved From
http://www.eltsjournal.org
Page | 178
Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix .
subtitling companies, lack of the culture of

idioms of emotions on the part of the
translator or subtitler who may not be very
versed with the traditions and cultures of the
target language audience. Emotional and
cultural insinuations are hard to describe
even in the same language, but that factor is
increased when translating to a different
language.
To
what
extent
the
translator/subtiler
understands
these
emotions and what strategies s/he uses to
render them in the target language of the
audience are the questions to which answers
are sought in the article.
The objectives of this article are
therefore to (1) identify cases of emotions in
the film; (2) investigate subtitling strategies
used to translate the identified emotions in
the film and highlight inherent difficulties in
rendering them into the target language of the
audience; and (3) make proposals aimed at
improving the quality of the subtitles of the
film in particular and, the quality of
Cameroonian audiovisual products in
general.
Reasons for Choice of Film was
purposeful. Paris tout prix by Josephine
Ndagnou figures among the very few French
Cameroonian movies which have been
translated into English (using subtitles).
Mindful of the audiovisual character of the
Cameroonian society where people are more
inclined to watching television, film
translation seems to be among the best
options used to reach as many people as
possible where news and documentaries fail
to make impact. To drive home her message
on the dangers of clandestine immigration to
viewers, especially to those Cameroon
youths who think life is so much better
abroad than at home, she makes use of a good
variety of emotions stemming from the very
trying times and experiences of the heroine of
the film.
Furthermore, Decree No.2000/158 of

3 April 2000 marked the end of the 16 years
of monopoly the Cameroon Radio Television
(CRTV) had enjoyed on Cameroons
audiovisual scene since 1985 when it
introduced AV broadcasting in the country.
This decree liberalised the AV sector, thus
encouraging private sector actors to invest in
the AV domain and, consequently, promoted
the growth and proliferation of AV
companies in Cameroon such as Equinoxe
TV, STV1, Dan Broadcasting System, and
Canal2 International), as well as film
production and distribution companies such
as, Soba Films, Splash Networks
International, Zoomers Pictures, Quartier
Mozart Films and the Cameroon Movie
Marketing Corporation (CMMC). This
proliferation of private AV companies,
coupled with the fact that AVT is an
embryonic sector in the country, raises a
problem of quality. Therefore, it would be
necessary to verify the quality of products in
order to check pandemonium in this domain
caused by the involvement of nonprofessionals or inadequately trained
individuals in the domain of AVT in general
and interlingual subtitling in particular.
In addition to and in support of the
message conveyed to the Cameroonian
youths through Paris a tout prix (Ndagnou,
2007), this paper therefore makes an attempt
at improving the quality of Cameroonian
AVT products considering that the
interlingual subtitling of Cameroonian films
and the quality of subtitling can play a key
role in the development of Cameroons
potential AVT sector, its film industry and its
AV sector as a whole.
2. Literature Review
2.1. What are Emotions?
According to Kurus (2002), different
people define emotions in different ways.
Some make a distinction between emotions
and feelings saying that a feeling is the

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response part of the emotion and that an

emotion includes the situation or experience,
the interpretation, the perception, and the
response or feeling related to the experience
of a particular situation. According to Frijda
(2016:1), the term "emotion" is not precise.
He further refers to emotion as an assemblage
of processes that contribute to how we relate
to the social and physical world. In line with
Frijda (2016), Mayer (2014), asserts that
emotions operate on many levels. They have
a physical aspect as well as a psychological
aspect. Emotions bridge thought, feeling, and
action they operate in every part of a
person, they affect many aspects of a person,
and the person affects many aspects of the
emotions. Contrary to the two previous
authors, Elias (2014) defines emotions as
human beings warning systems as to what is
really going on around them. Emotions are
our most reliable indicators of how things are
going on in our lives. Emotions help keep us
on the right track by making sure that we are
led by more than the mental/ intellectual
faculties of thought, perception, reason,
memory. I agree with Elias' (2014) definition
in that emotions, whether internal or external
are like warning signals to our system
because they sort of guide or direct our
attitude.
Kurus (2002) believes that people are
supposed to bother about emotions because
they control ones thinking, behavior and
actions. Emotions affect ones physical body
as much as ones body affects ones feelings
and thinking. People who ignore, dismiss,
repress or just ventilate their emotions are
setting themselves up for physical illness.
Emotions that are not felt and released but
buried within the body or in the aura can
cause serious illness, including cancer,
arthritis, and many types of chronic illnesses
(Kurus, 2002). Negative emotions such as
fear, anxiety, negativity, frustration and
depression cause chemical reactions in ones

body that are very different from the
chemicals released when one feels positive
emotions such as happy, content, loved,
accepted. According to Ortony and Turner
(1990), there are a wide range of basic
emotions. Basic primary emotions include:
Love, joy, surprise, anger, sadness and fear.
All the other types of emotions derive from
these (Shaver et al., 2001). In this paper, we
are concerned with how emotions in a film
within the Cameroonian context are subtitled
in the target audiences language. From the
foregoing, it becomes imperative for the
audiovisual translators to be more careful
about how they translate these feelings into
the target audiences language.
The different definitions above, of the
term emotion not only show how difficult it
is to understand that term, they also reveal
how difficult it is to translate/subtitle it in a
film. Thus, emotions can play an important
role in a persons life and related issues.
2.2. Audiovisual Translation and Emotions
The use of subtitling as an assistive
technology to represent audio dialogue is
well known and understood (RNID, 2007,
Friscolanti, 2004). In the UK between 80%
and 90% of television programmes currently
have subtitles (BBC, 2006a). In Cameroon,
however, this mode of translation is not yet
established and as such, very few
programmes on the main government
broadcasting television as well as private TV
stations are subtitled. This is a drawback for
the country.
Many deaf and hearing impaired
people use subtitles to gain access to audio
content on television and film presentations.
Although subtitles tell the viewer what is
being said they fail to communicate how it is
being said. This emotional gap experienced
by viewers highlights a significant weakness
to current subtitling, especially when used for
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learning by the Deaf (Ohene-Djan et al.,

2007). Whether it concerns the hearing
impaired or ordinary normal persons, failure
to translate emotions properly in the target
language of these audiences, will lead to
wrong understanding and communication of
the source message.
AVT in general, and subtitling in
particular, is a translation activity wherein the
translator has to privilege brevity while
transmitting the source message to the target
audience due to constraints of time and space
amongst others. Unlike in other forms of
translation which do not share the same
constraints, the interlingual subtitler has to
adapt the text at hand not only to the viewers
of the target culture (TC), but also to the
broadcasting medium in a context where the
simultaneous presence of the source text (ST)
and its translation lays subtitles bare to more
criticism from the viewers. In order to
successfully carry out this task, the subtitler
employs a wide array of strategies such as
literal translation, transposition, modulation
and adaptation to suit the global approach
towards the target text (TT). This study
therefore seeks to examine how effectively
modulation and adaptation as translation
strategies are used in the translation of
emotions in the subtitling of Paris tout prix
(Ndagnou, 2007).
AVT is the most common of the terms
used to describe the phenomenon. Diaz
Cintas and Remael (2007) state that, AVT
strives to encompass all products
distributed on screen, be it a television, a
movie or computer screen. This term opens
the doors to the translation of other products
that until now have failed to make it to a more
stringent classification, such as computer
games, web pages and CD-ROMs (Compact
Disc-Read-only memory). (p. 12)
The myriad attempts at defining

the phenomenon have resulted in a range
of distinctive features and modes which
make up AVT such as interlingual and
intralingual subtitling, audio description,

surtitling (for the opera), voice-over,
dubbing, etc. (Gambier, 2003). According
to Luyken et al (1991:11), audiovisual
language transfer denotes the process by
which a film or television programme is
made comprehensible to a target audience
that is unfamiliar with the originals
source language. Agost (1999:15) on his
part defines AVT as a type of specialized
translation based on texts conceived for
cinema, television as well as video and
multimedia products and Karamitroglou
(2000) sees it as a communicative mode in
which the acoustic channel and the visual
channel are used simultaneously.
Consequently, AVT could be seen as
any language and cultural transfer which
aims at translating the original dialogues of
any acoustic or visual product. Gottlieb
(2005) defines AVT or screen translation as
the translation of transient polysemiotic
texts presented onscreen to mass audiences.
According to Gottlieb (2005), the focus here
is on classical concept of moving pictures.
Static images with captions presented on
screens are ruled out. Mean while teletext
pages on TV screens, written texts on
computer screens (web pages, email
messages, etc.), plays and operas performed
on stage (surtitled productions) are taken into
consideration. It may not be easy to subtitle
emotions seen in the source text on the screen
into the target audience language. According
to Ohene-Djan et al. (2007):
For the deaf and hearing impaired
viewers, subtitles provide only a limited
communication representation. Although
viewers can read the words that are said, they
cannot determine how something has been
said. For example, a character could say the
phrase, I will be there is a minute in a
menacing way or in a joyful way; yet in either
case the subtitle is exactly the same. Similarly,
whether the character says the line very
quietly, or shouts it at the top of their voice,

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generally there is no difference in the way the

subtitled phrase is displayed. The limitations
of subtitles are further exaggerated when
characters cannot be seen on screen, during
action sequences, and when multiple
characters are speaking at the same time. (p.
2)
Ohene-Djan
et
al.
(2007:2)
introduced "a system that demonstrates the
presentation of subtitles that depict the
emotions behind the words used on screen".
The system also provides viewers with the
ability to personalize and adapt their
interaction with subtitles, so as to assist them
in their learning. Although this is a good
move, a series of surveys still have to be
conducted for a while with the aim of gaining
a comprehensive understanding of the issues
associated with emotional subtitling and to
provide guidance for future producers of
subtitled materials.
Concerning the deaf and hearing
impaired viewers in Cameroon, subtitles (as
currently presented on local TV channels) do
not guarantee full access to, and
understanding of messages broadcast due to
the high level of language used and speed at
which subtitles appear and disappear on or
from the screen (Ayonghe & Wojungbwen,
2013). Furthermore, since subtitling is not yet
an accepted or official mode of AVT in the
country, the quality of subtitles are not up to
expectation. Consequently, these groups of
persons prefer the sign language programmes
to subtitled ones since they consider it as their
first language (Ayonghe & Wojungbwen,
2013). If the Deaf and Hearing Impaired
viewers are facing some problems with
subtitled TV programmes, what will be the
situation with understanding subtitled
emotions in a film? Hence the necessity of
this study whose aim is to show how
emotions in a film are conveyed, more
especially in the bi/multilingual contexts in
Cameroon.
2.3. Language, Meaning and Emotions

The extra-linguistic dimension of the
translation of what is seen/heard on/from the
screen includes physical, psychological, and
moral elements. The translator/subtitler
therefore has to take into consideration what
s/he sees on the screen including the various
utterances and gestures, while at the same
time, formulate in his/her mind which words
to include in the subtitle. This includes time
constraints, which is compounded with the
fact that 284 indigenous languages
(Ethnologue, 2016) are used within the
Cameroonian context, as well as official
languages such as English and French
(Article 1 (3) of the 1996 Constitution of the
Republic of Cameroon).
According to Wierbicka (1991,
1999a,
1999b),
bilingual/multilingual
individuals conceptualise their emotions
differently in each of their languages and that
they might or not find direct equivalencies for
those concepts in different languages.
Emotions have an effect on a bilingual person
in selecting one language over another or in
selecting terms in a given language that had
been acquired in a context strongly marked
by emotions (Furmanek, 2006). Furthermore,
Silvia-Corvalan (2001) asserts that:
Linguistic communication is not
carried out only with the proposition of
informing on something, but rather very
frequently with the proposition of managing
to get someone to do something, to react
somehow to the utterance of the speaker. That
is to say, language is useful to us for getting
things done: asking questions, greeting,
asking for pardon, offering condolences,
asking for a favour, giving directions,
insulting, inviting, promising, threatening,
etc. (pp. 195-196)
Silvia-Corvalans assertion implies

that the translator/subtitler must consider the
type of utterance/emotion, the language used
and the context before they translate or
Page | 182
subtitle. The meaning here in a multilingual

context such as Cameroon, will depend on
the particular language and context. The
Cameroonian translator/subtitler is thus faced
with numerous difficulties when rendering
emotions from the source to the target
language in the various multilingual contexts.
This is further complicated by the respect of
subtitling norms since meaning has to be
maintained.
According to Potter (1990:1), "the
difference between the importance of
emotions in western and Chinese cultures
emphasize not only the non-productive value
of emotions in China, but also the freedom in
their expression". He further adds that
individuality and personal characteristics in
China are not derived from the way one deals
with emotions, but rather from his or her
social status, family members and
meaningful deeds. The linking line between
one's self and his or her social role doesn't
involve the expression of emotions.
Moreover, in the Chinese society, discussing
emotions is often considered irrelevant and
meaningless. In the same vein, Bond
(1993:1) remarked that "what differs in
Chinese culture is the lower frequency,
intensity and duration with which emotions
are typically experienced". These statements
show that while emotions are taken seriously
in western cultures, they are ignored or
virtually not noticed in Chinese cultures.
Consequently, it becomes even more difficult
for the translator/subtitler to subtitle these
emotions from English or French into
Chinese.
2.4. Audiovisual Translation Strategies and
their Role in Conveying Emotions into the
target language
2.4.1. Modulation
According to Munday (2009),
modulation involves a shift in perspective
and changes the semantics in the Target Text
(TT) even though the basic meaning of the
Source Text (ST) segment remains

unchanged. Newmark (1988) states that
modulation occurs when the translator
reproduces the ST message in the Target
Language (TL) in conformity with the norms
of the TL since the Source Language (SL)
and the TL may appear dissimilar in terms of
perspective.
Vinay
and
Darbelnet
(1958/1995) consider it as one of four oblique
(as opposed to literal) translation procedures.
They define it as a variation at the level of the
message, obtained through a change of view
point or perspective. The authors distinguish
between fixed and free modulation, the latter
being the starting point of the former.
Translation strategies are normally macrotextual
while
translation
procedures/techniques are micro-textual.
A free modulation is viewed here as a
unique natural solution (derived from the
way of thinking in the SL) to render in the TL
a situation presented in the ST. A free
modulation becomes fixed when it becomes
frequent in usage or is inscribed in a
dictionary or grammar (Nfor, 2012). Vinay
and
Darbelnet
(1958/1995)
further
differentiate between 11 types of modulation:
Negated contrary; Abstract for concrete;
Explicative modulation; Part for the whole;
One part for another; Reversal of terms;
Active for passive; Space for time; Intervals
and limits; Change of symbols; Geographical
modulation. Since the translator of the film
aspires to translate the ST message into TL,
states that modulation occurs when the
translator reproduces the ST message in the
Target Language (TL) in conformity with the
norms of the TL since the Source Language
(SL) and the TL may appear dissimilar in
terms of perspective. Modulation being a
translation method consisting in throwing a
different light on, or looking from a different
angle at, the lines to be translated, it is
believed that if used in this study as a

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strategy, the translator/subtitler will be able

to convey the right message.
2.4.2. Adaptation
As for adaptation, it would be
necessary to note that language transfer has
usually been perceived as adaptation due to
the apparent inherent loss of information in
the final product (Nfor, 2012). Gambier
(2003) on the other hand posits that AVT is a
selective translation which is not marked
only by losses, but also by adaptation,
compensation and reformulation. He opts for
the term transadaptation which embodies a
set of strategies (explicitation, condensation,
paraphrase, etc.) and activities such as
reviewing, etc. (Gambier, 2004). This term
and its definition appropriately describe AVT
as a translation type that transcends binary
dichotomies such as free/literal translation,
translation/adaptation. Diaz Cintas and
Remael (2007), define transadaptation as a
mode which implies (1) the translation of the
various messages contained in the different
verbal and non-verbal acoustic codes into
visual verbal and non-verbal codes and (2)
the adaptation of the visual codes to the
needs of the deaf and hearing-impaired so as
to ensure readability and increased
accessibility. This study goes in line with
Gambiers position and adds that
transadaptation goes beyond the deaf and
hearing impaired.
Consequently
the
adaptation
dimension within AVT is perceived as a twofold process where the programme has to be
simultaneously adapted both to the broadcast
medium with its spatio-temporal constraints
and to the target culture/language. Thus, the
definition of adaptation in this study is
broadened to incorporate those strategies
which involve a measure of adaptation to the
broadcast medium (achieved mainly through
the respect of subtitling principles and
conventions and spatio-temporal constraints)
and/or to the target culture/language

(achieved mainly through the use of
translation strategies which consider the
purpose of the TT, its sociocultural context
and the constraints inherent to AVT).
Adaptation through translation strategies
include:
Omission
or
deletion;
Condensation; Substitution; Paraphrase;
Explicitation;
Addition;
Borrowing;
Transposition; Autonomous creation (Nfor,
2012). It is clear from the above definitions
and descriptions of adaptation as a translation
strategy that, in a multilingual context such as
Cameroon, its use in the translation of Paris
a tout prix will yield greater understanding
for the target language of the audience.
3. Methodology
This is a corpus-based study. The
corpus is made up of two films: Paris tout
prix in the French language and its subtitled
version Paris at any cost with English
subtitles. Definitions of emotions, adaptation
and modulation as subtitling strategies are
provided and compared after which, both
films are watched several times. Then,
excerpts of emotions in the French version
and their English subtitled versions are
extracted from both. Instances where the
subtitler makes use of modulation and
adaptation in the English subtitles of the film
under study will be registered and classified
accordingly. These instances are then be
analysed based on relevant existing models
and literature in the domain of AVT in
general and subtitling in particular.
4. Data Analysis
This section, as already mentioned
above, will analyse the identified excerpts as
presented below. In other words, examples of
emotions felt through strategies of adaptation
and modulation (Nfor, 2012) will be
presented in a table similar to the one below.
It should be noted that even though cases of
emotions are highlighted and felt, they are
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however not written in the target language

subtitles. This shows how difficult it is for the
translator or the subtitler to translate such
expressions.
Table: 1 Analysis of selected excerpt from the film
him to the wall. The omission is a case of

misplaced priority as the subtitler preferred to
translate the interpretable H monsieur!
which Marco utters as he is being pinned to
the wall and which is clearly less important
than the reason for Boscos action. The
proposed subtitle therefore gives an
explanation for his words which serves as a
guide for the viewer since the subtitling of
love here by the subtitler proved difficult.
Table: 3 Example of Expressing Joy through
modulation strategy
Example 1 is a combination of a
negated contrary and an explicative (causeeffect) modulation. Suzys mothers
utterance (On ne peut rien expressing the
idea that there is nothing they can do) is
subtitled as Its out of our hands!, a
positive phrase which presents the reason
why theres nothing they can do to remedy
the situation. This is another case of a
domesticating approach as the subtitle seeks
an idiomatic translation. Although the
subtitle (22 characters in 5 words) turns out
to be longer than the original (16 characters
in 4 words), it is probably the shortest
rendition which ties appropriately with the
context. This example therefore stands out as
an illustration of the fact that, despite the
objective of translating an utterance in the
shortest way possible, sometimes subtitles
still turn out to be longer than the original
utterance. The positive phrase in this case
does not in any way reflect love.
Table: 2 Example of Expressing Love through
modulation strategy
In this example, the negative (Il ny a

pas de problme) is translated by a positive
phrase (Its fine). The subtitler opted for a
shorter expression given that a literally
translated phrase in the negative (Theres no
problem) would have generated a longer
subtitle than obtains with the positive phrase.
The emotion here is happiness. It is
clear here that Ebou is happy and there is a
smile on his face but this is however not
indicated in the subtitle. The main approach
here again is domestication and it falls in line
with considerations of time and space which
require the subtitle to be as short as possible
while conveying the essence of a characters
utterance.
Table: 4 Example of expressing Joy through
adaptation strategy
Boscos utterance transcribed above

is omitted in the subtitling of the film. This
leaves a gap with the viewer wondering what
he is saying as he charges on Marco and pins
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Rosita utters the words above in a

rather low tune just before embracing Cathy
to wish her goodbye. This omission has two
probable explanations: either the subtitler
deemed that it was unnecessary to transfer the
utterance (thus leaving the viewer in the dark
about Rositas statement and her
feelings/emotions
concerning
Cathys
departure) or it was omitted out of laziness
because the subtitler did not know how to
adequately translate the expression which is
in Camfranglais. As a matter of fact, ndol is
a Cameroonian dish made from a vegetable
which is very bitter in nature. For someone
who is not versed with the local context,
associating this bitterness to an experience
would not mean anything positive. However,
the dish which is obtained from this vegetable
is rather delicious and the term in
Camfranglais in the present context is used to
express both joy and envy at the delicious
new life Cathy is about to start. The proposed
subtitle paraphrases this idea so as to guide
the audience as to Rositas feelings and to
underline the film directors suggestion that
every youth dreams of leaving the country.
Moreover, Karamitroglou (1999:10) posits

that indicative pragmatic requests or
statements should be used in place of
straightforward imperative sentences (for
example: I would like you to give me my
keys back. (41 characters) => Give me my
keys back. (21 characters). This
consideration justifies the three-word subtitle
proposed above.
These subtitles were meant for an
international audience and adding that the
prostitution of homosexuals on the street is
uncommon in Cameroon will certainly
distance an American viewer who lives in a
context were homosexuality is nothing
abnormal for example. It is regarding the
skopos of the entire text that the proposed
subtitle omits our country so as to reduce
the feeling of strangeness in a viewer living
in a dissimilar sociocultural context.
Table: Example of expressing Surprise through
adaptation strategy
Table: 5 Example of expressing Surprise

through modulation strategy
In example 5, the negative in the

original utterance (ce nest pas courant) is
translated by a positive phrase (its rare)
which makes for a shorter expression as
compared to a literal translation (its not
common), thus respecting considerations of
time and space occupied by the subtitle.
However, the phrase You have to admit
does not add much to the subtitle as a whole.
BEAC in the above example stands

for Banque des tats de l'Afrique Centrale
(Bank of Central African States) which is an
international but regional institution
implanted in Central Africa. Given that the
subtitles are intended for an international
English-speaking/reading audience, it is not
expected that they would know what BEAC
stands for. The subtitler thus decided to
substitute the abbreviation with a less
culturally-charged expression (the bank)
therefore avoiding to leave the target
audience in bewilderment as concerns the
meaning of the abbreviation. This choice
domesticates the text, adapting it to an
Page | 186
international culture and to the skopos of the

text in its entirety.
Table: 7 Example of Expressing Anger through
modulation strategy
principles (1998:11) that repetitions should

be omitted for the sake of text economy
especially as, in this case, the repetition only
emphasises the feeling of anger felt by Jojo
and which the viewer can already read on his
face and in his tone.
Table: 9 Example of expressing Sadness
through modulation
The case of abstract for concrete

modulation specifies the reason why the
police officer is not sexually active. Stating
that it is because he cannot get it up (i.e. get
an erection) actually makes the reason of his
sexual inactivity concrete whereas the reason
was not stated in the original utterance. His
sexual inactivity could well have been a
personal decision and not an inability.
Nevertheless, the choice of this colloquial
expression is more or less adequate as the
subtitle stays within the limits of the number
of characters required for a one-line subtitle.
Also, the expression is humorous, thus
making for a domesticating approach.
Although anger may have been expressed in
the original utterance, it is not indicated in the
subtitle.
Table: 8 Example of expressing Anger through
adaptation
The omission above is not resorted to

for lack of space or time but rather in a bid to
avoid redundancy. The approach is thus not
foreignising given that the subtitler is
omitting a repetition. This falls in line with
the suggestion in Karamitroglous subtitling
Example 9 above is a combination of

explicative (cause for effect) modulation and
condensation. In this example, the means
(leave this place) is given for the result
(arriver Paris = reach Paris) and the
utterance (cest dur) which does not add
much to the previous statement, which
already implies that getting to Paris is not
easy, is omitted altogether. The proposed
subtitle drops the modulation and privileges
condensation (resulting in 32 characters in 7
words as opposed to 37 in 8 words for the
original subtitle), thus shifting the focus back
to the idea of reaching Paris as expressed in
the utterance in French given that this is
Suzys manifest desire. Her objective is not
just leaving the country for any destination
and targeting Paris is the idea around which
the story is woven. The skopos of this
utterance is to intensify the idea of Suzys
desperate quest to reach Paris, thus
explaining the reason behind the proposed
subtitles focus on that idea.
through adaptation

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the doors being locked). The subtitlers choice

domesticates the original utterance with this
change in point of view. However, this choice
would probably have been very appropriate
in a context where the TT is free from spatiotemporal constraints, but does not suit the
present medium given that it results in a
longer subtitle (25 characters) than obtains
with a literal translation (21 characters).
In example 10, Ntongas utterance
containing 9 words (for 60 characters) is
condensed into a 6 word subtitle containing
27 characters. Literally, Ntonga is saying that
he will do all that is necessary to negotiate
and buy their way across the border. The
subtitle therefore adequately re-expresses
Ntongas idea of handling everything.
However, given that Suzy initially
questioned the fact that Ntonga was going to
conduct negotiations alone, he is informing
the group that he will handle the negotiations
and the cest clair is simply used to indicate
that he expects no further objections. This
makes the transposition from a declarative
phrase to a question in the original subtitle
unnecessary. The proposed subtitle indicates
that there should be no objections especially
as in the previous subtitle Ntonga is saying,
Just sit down and order something.
through modulation
The explicative modulation in

example 11 above is a cause for effect
modulation. The fact that the doors of the car
are locked (the cause) is translated by the fact
that the doors cannot be opened (the effect of

through adaptation
Tonton Marco as used by Malapa in

example 12 above does not refer to a family
relation of his. The term tonton is generally
used by younger ones in the Cameroonian
context to refer either to a family relation or
to an elderly person who is old enough to be
the father of the person speaking as a sign of
respect. Moving from the tonton Marco
who is simply an elderly person, the subtitler
explicitates by stating his role in Rositas
existence. This specification in the subtitle
may be meant to guide the viewer, but it is
unnecessary given that this Marco (whose
name had not been given before now, but
who had appeared earlier on in the film to
harass Rosita for money) comes back in the
scene immediately after this one to harass
Rosita and Suzy. From his first appearance, it
was already evident that he is a pimp.
Another drawback to this subtitle of
Malapas utterance is the inclusion of
linguistic elements which are relatively void
of semantic load (in this case theres the
phrase I came to tell you that which does
not add much to the statement). This phrase
Page | 188
is omitted in the subtitle, but does not disturb

the flow of the dialogue given that Malapa is
answering Rositas question (What
happened? It must be serious!). The
proposed subtitle is therefore more
appropriate as it gives the essence of the
utterance in fewer words, easing reading,
while respecting the norms of the TL.
5. Discussion and Conclusion
The aim of this article was to show
how in the Cameroonian multilingual
context,
audiovisual
emotions
are
translated/subtitled from the source language
to the target language taking into
consideration the difficulties imposed by
time constraints. It can be seen that despite
the various strategies used by the
translator/subtitler, success will be achieved
only if s/he uses these strategies in
conjunction or with reference to the
multilingual contexts in the country.
Normally, domestication and foreignization
are opposing macro-translation strategies
with respect to the same skopos and target
language. The two strategies used in this
study have successfully been used in the
same subtitled corpus for the same target
audience. This highlights the positive role
that adaptation and modulation strategies
play in the subtitling of emotions in
Cameroonian films with a multilingual
context.
The objectives of this paper were to
firstly identify cases of emotions in the film,
this was achieved. Secondly, to investigate
subtitling strategies used to translate the
identified emotions in the film and highlight
inherent difficulties in rendering them into
the target language of the audience, this was
also achieved. Thirdly, to make proposals
aimed at improving the quality of the
subtitles of the film in particular and, the
quality of Cameroonian audiovisual products
in general. This objective was partly achieved
since not all cases of emotions and
modulation or adaptation were extracted

from both films. The study therefore goes in
line with Ellender (2016) who said that film
translation has always been a challenge to
translators and that one needs to strategize
(Gambier, 2004, Diaz Cintas and Remael,
2007), in order to render the message
properly in the language of the target
audience.
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Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix

Dr. AYONGHE LUM Suzanne

Whether domesticating (dubbing) or

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

translation has received very little attention in

In this light, it is an undeniable fact

Cinema translation is relatively new

Josephine Ndagnou (2007), translated by

Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix .

subtitling companies, lack of the culture of

Furthermore, Decree No.2000/158 of

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

Suzanne, AYONGHE LUM

April- June, 2016

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

response part of the emotion and that an

depression cause chemical reactions in ones

Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix .

learning by the Deaf (Ohene-Djan et al.,

The myriad attempts at defining

intralingual subtitling, audio description,

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

Suzanne, AYONGHE LUM

April- June, 2016

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

generally there is no difference in the way the

2.3. Language, Meaning and Emotions

Silvia-Corvalans assertion implies

Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix .

subtitle. The meaning here in a multilingual

Source Text (ST) segment remains

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

Suzanne, AYONGHE LUM

April- June, 2016

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

strategy, the translator/subtitler will be able

and/or to the target culture/language

Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix .

however not written in the target language

Suzanne, AYONGHE LUM

him to the wall. The omission is a case of

In this example, the negative (Il ny a

Boscos utterance transcribed above

April- June, 2016

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

Rosita utters the words above in a

Moreover, Karamitroglou (1999:10) posits

Table: 5 Example of expressing Surprise

In example 5, the negative in the

BEAC in the above example stands

Translation of Emotions in Subtitling of the Film Paris tout prix .

international culture and to the skopos of the

Suzanne, AYONGHE LUM

principles (1998:11) that repetitions should

The case of abstract for concrete

The omission above is not resorted to

Example 9 above is a combination of

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

April- June, 2016

International Journal of English Language & Translation Studies

the doors being locked). The subtitlers choice

The explicative modulation in

Table: 12 Example of expressing Sadness