Skip to main content

Pitch Perfect

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 226 Accesses

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting ((PTTI))

Abstract

This chapter concerns the effect that the prosody of dubbed dialogue has on audience response as well as the different mental processes that are (un)wittingly activated by the viewers for the sake of enjoyment. The localised and heterogenous background of current dubbing practices is also discussed and used as the yardstick against which prosodic standards in the translated script are to be accounted for. Focusing on teaching and training, the chapter proposes a didactic approach to dubbed prosody by designing a theoretical and practical framework that enables students and trainees to familiarise with and become aware of the intricacies of dubbing at the prosodic level. Finally, the voice talent’s job is scrutinised in the last section of the chapter by reviewing the dubbing actors’ take on their day-to-day routines and their hands-on experience.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ameri, S., & Khoshsaligheh, M. (2018). Exploring the attitudes and expectations of Iranian audiences in terms of professional dubbing into Persian. Hermes, 30(57), 175–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ameri, S., Khoshsaligheh, M., & Khazaee Farid, A. (2018). The reception of Persian dubbing: A survey on preferences and perception of quality standards in Iran. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 26(3), 435–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antonini, R. (2009). The perception of dubbed cultural references in Italy. InTRAlinea, 11. Retrieved from http://www.intralinea.org/archive/article/The_perception_of_dubbed_cultural_references_in_Italy.

  • Baños, R. (2014a). Insights into the false orality of dubbed fictional dialogue and the language of dubbing. In A. Dror (Ed.), Media and translation: An interdisciplinary approach (pp. 75–95). Norfolk: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baños, R. (2014b). Orality markers in Spanish native and dubbed sitcoms: Pretended spontaneity and prefabricated orality. Meta: Translator’s Journal, 59(2), 406–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baños, R. (2016). Exploring factors influencing the dubbing of TV series into Spanish: Key aspects for the analysis of dubbed dialogue. In A. Esser, M. A. Bernal-Merino, & I. R. Smith (Eds.), Media across borders: Localising TV, film and video games (pp. 124–140). London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baños-Piñero, R., & Chaume, F. (2009). Prefabricated orality: A challenge in audiovisual translation. InTRAlinea, Special Issue: The Translation of Dialects in Multimedia. Retrieved from http://www.intralinea.org/specials/article/Prefabricated_Orality.

  • Bartrina, F. (2001). La previsió del procés d’ajust com a estrategia de traducció per a l’ensenyament del doblatge. In R. Agost & F. Chaume (Eds.), La traducción en los medios audiovisuales (pp. 65–71). Castellón de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosseaux, C. (2015). Dubbing, film and performance: Uncanny encounters. Oxford: Peter Lang.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bosseaux, C. (2018). Voice in French dubbing: The case of Julianne Moore. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 27(2), 218–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowey, J. (1994). Phonological sensitivity in novice and nonreaders. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 58(1), 134–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cerezo Merchán, B. (2016). Elementos paratextuales en la traducción para el doblaje. In B. Cerezo Merchán, F. Chaume, X. Granell, J. L. Martí Ferriol, J. J. Martínez Sierra, A. Marzà, & G. Torralba (Eds.), La traducción para el doblaje en España. Mapa de convenciones (pp. 115–122). Castellón de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerezo Merchán, B. (2019). Audiovisual translator training. In L. Pérez-González (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of audiovisual translation (pp. 468–483). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerezo Merchán, B., Chaume, F., Granell, X., Martí Ferriol, J. L., Martínez Sierra, J. J., Marzà, A., et al. (2016). La traducción para el doblaje en España. Mapa de convenciones. Castellón de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaume, F. (2007a). Quality standards in dubbing: A proposal. TradTerm, 13, 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaume, F. (2007b). Dubbing practices in Europe: Localisation beats globalisation. Linguistica Antverpiensia, 6, 203–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaume, F. (2012). Audiovisual translation: Dubbing. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaume, F. (2013). Panorámica de la investigación en traducción para el doblaje. Trans: Revista de Traductología, 17, 13–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaume, F. (2017). Prólogo. In X. Montero Domínguez (Ed.), El doblaje. Nuevas vías de investigación (pp. ix–xi). Granada: Comares.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaves, M. J. (2000). La Traducción Cinematográfica: El Doblaje. Huelva: Universidad de Huelva Publicaciones.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chion, M. (1994). Audio-vision: Sound on screen. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chun, D. (1998). Signal analysis software for teaching discourse intonation. Language Learning & Technology, 2(1), 74–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleridge, S. T. (1817). Biographia literaria; Or biographical sketches of my literary life and opinions (Vol. 2). London: Rest Fenner.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corrius, M., & Zabalbeascoa, P. (2011). Language variation in source texts and their translations: The case of L3 in film translation. Target, 23(1), 113–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Bonis, G. (2014). Alfred Hitchcock presents: Multilingualism as a vehicle for… suspense. The Italian dubbing of Hitchcock’s multilingual films. Linguistica Antverpiensia, 13, 169–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bot, K. (1983). Visual feedback of intonation I: Effectiveness and induced practice behavior. Language and Speech, 26(4), 331–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Higes-Andino, I. (2014). The translation of multilingual films: Modes, strategies, constraints and manipulation in the Spanish translations of It’s a Free WorldLinguistica Antverpiensia, 13, 211–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Giovanni, E. (2018). Dubbing, perception and reception. In E. Di Giovanni & Y. Gambier (Eds.), Reception studies and audiovisual translation (pp. 159–178). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Di Giovanni, E., & Romero-Fresco, P. (2019). Are we all together across languages? An eye tracking study of original and dubbed films. In I. Ranzato & S. Zanotti (Eds.), Reassessing dubbing: Historical approaches and current trends (pp. 125–144). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz Cintas, J. (2003). Teoría y práctica de la subtitulación: inglés – español. Barcelona: Ariel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz Cintas, J. (2008). Teaching and learning to subtitle in an academic environment. In J. Díaz Cintas (Ed.), The didactics of audiovisual translation (pp. 89–103). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz Cintas, J. (2018). Film censorship in Franco’s Spain: The transforming power of dubbing. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 27(2), 182–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz Cintas, J., & Remael, A. (2007). Audiovisual translation: Subtitling. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espasa, E. (2001). La traducció per al teatre i per al doblatge a l’aula: Un laboratori de proves. In R. Agost & F. Chaume (Eds.), La traducción en los medios audiovisuales (pp. 57–64). Castellón de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garncarz, J. (2004). Making films comprehensible and popular abroad: The innovative strategy of multiple-language versions. Cinéma&Cie. International Film Studies Journal, 4(1), 72–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, C. (2014). Multilingual films and integration? What role does Film Translation play? In D. Abend (Ed.), Media and translation: An interdisciplinary approach (pp. 3–24). Norfolk: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herbst, T. (1997). Dubbing and the dubbed text: Style and cohesion—Textual characteristics of a special form of translation. In A. Trosborg (Ed.), Text typology and translation (pp. 291–308). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hurtado Albir, A. (2015). The acquisition of translation competence: Competences, tasks, and assessment in translator training. Meta: Translator’s Journal, 60(2), 256–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ivarsson, J., & Carroll, M. (1998). Subtitling. Simrishamn: TransEdit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khoshsaligheh, M., Pishghadam, R., Rahmani, S., & Ameri, S. (2018). Relevance of emotioncy in dubbing preference: A quantitative inquiry. Translation & Interpreting, 10(1), 75–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilborn, R. (1989). “They don’t speak proper English”: A new look at the dubbing and subtitling debate. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 10(5), 421–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kilborn, R. (1993). ‘Speak my language’: Current attitudes to television subtitling and dubbing. Media, Culture and Society, 15, 641–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Trecchia, P. (1998). Dubbing: An Italian case study. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 6(1), 113–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lengeris, A. (2012). Prosody and second language teaching: Lessons from L2 speech perception and production research. In J. Romero Trillo (Ed.), Pragmatics and prosody in English language teaching (pp. 25–40). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindo, E. (2013, January 6). La sordera nacional. El País. Retrieved from http://elpais.com/elpais/2013/01/04/opinion/1357299999_865042.html.

  • Martínez Sierra, J. J. (2008). Hacia una enseñanza más completa de la traducción audiovisual. Tonos Digital, 16. Retrieved from https://www.um.es/tonosdigital/znum16/secciones/estudios-11-Tradaudiovisual.htm.

  • Martínez Sierra, J. J. (2012). Los fantasmas atacan de nuevo: prólogo a las tres visitas. In J. J. Martínez Sierra (Coord.), Reflexiones sobre la Traducción Audiovisual. Tres espectros, tres momentos (pp. 17–23). Valencia: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universitat de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marzà, A. (2016). La naturalitat en la traducció per al doblatge. El cas del marcadors d’intensificación (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matamala, A. (2008). Teaching voice-over: A practical approach. In J. Díaz Cintas (Ed.), The didactics of audiovisual translation (pp. 115–128). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Matamala, A. (2011). Dealing with paratextual elements in dubbing: A pioneering perspective from Catalonia. Meta: Translator’s Journal, 56(4), 915–927.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mateo, M. (2014). Exploring pragmatics and phonetics for successful translation. Vigo International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 11, 111–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mingant, N. (2010). Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds: A blueprint for dubbing translators? Meta: Translator’s Journal, 55(4), 712–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minutella, V. (2018). Translating non-native varieties of English in animated films: The Italian dubbing of Madagascar 3: Europe’s most wanted. CULTUS, 11, 144–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz-Miquel, A. (2018). Assessing how closely postgraduate translation programmes fit the reality of professional practice: A case study of the Spanish context. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 12(1), 89–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neves, J. (2004). Language awareness through training in subtitling. In P. Orero (Ed.), Topics in audiovisual translation (pp. 127–140). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Neves, J. (2008). Training in subtitling for the d/Deaf and the hard-of-hearing. In J. Díaz Cintas (Ed.), The didactics of audiovisual translation (pp. 171–189). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nöel, L. (2008). Le doublage. Diplôme Professionnel Son 2ème Année. Retrieved from https://www.emc.fr/ressources/28-le-doublage.html.

  • Palencia Villa, R. M. (2002). La influencia del doblaje audiovisual en la percepción de los personajes (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavesi, M. (2008). Spoken language in film dubbing: Target language norms, interference and translational routines. In D. Chiaro, C. Heiss, & C. Bucaria (Eds.), Between text and image: Updating research in screen translation (pp. 79–99). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, J. (2011). Subtitling norms for television. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pera, J. (2012). El mundo del doblaje. Reflexiones de un actor. In J. J. Martínez Sierra (Coord.), Reflexiones sobre la traducción audiovisual. Tres espectros, tres momentos (pp. 45–47). Valencia: Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universitat de València.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perego, E., & Taylor, C. (2009). An analysis of the language of original and translated film: Dubbing into English. In M. Freddi & M. Pavesi (Eds.), Analysing audiovisual dialogue (pp. 58–74). Bologna: CLUEB.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-González, L. (2007). Appraising dubbed conversation: Systemic functional insights into the construal of naturalness in translated film dialogue. The Translator, 13(1), 1–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richart-Marset, M. (2013). La caja negra y el mal de archivo: defensa de un análisis genético del doblaje cinematográfico. Trans: Revista de Traductología, 17, 51–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romero-Fresco, P. (2009). Naturalness in the Spanish dubbing language: A case of not-so-close friends. Meta: Translator’s Journal, 54(1), 49–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romero-Fresco, P. (2012). Dubbing dialogues…naturally: A pragmatic approach to the translation of transition markers in dubbing. MonTI, 4, 181–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romero-Fresco, P. (2019). Accessible filmmaking: Integrating translation and accessibility into the filmmaking process. London and New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Romero-Fresco, P. (2020). The dubbing effect: An eye-tracking study on how viewers make dubbing work. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, T. L. (1960). The English dubbing text. Babel, 6(3), 116–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Mompeán, S. (2017). The rendition of English intonation in Spanish dubbing (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Universidad de Murcia, Murcia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Mompeán, S. (2018). Del estudio de doblaje al aula de TAV: La práctica profesional en la formación del traductor audiovisual. In J. Rodríguez Torres & J. F. Durán Medina (Coords.), Propuestas docentes para un nuevo currículum universitario (pp. 363–370). Madrid: Tecnos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Mompeán, S. (2019). Prefabricated orality at tone level: Bringing dubbing intonation into the spotlight. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2019.1616788.

  • Spiteri Miggiani, G. (2019). Dialogue writing for dubbing: An insider’s perspective. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Whalley, K. M. (2017). The role of prosodic skills in reading comprehension (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Queensland University, Brisbane.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitman-Linsen, C. (1992). Through the dubbing glass: The synchronization of American motion pictures into German, French and Spanish. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker, T. (2012). Locating “la voz”: The space and sound of Spanish dubbing. Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies, 13(3), 292–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, J. A., & Lallo, M. J. (2009). Voice-over for animation. London: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zabalbeascoa, P. (1997). La didáctica de la traducción: Desarrollo de la competencia traductora. In A. Gil de Carrasco & L. Hickey (Eds.), Aproximaciones a la traducción. Retrieved from https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/aproximaciones/zabalbeascoa.htm.

  • Zabalbeascoa, P. (2000). From techniques to types of solutions. In A. Beeby, D. Ensinger, & M. Presas (Eds.), Investigating translation (pp. 117–127). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zabalbeascoa, P. (2008). The nature of the audiovisual text and its parameters. In J. Díaz Cintas (Ed.), The didactics of audiovisual translation (pp. 21–37). Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zabalbeascoa, P., & Voellmer, E. (2014). Accounting for multilingual films in translation studies: Intratextual translation in dubbing. In D. Abend (Ed.), Media and translation: An interdisciplinary approach (pp. 25–52). Norfolk: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zanotti, S. (2019). Investigating the genesis of translated films: A view from the Stanley Kubrick Archive. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 27(2), 201–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanotti, S. (2020). Translaboration in a film context: Stanley Kubrick’s collaborative approach to translation. Target, 32, Special Issue: Translaboration: Exploring Collaboration in Translation and Translation in Collaboration.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zatlin, P. (2005). Theatrical translation and film adaptation: A practitioner’s view. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Filmography

  • Any Given Sunday (1999), Oliver Stone, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casablanca (1942), Michael Curtiz, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gangs of New York (2002), Martin Scorsese, Miramax Films.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Edgar (2011), Clint Eastwood, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    Google Scholar 

  • There Will Be Blood (2007), Thomas Anderson, Miramax Films.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sofía Sánchez-Mompeán .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Sánchez-Mompeán, S. (2020). Pitch Perfect. In: The Prosody of Dubbed Speech. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35521-0_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics