Wanna translate sitcoms? Gotta
read People magazine!
Can a translator's lack of cultural knowledge ruin humor?
Ponencia presentada por Gabriela Scandura en el 15º Congreso
Mundial de la FIT, Mons, Bélgica, 1999.
Resumen
Based on research on a sitcom called The Nanny, this paper
is divided into 4 sections. The introduction sets the reasons for the
case study. Section I defines "cultural knowledge" as applied
to the translation of a sitcom script. Section II focuses on how some
culture-based contents were translated, and tries to assert whether the
solutions for those "cultural gaps" were successful. The conclusion
explains why lack of cultural knowledge may ruin the humorous effect of
cultural references, highlights the importance of cultural knowledge,
and suggests some unusual sources from where a translator may get information.
