Investigating Subtitling Strategies for the Translation of Wordplay in Wallace and Gromit - An Audience Reception Study

This thesis constitutes an experimental, receptor-oriented study which investigates the reception of two different strategies for subtitling English wordplay into German. Two translations of the animated short film Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death are screened for test audiences, whose reaction is then recorded in a questionnaire. The existing translation, which was broadcast on German television and published on DVD, follows an approach based on formal equivalence and therefore rarely diverges from the original dialogue at word level, but equally sacrifices parts of the extensive humorous content inherent the text. This is contrasted by a specifically produced alternative translation which prioritises equivalence of effect, the transfer of linguistic humour at the cost of formal similarity. The research project also explores the influence of source language comprehension on the reception of both versions, as it is assumed that a formally different subtitle text could be interpreted as "incorrect" by members of the audience with knowledge of English. In light of the fact that English as a second language is spoken by a growing number of people in the German language community, the effect of this development on the viewers' requirements for audiovisual translation strategies and modes of linguistic transfer are considered relevant for the field. Furthermore, the reception of subtitling by a German audience is investigated in this context.