Linguistic and Cultural Challenges in Translating Humour: Subtitling Humour in Audiovisual Translation

This study explores the different types of humour identified in the two comedy plays: Al-Za’eem by Farouk Sabry and Al-Wad Sayed Al-Shaghal by Samir Abdulazim. The humour identified in the two plays posed both cultural and linguistic problems in subtitling as an audiovisual translation domain. The study also investigated the translation strategies employed by the subtitler in overcoming the complex issues encountered. This complexity and challenge were magnified by the use of wordplay or monocultural references along with the multisemiotic nature of the audiovisual translation domain. Moreover, linguistic and cultural humour necessitated the implementation and the utilisation of interventional translation strategies on the subtitler’s part to ensure the preservation of the SL humorous force to the same or a similar humorous effect in the TL. The subtitler’s options and choices were also affected by the internal and external factors and parameters surrounding humour. The subtitling process faced technical constraints that limited the space and time given to the process of subtitling, which in turn, resulted in a doubling of the subtitler’s burden and challenge.