The portrayal of real-life people in audiovisual translation

Abstract

This is a study on real people, in particular their voices, as an important but so far undervalued factor in audiovisual translation, dubbing in particular. Along with the suspension of disbelief and credibility, expected goals for a dubbed version would seem to be authenticity of language, including not only words and discourse but also elements of delivery, such as accent and prosody (as a part of character portrayal); in short, a well-rounded, strategic proposal that can complement the picture at all times. The result of this study is that, compared to their AVT versions, much more care seems to go into reflecting the nuances of real voices and orality in the source texts, especially when famous and historical figures of the recent past are involved. In this respect, much work still needs to be done, for criticism to be fair and awareness of intervening factors greater, both in terms of professional quality and in academic research. Examples are drawn mainly from the portrayal of real historical figures from the United Kingdom, especially Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II and their representation in fiction and historical biopics.