Description
Character portrayal in Russian and Greek AVT modalities: The Rise of the Guardians (Alfia Khusainova)
The study examines identity construction of characters in Greek and Russian AVT modalities (subtitling and dubbing), of the English animated film for children (The Rise of the Guardians 2012). The study attempts to determine whether and how translator awareness of the viewers’ cultural background and AVT modality interact to portray characters in target contexts. Results seem to show that the prevailing AV modality, in the cultural context, and the level of viewer familiarity with the character influences identity construction of it. Testi¬mo¬nies of film viewers and questionnaire data elicited from respon¬dents who are unfamiliar with analyzed AV characters confirm the analysis results. Viewers’ cultural background and the AVT modality seem to affect the way translators tend to represent characters’ identity, which is consistent with the previous research on the matter. The significance of the research lies in that it provides further insight into the way Greek and Russian AVT practices perceive and transform English AV texts, which may advance understanding of cross-cultural processes in AVT.
