Translation of Slang in Selected Three Western Movies, Thesis Paper Example

Introductory Remarks

Western slang consists of informal words and phrases that are restricted to Westerners. Although slang incorporates different backgrounds, Western slang does not reflect diverse populations. The Westerners are associated with Western slang, which has evolved into their language. For example, American slang offers a different communication level among Americans (Maitland 8). Slang dictionaries have evolved to embody words and phrases from different contexts. Slang dictionaries have eliminated obsolete words and phrases by covering accepted dialects that are used daily. The Western slang enables the Westerners to communicate, although other people can misunderstand the phrases and words. This chapter aims to analyze and translate slang in Western movies such as Tombstone, The Hateful Eight, and True Grit (2010). This chapter involves a methodology that provides essential steps for analyzing the selected Western movies. The last section of this chapter contains concluding remarks which summarize the main ideas.   

Methodology

Research Design

Western slang in movies is a relatively unexplored topic as phrases and words keep revolving depending on periods and circumstances. The methodology employed in this thesis will be explorative to analyze and translate slang in three Western movies. Descriptive qualitative research will be involved in this thesis to describe and analyze the Western slang in the selected movies. Qualitative research involves research designs that reveal hypotheses through inductive thinking (Atmowardoyo 197). Data used in qualitative approaches is based on the verbal description used to make useful notes when conducting research analyses. This methodology involves words and phrases as it is descriptive. The data collected from movies such as Tombstone, The Hateful Eight, and True Grit (2010) is in the form of words rather than numbers. Thus, this thesis intends to describe the value of Western slang in the selected movies. The researcher involves extensive research to collect meanings of Western slang used in the movies. As a result of conducting extensive research, the researcher will provide accurate explanations when analyzing Western slang in the selected movies.

Data Sources

The methodology employed in this thesis involves primary and secondary sources to collect data. Atmowardoyo (p.197) defines data as facts or statistics that can be analyzed. Data sources are important to obtain facts and statistics for analyses. In this thesis, the data sources are divided into two categories such as primary and secondary. The researcher will first derive primary data from selected movies such as Tombstone, The Hateful Eight, and True Grit (2010). This will be followed by secondary data that comprises information from literary sources such as books and journals. The methodology emphasizes peer-reviewed journal articles to understand the theoretical underpinnings of Western slang. As phrases and words used in Western slang keep evolving, recent scholarly materials will be useful in understanding phrases and words used in the selected movies. Literature experts will be useful in providing data about common phrases and words used by Westerners. As a result of combining primary and secondary data, this methodology will develop a framework that will be useful in analyzing the selected Western movies.

Data Collection Technique

The data collection technique is an approach a researcher employs to derive data from selected sources. Qualitative studies involve data collection techniques different from those used in quantitative studies (Wang 117). This thesis is qualitative, implying it involves techniques that will help understand the studied phenomenon. The data in this thesis is from Western movies implying that the documentation technique enabled the researcher to identify the words and phrases. In this thesis, the researcher analyzed Western movies and recorded relevant slang in a paper. This was done by watching the selected movies, analyzing various dialogues, and identifying the slang the characters used. The researcher watched the movies three times to enhance awareness of the Western slang used by movie characters in communication. Therefore, the researcher understood the Western slang used in the movies by documenting dialogues in a paper to facilitate easy translation.

Data Analytics Framework

The researcher applied mutually-supportive steps that would guide the process of data analysis. The steps for obtaining data, scrutinizing information, and overcoming errors are as follows:

Planning

• Identifying three Western movies for analysis.
• Consulting the advisor about the thesis.
• Involving the advisor’s views before beginning the thesis.

Collection

• Collecting data from Western movies such as Tombstone, The Hateful Eight, and True Grit (2010).
• Reading the movie scripts and researching the employed Western slang.
• Watching the movies three times to note scenes that contain Western slang.
• Reporting
• Documenting movie scenes where characters use Western slang.
• Analyzing the noted movie scenes to identify whether the slang is associated with the Western context.
• Making a report containing facts and phrases from the selected scenes of the Western movies.

Data Analysis

Data analysis is the last section of the methodology used in this thesis. In this section, the researcher involves different methods to analyze the collected data before translation. Data analysis involves systematic steps whereby researchers arrange notes and recordings to enhance understanding (Ho, Holloway, and Stenhouse 2). Data analysis simplifies information enabling researchers to derive accurate insights about studied phenomena. Since this is a qualitative thesis, the researcher involves various methods to analyze Western movies. For instance, the researcher analyzes movie scenes to identify how the characters use Western slang. The researcher also interprets and analyzes dialogues to identify whether language use among characters is linked to the Westerners. Therefore, the data analysis process enables the researcher to discover Western slang and obtain valid data for analysis.          

Analysis of Translation in AVT Based on Three Western Movies

Tombstone

Audiovisual translation (AVT) research is a legitimate study field that has gained interest from academics and scholars. Digital technology helps produce and distribute audiovisual content, which is extensively consumed through devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones (Chaume 41). Audiovisual translation entails adapting visual content in different languages to enhance movie consumption among various target cultures. Tombstone movie is an example of an audiovisual product that has been actively and passively consumed since its production in 1993. Analyzing the Western slang used in the movie and its translation to Polish will enhance its consumption among Polish audiences. Analysis of the Tombstone movie reveals various dialogues where characters have reinforced Western slang. Based on the movie, below are Western slangs and their polish translation:

• 10:45 I miss that old rip. – T?skni? za starym zbere?nikiem.
• 11:10 Must be a peach of a hand. – Karty musi mie? ob??dne.
• 11:20 Kate! You’re not wearing a bustle. How lewd – Kate! Nie w?o?y?a? tiurniury. Ty rozpustnico.
• 12:13 Them guns don’t scare me. ‘Cause without them guns, you ain’t nothin’ but a skinny lunger. – Nie boj? si? Twoich rewolwerów. Bez nich jeste? tylko ko?cistym gru?likiem.
• 15:36 Hot damn, this burg’s jumpin’! – Ta dziura a? t?tni!
• 22:10 You madcap! – Ty wariacie!
• 34:30 You know damn well who I mean. That dusky-hued lady satan, that’s who – Dobrze wiesz o kim mówi?. Ta ciemnow?osa diablica.
• 36:22 Listen now, Mr. Kansas Law Dog. Law don’t go around here. Savvy? – S?uchaj no, Stró?u Prawa. Tutaj prawo nic nie znaczy. Kapujesz?
• 1:02:06 I know, let’s have a spelling contest. How ‘bout if I just wring your scrawny neck? – Zagrajmy w inteligencj?. A mo?e po prostu skr?c? Ci kark?
• 1:04:06 There, ya see? Give somebody a rap on the beezer, get some respect around here. – Widzisz? Wystarczy raz da? takiemu w mord? I b?dzie Ci? szanowa?.
• 1:10:26 All right, Virg. Your call. Give Doc the shotgun. They’ll be less apt to get nerv-i-ous… if he’s on the street, howitzer. – Dobra Virg, Twoja wola. Daj Docowi strzelb?. B?d? mniej nerwowi, gdy zobacz?, ?e niesie spluw?.
• 1:20:14 I tell ya, boys, even I’m wary of what’s gonna happen once Ringo runs this outfit. – Nawet ja si? boj?, co b?dzie, kiedy Ringo od??czy si? od nas.
• 1:55:20 Well, let’s see. Where are we today? I’m $17 down to you. Two bits a hand. Stud? – Popatrzmy, co my tu mamy. Jestem Ci winny 17 dolarów. Stawka: dwa.
• 1:56:02 Damn you. You’re the most fallible, stubborn, self-deluded, bullheaded man I’ve ever known in my entire life. – Id? do diab?a. Jeste? najbardziej omylnym, upartym i zak?amanym facetem jakiego znam.

The Hateful Eight

Technological developments have impacted audiovisual translation research resulting in the field’s exponential growth. Audiovisual products have distinctive traits that are considered during translation to ensure the resulting text does not lose meaning (Ranzato and Zanotti 11). Researchers conduct audiovisual translation by applying knowledge to facilitate dubbing and subtitling. Considering this thesis emphasizes the Western slang used in The Hateful Eight movie, the researcher first understands phrases and words used by the characters. Understanding the phases and words is essential in the translation process to produce audiovisual translation for Polish audiences. The Hateful Eight movie analysis reveals various dialogues where characters have used Western slang. Based on the movie, below are Western slangs and their polish translation:

• 5:23 Tryin’ to bringin’ a coupla’ no-goods into the market. – Wioz? kilku poszukiwanych drani.
• 5:34 That damblasted blizzards have been on our ass for the last three hours. – Cholerna ?nie?yca od trzech godzin siedzi nam na dupie.
• 5:43 So ya’ hightailin’ it halfway to Minnie’s Haberdashery? – I przeczekasz j? w pasmanterii Minnie?
• 8:10 You don’t know nothin’ about this filly here? – I nic o tej tutaj nie wiesz?
• 9:03 It’s why I ain’t too anxious to be handin’ out rides. – Dlatego nie pal? si? do podwo?enia.
• 24:08 I’m the new sheriff. Horseshit. – Jestem nowym szeryfem. Pierdo?y.
• 26:32 Sorry, bushwackers, I ain’t entering Red Rock that way. – Wybaczcie obwiesie, ale ani my?l? tak tam wje?d?a?.
• 28:03 The cause of a renegade army? A bunch of losers gone loco, you bet I do. – ‘’Sprawa’’ renegackiej armii? Banda oferm, którym odbi?a szajba.
• 29:20 Them hillbillies went n*gger head hunting, but they never did get ‘em the right n*gger head, did they? – Kmiotki polowa?y na murzy?skie ?by, ale tego najwa?niejszego nie upolowa?y.
• 33:27 I’ll tell a’ what The Cavalry didn’t look kindly on. Mannix’s Marauders, that’s what. And the fact that Erskine Mannix’s little boy would talk about anybody else’s behavior during wartime makes me wanna horse laugh. – A wiesz, czego kawaleria nie pochwala?a? Maruderów Manniksa. Synalek Erskine’a Manniksa os?dza czyje? zachowanie w czasach wojny? Ko? by si? u?mia?!
• 51:39 Hello, old timer. General. General. You, sir, are a Hyena. And I have no wish to speak to you. – Czo?em, dziadku. Generale. Generale. A pan, jeste? hien?. Nie mam ?yczenia z Tob? rozmawia?.
• 1:20:09 I tole’ you jackass to Hee-Haw somewhere else. – Id? rycze? gdzie indziej o?le.
• 2:21:11 Worry about these owl hoots and that bushwhacker nuts shooter in the basement. – Martw si? tymi rzezimieszkami i tym podst?pnym jajobójc? z piwnicy.
• 2:34:53 Your brother’s just an owl hoot who led a gang of killers. – A Twój brat to bandzior dowodz?cy mordercami.

True Grit (2010)

Audiovisual translation techniques are helpful in translating audiovisual products into different languages. Examples of translation techniques include subtitling and dubbing (Alonso-Pérez and Sanchez Requena 2). These techniques do not inevitably require professionals to provide expert knowledge about particular languages. Translation enables researchers to render text meanings into different languages. This thesis aimed to adapt the Western slang in True Grit (2010) movie to reach an audience that speaks and understands Polish. Translation techniques were essential in translating Western slang and overcoming accessibility constraints among polish audiences. Analysis of the True Grit (2010) movie reveals various dialogues where characters have reinforced Western slang. Based on the movie, below are Western slangs and their polish translation:

• 07:27 The jakes is occupied. – Zaj?te.
• 15:58 I had my glass, and we spotted them two boys and their old daddy Aaron. Down on the creek bank with some hogs. They’d killed a shoat. And a fire built up under a wash pot for scalding water. – Mia?em lunet?. Zobaczy?em ch?opaków z ich ojcem, Aaronem nad strumieniem, ze ?winiami. Zar?n?li prosiaka i rozpalili ogie? pod kocio?kiem.
• 21:53 By God! A Colt’s Dragoon! You’re no bigger than a corn nubbin, what’re you doing with a pistol like that? – Na Boga! Dragoon. Po co takiej kruszynie ta armata?
• 22:04 Well, that piece will do the job for you. If you can find a high stump to rest it on and a wall to put behind you. – Nada si?, je?li oprzesz go na pniu i staniesz pod ?cian?.
• 27:11 That wouldn’t be as unpleasant as the other. You wet your comb, you might tame that cowlick. – Nie wiem, co gorsze. Ale te k?aki poskromi zmoczony grzebie?.
• 28:17 You’re forgetting the grey horse. Crowbait. – Jest jeszcze siwek. Nic nie wart.
• 32:15 Here is the money. Now I aim to get Tom Chaney, and if you are not game, I will find somebody who is game. All I’ve heard out of you so far is talk. I know you can drink whiskey, and snore and spit and wallow in filth and bemoan your station. The rest has been braggadocio. – Mam pieni?dze. Je?li pan nie chce jecha?, znajd? kogo? innego. Na razie tylko pan gada! Wiem, ?e pan pije, chrapie i narzeka na swoje po?o?enie. Reszta to przechwa?ki.
• 37:05 That’ll be the biggest mistake you ever made, you Texas brush-popper. – To b?dzie twój najwi?kszy b??d, teksa?ski szmaciarzu.
• 38:59 If I ever meet one of you Texas waddies who says he never drank water out of a horse track, I think I’d shake his hand and give him a Daniel Webster cigar. – Jak spotkam kowboja z Teksasu, który nie pi? ze ?ladów po kopytach, to mu dam cygaro.
• 47:42 Well, the big shaggies, about all gone now. Damned shame. – Bizonów ju? nie ma. Szkoda.
• 49:38 We’re being followed. I asked that Injun to signal with a shot if someone was on our trail. – Kto? jedzie. Prosi?em Indianina, ?eby da? zna? strza?em.
• 49:48 Naw, Mr La Boeuf is giving us his bird dog. He wants to cut it in, once it flushed his prey. – A pan La Boeuf pu?ci? nas przodem jak psy na polowanie.
• 55:05 You was always dumb, Quincy, and remain true to form. Hers’s an awful lot of sofkee. You boys looking for company? – Zawsze by?e? t?py i t?py zostaniesz. Sporo tego ?arcia. Czekacie na kogo?? Kiedy widzieli?cie Neda Peppera?
• 57:41 Don’t go jawing with these people, Moon. Don’t you go jawing with that runt – Nie odzywaj si?. Nie gadaj ze t? ma??.
• 58:54 They’re coming here tonight to get remounts and sofkee. They just robbed the Katy Flyer at Wagoner’s Switch. – Przyjad? w nocy zmieni? konie i zje??. Obrobili poci?g przy rozje?dzie w Wagoner.
• 1:00:05 – I’m hoping that three of their party being dead will take the starch out of them. You display great poise. Aw, it is just a turkey shoot. – Jak padn? trzy trupy, rura im zmi?knie. Jest pan pewny swego. To jak strzelnica.
• 1:03:09 Him in the woolly chaps is Lucky Ned. – Ten w leginach to Lucky Ned.
• 1:04:26 You managed to put a kink in my rope, pardner. – Wlaz?e? mi w parad?, kolego.
• 1:07:23 -But I was mounted, and had the choice of firing off-hand, or dismounting to shoot from rest, which would allow Chelmsford to augment the distance. I fired mounted – and fired wide. You cannot hit a man three hundred yards if your gun was resting on Gibraltar. – Ale musia?em strzela? z konia lub zsi???, co da?oby mu czas na ucieczk?. Strzeli?em z siod?a, ale nie celnie. Z trzystu jardów nie trafi?by?, opar?szy bro? na Gibraltarze.
• 1:09:19 I can hit a gnat’s eye at ninety yards. That chinaman is running them cheap shells on me again. – Trafi? w komara z dziewi??dziesi?ciu jardów. Chi?czyk sprzeda? mi tani? amunicj?.
• 1:15:08 I’m….I’m a foolish old man who’s been drawn into a wild goose chase, by a harpy in trousers, and a nincompoop. – Jestem starym durniem, który da? si? otumani? harpii w portkach i pó?g?ówkowi.
• 1:32:03 Some bully shot. That was four hundred yards at least. – Co za strza?! To co najmniej czterysta jardów.

Concluding Remarks

In this thesis, the researcher concludes that the characters in the selected movies employ Western slang for communication. Audiovisual translation techniques were useful in translating the Western slang to polish. Multimedia products such as Tombstone, The Hateful Eight, and True Grit (2010) were translated to enable Polish audiences to understand Western slang. AVT’s traits, such as multiple channels, conventions, and different signals, were useful in translating by ensuring the Polish phrases and words can be perceived as original Western slang. This thesis contributes to knowledge by identifying the significance of Western slang among movie characters and their audiences. Western slang has transformed the language used by Westerners, enabling them to exercise their freedom of speech using a communication style that appeals to different audiences. Therefore, the proposed methodology allows the researcher to analyze the movies and establish the value of Western slang among characters.    

Works Cited

Alonso-Pérez, Rosa, and Alicia Sanchez Requena. “Teaching foreign languages through audiovisual translation resources: teachers’ perspectives.” Applied Language Learning 28.2 (2018): 1-24.

Atmowardoyo, Haryanto. “Research methods in TEFL studies: Descriptive research, case study, error analysis, and R & D.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research 9.1 (2018): 197-204.

Coen, Joel, et al. “True Grit.” IMDb, 22 Dec. 2010, www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/.

Chaume, Frederic. “An overview of audiovisual translation: Four methodological turns in a mature discipline.” Journal of Audiovisual Translation 1.1 (2018): 40-63.

Gladstein, Richard, et al. “The Hateful Eight.” IMDb, 2015, www.imdb.com/title/tt3460252/.

Ho, Szu-Szu, Aisha Holloway, and Rosie Stenhouse. “Analytic methods’ considerations for the translation of sensitive qualitative data from Mandarin into English.” International Journal of Qualitative Methods 18 (2019): 1609406919868354.

Jacks, James, et al. “Tombstone.” IMDb, 1993, www.imdb.com/title/tt0108358/.

Maitland, James. The American slang dictionary. Lulu.com, 2019.

Ranzato, Irene, and Serenella Zanotti, eds. Linguistic and cultural representation in audiovisual Translation. London: Routledge, 2018.

Wang, Jixian. “Qualitative research in English language teaching and learning.” Indonesian EFL Journal: Journal of ELT, Linguistics, and Literature 4.2 (2018): 116-132.