Translating into speech bubbles
Written by Jean Paul C. Implicit issues There is more to translating than meets the eye when it comes to comic strips. How can sounds or puns be translated without losing their meaning? How to make sure that the text fits into the bubble? Such questions naturally come to a translator’s mind. One particular dilemma is whether to simplify the content in the bubbles and keep a clear-cut picture or stick to the original text and hence enlarge the bubbles, thus hiding a greater part of the image. The following extracts from both the English and French versions of the famous comic strip Garfield gives an overview of what can be done in this matter. Possible difficulties arising Translation of puns Puns can be difficult to translate as each language is different and a literal translation will simply make the funny side of the original text disappear. In addition, cultural differences between countries result in different views of what is consi