A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of the Rendition of Humor in English/Arabic Subtitling: A Case Study of Mrs. Doubtfire, Father of the Bride I and Father of the Bride II

Abstract

In its many manifestations, humor appears one of the most defining aspects of humanity. Attempts have been made to define the essence of humor from sociological and psychological as well as from linguistic perspectives. Partly universal, partly individual, and at the same time rooted in a specific cultural and linguistic context, humor poses a real challenge for translators. The amount of comedy films and situational comedies offered today and their growing popularity clearly indicates that humor has gained a steady foothold worldwide and therefore, aroused a great deal of interest among scholars. However, a close look at the field of translation studies shows that little research is directed to the rendition of humor in the context of audiovisual translation. Accordingly, the elaboration of a detailed study that investigates the nature of humor translation in the audiovisual realm becomes imperative.