Translating idioms: an analysis of the strategies applied to render idiomatic expressions in Better Call Saul (2015) from English into Spanish

Abstract

[eng] Due to the recent increase in streaming services and globalization, people are allowed to access audiovisual products easily. The fact that more viewers are able to watch TV shows in their original language has caused the number of studies focusing on audiovisual translation to grow exponentially. Therefore, disciplines such as subtitling have become objects of study to analyse how the transfer of meaning occurs between languages that represent distinct cultures. This paper will examine the different translation strategies used when subtitling the TV show Better Call Saul from American English to Spanish. Specifically, the focus will be placed on idiomatic expressions, also known as idioms, that appear in the ten episodes of the first season. In the translation field, culture-bound expressions such as idioms are regarded as challenging items for the translator since they are figuratively and culturally specific. Not only that, but idioms are also context-dependent which hinders a literal translation of the expression. Plenty of scholars have offered a variety of strategies to overcome the problems that may arise in the translation process. Taking as reference Mona Baker’s strategies (1992) and Henrik Gottlieb’s subcategories for rendering idioms, this dissertation aims to analyse the strategies applied to translate idioms in the TV show Better Call Saul (2015). In this manner, this examination will highlight the translator’s decision-making process, emphasizing tendencies and patterns of the translation of idioms between two prevalent streams such as the presence of omissions or the prioritization of idiomatic expressions taking into account time and space constraints established by subtitles.