Humor and Vulgar Language in Spanish Subtitling: A Case Study of Contemporary Hollywood Comedy

Abstract

Audiovisual translation (AVT) is, essentially, a form of “subordinate translation,” in which the text coexists with the spatial and temporal constraints of the screen, sound, and image. Within this difficult context, one of the greatest challenges for the translator is the transfer of colloquial language and humor, since these elements not only carry a strong cultural weight but also require maintaining a specific perlocutionary force: laughter or transgression. This challenge is particularly acute in the case of the film Liar, Liar (1997). Subtitling faces a dilemma between remaining faithful to the vulgar register and the need for concision, due to Jim Carrey’s performance, which is distinguished by frenetic verbosity and the constant use of dysphemisms to drive the plot. The aim of this article is to examine how these tensions are resolved using the strategies of Díaz Cintas and Remael (2007), investigating whether semantic loss is, in fact, the unavoidable cost of preserving the illocutionary force and comic rhythm in the target language. This research falls within the framework of corpus-based translation studies, which implies a descriptive and qualitative perspective. The purpose of this study is to examine the behaviour of translation strategies applied to the translation of humorous elements and vulgar language in subtitling. Key fragments of the film that contain humorous situations and vulgar language were selected. An analysis matrix was used to examine the subtitling of these fragments. The results of this research show a predominance of Condensation and Omission strategies, due to Jim Carrey’s fast speech rate and character-per-second (CPS) constraints. Furthermore, there is a noticeable substitution and neutralization of vulgar language with milder terms. Regarding wordplay and jokes, lexical recreation and compensation occur; some effects are lost in certain lines, though they are recovered in others. It follows that the translator acts as a creative adapter who reconfigures the register to accommodate the technical constraints of time and space. The success of the translation lies in preserving the perlocutionary power of humor, even across linguistic barriers.