Semantic errors

The semantic translation errors were the most common translation error discovered from the five episodes selected from Gilmore Girls. The semantic errors accounted for 24.6 per cent of all of the translation errors. From the total of 8,025 translations in the material, 142 translations with a semantic errors were found, thus the portion of all translations that included a semantic error was 1.8%.

In Hansen‟s (2010) article, the semantic errors are classified as translation errors that do not convey the original meaning of the source text. In other words, when there is a semantic error, the translation is not an accurate description of the original meaning, as

57 something has been inaccurately translated. In this thesis, semantic errors are classified as the essential mistranslations that alter the meaning of the original. This type of mistranslation can occur in any segment of a phrase, from a complete mistranslation of the phrase to a singular word being translated incorrectly in a way that affects the essence of the original phrase. The semantic errors are therefore considered as the factual translation errors in this thesis.

An example of a semantic translation error found in the research material of this thesis, where the translation error is present in a singular word is found in a scene from S03E07. In the scene, Lorelai wants to participate in Stars Hollow‟s 24 hour dance marathon, and tries to persuade Rory to be her dance partner, but Rory has promised to her boyfriend, Dean, that they will go together to watch the marathon. Rory wants to show Dean all the traditional instances of the marathon that happen every year, such as the town selectman, Taylor Doose, who also acts as the ceremonial master for the dance marathon, getting drunk.

The original line and its caption are presented in Example 7 below.

Example 7.

I told him about Taylor getting punch-drunk at hour 15

Ja kuinka Taylor tulee sokerihumalaan 15. tunnilla

Here, the original line includes one of the continuous topics of Gilmore Girls: punch. The punch served at just about every town function is infamous for its strength, and specially its strength of alcoholic content. Therefore Taylor getting „punch-drunk‟ refers to him getting intoxicated due to drinking too much of this alcoholic punch. However, in the caption, Taylor‟s forthcoming state is being stated as „sokerihumala‟, or a „sugar high‟ in English. The caption, thus, contains a clear semantic error, which can somewhat confuse the viewer, as later in the episode, Taylor is truly seen visibly drunk, slurring his words and on the verge of passing out. Another example of a semantic error similarly interfering with a continuous topic of the series with a mistranslation of a singular word can be found in S01E16, where Dean is telling Rory he has planned something special for their three-month-anniversary and they discuss the beginning of their relationship. Example 8 presents the part of the discussion containing a semantic error.

Example 8

I mean, that's when I gave you the bracelet

Silloin annoin sen kaulakorun

58 In this example, there is an obvious mistranslation with the word „bracelet‟ being translated as

„kaulakoru‟, or a „necklace‟ in English. The bracelet in question is a rather important part of Rory and Dean‟s relationship, symbolizing Rory‟s commitment to Dean. Later in the series, as Rory accidentally loses the bracelet while on a picnic with another boy, the bracelet is used to symbolize Rory‟s interest in Dean fading, as it takes a while for her to even notice the bracelet gone, even though she has worn it since the beginning of their relationship, and even a significant portion in the later episode is dedicated to finding the lost bracelet. As the bracelet therefore has a considerable symbolic value in the series‟ thematic, translating it correctly should be consistent.

In addition to the mistranslation of singular words, a semantic error can occur in mistranslating an entire phrase. An example of this is presented below in example 9 from S08E02.

Example 9.

This pig is for realz. Tämä on oikea sika.

In this example, the „town weirdo‟, Kirk, is premiering his second short film, in the leading roles him and his pet pig, Petal. Even though Petal, in fact, is a „real pig‟ as the translation suggests, the original essence of the phrase is quite different than its translation, which rather literally states that „this is a real pig‟. The laconic utterance of a common slang phrase is therefore not conveyed to the translation accurately, as instead of only exclaiming that Petal is a pig, the original utterance is attempting to convey that the pig is a no-nonsense type of a pig.

Another example of a semantic error occurring in an entire phrase can be found in S03E07, presented in example 10 below.

Example 10.

- I‟m drafting you. -Seuraan kintereilläsi.

In this example, Lorelai and Kirk are rivalries in the town‟s 24 hour dance marathon, and the dancers are currently competing in „the run-around‟, where the last five couples crossing the finish line after the music stops are eliminated from the competition. In the scene, Kirk is running close behind Lorelai, and she is asking him what he is doing, and Kirk responds with example 10. However, the translation does not convey the meaning accurately, as drafting refers to moving straight behind someone in order to utilize the person ahead, so that the

59 follower‟s moving is (marginally) easier, as they have less air resistance. The original utterance is therefore intended as an emphasis on Kirk‟s character, as attempting a gain so marginal would fit his quirkiness. The translation, however, does not convey this, and only suggests that Kirk is doing this to be annoying by following Lorelai so close instead of utilizing her draft.

The semantic errors are relatively easy to notice in the subtitling and are often the errors that are somewhat publicly discussed (Heikkilä 2014). Therefore, it is possible that due to the large quantity of the semantic errors, the audience‟s viewing experience is impaired, whether they understand the source language or not, because if the translation error is not noticed in the subtitling, it is likely to mislead the viewer, and on the other hand, if the error is noticed from the subtitling, it is likely to draw attention to the subtitling instead of the show. Therefore, regardless of the viewer‟s ability to notice the translation error, according to the guidelines discussed in subsection 2.1., a semantic error cannot be considered an example of good audiovisual translation. It is also possible that if Netflix pays the translation companies it uses as little as is claimed (Pseudonym U 2012, Mäkelä 2012), the translators receive compensation so low that they are not able to revise the translations as closely as would be needed. The inability to revise resulting in a translation error is not exclusive to just semantic translation errors, but can be connected to all translation error categories in this study.