Stylistic errors

63 and was, thus, classified as an unnecessary addition. The following example represents an unnecessary addition. Jimmy is recalling to his brother what his ex-girlfriend Kelly told him.

As Jimmy has recently had a bang on the head and lost his memory, he does not quite buy everything Kelly is feeding him.

Example 28.

Speaker Source text Subtitle Translator

Jimmy She said that we were meeting up before all this. Because of the kid.

Tapasimme

kuulemma ennen tätä kaikkea.

Puhuimme kuulemma lapsesta.

BTI

In example 28, the word kuulemma [supposedly] is unnecessarily repeated in the second sentence. The first sentence captures perfectly Jimmy’s mood and tone. He is rather doubtful about Kelly’s story and the word choice kuulemma lets the viewer know that. According to Kielitoimiston sanakirja (Kielitoimiston sanakirja: http://www.kielitoimistonsanakirja.fi, accessed 29 August 2016) kuulemma is often used to indicate that the speaker doubts the truth of the statement. The word is, however, unnecessarily repeated in the second sentence. The viewer already knows Jimmy has his doubts and it is quite obvious that this doubtfulness extends over the second sentence as well. Even though the addition in example 28 is unnecessary, it is, at the same time, rather harmless. Unnecessary additions and repetitions might annoy the viewer and more importantly, take up valuable character space that could be used to express something with a more relevant diegetic value. The addition does not,

nevertheless, have a negative effect on the meaning of the source text and is, in other words, evaluated as a minor error.

64 whereas example 30 is an instance of an inconsistent use of register. In example 29, the

character speaking is Carl King whose father used to own Home Farm. The Kings used to be the wealthiest people in the village but since Carl’s father died, they lost some of their money.

Carl is now running a haulage company with his brother and they have regained some of their previous wealth and are now living in the second largest property in the village. The Kings represent a higher social class which can be seen in their use of language as was discussed in Chapter 5.

Example 29.

Speaker Source text Subtitle Translator

Carl I’ll kill him. Tapan sen. BTI

In example 29, the use of objective “sen” [it] when referring to humans makes the line sound more informal and colloquial than the source language is and does not quite sit well with a member of a higher social class. The Finnish subtitles should be consistent with the language variation in the source text. In other words, standard and formal language in English should be translated as standard language in Finnish.

Example 30, on the other hand, is a typical representative of a subtitle where the lines of a character are inconsistent in the use of register. Example 30 is a line from a character called Alicia who has just been introduced to the viewers. At the beginning of her life in Emmerdale village her lines in Finnish contain various elements of spoken language, for example the use of the pronoun “se” (in English ‘it’) when referring to humans and dropping off vowels and consonants from inflicted verb forms, for instance “ollu”, “sanonu”, “vois”

and “meen”, which can be seen in example 30.

Example 30.

Speaker Source text Subtitle Translator

Alicia Let’s just say, he looked like someone had ripped the head off his favourite teddy bear.

Näytti siltä kuin sen nallelta olis revitty pää.

BTI

In this set of data, the subtitles are a mix-and-match of different language variants. The lines of a certain character speaking standard modern English could be in standard Finnish in one episode but a month later, they were filled with colloquial elements. This could be noticed in

65 Alicia’s lines, for instance. In example 30, Alicia’s line was filled with colloquial elements but in example 31, her line has now been translated in standard Finnish.

Example 31.

Speaker Source text Subtitle Translator

Alicia No. Because he knows he has no chance in getting custody. Not in court.

Ei. Hän tietää, ettei saisi / huoltajuutta oikeudessa.

BTI

In example 31, the appropriate pronoun “hän” [he] is used to refer to Alicia’s ex-husband instead of “se” [it] and verb “saisi” [would get] is in perfect form instead of “sais”.

The findings in this error category are similar to Hietamaa’s (2012) findings

discussed in Chapter 2.3. Hietamaa’s (2012: 16) results indicated that the latter three seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which provided the material for his study, differed from the former four ones by being a chaos of mixed solutions which affected the quality of the target language negatively. There are clear inconsistencies in the use of language varieties in this set of data as well. Register errors are evaluated as minor errors because they do not have a negative impact on the content of the source text even though their frequent occurrence might affect the quality of the target text. Regular viewers such as myself, who have followed the series for several years and are familiar with the characters, might notice these kinds of deviations from the previous subtitles easily and might find them distracting. Also, the translators should pace themselves when it comes to using element of spoken language in the subtitles. Even though the aim is to create an illusion of spoken language, extensive use of these elements might attract more attention than necessary. It was pointed out in Chapter 2.1.

that when translators’ decide to use elements of spoken language, such as slang or dialects, they should use them consistently throughout the programme (Vertanen 2007: 153) and this rule has been violated.

The second type of stylistic error occurring in this material is a tone error. Tone errors arise from failures to convey the atmosphere of the source text or humour, personality and feelings of the characters. The following two examples represent these kinds of errors. In example 32, Chas sees Jackson moving his stuff into another apartment. She is upset to see Jackson moving out because he has been living with her son, Aaron, and Jackson moving out obviously means that there are problems in paradise. True to her form, Chas still tries to crack a joke.

66 Example 32.

Speaker Source text Subtitle Translator

Chas Please tell me that you are fixing a lock and that’s an unfeasibly large tool bag?

Onhan tuossa vain työkaluja? BTI

In my opinion, the translation of example 32 fails to convey the desperate humour of Chas’

line. As Vehmas-Lehto (2005: 53) notes, translations are not merely meant to convey facts to the viewers but they should also aim to convey atmosphere and emotions which are an important part of the overall message. Vertanen (2007: 153) agrees with Vehmas-Lehto by stating that subtitles always represent someone’s speech so it is important that the subtitles are faithful to the style of that someone. With a few elaborate and complementary words, the translator can bring nuance to the lines.

In example 33, Diane is trying to point out to her sister Val how she lets Amy, Val’s foster daughter, call all the shots. She is frustrated with her sister because Val does not usually let anyone walk over her. Diane is also annoyed with Val as she expresses that Diane is in a same situation with her friend, Doug.

Example 33.

Speaker Source text Subtitle Translator

Diane At least I’m not the beg-and-call of a 16-year-old.

En siedä sitä 16-vuotiaalta. BTI

In example 33, the core essence of the source text has been transmitted to the viewer but something else is missing. In this case the subtitle lacks the emphasis of Diane’s original line how she at least would not let a 16-year-old walk all over her. By adding first person pronoun

“minä” [I] with the inflected negative “en”, the subtitle would be more emphatic.

Additionally, by adding an adverb “sentään”, or if space is restricted, a shorter version, “silti”, the sentence would be even more emphatic.

Obviously, the space and time limitations discussed in Chapter 2.1. set restrictions on conveying the tone of the source text. Facial expressions and tone of voice can sometimes reveal explicitly the emotions and atmosphere without it being written directly on to the screen. However, it should be remembered that the audience does not always consist of

67 viewers that can hear perfectly. For hearing-impaired viewers, the elaborate little words which are rich with nuance and depth can improve the viewing experience. And if the pace of the dialogue, the timing of the programme and space allow it, these elements should be conveyed to the viewer through the subtitle as well. It is clear that tone errors do not change the core essence or content of the source text which means they do not have a negative impact on meaning. Tone errors are, thus, evaluated as minor errors. It should be noted though that Vehmas-Lehto (2005: 53) disagrees with this by stating that as translations are not merely meant to convey facts to the viewers, they should also aim to convey atmosphere and emotions which are an important part of the overall message. Vehmas-Lehto might not have considered this from the point of view of subtitles but if the space and time allow it, subtitles should aim to convey the small nuances of the source text and bring out the personality of the characters.