Oko Jan - Translating English Humour into Polish BA Thesis

WYŻSZA SZKOŁA ZARZĄDZANIA OCHRONĄ PRACY W KATOWICACH WYDZIAŁ HUMANISTYCZNO-SPOŁECZNY FILOLOGIA FILOLOGIA ANGIELSKA TRANSLATORYKA STOSOWANA BA THESIS Topic: Translating English Humour into Polish: Problems and Challenges Supervisor: Author: dr Elżbieta Krawczyk Jan Oko I hereby accept the diploma work and allow to sit for the diploma examination ………………………………….……. date and signature of the supervisor Katowice 2019 WYŻSZA SZKOŁA ZARZĄDZANIA OCHRONĄ PRACY W KATOWICACH WYDZIAŁ HUMANISTYCZNO-SPOŁECZNY FILOLOGIA FILOLOGIA ANGIELSKA TRANSLATORYKA STOSOWANA PRACA LICENCJACKA Tytuł: Tłumaczenie angielskiego humoru na język polski: problemy i wyzwania Promotor: Autor: dr Elżbieta Krawczyk Jan Oko Przyjmuję pracę i dopuszczam do egzaminu dyplomowego ………………………………….……. data i podpis Promotora KATOWICE 2019 CONTENTS Introduction ..........................................................................................................................3 Chapter I: Humour in linguistics .......................................................................................5 1.1 Humour – linguistic definition .....................................................................................5 1.1.1 Typology of techniques used in sitcom humour ...................................................6 1.1.2 Possible limitations ...............................................................................................7 1.2 Translation techniques in translating humour ..............................................................8 Chapter II: Categorization of Humour Techniques .......................................................10 2.1 Humour Techniques in ‘Keeping up appearances’ ....................................................10 2.1.1 Main humour techniques used in the series ........................................................10 2.1.2 Other humour techniques used in the series ........................................................12 2.2 Quantitative analysis ..................................................................................................29 Chapter III: Translation analysis – translation techniques used in the Polish edition31 Conclusions: Can humour be translated? .......................................................................45 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................47 Streszczenie .........................................................................................................................50 2 INTRODUCTION There is an Italian saying Traduttore, Traditore! which means that every translator is also a kind of traitor. Supposedly, texts from one language never can be fully transmitted into another one. The problem of translation and it being faithful to the original text is known to both translators and readers of literature. The problem is one of big importance as it can raise much talk and heated emotions. This was the case when a new translation of Lord of the Rings has been published in Poland. The readers and fans were outraged at the scale of changes and unfaithfulness present in the new version. A good translation is therefore required by the public and needed for the commercial success of a project. Probably, the latter made the publisher of the newer ‘Lord of the Rings’ translation amend the most controversial translations and stick to a more conservative version. The topic in question is as important in literature as in other media, like sitcoms. They are part of popular culture, transmit the culture of one country to others and are also products, which have to sell and make money for those who produce and show them. Translating them into another language must, therefore, meet high expectations from both the company publishing them and the viewer who wants to be entertained. Following successful scenarios of such undertakings, the principles of successful translations might be found. Therefore, this diploma work is going to analyse the problems and challenges a translator can meet in their work and how they are solved in one of the sitcoms. The sitcom chosen for the analysis is Keeping Up Appearances which was produced by BBC in 1990-1995. It has been very successful both in the UK and Poland which suggests that the translation provided in Poland was successful. To narrow the scope of analysis only the first season is taken into consideration. Other seasons seem to be similar to the first one and the results would not differ much. The first season provides enough material and others can be researched separately to check if there would be significant differences or new techniques used. As Marks (2015) point, the whole series is based on similar recurring themes, gags and techniques. TV sitcoms and their humour have been a popular subject of different types of studies (humour studies and translation studies), e.g. by Barros (2015), Giacomo (2015), Juckel et al. (2016), Skřečková (2017) or Walker (2015). However, there has not been one to analyse the particular case of Keeping Up Appearances. The aim of this work is to fill this gap. 3 In the first chapter, the theoretical background of the research is presented. It deals with the definition of humour and its linguistic theory. The chapter also presents the humour typology presented by Juckel et al. (2016) that were specifically developed for sitcom analysis. In the second chapter, the corpus is analysed. The first part of the chapter deals with the presence of linguistic humour in the original version of the sitcom. The humour typology described in A humor typology to identify humor styles used in sitcoms (Juckel et al. 2016) is used to categorise the humour usage in Keeping Up Appearances. The third chapter looks into translations of jokes etc. in each category. The next step is to analyse whether the translations into Polish preserve the humorous element and what translation techniques were used. Polish translation of the series was prepared by Maria Okulicz and the commissioner was Ośrodek Telewizyjny in Szczecin. It might be reasonably assumed that humour which is heavily culture dependent would cause serious problems in translation and therefore would be either omitted or the translation will significantly alter the source text in order to evoke the same effect. This work aims to analyse the corpus of texts which is the first season of Keeping Up Appearances and provide data on how difficult the translation of humour is and whether some of the humour techniques/types are more difficult to translate. 4 CHAPTER I HUMOUR IN LINGUISTICS The aim of this chapter is to present broadly the current trends in humour research as far as linguistics is concerned. In the second part of the chapter, a typology proposed by Juckel et al. (2016) is presented as it will be used to analyse the series Keeping Up Appearances. 1.1 HUMOUR – LINGUISTIC DEFINITION There have been many attempts to define and describe humour as a linguistic phenomenon. In order to proceed a definition of what humour is is needed. There are many of those proposed by different scholars. A popular definition would say that it is what makes us laugh. However, it has been pointed out that the ‘laughter principle’ is not satisfactory as not everything considered humorous makes people laugh (Ross 1998; Blake 2007). The reason for this problem might be in the humour itself – being very difficult to analyse and describe, not only as a language phenomenon but also as a psychological phenomenon (Vandaele 1999). As Chiaro (2010) notices there is no clear definition of humour itself (not only in linguistical terms) and scholars have not reached a consensus on that matter. Therefore, there is a need to find at least a working definition that would allow qualifying an analysed piece of text as humorous or not. A short summary of attempts to understand and define humour has been given by Scheel (2017), beginning from Hippocrates idea of different bodily fluids and followed by numerous attempts along the centuries. This shows how complex the issue is. The author gives also their own working definition of humour “as a communicative process that includes incongruence and evokes a variety of emotions, either in the “producer” of humour, in the “receiver” of humour, or in both” Scheel (2017). This definition can be found useful for our research as the humour of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances can nowadays no longer be found as good as it used to be due to changing language and social conditions. This notion can be found in articles such as the one written by Gymnich (2016). There are, however, different reactions, very positive, like the one by Marks (2015) who calls the sitcom “a precious jewel in the fading crown of British sitcom”. Therefore, for this research, the basis for considering a moment in the sitcom humorous, the moments of audience laughter will be taken into consideration. 5 The above assumption of regarding situation or text followed by the so-called “canned laughter” (CL) can assure us that all moments considered humorous by the producers of the sitcom will be taken into consideration. Otherwise, as is mentioned by Chiaro (2010), many situations considered funny could have been not recognised. The sense of humour at the time of televising the series might have significantly changed since the premiere in 1990. 1.1.1 TYPOLOGY OF TECHNIQUES USED IN SITCOM HUMOUR Juckel et al. (2016) proposed a categorization of techniques used to evoke humorous reactions in sitcom viewers. According to their research, the typology for sitcoms contains four categories and 22 techniques as presented in Table 1. Language Logic Identity Allusion Absurdity Parody Irony Coincidence Rigidity Puns Conceptual surprise Malicious pleasure Repartee Outwitting Condescension Ridicule Caught out Deceitful behaviour Wit Misunderstanding Self-deprecation Table 1, Technique typology for sitcoms Juckel et al. (2016). Action Peculiar face Peculiar music Clumsiness Repulsive behaviour In the scope of the current research is linguistic humour, which is verbally expressed and therefore can cause difficulties in translation. Those of our interest will now be shortly described based on the definitions used by Juckel et al. (2016). In the first category, all techniques are based on language usage. The allusion is an indirect reference to something, not mentioning the object directly. The irony is a statement that means the opposite of what is verbally expressed. A pun is a joke based on different meanings of one word or similar pronunciation of different words; a wordplay. Delabastita (1994: 223) explains that these are rooted in “the particular structural characteristics of the source language”. There is, therefore, some debate over the issue of their translatability which is presented by Delabastita (1994). Repartee is a quick witty speech or conversation. Ridicule is an act of subjecting a person to scornful and dismissive language. Wit is humour based on intelligent and smart creativity. The second category (logic) contains ideational humour. Absurdity is a technique going against all logical rules. Coincidence is an unexpected incident, development. The conceptual surprise is a way to mislead the viewer in order to surprise him or her with an 6 unforeseen turn of events or concept change. Outwitting is the state of being cleverer, wittier than someone else. Caught out happens when a character is doing or saying something bad, not socially acceptable and being caught while doing it. Misunderstanding happens when a character fails to understand the situation correctly. The third category deals with identity or ‘existential humour’ and contains the following techniques. Parody is an imitation of a style or genre. Rigidity – being strict and inflexible in thinking. Malicious pleasure being an example of victim humour, gaining the satisfaction of the misfortune of others. Condescension is based on pride and feeling of superiority over others. Deceitful behaviour is purposely giving wrong ideas, misleading the victim. Self-deprecation is a negative action directed toward oneself. The last category may contain verbal humour only in one technique – clumsiness, the lack of grace and finesse as it can occur also in the way a person is speaking. The other techniques seem not to have a linguistic representation. The above were proposed on the basis of the previous works of Berger (1993) and later Buijzen and Valenburg (2004). These were modified to better suit sitcom analysis with Berger’s division into four main categories. 1.1.2 POSSIBLE LIMITATIONS The methodology suggested by Juckel et al. (2016) has been based on American sitcoms. There is a difference between the US and British sitcoms. It is a matter of discussion which are funny, e.g. on Internet forums (The Escapist 2014) where users cannot agree which are funnier but seem to agree that they are substantially different. Therefore, the humour techniques developed by Juckel (ibid.) might not be easily applied to this type of comedy. They do not precise which point of view (the viewers’ or the characters’) should be taken into consideration. E.g. in Keeping up appearances the whole series could be classified as a ridicule of the people aspiring to be of higher class then they really are and therefore most of the funny situations are funny because the viewer laughs at those attempts. The problem was noted by Ross (1998) who says that a sitcom as a type of situation comedy can contain humour not involving lines or gags which are funny in isolation but rather coming from interactions of the characters. A clear and precise classification of a scene and ascribing humour techniques to each of them for the quantitive analysis might be impossible or be only an approximate. 7 1.2 TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES IN TRANSLATING HUMOUR One of the common opinions about humour translation is the one that it is not possible. As the very traditional approach to translation suggests, one has to translate quite literally and then see if the humorous effect is kept. As this is more often not the case, the conclusion is that humour cannot be translated (Zabalbeascoa 2005). However, as Attardo and Raskin (1991) prove, verbal jokes can be modified along with different parameters (language, narrative strategies, target, situation, logical mechanism, script opposition) and therefore it can be assumed that literal translation is not the only tool available for translating humour. As humour, especially in comedies, has a specific purpose to fulfil, therefore there is no need to retain the original wording. The discussion about the view of humour being possible to translate was recounted by Delabastita (1994) where the technique of compensation is sufficient to transfer the comedy effect from the source to the target text. Formal equivalence (ad verbum) is an attempt to make the Target Text as close to the Source Text as possible by a literal or nearly literal translation. Functional equivalence (ad sensum) justifies a more dynamic approach which does not follow the word-to-word translation rule. Therefore, as Chiaro (2010) points, this can satisfy the needs of recipients who want to be amused by a humorous text. Chiaro also refers to Skopos Theory as a general frame for the translation technique – the outcome must serve the identical function. Zabalbeascoa (2005) came to the same conclusion – humour translation in humorous (comedy) texts should serve their goal of invoking laughter. Translation does not have to be humorous, even if the Source Text contains a humorous element if it is not required by the goal of it or does not suit the target culture where a joke might not be seen as appropriate. The process of translation of humour is described by Chiaro (2010) as “linguistic and cultural give and take away” as it requires sometimes very deep changes in order to maintain the same effect that should be conveyed by the text. There are four main strategies used by translators of Verbally Expressed Humour (VEH) mentioned by Chiaro (2010): a. leave Verbally Expressed Humour unchanged; b. replace the source VEH with a different instance of VEH in TL; c. replace the source VEH with an idiomatic expression in the TL; d. ignore the VEH altogether. 8 The first strategy is the one that will usually end in losing the laughter effect as the joke, the pun is lost. It is extremely rare that a pun would still be a pun in the target language. The strategy of replacing the source VEH with VEH in Target Language requires wit and humour from the translator as he or she is now the creator of a new pun, joke or other instance of humour. The goal is to retain the VEH itself. Translators can also omit the wordplay and replace VEH with an idiomatic expression or another phrase in TL. This will probably not keep the effect of the original text. The last option available for translators according to Chiaro (2010) is the omission of the humorous element. VEH is not translated at all and the outcome is just a standard text that does not amuse. As the author points out, it is difficult to say whether this is a conscious and deliberately chosen strategy or just not recognizing a particular appearance of VEH. 9 CHAPTER II CATEGORIZATION OF HUMOUR TECHNIQUES The main goal of this chapter is to analyse the humour techniques used in the series with the special focus on those which can possibly cause problems in translation. Techniques like peculiar face or music will not be analysed in-depth as they are not the subject of translation. This qualitative analysis will be followed by a shorter quantitative analysis to see how often each technique is used. For this purpose, each episode will be marked as containing one or more use of each technique. If a technique is often present in the series and can cause translation difficulties it will be more in-depth analysed in the second part. 2.1 HUMOUR TECHNIQUES IN ‘KEEPING UP APPEARANCES’ One of the ways the main character tries to ensure being seen as upper-class is the language she uses. As it is noted by Gymnich (2016), the way the characters use English is one of the ways of portraying class stereotypes in the series. It is also a source of many humorous situations. E.g. Hyacinth reacts to Richard saying (when entering the house) ‘It’s only me’ with ‘Shouldn’t that be It’s only I, dear? Especially when you’re shouting at where the neighbours can hear’ (season 1, episode 1 - S01E01, ~23:40). 2.1.1 MAIN HUMOUR TECHNIQUES USED IN THE SERIES The series has five running gags that are present in nearly every episode: 1. wrong phone call (to Hyacinth instead to Chinese restaurant); 2. Hyacinth’s Daddy is missing; 3. someone has to take shoes before entering Hyacinth’s house; 4. Emmet is trying to avoid Hyacinth (this, however, appears in seasons 2-5); 5. People mispronouncing Hyacinth’s surname as /ˈbʌk.ɪt/ instead of the version preferred by her - /ˈbʌk. eɪ/. Out of those five, only one is strictly linguistic and could provide a problem in translation. The problematic one is the way Hyacinth’s surname is pronounced. It is spelt BU-C-K-E-T which is commonly read by other characters as /ˈbʌk.ɪt/. This pronunciation is once even supported by her husband (season 5, episode 4, time about 03:22). She, however, 10 prefers other, less common and more dignified (in her own eyes) pronunciation of /buˈkeɪ/ (e.g. S01E01, 01:30). According to the Technique typology in Table 1, this could be classified as a pun. Extract 1 (S01E01, ~ 01:15): Hyacinth meets a postman who has not delivered anything to her house. Character Text Technique used Canned laughter (CL) 1. Hyacinth Have you nothing for this address? 2. Postman Sorry. 3. Hyacinth I'd be greatly obliged if you'd make quite L sure. 4. Hyacinth There's usually something for a Mrs Richard Bucket (/buˈkeɪ/). Postman How do you spell "Bucket” (/buˈkeɪ/)? Hyacinth B-U-C-K-E-T. pun L Postman What? Hyacinth B-U-C-K-E-T. Postman Oh, Bucket (/ˈbʌk.ɪt/). Hyacinth It's “Bucket” (/buˈkeɪ/). Postman "I'm sorry, lady. There's nothing here for Ridicule L "Bouquet” (/buˈkeɪ/). The “Bouquet” pun is present in all but one episode of the first series. It is not present in episode 3. People such as the postman, doctor, vicar and even people who speak with Hyacinth on the phone constantly mispronounce the surname and have to be corrected. It is understandable because of the features of the English language in which the spelling and pronunciation of words can differ or identically spelt words can have different ways of pronouncing them. Extract 1 is an example of the above-mentioned usage of the pun. It also contains other humour techniques. The humour lies in the misused register. Referring to a postman in a casual situation with a formal phrase creates the comic effect. The scene contains also viewer first encounter with the double pronunciation of the surname Bucket. The last canned laughter is heard when the postman stresses the word Bucket with the /buˈkeɪ/ pronunciation. This shows that very often even a short scene or fragment of the series can contain different humour techniques which together provide entertainment for the viewer. 11 2.1.2 OTHER HUMOUR TECHNIQUES USED IN THE SERIES Allusion A very subtle allusion was used in episode 5 in the scene when Elizabeth comes to Hyacinth for coffee (extract 18). Elizabeth arrives at the front door and, when the hostess opens, is asked to go around to the back door. Viewers might remember at this moment another scene the happened in episode 1. Extract 2 (S01E01, ~ 14:58): Elizabeth comes to visit Hyacinth. Character Text Technique used 1. Hyacinth Shall we go through to the kitchen? 2. Elizabeth I don't know why you won't let me through your back door. 3. Hyacinth I think it's so common, don't you, using back doors? No, the proper way for my guests, I always feel, is through the front door. 4. Elizabeth And then straight into the kitchen? 5. Hyacinth Well, yes. Unless, of course, it's someone ridicule special. CL L Hyacinth, as it is presented, is “keeping up appearances” and probably wants to be seen as a generous hostess often visited by her neighbours, she wants to be in the centre of attention, as a person creating the social life of the neighbourhood. That is the reason why Elizabeth has always been coming for tea or coffee to the front door. Until the moment when she can possibly soil the precious floors at the “Bouquet residence”. The attentive viewer should remember the scene from episode 1 when the electric who comes to the house has to remove his shoes before entering to read Hyacinth’s meter. This background knowledge makes the situation in episode 5 work as a funny one. There are limits of the hospitality, no one can soil the floors of the “Bouquet residence”. Irony The irony is present in a few moments of the series. An example situation is when Hyacinth tries to keep the appearances in front of Elizabeth who broke her precious cup and at the same time let her neighbour know how valuable the thing was. 12 Extract 3 (S01E01, ~ 17:21): Hyacinth is cleaning her carpet after Elizabeth has spilt tea and broken Hyacinth’s cup. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Elizabeth Oh, Hyacinth, I'm so sorry. 2. Hyacinth Now do stop worrying, dear. We're not going to irony fall out over a cup and saucer, even a very old, L irreplaceable cup and saucer. 3. Elizabeth Oh, it would happen to me. 4. Hyacinth Believe me, I do understand. It can't be easy to malicious be dainty when you're all thumbs. pleasure L 5. Hyacinth There, I think that will do until I can afford a little more time. 6. Elizabeth Oh, dear. 7. Hyacinth We're not going to worry anymore about a bit irony of expensive carpet and a cup that's been around for ages. L As mentioned earlier, each occasion is good for Hyacinth to stress the fact that she is a person of good taste and in possession of a valuable thing. In the same scene, a moment later she will also mention her expensive carpet (line 7.). The humour of the scene is supported by the clumsiness of Elizabeth mentioned by Hyacinth in line 4 and at the same time, Hyacinth being repulsive in an indirect or sophisticated way towards Elizabeth. Puns The very first pun appearing in the series is the mispronunciation of the main character’s surname and has been quoted above. The series is, however, not based on puns and they are not the basis for most of the humorous situations. On the other hand, they tend to be very difficult to translate and therefore should be particularly interesting for the research. They can be very vague and combined with other humorous connotations like in extract 4: Extract 4 (S01E01, ~ 23:17): Hyacinth boasts about her son’s successes at university. Elizabeth tries to show her daughter as a good student too. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Elizabeth Gail's studying hard. 2. Hyacinth Well, it's a struggle, isn't it, when they're not pun, ridicule, academically gifted? absurdity L 13 Hyacinth’s response can be funny for many reasons. The pun refers to the possible meaning of “hard” as an adverb suggesting that studying is a difficulty for Gail and she must “struggle” her way through university. The situation can be seen as ridicule by Hyacinth who by this means tries to put her own son and therefore herself in a better position. It also part of a recurring theme of absurd situations in which Hyacinth does not listen to what other people say being more focused on her own person. Extract 5 (S01E01, ~ 23:17): Richard coming back home. Character Text Technique used 1. Richard It's only me. 2. Hyacinth Shouldn't that be, "it's only I," dear? pun, ridicule 3. Hyacinth Especially when you're shouting it where the neighbours can hear. 4. Richard I'm not sure. 5. Hyacinth Neither am I, so you must be careful. CL L The humour effect is achieved by referring to a grammatical problem in the English language should I or me be used in phrases as you and me. The main character extends her care of language purity to a bigger range of uses of me. It can be seen as typical of people aspiring to a higher class by using hypercorrect language. It has been classified as a pun as it seems to be the closest category. However, it is also part of the general ridicule theme of the series – Hyacinth trying to keep up appearances of a higher class that she does not belong to by birth and therefore trying to use hypercorrect and posh language. Of the same kind is the situation in the third episode. Extract 6 (S01E03, ~ 16:36): Rose and her lover’s wife have agreed that men – ‘they’re all swines’. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Wife It's us women that suffer. 2. Hyacinth Should that be "it's we women who suffer"? pun L As in the previous situation, the pun is based on a feature of the English language. This feature, when not present in the target language of translation, might pose serious difficulty in translation. 14 An interesting pun with Polish reference was used in the third episode. Extract 7 (S01E03, ~ 07:57): Rose talking on the phone with one of her lovers’ wives. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Rose Don't you scream at me. I never touched your pun L husband. I wouldn't touch him with a six-foot pole! I wish I could find a six-foot Pole. 2. Rose A sort of younger Lech Walensa. pun L This is a classic use of a word with two meanings: pole (“a long, slender, rounded piece of wood or metal” (Oxford Living Dictionaries)) and Pole (a person from Poland). Both are pronounced the same, the pun is based on the homonymy of those two words. To understand the joke the viewer must have the knowledge about where Lech Wałęsa comes from and how he looks like. In the English-speaking world, especially in the US, Polish jokes were popular. They have been used by Attardo and Raskin (1991) as examples for their general theory of verbal humour. They portray Poles in a negative way, contrary to the pun about Lech Wałęsa. He must be seen as attractive so that women can feel some kind of affection for him. He might have been known in the UK because of the political events that had taken place in Poland before the production of the series. Without this knowledge, the pun could not work as the normal appearance of Poles in humour was part of the negative stereotype towards them. Repartee Repartee is, according to the definition used, a “verbal banter, usually in a witty dialogue” (Juckel 2016: 588). Dialogues are the base of many humorous situations and they are very often interrupted by canned laughter. They are, however, rarely based only on one technique but employ many of them in order to engage the viewer with different types of jokes and therefore keep him or her interested. A short dialogue that can be described as a repartee is present in the fifth episode. 15 Extract 8 (S01E05, ~ 13:27): Daisy is trying to make her husband Onslow jealous to find out if he still loves her. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Daisy It hasn't worked. 2. Rose You don' know that. 3. Daisy Well, look at him. Does he look jealous? L 4. Rose Maybe he's hiding it. 5. Daisy Doing a very good job. wit L 6. Rose Maybe he's in turmoil inside. 7. Daisy If he is, it's indigestion. wit L The wit is in Daisy’s answers who doubts if her husband loves her. When Rose tries to look at the thing from a more optimistic point of view Daisy is immediately giving a very down-to-earth and unromantic reply. A peculiar type of repartee are Hyacinth’s phone talks. In many of them, the viewer hears only what the main character says. Although the interlocutor cannot be heard, their statements and comments can be guessed from Hyacinth’s comments. One of such is a running gag of the series (in the first season in episodes 1 and 2) when someone calls the “Bouquet residence” instead of a Chinese takeaway restaurant. In these short scenes, multiple techniques are usually used to ridicule the hostess’s attempts to keep the image of impeccable taste and high standards which is also connected with a stereotypical contempt for anything foreign. Another on-phone repartee is when Hyacinth speaks with her son. This is also a scene present in many episodes (1 and 2 in the first season). The son calls home when he is in need of money. Hyacinth seems not to be aware of it and is surprised when Richard says that they will not send any more money. She thinks that her son only wants to talk to his mother. Ridicule The analysis of this technique poses some difficulty. The whole series can be classified as a ridicule of the people aspiring to higher social classes than their own and failing to do so in a comical way. Most of the scenes or even all of them where Hyacinth is present can be categorised as ridicule. 16 There are moments when one of the characters ridicules another. It is done by Onslow when he calls Hyacinth “Queen mother” or Hyacinth when she comments on the financial status of Daisy and Onslow. Extract 9 (S01E06, ~ 07:14): Hyacinth is at Daisy’s house, the family is preparing to Daisy’s daughter’s christening. Character Text Technique used 1. Hyacinth Did I see Onslow wearing a tie? 2. Daisy Of course, he's wearing a tie. You don't think he's going to not wear a tie at his granddaughter's christening? 3. Hyacinth He didn't wear a tie at his daughter's christening. 4. Daisy I don't think we could afford one then. 5. Hyacinth I'm glad Onslow's come on so well, since. ridicule go to CL L L Hyacinth’s answer following an utterance which could also be classified as repulsive behaviour offends her family on the basis of being poor. The fact that this contrast of being poor and financially well is probably funnier in this context is the general frame of ridicule of Hyacinth. She is the person who wants to be seen as financially more successful than others. Wit Witty, ingenious responses are quite common in the series and form together with other techniques the humour of the series. They are usually part of a bigger theme like the situation in charity shop from episode 4 where Rose donates her erotic clothes for charity and Hiacynth does not want to be associated with her as it could damage her reputation in the eye of a very important person – Councillor Nugent. When the councillor comes to Daisy’s house to return the clothes and Hyacinth, who is there too, talks with her through a closed door, a short witty dialogue takes place. Extract 10 (S01E04, ~ 25:43): Councillor Nugent brings back to Rose clothes she brought to the charity shop. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Hyacinth (German accent) why not please to push them through the letterbox? 2. Nugent You can push most of them through that wit L keyhole! 17 The reference to the size of the clothes emphasises the general theme in the series of Rose being a lady with many romantic relationships. This is part of the contrast in the Hyacinth’s family which serves the general ridicule of Hyacinth’s efforts to “keep up appearances” present in the series. Absurdity This is another category that seems to be employed very often in the series. Usually, the source of it is Hyacinth who on her way up the social ladder employs some unexpected means. This happened, e.g. when she tries to convince her husband to wear a bowtie to work instead of a tie. The scene includes another technique, ridicule, when Richard suggests wearing a clownish bowtie to stand out. Extract 11 (S01E04, ~ 02:00): Richard is leaving to work. Character Text Technique used 1. Hyacinth Well, you should. You're still only the deputy in your department. Perhaps if you wore a bowtie, you'd be the chief. 2. Richard I don't think the promotions system is based on bow-ties. 3. Hyacinth You're too naive, Richard. These things matter. You'd stand out more in a bow-tie. 4. Richard Especially one that spins around and lights up. ridicule 5. Hyacinth Now don't be silly. You should do it for me and absurd for Sheridan. Sheridan deserves a father full of executive stress wearing a bow-tie. CL L L The absurd of the scene is not only related to the question of a bowtie. Hyacinth wants her husband to take a briefcase with him. He protests as he has nothing to carry in it but Hyacinth again points that people carrying briefcases are better perceived by others. 18 Extract 12 (S01E04, ~ 02:33): Richard is leaving to work. Character Text Technique used 1. Hyacinth And where's your briefcase? 2. Richard I have nothing to carry. 3. Hyacinth That doesn't matter. 4. Hyacinth You should always look as if you have something to carry. 5. Richard Hyacinth… 6. Hyacinth They always promote people who look as if absurdity they have something to carry. CL L L The absurdity of the scene builds the more general theme of the ridicule. Hyacinth is making a fool of herself when she expresses her opinion about people’s promotions. The viewer needs to understand that the nouveau riches often lack the knowledge about things which can be common for those who had been in certain social groups for generations. Conceptual surprise The conceptual surprise is not used on a large scale in the series to build a plot twist on a grander scale. It resides in short dialogues like the one below. Extract 13 (S01E01, ~ 23:35): Richard asks Hyacinth about her father after coming back home. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Richard How's your father? 2. Hyacinth I rang, the ward sister answered. She says he's sitting up and beginning to take an interest. 3. Richard That's good. 4. Hyacinth In the physiotherapist. Conceptual surprise L The viewer expects that “taking interest” is a sign of recovery and normal behaviour such as speaking to people, being able to communicate. The surprise is in the object of the father’s interests who is a lady working at the hospital. The viewer who is already familiar with Hyacinth’s aspirations and rigidity can find the not sublime object of the father’s attention as, again, a part of the general ridicule theme in the series. Posh Hyacinth is contrasted with her family with a strong working-class background and lifestyle. 19 And another example can be given from Rose’s phone conversation with Hyacinth. Extract 14 (S01E02, ~ 06:12): Rose is on phone with Hyacinth. Character Text Technique used 1. Rose I can't live without Mr Hepplewhite. Not since conceptual the tragedy. Well, it's what happens to all men surprise in the end, he's gone back to his wife. CL L The viewer expects some kind of reference to men not being faithful to the women they have affairs with. Surprisingly Rose mentions the fact that they come back to their wives which is not what one expects in this context. Episode three contains a scene of another conceptual surprise. At Rose’s house arrives a wife of one of her lover’s (at about minute 12:14 of the episode). They start arguing. The argument is, as one would expect, very fierce. Sometime later Hyacinth, who is in the house, realises that it became surprisingly quiet in the room where Rose and the wife argued. Together with Daisy, they suspect the worst. To their astonishment, the two women have not harmed each other but agreed on the fact that men are “swines”. It is surprising as Rose is the one who had an affair with the woman’s husband. It can also be seen in the moments when Hyacinth does not pay attention to other characters and her responses do not correspond with what has been said. These can be also classified as absurdity as there is no logical connection between the things said. Extract 15 (S01E01, ~ 24:06): Richard asks Hyacinth about her home. Character Text 1. Hyacinth No, I don't think it's that either. Anyway, dear, enough of my problems. Did you manage to get the parsley? 2. Richard Yes, in the kitchen. You'll never guess who I bumped into. 3. Hyacinth Good. Would you polish those glasses for me, dear… 4. Hyacinth And then give me a hand with buffing up the cruet? father after coming back Technique used CL Conceptual surprise L L 20 When Hyacinth says “Good” in the third line the viewer can expect her to follow up, show interest. This is, however, not what she does. Matters of others are not important to her. That’s the way she only for the reason of politeness says a word that theoretically shows her good manners but then the viewer is surprised that she continues speaking about a different matter. A one of importance to her. Caught out This technique is not used in the series except for two situations in episodes 4 and 6. In the first one, Hyacinth is looking for the son of her father’s new fiancée. When she meets the man, he lies and pretends to be someone else. Hyacinth, eventually, when asking him many questions find out the truth. However, this can be also categorised as a different technique, e.g. a failed deceitful behaviour. The second is Hyacinth boasting with her father’s merits during the war when talking with Richard. He points out that she told him once a different story and she must quickly find an excuse for the small lie. This creates her character of a person who wants to be better than she in fact is. Such failures will cause viewers’ laughter based because they can jeer the main character. Rigidity Rigidity is present in the series in Hyacinth’s view of the world. This is demonstrated e.g. in the way of thinking about her son Sheridan. The viewer never hears him but only his mother when they talk on the phone. From those conversations, the viewer can build an image of Sheridan as a son who constantly asks for money and is probably a homosexual. His mother wants him to behave properly, study hard and not mingle with women. She is always happy with his lack of interest in the opposite sex and does not realise where it comes from. This theme is firstly introduced in episode 2 of the first series. 21 Extract 16 (S01E02, ~ 25:08): Sheridan calls his mother. Character Text Technique used 1. Hyacinth The "Bouquet" residence, the lady of the house s-- oh, Sheridan, how wonderful to hear your voice, dear! What a close psychic bond between you and I. £50? Why do you need £50, dear? 2. Hyacinth Why do you want curtain material? A flat? Whose flat? Sheridan, you're not moving in with some designing female. 3. Hyacinth Oh, it's not a girl's flat, it's a boy's flat. 4. Hyacinth And you're making your own curtains? How inventive, dear. 5. Hyacinth Your friend always makes his own curtains. I see. CL L L L L This theme is developed in other seasons. In the first one, the above extract is the only allusions to Sheridan’s sexual orientation. Hyacinth being rigid in terms of moral behaviour is a theme present in many moments of the series. She frequently mentions that Onslow shows too much of his body or makes sure that everyone dresses appropriately, even if they are on the phone. She even scolds her husband in episode 2 for answering a phone call from a woman when being without trousers (as the couple was preparing for the vicar's visit and Richard was asking Hyacinth what to wear). The situation is funny because of such exaggerations made by the main character. Her rigidness can also make some of the situations even funnier. Knowing her character the viewer can see the scene presented in extract 13 as even more amusing. Her father, who is supposed to be an example for others and someone to be proud of is defying Hyacinth’s rigid approach towards intersexual behaviour. She would rather try to ingratiate herself with Councillor Nugent (episode 4) who is admired by Hyacinth because she is “a force in the community dedicated to the suppression of excessive romantic behaviour” (S01E04, ~ 19:00). Hyacinth seems to be too rigid and sees wrong-doing in very casual situations which are not morally wrong themselves. On the other hand, she seems not to realize the actual threat to her moral image which is her son probably being homosexual. 22 Malicious pleasure This technique is used in the series to build an image of Onslow as not pleasant and not well-behaved person, someone whose presence is not welcomed by Hyacinth. His behaviour is sometimes vulgar and contrasts with the posh way of life of his sister-in-law. Extract 17 (S01E03, ~ 09:23): Hyacinth comes to visit her father, the scene in front of Daisy’s house. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Hyacinth Leave it. Leave it. 2. (dog barking, Hyacinth falls on the hedge) clumsiness 3. Onslow (shouting from the window) You've woken the L dog. 4. Richard Good morning, Onslow. 5. Hyacinth Don't say good morning to him when I’ve just L been savaged by his dog. Onslow Less noise, you daft bitch. And that goes for pun, malicious L you as well, dog. (laughing) humour In the scene, Onslow laughs at Hyacinth and offends her by calling her “bitch” and using the double meaning of the word. However, the series is not filled with this type of humour and sometimes even considered not vulgar enough in presenting the working class (Gymnich 2016). A question can be asked about the series as a whole if it is not to some extent a kind of malicious pleasure of the viewer. Hyacinth’s undertakings often end misfortunately and that is the reason many liked Keeping Up Appearances. In episode 1, her visit to the major’s garden ends in her running away and losing her dignified image. Then, in episode 2, her carefully planned tea and light refreshments with the new vicar is also unsuccessful. She loses her face in front of a lord in episode 3. In episode 4 the view can laugh when Hyacinth is trying to get to Daisy’s house without Elizabeth noticing where it actually is, and when Councillor Nugent comes to Daisy’s house and Hyacinth is there and does not want to be seen. In episode 5 Hyacinth is embarrassed in front of the vicar by her sister Daisy and Onslow. Finally, in episode 6, the fact that she has to come back to the church for christening in a hippy caravanette and therefore again is embarrassed publicly is a reason for many to laugh. The ridicule of the series is, as it seems, strongly based on general failure of the main character to maintain the upper-class image. This failure works as a trigger for laughter, maybe partially because of the general dislike the society has towards nouveau riche people. This can be seen 23 as a part of the ridicule theme that, as is seems, is strengthened by the malicious pleasure the viewer takes from seeing her fiascos. The malicious humour presented in the series seems to fit well in the theory of humour presented by Plato. Morreall (1987) summarises his view as the amusement that people find when others show their powerlessness in life, self-ignorance. The laughter is caused by the feeling of superiority of the laughing person. The viewer of the series can feel better than Hyacinth, excuse his or her own situation if they are not themselves trying to become richer and laugh at the fact that in the end, Hyacinth is helpless in most of the situations. Condescension This technique could be treated as part of repulsive behaviour as both are picturing someone offending others – like in the earlier mentioned scene at the church hall from the fifth episode. This way of treating others, in a patronizing manner, is one of Hyacinth’s traits of character. She considers herself better than others and shows this in each episode. In episode 2, for example, she insists on her neighbour to come and have a rehearsal before vicar’s visit to her house and gives instructions on where to sit and how to behave. On the other occasion, she does not let Richard go to do the gardening without a tie (episode 5). Usually, the victims are her husband, Richard and Elizabeth. She tries to patronize her brother-in-law, Onslow, but he is thick-skinned and does not let her orchestrate his life. One of the situations, when Hyacinth patronises others and does not listen to what they have to say, is when her neighbour comes to visit her for a cup of coffee. 24 Extract 18 (S01E05, ~ 06:10): Elizabeth was invited for a cup of coffee by Hyacinth and now arrives at her door. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Hyacinth (doorbell rings) Oh, Elizabeth! 2. Hyacinth Yes? 3. Elizabeth Coffee? 4. Hyacinth (laughing) Oh, yes, of course. The back door, allusion L dear. 5. Hyacinth Elizabeth? Oh, there you are, dear. L 6. Hyacinth Of course, if you hadn't been gardening, you could have come in at the front. 7. Elizabeth I had changed my shoes and washed my hands. 8. Hyacinth What I always do when I’ve been gardening is absurdity, L change my shoes and wash my hands. condescension The situation is absurd. At first, we see Hyacinth’s surprised reaction to Elizabeth’s coming. It seems that she has forgotten that she had invited her neighbour. The laugh might strengthen this impression as it may be the means to cover up the embarrassment. Then Elizabeth is asked to go round the house and enter through the back door. In the kitchen, while preparing coffee, Hyacinth explains why she did so. She also gives herself as a good example to look up to for her friend. However, she does not notice that Elizabeth is not a small child who needs to be instructed, she does not listen to her explanations. It is clear, from her own words, that Elizabeth is careful enough (or maybe already trained by Hyacinth) to respect the decorum of the house. The patronising attitude of Hyacinth manifests itself in the fact that she tries to teach basic manners to an adult and ignores whatever she says. Deceitful behaviour Hyacinth sometimes tries to hide the truth about her or her family. It sometimes works as the other character has no way of checking the facts, like in episode 1 when Hyacinth does not want to tell what happened to her father when talking with Elizabeth. In other situations, she is not so successful, as when she does not want others to know that she goes to a christening of her niece’s daughter as there was no marriage first (episode 6). 25 Extract 19 (S01E06, ~ 24:06): Before going to the christening Hyacinth asked Richard not to tell anyone where they are going. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Hyacinth Good day, Elizabeth. 2. Elizabeth Oh, good morning, Hyacinth. Oh, you are looking smart. 3. Hyacinth Oh, thank you. L 4. Richard We're off to a christening. L 5. Hyacinth It's just a small intimate affair. 6. Elizabeth Oh, very nice. Fashionable? 7. Hyacinth Well yes, reasonably fashionable. deceitful L behaviour 8. Elizabeth You wouldn't go to any other kind. 9. Hyacinth Hardly. Is the car clean, Richard? absurdity L In the extract, Richard breaks his promise the moment he sees his neighbour. As the christening is not up to Hyacinth standards, she tries to avoid giving any details and change the topic as soon as possible. Such a conversation would be a very casual one but the viewers know that Hyacinth is permanently trying to keep up appearances and laugh when her attempts encounter such obstacles. Clumsiness According to Juckel et al. (2016), this is a humour technique that belongs to the action category. In the series, it can be exemplified in the scenes when Elizabeth spills her tea and breaks cups at Hyacinth’s. However, it can also be clumsiness while speaking when Hyacinth needs to tell in what kind of house her sister Daisy lives. Elizabeth asks her very casual questions which Hyacinth finds difficult to answer and stutters. 26 Extract 20 (S01E04, ~ 06:34): Hyacinth and Elizabeth are on their way to Daisy’s house. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Elizabeth I don't think I’ve ever seen your sister Daisy's house, have I, Hyacinth? 2. Hyacinth No! No, I don't believe you have. 3. Elizabeth Is it a nice house? 4. Hyacinth Well, I’d really rather we were going to my sister Violet's. You remember Violet? She married that turf accountant. 5. Hyacinth He built that big house with a sauna and room L for a pony. 6. Hyacinth You've heard me speak of Violet? 7. Elizabeth Frequently. L 8. Hyacinth You'd like Violet's. 9. Elizabeth Maybe I’ll like Daisy's. 10. Hyacinth Well, possibly you may, y-y-you well may. clumsiness, L ridicule 11. Elizabeth What kind of a house is Daisy's? 12. Hyacinth Actually… (stammering) it's quite like one of absurd, L these. Yes. In fact, it's very like one of these. clumsiness, Come to think of it, it is one of these. ridicule A feeling of relief can be seen on Hyacinth’s face when she comes up with a lie about Daisy’s house. The scene is followed by a very classic sitcom scene of clumsiness, in this case, a graceful lady trying to get through different obstacles. In both cases, the clumsiness of Hyacinth leads to another technique applied, namely ridicule. The viewers laugh because in their eyes she presents herself as a fool. Repulsive behaviour A scene when Hyacinth can be offensive has already been mentioned. In extract 3 (S01E01, ~ 17:21) she says that her neighbour, Elizabeth, is “all thumbs” which contributes to the scene being funny as Hyacinth ironically says that it is not a problem that an expensive cup has been broken. Hyacinth acts as if she did not realise the way she talks to other people. In a scene at the church hall (episode 5) where a meeting with a special guest is being prepared, she thinks that everyone will join to help only for the reason that she is asking for it. Her repulsive behaviour manifests itself in the form of scornful remarks about the food prepared by other 27 women. She does not use any swear words but often compares things with the ones she made or those made by Sheridan. More frequently a repulsive, offensive behaviour of Onslow is the source of laughter, especially when presented in front of Hyacinth. He is also presenting a much more repulsive behaviour than other characters. In the first episode, there is a scene when Hyacinth visits her sisters’ and father’s house. Her disgust at Onslow drinking beer, not wearing a shirt and generally not behaving appropriately to her standards is seen on her face. In addition, Onslow’s and other family members’ language is far from posh standards. Extract 21 (S01E01, ~ 09:47): Richard and Hyacinth are at Daisy’s house to find out what has happened to her father. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Onslow He's a dirty old man. ridicule, repulsive L behaviour 2. Daisy Shut up, Onslow. repulsive behaviour 3. Hyacinth Richard, go and keep an eye on the car. 4. Richard I think I’ll go and keep an eye on the car. absurdity L 5. Hyacinth What does Onslow mean? 6. Daisy He means dad's taken to going out at night on his own lately. 7. Onslow In the naughty [nude]. ridicule, repulsive L behaviour The contrast between Hyacinth’s and her family’s behaviour is part of the ridicule of the whole series. She is trying to keep up appearances even in front of her own husband and finds an absurd pretext to make him leave the house and not see how her own family behaves. The technique of using repulsive behaviour of the characters is used to emphasize the grand theme of the series. Hyacinth, the perfect lady of the upper class, tries to maintain her image by showing herself an embodiment of perfection and others as worse and neglectable. However, her own family is also behaving repulsively but in a different manner. They are more vulgar and offensive which creates a vivid contrast with the main character’s aspirations. Hyacinth, however, is often in a situation when she needs to visit her family or be 28 seen with them in public and therefore be ashamed if it. The viewer laughs because the way her family behaves is something, she prefers not to be associated with. 2.2 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS To enumerate each usage as a single usage of each technique poses serious problems. The biggest one for the series is the question of what counts as ridicule. Keeping up appearances is ridicule (as defined by Juckel et al. (2016:588) as “making a fool of someone”). Other techniques are often used as an auxiliary for this main one. It also poses a problem of how to divide episodes into smaller pieces. On the one hand, some topics are interspersed with each other throughout each episode and could be counted as one technique. On the other hand, many scenes contain different techniques which overlap. Sometimes in a scene, a technique can be used more than once. Wit or absurdity can be used to ridicule, the ridicule of Hyacinth manifests in or is intertwined with taking malicious pleasure from her misfortunes and failed efforts. Therefore, only an approximate analysis for whole episodes can be given. In the table below (Table 2) each episode was marked X if the technique was used in it. If a technique was present in more than one scene than XX was used to mark it. Technique Allusion Irony Puns “Bouquet” pun Repartee Ridicule Wit Absurdity Coincidence Conceptual surprise Outwitting Caught out Misunderstanding Parody Rigidity Malicious pleasure Condescension Deceitful behaviour Self-deprecation Peculiar face E01 Daddy's Accident E02 The New Vicar X XX X XX XX XX XX X XX XX XX XX XX XX X X E03 Stately Home E04 The Charity Shop E05 Daisy's Toyboy X X X XX XX XX XX X XX XX XX XX X XX XX XX XX X XX X X XX XX X X X XX X XX X X XX X XX X X XX X XX E06 The Christening X X X X XX XX X XX X X X XX X X X XX XX 29 Peculiar music Clumsiness XX XX XX X XX XX Repulsive behaviour X X XX X XX Table 2, Humour techniques used in the episodes of the first season of Keeping Up Appearances (X – a technique used in one scene, XX – a technique used in more than one scene). The series does not contain some of the techniques like peculiar music at all. Others, like ridicule and puns, are employed in every episode. A variety of different techniques is used in every episode with puns, repartees, ridicule, wit, absurdity and clumsiness as the most common. Although puns, the most difficult to translate, are present in every episode, they do not present majority of jokes and are sometimes only a part of a scene which is funny because of many other techniques. Therefore, even if they are not translated, the overall comedy style will be not lost in translation, even though the target text lacks some of the original wit. The analysis shows that the comedy of many situations is not dependent on language. Characters react to events not only with witty responses but also with facial expressions. They can lack grace in their movements or be simply clumsy (as e.g. Elizabeth in Hyacinth’s presence). Wide usage of different techniques might explain the success of the series in the UK and abroad. Such diversity can amuse different tastes and can make the series understandable to people in different cultures and people using different languages. 30 CHAPTER III TRANSLATION ANALYSIS – TRANSLATION TECHNIQUES USED IN THE POLISH EDITION This chapter will present the analysis of the translation provided in the Polish edition of Keeping Up Appearances. Places, where discrepancies between the original and the translation will be found, will be analysed more extensively. If it is possible, an evaluation of the target text will be given to assess whether it keeps the original function – to make people laugh. In other words, the question of the translation being funny will be in the centre of interest. The techniques of evoking laughter based on accent and dialect can, however, prove to be difficult in translation. They are lost in the translation process according to Chiaro (2010). However according to Zabalbeascoa (2015), at least when translating verbal content is concerned, being faithful to actual words in source texts where humour is the goal of the text is not necessary. This follows the principles formulated by Hans Vermeer and Katharina Reiß in their Skopos theory – the translation has to take into account the aim of itself. In comedy sitcoms it is, as well as the clients demand and recipients’ expectations, to amuse and evoke laughter. The English title of the series has been translated into a Polish phrase Co ludzie powiedzą. It keeps the idea of the original Keeping up appearances. Although it is not a word for word translation it is also not a completely new title. In the categorisation proposed by Nowak (2017) it would fit probably in the adaptation category. In both cases, the title suggests that all the efforts of the main character are not based on reasons other than to maintain a certain social position. The names of the main character and her sisters have been translated. As these are names of flowers there is a simple English – Polish correspondence. Similarly, the other characters’ names have been translated by using Polish equivalents. The only name that could pose difficulty in translation is Onslow. It is not a common word in English (it is not noted by the online Oxford Living Dictionaries, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/). The translator has coined a Polish equivalent Powolniak (not noted by Polish online dictionary Słownik Języka Polskiego PWN, https://sjp.pwn.pl/). Both terms represent the relaxed attitude of the character towards everything that happens around him and his slow and not stressful lifestyle. 31 The running gag of mispronunciation of Hyacinth’s surname has been translated into Polish using the opposition Bukiet – Żakiet where the first one, meaning bouquet keeps the original meaning of the /buˈkeɪ/. The original version, however, plays on the possible pronunciation of the same spelling and therefore makes the mistake made by people reading it plausible. Polish Bukiet – Żakiet cannot be mistaken for each other and it is difficult to imagine a person misreading those words like this. Nevertheless, the Polish viewer is presented with several characters who misread (not recognize letters at the first time) rather than mispronounce (apply a wrong phonetic interpretation of the written text) the surname. The humorous effect is still present but not to the same extent and does not keep the nuance of the original. Because of the lack of a similar possibility to create a pun in the Polish language forced the translator to look for another solution to keep the comic effect. Register As Hyacinth aspires to upper classes, she uses different language than her family. The contrast between her posh and sophisticated style contrasts with the simpler and more vulgar style used by Daisy, Onslow and Rose. This, however, is not always present in the translation. What is also not present is the different accent. Polish translation is read by a voice-over actor who not only does not present any particular intonation for different emotional reactions of the characters, ho also does not act the difference between different accents present in the original. Extract 22 (S01E03, ~ 06:36): Richard and Hyacinth are on a car ride, Hyacinth warns Richard against a lorry that is parked next to the road. Richard gets a little bit nervous at Hyacinth. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Hyacinth I don't think I like your tone, Richard. L 2. Richard Changing tone. Hyacinth’s phrase (no. 1) has been translated as Zmień ton Ryszardzie. The Polish version is more direct and sounds a little bit arrogant, which is not an impressions Hyacinth would like to make. Her remark might be, in her own eyes, more indirect and sophisticated. The Polish phrase could probably better suit the language of Onslow, Daisy and Rose. The more vulgar language is inconsistently translated. In some situations, it is kept as below. 32 Extract 23 (S01E04, ~ 11:42): Translation Character Text 1. Hyacinth Czy rozmawiałaś z nią stanowczo? 2. Daisy Próbowałam. Co więcej, posłałam tam Powolniaka. 3. Onslow Ja mówię: “Niech pani idzie do domu”. A ona: „spadaj”. The word spadaj kept the register of the original bugger off, so the source register is transferred to the target text and creates the expected contrast between Hyacinth and her family. It is, however, not a rule in the series as it can be seen in extract 7. Extract 7 (S01E03, ~ 07:57): Translation Character Text 1. Rose Proszę na mnie nie krzyczeć. Nawet nie dotknęłam pani męża. Nawet kijem bym go nie dotknęła. 2. Rose Wygląda jak młody Wałęsa. In this scene, the translator changed the informal style of the statement to a formal one by using the polite forms of proszę and pani. This is more of Hyacinth’s style which is high and posh rather than of the working-class person arguing with someone. Therefore, not only is the pun lost in translation, which will be discussed later, but also the contrast between Hyacinth aspiring to upper classes, also the way she speaks, and her family who use more common, simple and sometimes nearly vulgar language. Allusion The allusion mentioned in chapter 2 was well transferred into the Polish edition of the series. It is not based on puns or other linguistic devices but is built on the way the main character treats her guests. It functions as a part that builds the way the viewer sees Hyacinth, shows her true nature and brings the absurd of floors and the appearance of the house being more important that well treatment of the people coming to it. Therefore, it was not difficult to translate and be understood by the Polish viewer. Irony The irony seems to be translated rather well as it does not pose problems in the intercultural transfer of meaning. In the series, it refers always to a situation without any other 33 reference than to what has happened on the screen. Therefore, the Polish viewer will laugh when listening to Hyacinth in the below situation. Extract 3 (S01E01, ~ 17:21): Translation Character Text 1. Hyacinth Nic nie szkodzi moja droga. Nie będziemy przecież rozpaczać z powodu spodka i filiżanki, choćby by bardzo stare i niemożliwe do zastąpienia. Trying to keep up the good tone Hyacinth is smiling in the scene but still precisely describes the value of the cup that has been broken. If the ironic phrase itself does not contain puns or other very language or culture-specific words, term it should not cause difficulties in translation. The effect of the phrase being funny depends rather on the specific situation in the sitcom and the humour can easily be transferred if present. Puns Pun translation often proves to be impossible. They are probably one of the most difficult types of jokes to transfer to the target language and are often lost in the process. Here is the translation of extract 7: Extract 7 (S01E03, ~ 07:57): Translation Character Text 1. Rose Proszę na mnie nie krzyczeć. Nawet nie dotknęłam pani męża. Nawet kijem bym go nie dotknęła. 2. Rose Wygląda jak młody Wałęsa. Not only is the pun based on the word pole/Pole not kept but the reference to Wałęsa is not justified in the translation. As mentioned earlier, this extract’s translation does not keep the register of the source. However, a translation not carrying the pun may still be funny as in the situation from extract 4: Extract 4 (S01E01, ~ 07:57): Translation Character Text 1. Elizabeth Gail się bardzo dobrze uczy. 2. Hyacinth To musi być bardzo trudne, kiedy nie jest się obdarzonym talentami akademickimi. 34 Although the pun has disappeared in translation, the humorous element is kept by absurdity created by Hyacinth not actually listening to people who she speaks with. Her effort is put into keeping the impression that she and her family are better than others. A pun can refer to the grammatical correctness or incorrectness of a certain phrase in the language. The series uses the feature to show Hyacinth’s efforts to use the highest possible style and pictures her commenting, correcting others. In the Polish edition the dialogue from extract 6 was translated as follows: Extract 6 (S01E03, ~ 16:36): Translation Character Text 1. Wife A my kobiety cierpim. 2. Hyacinth Mówi się cierpimy. The translation found a way to present an incorrect phrase uttered by the wife and gave a chance for Hyacinth to correct it. It’s is not an incorrect pronoun as in the original but the inflected form of a verb. The only issue with the Polish version is that the incorrect form can be difficult to pick out. The difference when not enounced very clearly is difficult to hear and can be left unnoticed by the viewer. The transfer of the pun was not so successful in extract 5. Extract 5 (S01E01, ~ 23:16): Translation Character Text 1. Richard To tylko ja. 2. Hyacinth Czy nie powinieneś był powiedzieć: „To ja”? 3. Hyacinth Szczególnie wtedy, gdy wykrzykujesz, aż słychać cię u sąsiadów? 4. Richard No, nie wiem. 5. Hyacinth Właśnie, więc lepiej uważaj. The problem of using the correct phrase is still present in the dialogue but the essence, the phrase itself in Polish is not posing any linguistic controversy. It could be argued that the translated version loses the reason for the conversation to occur. People do not have this type of problems in Poland. The context of the pun could work well to emphasise Hyacinth’s way of using language, as she uses in line 2 a little more archaic for powinieneś był when in spoken language the word był can be omitted. 35 The scene is not only a way to present the pun and amuse the viewer solely by the use of this single joke. It is also a way of ridiculing Hyacinth who is all the time worried about what would her neighbours think about her. Therefore, abandoning the pun altogether could be possible and this effect would still be present. E.g. the Polish line 2 could be “Czy nie powinieneś był powiedzieć czegoś bardziej eleganckiego?” (“Shouldn’t you say something more elegant?”). Such a phrase would exclude the pun but be easier to understand and maintain the image of Hyacinth created in the series. Repartee The repartee from extract 8 was translated as follows: Extract 8 (S01E06, ~ 13:27): Translation Character Text 1. Daisy Nie zadziałało. 2. Rose Nie wiadomo. 3. Daisy Spójrz tylko na niego. Czy wygląda na zazdrosnego? 4. Rose Może to ukrywa. 5. Daisy To mu dobrze wychodzi. 6. Rose Może to go męczy w środku. 7. Daisy W środku to go męczy niestrawność. The translation keeps the antiromantic point of view of Daisy on Onslow’s behaviour which is the source of humour in the scene. It also keeps the literal meaning of the dialogue in line 7. This, however, reduces the strong meaning of Rose’s words when she says in line 6: “Maybe he's in turmoil inside”. Polish can offer a different play on words here with palić (to burn) and zgaga (heartburn) to keep the more descriptive and vivid phrase used by Rose. Nevertheless, the translation contains the comic element. The series is full of dialogues which are well translated as far as literal meaning is concerned. Witty answers and repartees proved to be transferable to the target language often even quite literally and still be able to cause laughter. Ridicule As mentioned earlier, ridicule is the main theme of the series. Partially it is done by means of accent and word choice of Hyacinth contrasted with the rest of her family. This has 36 not been transferred to the Polish edition, especially as far as the accent is concerned. Polish translation is read by a voice-over actor and different accents are not present. Extract 9 from episode 6 is another example of ridicule, present in what the characters say to each other. Line 5 of the extract was translated as „Cieszę się, że teraz mu się lepiej wiedzie”. This is still funny as the viewer can see the conditions in which Onslow lives and which are everything but a sign of doing well financially. As the relation between the utterance and the immediate visual context is clear and the source text does not contain any difficult elements the translation does not pose any problems for the translator. Wit The witty reply of Councillor Nugent to Hyacinth’s suggestion from extract 10 (line 2) was translated as “Przeszłaby nawet przez dziurkę od klucza!” The translator decided on quite a literal translation. For the Polish audience something that can get through the keyhole, not only through the letterbox, when referred to clothes means the same – the clothes are rather showing the body than covering it. The scene, however, contains a wrong translation a few moments earlier and it seems to be a peculiar decision of the translator. Extract 24 (S01E04, ~ 25:35): Councillor Nugent brings back to Rose clothes she brought to the charity shop. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Nugent I know this is the right address because you left [unintelligible] in the bag. The sentence has been translated as “Wiem, że to jest przy łóżku, cały ranek tam spędziłam” (which retranslated to English is “I know it is at the bed, I spent the whole morning there”). The source text gives the reason why Councillor Nugent has found Rose’s house and is the continuation of the theme of Hyacinth hiding from the prominent lady any connections with her own family. The mistranslated phrase is out of the context and can confound the viewer. Eventually, the witty response was translated and the humorous effect transferred but the scene contains a translation error in another place. This is the only place in the analysed corpus where no reason for the translation could be found and therefore it could be called erroneous. 37 Absurdity In the second episode, the event which the new vicar is invited to is called “tea and light refreshments”. In the Polish translation at the beginning it is translated as “herbatka i lekka przekąska”. Later, in the scene in the garden, it is used as follows. Extract 25 (S01E02, ~ 03:27): Richard, Hyacinth and Elizabeth are talking in front of their houses. Character Text Technique used CL 1. Hyacinth Surely you haven' forgotten you're having tea with the new vicar? 2. Richard And light refreshments. absurdity L Canned laughter suggests that the scene is funny. Richard seems to treat the “light refreshments” very seriously. It is a little absurd to treat it like this and that is what can make the dialogue funny. Polish translations lost this little joke by not following the two parts of the name of the event. Extract 25 (S01E01, ~ 03:26): Translation Character Text 1. Hyacinth Chyba nie zapomniałaś, że jesz dziś podwieczorek z nowym wikarym. 2. Richard Lekka przekąska. Richard’s reminding Elizabeth of the light refreshment (lekka przekąska) has in this context no reason to occur. Contrary to the source text, Hyacinth’s line is a full, complete and closed sentence. There is no need, no place for any addition or supplement. If the translation kept the original dual nature of the phrase by simply translating tea as herbata and adding the conjunction i (and) the phrase would sound more natural and be funnier. Conceptual surprise The funny utterance of Rose mentioned in extract 14 about men coming back to their wives has been translated as follows: Extract 14 (S01E02, ~ 06:12): Translation Character Text 1. Rose Nie mogę żyć bez Hepplewhite’a. Po takiej tragedii. No cóż, to w końcu spotyka każdą. Wrócił do żony. 38 The fact that “it happens to all men” has not been transferred into the translation. Polish text suggests that it happens to all women. Despite this mistranslation, the key part of conceptual surprise has been kept in the words “wrócił do żony” and makes the scene funny for the viewer. The viewer who is not aware of the original will not notice any inconvenience in the presented Polish version. Other earlier mentioned conceptual surprises were also translated with the transfer of humour. Conceptual surprise has to be identified by the translator so that the dialogue will still be surprising for the viewer. The Polish translation seems to have managed the problem with success. It seems that the humour is based on the situation, development of the plot and the dialogues play a more marginal role in evoking this type of humour. Caught out The situations of catching out in the series are present in the Polish translation. The effort of Mr Duxbury to avoid confessing to being Mrs Duxbury’s son and therefore owing to the responsibility of his mother’s actions and taking her back home are not successful. In the Polish edition, he says “Dzwoniła do mnie rano” (“She rang me this morning”) where he gives away his true identity. The technique did not pose any problems in the process of translation. Furthermore, Hyacinth is caught on by Richard when she embellishes her father’s biography and his merits in episode 6. In this case, the target text also carries the surprise and Mrs Bucket has to explain herself by saying “Nie mogę mówić ci wszystkiego, mój drogi. O tym lepiej było milczeć”. Although the wording is quite right, the viewer might find the dialogue a little bit dry, without emotions because of the voice-over actor and the changes in actors intonation seem to play a role in evoking laughter. Rigidity When Hyacinth is confronted with her son’s interests that can suggest his homosexual orientation, she does not seem to realize this fact. Polish translation keeps the dialogue from extract 16 nearly word to word. An open question is whether the Polish audience in the 1990s could guess the underlying suggestion about Sheridan’s sexual orientation. Other situation when Mrs Bucket shows her rigid approach is mostly based on facts visible on the screen, like Onslow’s bare arms. Her comments are straight forward and do not contain hidden meanings. The translation was, therefore, rather easy, without any languagerooted difficulties. 39 Malicious pleasure Malicious pleasure is usually represented in the series by Onslow’s bad behaviour. However, the more vulgar language was translated in a less offensive way as presented in the extract below. Extract 17 (S01E03, ~ 09:23): Translation Character Text 1. Hyacinth Zostaw to. Zostaw. 2. (dog barking, Hyacinth falls on the hedge) 3. Onslow Obudziliście psa. 4. Richard Dzień dobry, Powolniak! 5. Hyacinth Nie mów mu „dzień dobry” po tym jak jego pies się na mnie rzucił. 6. Onslow Nie rób tyle hałasu głupia. Pies, ciebie to też dotyczy. Polish viewer does not hear very offensive words but still can clearly see that Onslow takes pleasure in Hyacinth’s misfortune. On the other hands, using a word to word Polish equivalent suka could be found rather offensive for Polish audience and a more polite equivalent could have been chosen for the reason of making the series more suitable to the target audience. In Polish, the word suka is more offensive than any other present in the series and could make the scene too vulgar to be accepted in a TV series broadcasted to the more conservative viewer. As mentioned in the second chapter the whole series has a strong theme of malicious humour present in the fact that all Hyacinth’s unsuccessful efforts to maintain her image end in failure. This is not bound to a single sentence or dialogue but the general theme of ridicule of the main character’s efforts must be understood by the viewers. They can see and hear Hyacinth’s reaction to all the embarrassing situations. The two extracts presented below can serve as examples. Extract 26 (S01E02, ~ 27:07): Translation Character Text 1. Hyacinth Bardzo proszę wpadać, kiedy tylko pani zechce. Zawsze będzie pani mile widziana u Bukietów. 2. Hyacinth Herbata i lekka przekąska okazały się zupełną katastrofą. In the first line, Hyacinth tries to keep her image. Such a phrase would usually be heard when the guests are leaving after a nice visit. Here, however, the visit was a complete 40 disaster. The impression Hyacinth had wanted to make on the vicar was the complete opposite of what happened. When the viewer sees the desperation in the face of Hyacinth, hears her tone of voice starts laughing because the so carefully planned event ended up in a failure. Despite the Polish script being read by a voice-over actor, the viewer can still hear the original voice, full of embarrassment. The translation of the first line perfectly expresses the discrepancy between what is said and what is happening around. Extract 27 (S01E05, ~ 26:35): Translation Character Text 1. Marjorie Na miłość boską, kto to? 2. Hyacinth Nie mam pojęcia. Widzę ją pierwszy raz w życiu. The above situation does not contain a pun or a dialogue that is especially funny in itself. However, the viewer is aware that Hyacinth is ashamed of her family and sees her face at the moment. Her brother-in-law is standing in a choir consisting of elderly ladies at a church event and singing. He is dressed very casually, appallingly to Hyacinth’s standards. Her sister Daisy appears on the scene on a motorbike with a young boy who is officially her lover (as Daisy tries to find out if her husband still loves her and will be jealous if she had a lover). At this moment not only the fact that Hyacinth says that she does not know her sister plays a role. The viewer sees her as if she was to faint, her face tells all her emotions. The simple dialogue does not contribute strongly to the scene as it could probably be seen without voice and still be funny. In the translation, a phrase “na miłość boską” (“for God’s sake”) was added by the Polish translator. In the original script, Marjorie just asks “Who’s that?” which is a simple question and if any offence is taken that can be known only from her face and voice. With the additional phrase, the message is stronger and as the people whom Hyacinth wants to impress seem therefore even more offended by the doings of her family, the more pleasure (a malicious pleasure to some extent) can be taken by the viewers. Condescension This technique, presented e.g. in Hyacinth’s treatment of Elizabeth, is one of the main ways of portraying the main character. We can hear how she talks to her and teaches her good manners. 41 The dialogue from extract 18 in the Polish translation changes the overall sense of the scene. Extract 18 (S01E05, ~ 06:10): Translation Character Text 1. Hyacinth (doorbell rings) O, Elżbieta! 2. Hyacinth Tak? 3. Elizabeth Kawa? 4. Hyacinth (laughing) Ah, naturalnie. Od tyłu. 5. Hyacinth Elżbieto! A, jesteś. 6. Hyacinth Gdybyś nie pracowała w ogrodzie, to oczywiście mogłabyś wejść od frontu. 7. Elizabeth Po zmianie butów i umyciu rąk. 8. Hyacinth Kiedy ja pracuję w ogrodzie to zawsze zmieniam buty i myje ręce. In this fragment, a change in meaning occurred in line 7. Elizabeth in the English version explains herself and gives the reason why she could be let in by the front door and therefore Hyacinth’s decision not to let her in there had been groundless. Polish edition gives a different notion. Line 7 retranslated could be as follows: “After changing the shoes and washing the hands”. Elizabeth is no longer presented as a person who did what should have been done. She might be agreeing with Hyacinth by acknowledging that she could be let in through the front door after changing the shoes and washing the hands. Hyacinth is still patronising her, but now she has a good reason to give herself as an example. Had the translation been more literal (“Zmieniłam buty i umyłam ręcę”) the absurdity of the situation would be clearer and the comical effect probably greater. Although the neighbour is often clumsy and helpless in Hyacinth’s presence but in all other situations, she a perfectly respectable and mature person with good manners and polite attitude. The Polish Elizabeth is a less well-rounded person and therefore requires some advice from Hyacinth. This undermines the overall ridicule of the series because Hyacinth is shown as a person whose efforts are not needed or welcomed by society, but she forces people to take part in them anyway. This is lost in the scene because of the mistranslation. Deceitful behaviour Hyacinth’s attempts to keep up appearances lead to situations when she has to lie or hide the truth e.g. about her family. In extract 19 from episode 6 line 7 is the key one. 42 Extract 19 (S01E06, ~ 03:55): Translation Character Text 7. Hyacinth Tak, dosyć elegancka. In Polish translation, the line does not present the hesitation which can be noticed in the words Yes, well… It is firmer but still deceiving. Hyacinth does not want her neighbour to know the details about the event as it could lead to the discovery of the embarrassing truth about her family. This motion is kept in the translation. Clumsiness Stammering is a language related form of clumsiness that can be found in the series (see extract 20). In the Polish translation, however, the voiceover actor reads the dialogue without any sign of this type of lack of grace. The only sign is a slight pause in the voice-over actor’s reading when the viewer can see and hear Hyacinth’s stuttering. Facing the limitations of using a voiceover actor this can be a means to preserve, at least partially, the humour of this type of clumsiness. Other scenes where clumsiness is creating the comic effect do not need a translation. Repulsive behaviour The most repulsive character in the series is Onslow. Others, like Rose and Daisy, happen to use some more vulgar language. However, the Polish translator decided to soften some of the language used by the characters. An example of that is seen in the scene when Hyacinth comes to visit her father in episode 3 (extract 17 – see Malicious behaviour for translation). In the 6. line Onslow uses the word bitch which means both to a female dog and is an offensive way of addressing a woman. Polish can keep the pun, which is a rare situation that the pun can be translated. In this particular situation, not the word suka which is the Polish equivalent of bitch is used but głupia which means stupid. Softening the vulgarity of the scene might have been done in order to make the series, even more, family-friendly and adapt it to the television reality of the 1990s in Poland. Some swear words have been kept in translation as in the extract 23 quoted earlier or in the example below. 43 Extract 28 (S01E05, ~ 09:35): Translation Character Text 1. Onslow No tak, przeleciało. Czy wy nie możecie się ode mnie odwalić i dać mi obejrzeć powtórkę. The word odwalić matches the context of the Onslow’s persona – a lazy and not pleasant character. The environment of the working-class household where the language is sometimes not of high standards is present in the word spadaj used in the extract 23. Not everything was therefore translated using more polite wording. The vulgarity of the characters in the series was kept only to some extent. In certain situation, especially the more radical ones, the swear words were translated into a milder phrase that does not sound as offensive as the original. The reason for this might be the general trend in Polish productions in the 1990s to make them more family-friendly and proper for public television. 44 CONCLUSIONS CAN HUMOUR BE TRANSLATED? The general concept of ridiculing of a person aspiring to a higher social class can also be related to the Polish context. In the 1990s many people made bigger or smaller fortunes and behaved as if they were better than others. A common term used to describe them was nowobogacki (a nouveau riche person). The main frame of the series is therefore easily understood and can be funny. This might be an illustration of the concept presented by Friedman and Kuipers (2013) who claim that in order to understand comedy the audience must posess humour-specific knowledge. In the case of the series Keeping Up Appearances, this knowledge might be the shared experience of disdain towards people putting too much effort into their higher-class aspirations. The series contains many humorous situations. Some represent typical sitcom slapstick humour, like Onslow’s car backfiring or Hyacinth trying to get to Daisy’s house without Elizabeth noticing where it actually is in episode 4. The analysis showed that the humour of the series is not only based on running gags which, as e.g. the Bucket – Bouquet pun, pose difficulties in translation, but also on other techniques, such as malicious humour when the viewer laughs at all the Hyacinth’s fiascos. These are not the subject of translation and therefore can be funny for viewers of different languages. However, when the translation of specific situations where language plays an important role in creating humour, the translation failed to transfer the effect. Such losses occur in translations commonly and when English is translated into other languages, e.g. in the case of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (Giacomo, 2015) While in the English version Hyacinth uses different language than her family, in the Polish version this contrast has not always been preserved. The series’ translation is done by a voiceover actor which limits significantly the possibilities of transferring the actors’ way of playing with the tone of voice, the way they speak etc. The Polish producer found, however, some ways to overcome this limitation by letting the original characters be heard when necessary. In such situations, the voice-over actor does not read the dialogue in order to let the original actors have a bigger effect on the viewer. 45 Based on the research a conclusion for future translations can be drawn. As some parts are untranslatable as e.g. puns (although this view is sometimes questioned, e.g. by Ronald Landheer (1991)), the translator has to be very diligent in other, translatable parts in order to maintain the overall humorous effect of the translated work. The translator must be aware of the cultural background of the source text. This conclusion has been drawn after studying other comedy sitcoms e.g. by de Grau (2015). A comedy sitcom may use register, regional dialects or sociolects to build the scene, to create humorous situations. As the regional dialects can usually not be transferred into the target language, register and sociolects should be carefully presented whenever it is possible. The analysis of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances showed that even though it is often portrayed basically as a ridicule of the people’s unsuccessful aspirations to upper-classes, a variety of humour techniques and other means can be employed by the producers to create an entertaining film. The translator should be aware of them, should be able to identify them in order to present the target viewer with texts and dialogues as funny as possible. In situations when, for reasons of e.g. making the target product family-friendly, some compromises may take place. These, however, should not alter the way the characters are portrayed, e.g. when Rose used too polite phrases or Hyacinth being to direct towards Richard. In the case of translations for voice over actors, the translator should also take the original soundtrack into consideration and let the original sound support the humour where possible. Polish version of the series Keeping Up Appearances was translated mostly well and provides the humorous effect expected by the viewer. It could be improved by a more careful choice of register or wording. The series that does not base solely on language humour as puns or allusions should not provide difficulty in translation. Translation of humour is, however, a challenging task and should not be done inattentively as the details in each scene can be elements of the bigger picture presented to the viewers. 46 BIBLIOGRAPHY Attardo, S., Raskin V. 1991. Script Theory Revis(It)Ed: Joke Similarity and Joke Representation Model. Humor 4 (3–4): 293–348. Barros, J. G. 2015. The Translation of Humour In English Comedy Series. Barcelona: Facultat de Traducció i d’Interpretació Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona < https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tfg/2015/tfg_25573/GARCIA_BARROS_JUDIT_1272707_TFGTI14 15.pdf > Last access May 2019. Berger A.A. 1993. An anatomy of humor. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Blake, B. 2007. Playing with words: humour in the English language. London: Equinox Publishing Ltd. Buijzen M., Valkenburg P.M. Developing a typology of humor in audiovisual media. Media Psychology 6(2) (May 2004): 147–167. Chiaro, D. 2010. Translation and Humour, Humour and Translation. In: Chiaro D. (ed.), Translation, Humour and Literature. London: Continuum: 1-29. Delabastita, D. 1994. Focus on the Pun: Wordplay as a Special Problem in Translation Studies. Target 6(2): 223-243. Friedman S., Kuipers, G. 2013. The Divisive Power of Humour: Comedy, Taste and Symbolic Boundaries. Cultural Sociology, 7(2): 179-195. di Giacomo, G. 2015. Challenges in the translation of Humor: The case of wordplay and vulgar expressions in How I Met Your Mother, < https://www.academia.edu/13480804/Giuliano_di_Giacomo__Challenges_in_the_translation_of_Humor_The_case_of_wordplay_and_vulgar_expressions _in_How_I_Met_Your_Mother_2015_ >. Last access May 2019. Gymnich, M. 2016. ‘The Lady of the House Speaking’: The Conservative Portrayal of English Class Stereotypes in Keeping up Appearances. In: Kamm J., Neumann B. (ed.) British TV Comedies: Cultural Concepts, Contexts and Controversies, New York: Palgrave Macmillan: 240-253. 47 Juckel, J., Bellman, S., & Varan, D. 2016. A humor typology to identify humor styles used in sitcoms. Humor, 29(4), 583–603. Landheer, R. 1991. La Poly-isotopie comme problème traductologique. In: Jovanoić, M. (ed.) Translation, a Creative Profession: Proceedings XIIth World Congress of FIT- Belgrade 1990. Beograd: Prevodilac, 1991. 133-140. Marks O., 2015 Remembering 'Keeping Up Appearances', a True British Sitcom. Vice, 17 November 2015, <https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/jmaa7d/remembering-keeping-up- appearances-a-true-british-sitcom-539>. Last access 08 March 2019. Morreall, J. 1987. The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor. Albany: State University of New York Press. Nowak M. Tłumacz jako autor tytułów filmów i seriali, Białostockie Archiwum Językowe, nr 17, 2017, s. 151-161. Ross, A. 1998. The Language of Humour. London, New York: Routledge. Scheel T. 2017. Definitions, Theories, and Measurement of Humor. In: Scheel T. (ed.) Humor at Work in Teams, Leadership, Negotiations, Learning and Health. Cham: Springer International Publishing: 9-29. Skřečková, K. 2017. The Linguistic Analysis of Television Form of TV Serial Miranda. Českeé Budějovice. < https://theses.cz/id/esbtkk/Bakalarska_prace_-_Katerina_Skreckova__The_Linguistic_An.pdf > Last access 04 May 2019. Vandaele J. 1999 “Each Time We Laugh”. Translated Humour in Screen Comedy. In: Vandaele J. (ed.), Translation and the (re)location of meaning: selected papers of the CETRA research seminars on translation studies 1994-1996. Leuven: The Leuven Research Center for Translation, Communication and Cultures: 237-272. Zabalbeascoa, P. 2005. Humor and translation: an interdiscipline. Humor, 18(2), 185–207. Oxford Living Dictionaries < https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/ > Last access 05/05/2019. Słownik Języka Polskiego PWN < https://sjp.pwn.pl/ > Last access 05/05/2019. 48 The Escapist, forum thread 2014 < http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.850490-The-real-difference-betweenBritish-and-American-sitcoms > Last access 04 May 2019. 49 STRESZCZENIE Tematem niniejszej pracy pt. „Przekład angielskiego humoru na język polski” jest analiza możliwości oddania humoru, który wyraża się w języku, na inny język, osadzony często w innej sytuacji kulturowej. Jako korpus do badań użyto brytyjskiego serialu Co ludzie powiedzą?, który był emitowany w Polsce po raz pierwszy w latach dziewięćdziesiątych i zdobył dużą popularność, o czym może świadczyć kilka kolejnych jego wydań na płytach DVD. Celem pracy było wskazanie możliwości i trudności w tłumaczeniu żartów, gier słownych i innych humorystycznych elementów językowych. W pierwszym rozdziale zostały omówione aspekty teoretyczne pracy. Zostały przedstawione propozycje klasyfikacji technik używanych w sitcomach w celu uzyskania efektu komediowego opublikowane w artykule Juckel, Bellmana i Varan (2016). Ta klasyfikacja została wykorzystana w dalszym toku pracy. W drugim rozdziale została dokonana analiza korpusu językowego. Wskazane jakie rodzaje technik zaproponowanych przez Juckel (2016) i w jaki sposób zostały wykorzystane w serialu. W trzecim rozdziale omówiono polską edycję serialu wyemitowaną przez telewizję publiczną. Wskazano elementy, których tłumaczenie nie oddaje elementy humorystycznego oryginału. Analiza korpusu wykazała, że w tłumaczeniu seriali komediowych, dla utrzymania efektu, należy wpierw zapoznać się z całością tekstu. Część żartów, na przykład popularnych w anglojęzycznych produkcjach żartów słownych, może okazać się nieprzetłumaczalna. W takiej sytuacji tłumacz musi oddać w choć przybliżony sposób istotę żartu, jeżeli jest on istotny dla fabuły (w analizowanym przykładzie jest to kwestia wymowy nazwiska głównej bohaterki). Inne mogą zostać pominięte, o ile taki zabieg nie spowoduje znaczących zmian w szerszym kontekście. Ze względu na tego typu ominięcia, należy starannie oddać inne elementy humorystyczne tak, aby były zrozumiałe i bawiły docelowego odbiorcę. W ten sposób, czyli realizując ideę skoposu zaproponowaną przez Vermeera, tłumacz może osiągnąć główny cel dzieła, jakim jest dostarczenie rozrywki o charakterze komediowym. Ponadto wskazano praktyczne sugestie dla produkcji, które posługują się wersją filmu z lektorem. Należy bowiem wykorzystać, o ile to możliwe, oryginalną ścieżkę dźwiękową, aby oddać ton głosu, intonację i emocje postaci. 50 słowa kluczowe: serial komediowy, tłumaczenie humoru 51