Translating comics, the example of Black Canary and Zatanna : bloodspell overcoming the linguistic, technical and cultural challenges

Abstract

Comics are an artistic and literary form highly based on the interaction of two semiotic systems – pictures and writings. Comics first rose to international popularity in the 1930s when they took the global market by storm after the incomparable multi-dimensional epic stories and unique characters soon appealed to different cultures and countries. Due to comics wide recognition around the world, their translation into Arabic soon became an unquestionable necessity especially in the Arab world. As we have mentioned, comics are unique in that they combine both pictorial and linguistic elements that work together to deliver a story. From the wide range of available comics, this thesis will focus on translating an English DC comic entitled Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell, written and illustrated by two distinguished Americans Paul Dini and Joe Quinones respectively, into Arabic. Comics have long experienced a worldwide success, DC comics in particular, where the initials 'DC came from the American publishing company DC Comics, Inc. Not only are comics entertaining, they also shed a light on specific American traditions and customs whether in behavior, or scenery. By definition, translating consists of transporting languages and their associated culture and style to foreign receivers. Being a form of literature, just as much as novels or short stories, comics are entrenched in cultural and stylistic context. Hence, transferring comics from one language into another, especially Arabic, is not relatively an easy task for a translator to achieve. In fact, when attempting to translate this form of literature, the translator confronts a combination of elements that range from specific comics constraints which include picture and balloon constraints along with pictograms, and other constraints which are often found in comics but are not specific to them. These constraints are namely linguistic constraints which not only include colloquialism but stylistic constraints as well. Being that the style is a part of the language, reversed words, idioms and different types of figure of speech are automatically placed under the linguistic constraints. To be able to explore these constraints, several translated examples from the comic will be thoroughly discussed and examined using specific theoretical approaches. That will be accomplished using Schleiermacher and Venutis strategies where they differentiate between domestication and foreignization along with Vinay and Darbelnets 7 procedures and Peirces semiotic approach.