Translation as a critical tool in film analysis: Watching Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth through a translational prism

TY - JOUR

T1 - Translation as a critical tool in film analysis

T2 - Watching Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth through a translational prism

AU - Kapsaskis, Dionysios

PY - 2017/2/8

Y1 - 2017/2/8

N2 - This article argues that the study of translation as it occurs in cinema at both production and distribution level can provide a new critical perspective through which to analyse film. Based on recent research by translation theorists, but drawing equally on film studies, the article shifts the focus from translation to cinema. It explains how a translational approach can help revisit foundational ideas in cinema, such as the realism of cinematic representation and the universality of film language. The analysis will focus on Dogtooth (2009) by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Investigation of diegetic occurrences of translation, but also of the film’s English subtitles, will show how Dogtooth employs strategies of mistranslation, re-translation and performative re-enactment so as to make statements about the politics and aesthetics of mainstream cinema. Translation analysis of this kind will reveal aspects of cinema that are not easily discerned when looked at from monolingual critical angles.© 2017 Informa UK Limited. The attached document (embargoed until 08/08/2018) is an author produced version of a paper published in Translation Studies, uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14781700.2017.1279983. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

AB - This article argues that the study of translation as it occurs in cinema at both production and distribution level can provide a new critical perspective through which to analyse film. Based on recent research by translation theorists, but drawing equally on film studies, the article shifts the focus from translation to cinema. It explains how a translational approach can help revisit foundational ideas in cinema, such as the realism of cinematic representation and the universality of film language. The analysis will focus on Dogtooth (2009) by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Investigation of diegetic occurrences of translation, but also of the film’s English subtitles, will show how Dogtooth employs strategies of mistranslation, re-translation and performative re-enactment so as to make statements about the politics and aesthetics of mainstream cinema. Translation analysis of this kind will reveal aspects of cinema that are not easily discerned when looked at from monolingual critical angles.© 2017 Informa UK Limited. The attached document (embargoed until 08/08/2018) is an author produced version of a paper published in Translation Studies, uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14781700.2017.1279983. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it.

U2 - 10.1080/14781700.2017.1279983

DO - 10.1080/14781700.2017.1279983

M3 - Article

VL - 10

SP - 247

EP - 262

JO - Translation Studies

JF - Translation Studies

IS - 3

ER -