On Subtitling of Ta’ārof Apologies

Subject Areas : All areas of language and translation

Mojde Yaqubi ¹ (Young Researchers and Elite Club, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran)

Received: 2018-07-11 Accepted : 2018-07-11 Published : 2018-01-01

Keywords: Subtitling, Context, Cultural norms, Iranian interpersonal relationship, Ta’ārof Apology,

Abstract :

Apologies are sources of problems in the process of Persian-English subtitling as they are performed with variant forms and functions in these two languages and cultures. ‘Ta’ārof apologies’-Persian apologies which are extended to show politeness-creates more serious obstacles for the subtitlers. These difficulties root in the culture-specific contexts in which they are used as well as the cultural norms underlying their practice in Persian. This study qualitatively analyses the difficulties encountered by Persian-English sub- titlers of Iranian films in both understanding of ta’ārof apologies in the source text (ST) and their translation into the target text (TT).The results revealed that besides the subtitles applied for translating ta’ārof apolo- gies, different elements help the subtitlers to transfer their meaning into English subtitles. These elements are speaker’s and the hearer’s utterances as well as the end act in the conversation and also the verbal and non-verbal signs in the conversation and the previous and next scenes.

References:

Afghari, A. (2007). A Sociopragmatic Study of Apology Speech Act Realization Patterns in Persian.Speech Communication, 49, 177–185.

Afghari, A., & Karimnia, M. (2012). A Contrastive Study of Four Cultural Differences in Everyday Conversation Between English and Persian. Intercultural Communication               Studies, 16 (1), 243-250.

Aliakbari, M., & Changizi, M. (2012). On the Realization of Refusal Strategies by Persian and Kurdish Speakers. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36 (5), 659–668.

Allami, H., &Naeimi, A. (2011). A Cross-linguistic Study of Refusals: an Analysis  of Pragmatic Competence Development in Iranian EFL Learners. Journal of Pragmatics,43(1), 385–406.

Amany, F., Davoudi, M., Ojagh, M. (2014).A Corpus-based Study on the Translation of Politeness Strategies with Emphasis on Address Terms.International Journal of  Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World  (IJLLALW), 5(1), 502-522.        

Austin, J.  (1962). How to Do Things with Words. London: Oxford University Press.

Babai Shishavan, H., & Sharifian, F. (2013). Refusal Strategies in L1 and L2: A Study of Persian-speaking Learners of English. Multilingua, 32(6), 801-836.

BabaiShishavan, H. (2016). Refusals of Invitations and Offers in Persian: Genuine or Ostensible? .Journal of Politeness Research Language, Behaviour, Culture, 12 (1),55–93.

Beeman, W. O. (1986). Language, Status, and Power in Iran. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Beeman, W.O. (1988). Affectivity in Persian language use. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 12, 9–30.

Beeman, W. O. (2001). Emotion and sincerity in Persian discourse: Accomplishing the  Representation of Inner States. International Journal of the Sociology of Language,148(1), 31–57.

Blum-Kulka, S., Olshtain, E. (1984). Requests and Apologies: A Cross-cultural 

Study of Speech Act Realization Patterns (CCSARP).Applied Linguistics, 5

(3), 196–214.

Blum-Kulka, S., House, J., Kasper, G. (1989).Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: Requests   

and Apologies. Ablex: Norwood, NJ.

Cutting, J. (2000). Pragmatics and Discourse: a Resource Book for Students. 

Routledge: London.

Eslami, Z.R. (2005). Invitations in Persian: Ostensible or Genuine?. Intercultural Pragmatics Journal, 2(4), 453-448.

Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and Conversation. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and Semantics (Vol. 3). New York: Academic Press.

Izadi, A., Atasheneh, N., & Zilaie, F. (2012). Refusing Ostensible Offers and Invitations in Persian. Advances in Asian Social Science, 1(1), 77-78.

Izadi, A. (2015). Persian Honorifics and Im/politeness as Social Practice. Journal of            Pragmatics. 85, 85-91.

Koutlaki, S. (1997). The Persian System of Politeness and the Persian Folk Concept of Face, with Some Reference to EFL Teaching to Iranian Native Speakers. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Wales College of Cardiff.

Koutelaki, S. (2002). and Expressions of Thanks as Face-enhancing Acts: Ta’arof in Persian. Journal of Pragmatics, 34, 1733–1756.

Koutlaki, S. (2010). Among the Iranians: A guide to Iran’s culture and customs. Boston: Intercultural Press.

Miller, C., Strong, R., Vinson, M., & Claudia, M. (2014).Ritualized Indirectness in Persian: Ta'ārof and Related Strategies of Interpersonal Management, University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language Technical Report.

Moradi, N., &Jabbari, M.J. (2015). Translation of Negative Politeness Strategies from English into Persian: The Case of Novel Translation. International  Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 4(2), 143-150.

Olshtain, E., Cohen, A. (1983). Apology: A Speech Act Set. In: Wolfson, N., Judd, E.  (Eds.), Sociolinguistics and Language Acquisition. Newbury House, Rowly, MA.

Rahimi, R. (2004). Alpha, Beta and Gamma Features in Translation: Toward the  Objectivity of Testing Translation. Translation Studies, 2(1), 53-64.

Rezaei, S. (2007).The art of Taarof. Retrieved July, 6, 2007 from htpp://PersianMirror.com

Saberi, K. (2012). Routine Politeness Formulae in Persian: A Socio-Lexical Analysis of  

Greetings, Leave-taking, Apologizing, Thanking and Requesting.Ph.D. dissertation, University of Canterbury.

Sahragard, R. (2003). A Cultural Script Analysis of a Politeness Feature in Persian.Paper Presented at the 8th Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, Japan.

Salmani-Nadoushan, M. A. (2005). A comparative sociopragmatic study of ostensible invitations in English and Farsi. Pazhuhesh-e Zabanha-ye Khareji, 20, 119-144.

Salmani-Nodoushan, M. A. (2014). Speech Acts or Language Micro- and Macro-game? International Journal of Language Studies, 8(4), 1-28. 

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Shahrokhi, M., & Jan, J.M. (2012). The Realization of Apology Strategies Among Persian Males. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 692-700.

Shariati, M., Chamani, F. ( 2010). Apology Strategies in Persian.Journal of Pragmatics, 42(6), 1689–99.

Sharifian, F. (2005). The Persian Cultural Schema of Shekasteh-nafsi: A study of  Compliment Responses in Persian and Anglo-Australian speaker. Pragmatics & Cognition, 13 (2), 337-361.

Sharifian, F. (2007). L1 Cultural Conceptualisations in L2 Learning: The Case of Persian Speaking Learners of English. In FarzadSharifian& Gary Palmer(eds.), Applied CulturalLinguistics: Implications for Second Language   Learning and Intercultural Communication. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Sharifian, F. (2011). Cultural Conceptualisations and Language: Theoretical. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Taleghani-Nikazm, C. (1998). Politeness in Persian Interaction: The Preference

Format of Offers in Persian.Cross-roads of Language, Interaction, and Culture, 1, 3-11.

Trosborg, A. (1987). Apology Strategies in Natives/Non-natives.Journal of Pragmatics, 11, 147–167.

Yaqubi, M. (2012). A cross-cultural Study of Politeness Strategies Applied in Translations of EnglishRequests as Face-threatening Acts into Persian .Modern Journal of language Teaching Methods (MJLTM). 2(2), 31-44.

Yaqubi, M, DavoudiSharifabad, E. & Abdul Rahman, W.R.E (2013). Gender-linked Choice of Politeness Strategies Applied to Translation of Persian Face-threatening Acts into English.  International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature (Special Issue). 1(7), 66-80.

Yaqubi, M., Abdul Rahman, W., Che Omar, Hasuria (2015).Bebaxshidposhtam be shomas”  (excuse me, I’m sitting in front of you): Towards Identification of Persian Apologies with Phatic Function. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research. 2 (7),  215-221.

Yaqubi, M., Karwan, M.Saeed, Khaksari, M. (2016) Conversational Maxim View of  Politeness: Focus on Politeness Implicatures raised in Performing Persian Offers and Invitations. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6 (1), 52-58.

Zandi, M., &Azizinezhad, M. (2011). A Pragmatic Approach to Translation: A Case Study of Deictic Expressions in Translations of Hafiz. Procedia - Social and  Behavioral Sciences, 28, 928 – 931.

Zamani, M. (2013).Persian Translation of Directive and Expressive Speech Acts in  Death of A Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Mourning Becomes Electra (Unpublished. Master’s Thesis).Sheikhbahaee  University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran