THE ROLE OF POLYCODING IN TRANSLATION OF PUNS IN AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCT ON THE BASIS OF THE CARTOON SERIES «THE EPIC TALES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS»

Abstract

The increase of audiovisual content production, appearing of new ways of its broadcast, and, logically, development of new types of audiovisual translation cause this translation sphere expansion and its stronger influence. However, for all this impressive scope of audiovisual translation practice, in Russia the number of research dedicated to it could be higher. One of the most significant and perspective directions is a polycoding nature of an audiovisual product which is not already analyzed exclusively from the point of view of linguistics. In this article the characteristic is studied in the context of forming, interpretation, and, particularly, translation of puns from a cartoon series, because one of the key features of this type of content is abundance of puns and jokes. The author shows that all code systems, all verbal and nonverbal components, merge into a dissoluble semiotic unit as well as all translation restrictions resulted from them act simultaneously and in aggregate. Although the extent of each one participation is different every time. In order to render a pun into other language and culture, translator must analyze every semiotic component not individually and one by one, but as a result of their interaction. If he/she ignores even one component, the whole semiotic construction will be destroyed. Incompletely translated pun will loose its comic effect, break the narration logic, and even can distort the understanding of a whole story. All translation restrictions are united by the individuality of translator, that is, both external and internal factors of their working state. It is necessary to understand that the success of translation does not depend on the number of restrictions, it depends on the skill of translator to work under and in spite of these restrictions.