Lingua inglese - Crash from English to Spanish: address form shifts in film translation

RYAN

OFFICER

GOMEZ =ma’am?, can you hear me? =¿Me ¡Señora!

→ oye?

OFFICER

to

RYAN

WOMAN

in the car

When more than two characters are engaged in the same talk exchange, the

interlocutor is introduced by to in lower-case letters, in order to avoid ambiguity, e.g., OFFICER

to .

RYAN OFFICER GOMEZ

The central and the right-hand columns contain the English description of

paralinguistic and kinetic elements, including background noise and relevant speakers'

gestures, in double round brackets, as in the excerpt below:

4

(4) no. it’s ok. it’s fine ((steps out)).. No, da igual, no hay problema ((steps out))..

CAMERON

to

CHRISTINE

If the name of a character occurs in the description, it is always written in small

capitals:

(5) +and you keep your FILTHY FUCKING Y esas asquerosas manos de

usted quíteme

CHRISTINE HANDS* OFF-- (( R twists encima. (( twists her into the

OFFICER YAN OFFICER RYAN

her into the car face)) ME!. AH!, YOU car face)) ¡Suélteme cerdo… de mierda!

MOTHER FUCKING PIG!

Hyphens are used to indicate false starts or self-corrections, as can be seen in (6):

I-I don’t think so Creo que no.

CHRISTINE

Whereas laughter or sigh in double round brackets are used to indicate if the speaker

laughs or sighs in the interaction, as in (7):

((sighing)) +ah!* ((sighing)) +ah!*

CHRISTINE

If the speaker says something while sighing, the utterance in question is highlighted

using the label ((sighing)) before the part of the utterance affected. In this case, a plus symbol

labels the beginning and a star symbol the end of the segment.

A plus symbol is used when two or more participants speak simultaneously and it

marks the begging of the overlapping, while a star symbol marks its end. Consecutive

overlaps in the same scene are numbered, as in the following scene:

(8) +2NO, wait-wait* a minute!, we’re only +2No, estamos solo a una

espere,*

CAMERON +3a block away from our house!* manzana +3de nuestra casa.*

+3hands on your head,* interlock your +3Las manos en la cabeza* con los dedos

OFFICER fingers! entrelazados.

RYAN For the interrogative tone a question mark is used at the end of the utterance, the

exclamation mark is for the exclamatory tone and a double hyphen for hisitations or

interrupted speech, as we can see below:

(9) no problem. I’m gonna have to um--. No hay problema. Pero tendré que buscar

CAMERON reach inside of the glove compartment to dentro de la guantera para darle la

5

get the registration, is that ok? documentación. ¿Le parece bien?

A comma identifies a simple intonation break with no actual pause, whereas full stops

indicate pauses that range from a single full stop, indicating a very short pause, to two full

stops for a medium pause of two seconds, to three full stops for a very long pause of three or

more seconds.

Capital letters are used to give particular stress, to convey certain feelings such as

anger or to transcribe a conversation spoken in a loud voice, as can be seen in (10):

he doesn’t drink!. he’s a BUDDHIST, for Él no bebe. Es budista, ¡por Dios!

CHRISTINE

to christ’s sake!

OFFICER

RYAN Finally, in the case in which it is impossible to understand clearly what the characters

are saying because we can only hear their voices, the linguistic items that are missing are

expressed by three capital Xs in round brackets, as in the example below taken from the first

line of Excerpt 1:

(11) (XXX) ¿Qué querrá este?

CAMERON

As we can notice, in the Spanish version a line is freely added to the original.

3. Analysis

3.1 The first scene

The policeman, Officer Ryan, and his partner, Officer Hanson, hear a report of a stolen

Navigator. A similar car drives right past them, with a different licence. Ryan turns on the red

light and the car pulls over to the curb. The people inside the car are both upper-class African

American, Cameron and his wife Christine. Officer Ryan asks for the licence and

consequently forces the couple out of the car.

Even though Ryan's behaviour and language become more and more hostile and

disrespectful, the police officer addresses Cameron and Christine with the titles sir and

ma'am (Pavesi 2011).

However, terms of address can be charged with many different values as a function of

the speech acts to which they are associated (Kerbrat-Orecchioni 2008:93). When Ryan utters:

6

“Ma'am, I'm only gonna tell you one time to stay in the vehicle!”, “ma'am” acquires the

meaning of order, to which Christine reacts with anger and frustration (“don't you “ma'am”

me!. Who the hell do you think you're talking to!”).

The vocatives sir and ma'am play two different roles simultaneously: the politeness of

these two vocatives contrasts the brutality of the situation, but at the same time they increase

the intimidatory tone of Ryan's utterances.

In this first scene (Excerpt 1), the police officer acts in a submissive and threatening

way throughout the whole conversation he holds with Cameron and Christine.

Excerpt 1

The Navigator pulls to a stop under a street lamp, the squad car pulls up behind. steps out.

OFFICER RYAN HANSEN

clearly doesn't like this; nonetheless, he steps out and assumes the backup position. approaches the

OFFICER RYAN

window, unsnapping his holster.

(XXX) ¿Qué querrá este?

CAMERON ((giggles)) ((giggles))

CHRISTINE keep your hands where I can see ‘em, Las manos a la vista por favor. Necesito ver

OFFICER

to please. I’m gonna need to see your el permiso de conducir y la documentación.

RYAN driver’s license and registration

CAMERON no problem. I’m gonna have to um--. No hay problema. Pero tendré que buscar

CAMERON reach inside of the glove compartment to dentro de la guantera para darle la

get the registration, is that ok? documentación. ¿Le parece bien?

nice and slow, please Despacio por favor

OFFICER

RYAN ok Sí

CAMERON how are you tonight, officer? ¿Cómo va la noche agente?

CHRISTINE

to OFFICER

RYAN excellent! De maravilla

OFFICER

RYAN ((sighing)) +ah!* ((sighing)) +ah!*

CHRISTINE +here you go* ((hands him his papers)) +Aquí ((hands him his papers))

tiene*

CAMERON

to OFFICER

RYAN Stay inside the vehicle, please. en el vehículo.

Quédense

RYAN TO

CAMERON

AND

CHRISTINE Hagámoslo otra vez.

CAMERON

TO

CHRISTINE step out of the car, please, del coche por favor.

sir Baje

OFFICER

to

RYAN

CAMERON wait-wait-wait a minute, officer, I haven’t un momento. Yo no he

Es..Espere, espere

CAMERON been drinking or anything! bebido ni nada por el estilo.

then we shouldn’t have a problem Entonces no habrá problema.

OFFICER

RYAN he doesn’t drink!. he’s a BUDDHIST, for Él no bebe. Es budista, ¡por Dios!

CHRISTINE 7

to christ’s sake!

OFFICER

RYAN no. it’s ok. it’s fine ((steps out)).. No, da igual, no hay problema ((steps out))..

CAMERON

to

CHRISTINE step onto the side walk, that’s good, a la acera, Hmm, Eso es, ahí.

sir.. Suba ¡señor!

OFFICER

to right there!.. look at me.. I want you to Míreme.

RYAN stand on your right foot--. touch your Quiero que sobre el pie derecho y

se apoye

CAMERON nose with the index finger of your left la nariz con el dedo índice de la

se toque

hand.. mano izquierda.

((steps out)) I TOLD you he doesn’t ((steps out)) Ya he dicho que él no bebe.

le

CHRISTINE

to drink!

OFFICER

RYAN I’m only gonna tell you one time solo lo diré una vez.

ma’am, Señora, se No salga

OFFICER to stay in the vehicle! del vehículo.

RYAN MA’AM? ¡Oiga!

CHRISTINE honey-honey, I-I’m ok!. I got this ¡Cariño, cariño! Estoy bien, déjame a mí.

CAMERON

to

CHRISTINE don’t you “ma’am” me!. who the hell do Pero, ¿qué ha creído? ¿Con quién

se

CHRISTINE

to you think you’re talking to! cojones que habla?

cree

OFFICER

RYAN look, officer, um--. my-my wife has had a Ehm, ¡agente! Ah, mi mujer ha bebido un

CAMERON

to couple of +1drinks--* par de +1copas.

OFFICER

RYAN +1alright,* both of you, turn around. put +1Está bien. Los dos media vuelta y

den

OFFICER your hands on top of your head and las manos en la cabeza con los

pongan

RYAN interlock your +2fingers* dedos +2entrelazados.

+2NO, wait-wait* a minute!, we’re only +2No, estamos solo a una

espere,*

CAMERON +3a block away from our house!* manzana +3de nuestra casa.*

+3hands on your head,* interlock your +3Las manos en la cabeza* con los dedos

OFFICER fingers! entrelazados.

RYAN +4THAT’S NOT EVEN NECESSARY!* +4OIGA, NO HACE FALTA…

CAMERON +4hands on your head and* interlock +4Las manos en la cabeza* con los dedos

OFFICER your fingers! entrelazados.

RYAN +5look, I’m a television* director. +5Yo soy director de televisión* y +6mi

CAMERON +6wait!, me and my wife were* just mujer y yo* volvemos de una +7entrega de

coming home from an +7awards show!* premios.*

to ((approaching)) +5what do we got?* ((approaching))

HANSEN

OFFICER

RYAN ((slams him up against the truck)) ((slams him up against the truck))

OFFICER

to +6what did I just tell you?*=

RYAN

CAMERON =+8pat him down!*

OFFICER

to

RYAN

HANSEN +7TAKE YOUR HANDS* OFF HIM!. +7QUÍTELE LAS MANOS* DE

CHRISTINE

to +8HE’S DONE* NOTHING WRONG! ENCIMA. +8ÉL NO HA HECHO* NADA

OFFICER MALO.

RYAN put your hands on top of your head, las manos en la cabeza

→ Ponga señora.

OFFICER

to ma’am!

RYAN

CHRISTINE will you just do what he says! ¿Quieres hacer lo que te dice?

CAMERON

to 8

CHRISTINE FUCK YOU! ¡TÚ VETE A LA MIERDA!

CHRISTINE

to

CAMERON PUT YOUR HANDS +ON TOP OF las manos en +la cabeza

Ponga señora.*

OFFICER

to YOUR HEAD, MA’AM!*

RYAN

CHRISTINE +and you keep your FILTHY FUCKING +Y esas asquerosas manos

usted quíteme

CHRISTINE HANDS* OFF-- (( R twists de encima.* (( twists her into

OFFICER YAN OFFICER RYAN

her into the car face)) ME!. AH!, YOU the car face)) ¡Suélteme cerdo… de

MOTHER FUCKING PIG! mierda!

CHRISTINE, JUST STOP TALKING! HE DICHO QUE TE CALLES!

CAMERON

to

CHRISTINE ((sigh)) that’s quite a mouth you have!. of ((sigh)) Menud