Audiovisual translation as a vehicle for culture and identity: a proposal of translation and analysis from two movies about the Venetian and Apulian crime organizations as case studies.

Abstract

This paper discusses mafia movies from a linguistic and a geographical perspective. Mafia has been observed to be a geolocalized event, based on ‘(dis)values’ such as honour and distrust of the public institutions and civil life. Its representation has stereotypically been linked to the southern areas of Italy, a view that has been standardised through media depictions and has subsequently created a collective imagine of mafia. This view has however been challenged by research which has claimed mafia to be a much broader concept, definable as everything which is in opposition to the established values of the State. Analysing different texts and audiovisual products, the thesis will firstly provide a theoretical framework for audio-visual translation, subsequently delving into a definition of the mafia phenomenon. The analysis will deal with media representation in bibliography, filmography, music and photography, to then focus on two movies as case studies: Faccia d’angelo (Angel Face) and Galantuomini (Gentlemen). A linguistic analysis of the two case studies will be provided, focusing on the role of dialect as a language of identity for crime organizations, regardless of the geographical provenance of the mafia organizations. Finally, a critical discussion of the translations of the two case studies is presented, in which translation methods and differences will be commented upon, with an emphasis on dialect use.