Translation Studies - Essay Example

With the advent of television, dubbing of TV programs also became popular, so that by the late 1970s, most major European and Latin American markets were watching television and cinema productions made in Hollywood in their local languages. Today, in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey-and increasingly in the major East European nations-audiences see Hollywood productions in their local languages, rather than subtitles, as a result of concern for audience size and linguistic purity.

1 As Ramez Maluf the director of the Beirut Institute for Media Arts at the Lebanese American University comments that subtitling required readers to read and gave them a feeling that they were watching a foreign production and could not attract a huge market. Dubbing was used sufficiently and persuasively in this regard. The revival period of the Disney animations resulted in production of all time hit genres like the Beauty and the Beast, The Alladin, The Simpsons and the Lion King. These animations were popular throughout the world and were translated in a number of languages to suit the needs of varying publics.

The research proposal aims at studying the translations of English versions of Disney Genres into Arabic through dubbing. 'The Simpsons', the popular American animated series for more than seventeen years now, will be studied and analyzed as part of the study. 'The Simpsons' The 1990s saw the beginnings of a new wave of animated series targeted primarily to adults, after a lack of such a focus for over a decade. In 1989, The Simpsons, based on a short animated cartoon segment of The Tracey Ullman Show, became the first prime-time animated series since The Flintstones to capture a sizable viewing audience.

It was the first major hit series for the fledgling Fox network, and it caused a minor sensation, entering popular culture and gaining wide acceptance. Currently, The Simpsons appears to show no signs of stopping and at this rate may surpass Gunsmoke, as the longest-running fictional program in American television history. The Simpsons success has been attributed by many to the two faced quality of its theme. It is a silly cartoon with witty socio-political commentary. Micheal Hastings of All Movie Guide describes it in following words "A tale of five-member, four-fingered, dysfunctional nuclear family"Simpsons popularity could be deemed by the fact that it is responsible for the introduction of a number of phrases and words into the American Culture like D'oh!

Jebus, Kwyjibo, Meh, Okily-Dokily and Yoink! These phrases have found their way into popular use, to varying degrees and are a norm for any American adult. Simpsons attained worldwide popularity primarily in America, as it highlighted various social and historical