"XOXO. Gossip Girl and Dubbing in the Age of 'Net Lingo'"
Audiovisual Translation across Europe - An Ever-changing Landscape, Edited by Silvia Bruti and Elena Di Giovanni, Jan 18, 2013
Gossip Girl, a popular 2007 teen show narrated by the eponymous blogger, provides an exclusive op... more Gossip Girl, a popular 2007 teen show narrated by the eponymous blogger, provides an exclusive opportunity to explore the linguistic impact of the new media. Aside from storyline developments, computers and cell phones also affect the language of the new Upper East Side brat pack, replete with Internet slang, acronyms and abbreviations (e.g. “XOXO” for “Hugs and kisses”). While a loss of effectiveness and immediacy is inevitable upon translation, the overtly unfavorable reception of the Italian dubbing also shows a significant evolution of the audience, calling for a reassessment of audiovisual translation methodologies in light of instant communication.
Uploads
Books by Alice Casarini
Italian translation of Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (YouTuber Zoella) Milano: Mondadori, 2015. Original text: Penguin, 25 November 2015
Papers by Alice Casarini
The evolution of the new media has led to enormous changes in television production and consumption. As a consequence of the proliferation of TV networks and online file-sharing tools, television shows are now tailored to suit specific, dedicated niche audiences with a significantly higher proficiency in program reception. “Viewers 2.0” subvert the traditional construct of TV spectators as couch potatoes by actively exploring fictional worlds and appropriating and remediating contents through cultural practices of textual poaching such as fan fiction, fan videos, or fan translation. This paper analyzes the impact of this new level of engagement among Italian viewers, who are now questioning the previously unchallenged dubbing process and showing an increasing openness towards different solutions such as fansubbing (the distribution of amateur subtitles shortly after the original airing of each TV show episode). While this alternative may not appeal to the Italian audience in its entirety, in that it requires an active linguistic effort, the growing number of people who join fansubbing communities and proficiently appraise AVT strategies on forums and social networks signals a substantial development in the preferences of Italian viewers. Besides its significant sociological implications, this evolution also calls for a reassessment of AVT practices, since the immediate availability of costless subtitles generates tough competition for professional solutions, which are usually better from a technical perspective, but often also delayed and less accurate in terms of each show’s specific identity and intra- and intertextual references. This paper will thus explore the effects of the new forms of television reception on the AVT industry, analyzing the impact of the response of the Italian audience to the transatlantic acquisition of the recent hit shows How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and The Big Bang Theory and positing a future synergy between AVT professionals and knowledgeable fansubbers.
Talks by Alice Casarini
Nonetheless, the publication of the first volume of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga in 2005 signaled a relapse into the ideology of the feminine mystique. This paper aims at analyzing the ways in which the saga rehashes and perpetuates a Weltanschauung in which women find their natural self-fulfillment through their marriage and motherhood. I will thus explore the strategies with which supernatural romance is used to reinforce beliefs that are clearly still widespread in spite of the diffusion and the relevance of the rhetoric of equality.
This study will compare Meyer’s female protagonist Bella Swan with her film and television predecessors, highlighting the mystification of Bella’s apparent agency, which is only exerted through her blatantly dominant vampire fiancé. The analysis of the filmic coding of Bella and Edward’s romance will provide further elements to frame the depiction of Bella as the quintessential symbol of submission, culminating with her first intercourse, an irredeemable portrayal of the paradigm of male dominance with an equally unmistakable soundtrack stating “I surrender who I’ve been for who you are” (Sleeping at Last, “Turning Page”). I will thus attempt to prove that Meyer’s misuse of supernatural features constitutes not only a wasted chance to promote female empowerment, but a downright backslide in the (ongoing) fight for female emancipation.