Increasing or Decreasing the Sense of ‘Otherness’: the Role of Audiovisual Translation in the Process of Social Integration

This paper is aimed at analyzing the impact and potential of audiovisual translation (AVT) in the process of social integration. AVT is mainly characterized by the use of language which, far from being neutral, can be used in many different ways in order to manipulate meanings and exert a strong influence on society as a whole. Language has always been associated with power, manipulation and ideology and as such is at the core of any study carried out in the field of AVT. The type of language transfer chosen in any country depends on many factors, such as historical, political, cultural, religious and even economic preferences. However, it has become more and more common to refer to ‘foreignizing’ and ‘domesticating’ (translation) strategies when deciding upon and judging the type of language transfer to be used in particular contexts. It is not surprising that these strategies are used in translation in order to decrease or increase the sense of ‘otherness’. Subtitling is an example of foreignizing translation where the ‘otherness’ is given freedom to express itself because it is the target culture that moves towards the source culture. Despite being viewed initially as a lower quality product as compared to dubbing, subtitling is now much more valued than it was in the past thanks to its ‘respect’ for the culture and language of other countries. Dubbing, on the other hand, is a classical example of linguistic nationalism aimed at domesticating the ‘otherness’ in order to minimize the sense of ‘foreignness’ for the target culture. There is nowadays an increasing awareness of the importance and the need to strengthen language learning and to promote a new model of cultural pluralism which breaks away from xenophobic and racist attitudes and empowers minority groups in various countries. AVT is an important field of interdisciplinary research which should be deeply analyzed in order to better value its potential of promoting multilingualism and multiculturalism in the world. Drawing upon examples of dubbed Italian versions of some Walt Disney movies, this paper aims at re-evaluating dubbing in a much more positive light and showing how it can help strengthen social integration in an increasingly globalized world.