Maltese subtitling for Francis Ford Coppola's ‘The Godfather’

Abstract

This dissertation has been done with one very specific aim, that of producing Maltese language subtitles for Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece The Godfather (1972). The principle motive (apart from the love of cinema and translation) that inspired me to undertake this task was the lack of 'exploration' within the subtitling field in Malta and audiovisual translation in general, as this field is locally still an uncharted territory. Such ambitious attempt required a theoretical overview of audiovisual translation studies which is still considered to be a relatively juvenile sub-division within the more classical field of translation, which has its roots that reach back into antiquity - with an in-depth analysis of specifically selected theories which are most relevant to the aim of the dissertation in chapter 1. Chapter 2 will focus on Francis Ford Coppola's masterful filmic adaptation (1972) of Mario Puzo's best-seller novel ‘The Godfather’ (1969), with some in depth analysis of certain elements which are extremely relevant to the scope of the dissertation. In chapter 3 there will be an extensive examination of the subtitling process, in which specific case-studies will be analysed in the light of some theories within the audiovisual translation studies' field that are most suitable for the specific goals of the dissertation. Chapter 4 represents the pinnacle of the dissertation, as in this chapter there will be the rendition of Maltese language subtitles next to the English original subtitles for Paramount’s ‘The Godfather’. In Chapter 5 we find the final comments, which conclude the dissertation with some comments and recommendations for the audiovisual translation field.