Translating Taboo Words for the Italian Screen: The case of “The Departed”

Università degli Studi di Firenze
Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia


Corso di Laurea in Lingue e Letterature Straniere
Tesi in Lingua Inglese





Translating Taboo Words for the Italian Screen: The case of “The Departed”
La Traduzione delle parole tabù per il grande schermo: Il caso di “The Departed”



Relatore







Chiar.mo prof. John Denton



Candidato
Elio Sottoscritti



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Contents

1 TABOO WORDS .................................................................................... 3
1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 3
1.2 Social taboos and Taboo Words ........................................................... 5
1.3 Taboo Words Categories ...................................................................... 9
1.4 Swearing in the English language ....................................................... 10
1.5 The F-Word ........................................................................................ 13
1.6 Italian swearing vs. English swearing ................................................. 17
THE CASE OF “THE DEPARTED” ................................................................ 20
2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 20
2.2 Movie Dubbing .................................................................................. 20
2.3 The role of Taboo Words in the film .................................................. 23
2.4 Taboo Words in the American version of “The Departed” ................. 24
2.5 The dubbing into Italian ..................................................................... 26
2.6 Full proper translation ....................................................................... 29
2.7 Use of euphemisms or omission ........................................................ 31
Conclusion ............................................................................................... 33
References ............................................................................................... 34
Appendix................................................................................................... 35
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Translating Taboo Words for the Italian
screen: The Case of “The Departed”


Starting from a thorough script analysis of Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed”, both in its
Italian and English versions, the purpose of this survey is to examine so-called Taboo-Words and to
define their linguistic profile. After a detailed comparison of the original version with the one
translated into Italian, it will be important to describe the different types of strategies that were
followed in translating dialogues in the presence of oaths, sex-related talk, racial slurs etc.
Furthermore, the role that Taboo-words have in the English language will be described and an
explanation of why are they treated differently as compared with other lexical categories will be
given.

1. TABOO WORDS
1.1 Introduction


A world without rules would be chaos. To be more specific, rules are needed to
draw a clear line between what can be called right and wrong. When everything goes right the
mechanism works perfectly, but it is when that line is crossed and things start to go in a different
way as far as rules go, that there will definitely be an undetermined number of breakdowns of
variable magnitude. No one will disagree that language belongs to the world as we know it; as a
consequence language as well will follow certain rules. However, sometime rules happen to be
broken and we speak of a mistake when this occurs. Speaking of language, the first mistakes that
we can think of are grammar mistakes. In general, we tend not to commit mistakes when we
communicate with other human beings; this implies an effort at the well spelling of words and its
organization in a precise order. On the other hand, we have an analogous tendency to avoid
certain types of categories of words or expressions, which are not wrong by themselves. We do
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elude these words even if we are able to pronounce them correctly or to put them in the right
place in a complex sentence. If you were asked to point out in which of these two different
situations the student made a grammar mistake which one would you pick?
During the history class, the teacher is giving a lesson on Caesar and his “De Bello Gallico”,
but as soon as he finishes quoting the famous phrase “Alea iacta est” he is interrupted by a
student who asks him:
Excuse me, can you that repeat?

That same day, at the same time but in another classroom, a student interrupts the physics
teacher who has just finished uttering the well-known equation “E=MC2” by saying:
Excuse me, can you fucking repeat that?

Beyond any shadow of doubt, it is clear how in the first example the student has made a
grammar mistake, more specifically a syntax error. But when it comes to the second example,
would you be still 100% sure that he has really made a mistake here as well? More so, among
those who would say “Yes”, are any of you able to tell what kind of mistake the student might
have made?
“In the philosophy of language, a natural language (or ordinary language) is any language
which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language
possessed by the human intellect” (Wikipedia). This means that by some means language is a
product of human beings. Firstly, language is a complex system used to communicate. Secondly, it
has never stopped changing by the time it had started being used. Nonetheless, what is most
important is that language undergoes subjectivity and this gives us a clue on why it is not
completely true, neither false, to claim that the student is actually making a mistake in the second
case.
In conclusion, we come to realize that there are certain words and expressions which one
should not use on particular occasions, even though they are not wrong in themselves; otherwise
one would break some kind of unwritten social rules, which are observed “in public and are clearly
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linked to the social setting, the sex, the age, the status of the speaker, and the audience” (Spears
1982: Intro XIII). These prohibitions are what we call Taboos.

1.2 Social taboos and Taboo Words


“Taboo is a Polynesian word for any of a number of religious prohibitions which forbid
specified behavior usually under the threat of some kind of punishment. Many of the taboos of
this type are absolute, that is, they are always in effect regardless of the situation. Many of them
involve offenses toward the spirit world and religious custom” (Spears 1982: Intro XII-XIII). It is
surprising to find out that in many primitive tribes it is forbidden to simply say certain words. This
is due to a non-materialistic view of the world, representative of these ethnic groups, which
involves a strong connection between objects and words that identify them. For what concerns
our “advanced” Western cultures, it would be out of the question to have such strict social rules,
and we think of ourselves as grown up and taboo-free cultures. This is not true. A good number of
taboos is shared among a variety of different cultures (incest, cannibalism) but it is pretty clear
how the social prohibition of a specific topic depends on the cultural environment; this implies
that a topic can be taboo under one culture and yet be completely conventional in another.
“There is a great variation in what is taboo or significant in different cultures, and, second, that
this can show up in different ways – as prohibition, obligation, or strict regulation” (Trudgill 1992:
57). As we can see, Taboo is used to mark a certain concept, idea, situation, object or action that is
someway uncomfortable rather than simply prohibited, in a delimited social context. “To say that
a certain area of life is taboo is not to say that is altogether forbidden, but that it is regulated by
conscious or unconscious rules. It is certainly not forbidden or improper to have sex, given the
right time, place, person and maybe even the right motivation” (Trudgill 1992: 55-56). We still
have taboo topics in our modern cultures, and our languages show it.
To a certain extent, a rather small part of the language seems to be not allowed. This set of
words and expressions suffers some kind of “ban or an inhibition resulting from social custom or
emotional aversion” (The Free Dictionary). As a result, all the linguistic instances that belong to
this unique set are come along with the tag Taboo. We come to realize that these words behave
differently than any other word category. At school they don’t teach how to use them, or what
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they mean, but still everyone knows how to use those words properly. It is to be taken into
account that ever since there has been any kind of taboo, consequently there has been a
proportional tendency to violate it. It is somewhat obvious that “there are things we are not
supposed to do and there are words we are not supposed to say. Incest is taboo and so are words
like motherfucker” (P.Trudgill, 1992). Take “the secret pleasure” (Arango 1996: 95) for example,
and think about how old this taboo can be; since the “sin of Onan” originally mentioned in the
Bible, masturbation has been a social taboo; this means that it is quite a long time since dirty
words and euphemisms about masturbation have been out there. The more a subject is
prohibited, the stronger will become the taboo word referring to it. However, thanks to the almost
unlimited potentials of language, it is conceivable to point to the same object avoiding any
violation of taboo or run into impoliteness. In fact, when there is the need to mention a concept
suffering some kind of social prohibition that is designated by a certain taboo word, called
dysphemism, there is the possibility of eluding the powerfulness of the taboo expression by using
two other classes of words: euphemisms or orthophemisms. “Important to this discussion is the
concept of cross-varietal synonymy, i.e. words that have the same meaning as other words used
in different contexts” (Allan 2006: 29) and so we can truthfully state that there are words which
are synonyms to each other but that are used in dissimilar frameworks, depending on different
dynamics, above all politeness. If the term euphemism is well known (“Etymology: Greek
euphēmismos, from euphēmos auspicious, sounding good, from eu- + phēmē speech, from phanai
to speak”) (Merriam-Webster) everyone will be new to its opposite corresponding synonym
dysphemism (Greek dys- “bad”, “unfavourable”). In addition to these two X-phemisms (Allan,
2006) stands the immaculate and neutral orthophemism (Greek ortho- “proper, straight, normal”
cf. orthodox). To sum up, these three categories of synonyms “denote the same thing but have
different connotations, which mark different styles used in different circumstances” (Allan 2006:
29). An example of cross-varietal synonymy:

Ortophemism
Euphemism
Dysphemism
Feces
Poo
Shit

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Same object, but different language expressions, and if the dysphemism can be defined as
dispreferred language, ortophemism and euphemism are preferred language. Rudeness and
impoliteness can be easily determined and distinguished, that is why a dysphemistic expression is
able to catch the attention of the audience with no trouble. Dysphemisms are “startingly direct
and shockingly coarse violations of a taboo: in the field of death one could cite pushing up daisies,
snuff it and croak as gruesomely dysphemic references to the physical act of death, including the
death rattle and subsequent incorporation into the cycle of nature. A great deal of swearing, foul
language and profanity is deliberately dysphemic” (Hughes 1991: 10). The reason why the speaker
would use a dysphemism and therefore be impolite and offensive can be many, but then again
dysphemism “is a word or phrase with connotations that are offensive either about the
denotatum and/or to people addressed or overhearing the utterance” (Allan 2006: 31). On the
other hand, the speaker can use two types of preferred language: orthophemism and euphemism,
the first is more formal and direct; the latter is more colloquial and figurative. As is shown by the
example above, the most orthodox, neutral and unequivocal word that denotes its object “bodily
waste discharged through the anus” (Merriam-Webster) is the ortophemism feces. However “The
keys to understanding euphemism are the concepts of avoidance and etiquette. When people
euphemize, they are avoiding giving offense. The culture defines the areas which are to be
avoided but it is the rules of being polite--etiquette—which motivate people to euphemize”
(Spears 1982: Intro XII), henceforth it is clear why a gentleman is by and large accustomed to using
euphemisms which are not offensive nor too direct (but still socially unobjectionable). “What a
great emotional distance there is between the terms fuck and coitus or between cock and penis, or
most of all, between cunt and vagina or vulva” (Arango 1996: 122). This is the reason why taboo
words are largely used in speech of great emotional contents and other circumstances, but in
general, the more etiquette and politeness are respected in a certain social context, the more
shocking and powerful will be the effect of using a dysphemism in that situation. “Because taboo
words have the power to shock, they are often used in situations full of emotion such as in an
argument, making love, playing sport, in pain or when one is under a lot of stress” (Taboo Words -
the ICAL TEFL wiki). These are the most common overwrought situations in which taboo words can
be uttered. Thus, it could be stated that the use of taboo words (swearing, use of dysphemisms,
oaths, curse, etc.) as opposed to censorship (euphemisms, omissions, etc.) can represent the
persistent conflict between the animal and the man, the instinct and the intellect: “Taboo is
identified with emotional release, aggression, lack of control, intemperance and intolerance. The
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pleasurable effect of an expletive employed to release pent-up anger against a person, or to insult
and wound someone, reveals the animal (deep subcortical) part of human beings that our
inhibitory mechanisms strive to suppress. Censorship on the other hand, whether in the form of
legal controls or simple social taste constraints, reflects the intellectual (higher cortical) part of
being human that is associated with emotional control, rational thought and tolerance” (Allan
2006: 249). Though social prohibition and social taboos, and consequently taboo language, has
always been characteristic of human societies, yet it is to be noticed a constant changing in what
suffers these taboos and social prohibitions. In other words, taboo words change with time and
what could have been labeled taboo or socially unacceptable during the Victorian period doesn’t
mean that it still has to be intolerable now. It is acquired knowledge that “language is constantly
changing and so are our views of language” (Trudgill 1992: 190) and this everlasting
transformation echoes the shifting of social taboos and prohibitions. Wittily, G.K. Chesterton once
said “Blasphemy itself could not survive religion; if anyone doubts that let him try to blaspheme
Odin” (ThinkExist.com). Taboo words reflect social taboos which themselves submit to shared and
common social values that obviously, suffer the pass of time, ergo even taboo words and its use
evolve throughout history. “The history of foul language in English, for example, has seen the
sweeping transition from religious to secular swearing. Blasphemy, religious profanity and
religious insults have lost their punch; and the potency of profanity relating to sexual and bodily
functions has more recently diminished” (Hughes 1991: 12). Hence, this process of effectiveness
diminution of outrageous and offensive expressions it is always in-motion and affects even our
contemporary society. During the 20th century society has been changing so quickly and language
has done it as well. “When the Sex Pistols swore live on tea-time telly in 1976, there was outrage
across Britain. Headlines screamed. Christians marched. TVs were kicked in. Thirty years later,
dirty words are utterly mainstream – bandied about shamelessly on TV and in the papers”
(Silverton 2009: 6). From that moment on, many taboo words that we still use today were starting
to enter the everyday vocabulary of everyone. In the present day, words that used to be taboo,
like fuck, cunt, shit etc. have become so common in our everyday communication; this does not
mean that they are not taboo words at all or that they might have lost their striking power, it is
just that their taboo quality has been weakened and society is more relaxed about them. It is so
normal for millions of viewers to turn on the television and watch shows that contain a lot of
swear words like The Sopranos. On the other hand, if lately social topics such as sex are less taboo,
there are others which have become more burning issues: “as distaste for sexual slang has
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undeniably fallen in the English-speaking world so revulsion at racial insults has self-evidently
risen. As cunt and fuck etc. were once hidden secrets of the common language – known by all,
used by many, printed or broadcast by no-one – so the same has become true of racial (and
religious) epithets” (Silverton 2009: 230). To sum up, we have seen how taboo words reveal
thoughts and topics that are in the main, avoided or marked as socially intolerable; yet it is
essential to make clear what kind of semantic areas can be considered taboo in our western
cultures.

1.3 Taboo Words Categories

It is possible to trace a profile for Taboo words and divide them into three main semantic
categories, which are:
Words to do with Religion
These are words that are Religion-related. It is remarkable that the general term “profanity” used
to indicate any type of insulting, rude or vulgar expression finds its etymological origin in the Latin
word “profanum” which refers to anything that is outside the church and it is not connected with
religion. When expressions like “Jesus Christ” or “God” are used in their original context, form part
of a sermon delivered by some member of the clergy, it means that they are properly being used.
But when we hear the same words, outside places of worship, probably they serve just as
interjection, there is no direct referring to any religious matter and that is when they come to be
Taboo.
Words to do with Sex or the Body
Often these words have an acceptable euphemism to describe the sex act or body part. In "polite"
company one might talk of making love or breasts. However one may also refer to the same things
as screwing or tits when speaking amongst one’s friends. Even though all sex undergoes
censorship and taboo, some particular topic carries a stronger taboo content. In most cultures
“the taboos on male homosexuality and unfaithful wives have been strongest” (Allan 2006: 144).
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However, although in Anglo societies outside-marriage and non-procreative sex has now become
less tabooed, in other societies still remain one of the most censored topic.
Words to do with the Toilet or Bodily effluvia
“Human bodies need to expel the by-products of a living organism, *…+ which makes them a
potential source of embarrassment to the person from whom they issue. Failure to satisfy
community expectations provokes malediction and verbal insult, often created from terms that
name feces and, to a lesser extent, urine (perhaps because feces is solid, more resistant to
dispersal and smells more strongly)” (Allan 2006: 173). Like words to do with sex and the body,
these words often have euphemisms or polite terms instead of the alternatives which are often
considered taboo or shocking in other circumstances. One may talk about going to the lavatory
rather than taking a piss for example.

To recap, taboo words arise from social taboo and these change during time, accordingly to
the transformation of society and its main shared values. Three main categories of Taboos can be
approximately identified, and these are Religion, Sex/Body and Bodily effluvia; constantly
influenced by politeness and other social forces at work, human beings relate to these social and
linguistic taboos and thus “use figurative language and/or verbal play in generating X-phemisms,
many of which show remarkable inventiveness of either figure or form. In such ways do taboos
drive the renewal of language” (Allan 2006: 29).

1.4 Swearing in the English language


“It is obvious that people sometimes swear precisely because they want to be offensive,
insulting etc. *…+ English is no different from other languages in having words and expressions that
no one is supposed to say but that everyone does say – or nearly everyone” (Trudgill 1992: 14) and
“although swearing obviously thrives in astonishing profusion in many quarters and is never heard
in others, there is also hesitancy over accepting it as a proper topic for public display or serious
discussion” (Hughes 1991: Preface). Basically, swearing consists of taboo words in action. Every
time there is the necessity of expressing strong emotions and attitudes, human beings turn to the
use of something that is taboo and/or stigmatized in the culture, and generally the resulting swear
expression is not meant to be interpreted literally.
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