Heterolingualism in audiovisual translation. "De Zaak Alzheimer / La Memoria del Asesino"

This contribution focuses on the problem of translating heterolingualism in audiovisual translation (AVT). At first sight, AVT seems to offer the perfect opportunity to maintain the use of different languages in a film. In the subtitled versions, the other languages always remain present since the original soundtrack is not replaced and a translations are rendered in the subtitles, whereas in dubbed versions the other languages can be rendered by the dubbing actor or narrator in the foreign language and also be translated in subtitles. Thus, viewers who can distinguish between foreign languages and who are not distracted from listening by reading the subtitles, can easily notice code switching. However, as this case study shows, it is not as simple as that. Depending on the meaning and the relevance of heterolingualism in the context on the one hand, and the target audience’s views on foreign languages and cultures on the other, the translators/adaptors of the Spanish subtitling and dubbing of the Belgian (Dutch spoken) film De zaak Alzheimer / La memoria del asesino resorted to different strategies to overcome the problem. The aim of this case study is to identify the different functions heterolingualism performs in the film and to summarise the translation strategies that were used to maintain (or to neutralise) heterolingualism. In fact, this film is no exception. Given the linguistic situation of Belgium, heterolingualism is a feature of many of its film productions.