The Translation of Sex-Related Language in TV Series: Analyzing the Fictional Speech of LGBTQ+ Characters

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a notable rise in the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters in TV series available on online platforms. This poses a challenge for translators from a linguistic, social and cultural perspective, as they need to deal with the transference of fictional speech according to diverse identities. In this respect, translators are not only in charge of translating the fictional speech for a given audiovisual product to be either subtitled or dubbed into a different language, but they have the role of conveying and preserving LGBTQ+ characters’ identities accurately. The objective of this paper is to analyze the translation of sex-related language in TV series with LGBTQ+ representation. On the basis of a selected corpus of two different English-language TV series (Euphoria and Sex Education), this descriptive study analyzes the fictional speech of several LGBTQ+ characters and focuses on the translation of sex-related language from English into Spanish in both their dubbed and subtitled versions. The translation strategies used to render sex-related conversations when translating audiovisual fiction are discussed throughout the study in order to show different ways of facing the translation of specific sexual expressions. In this respect, the study intends to highlight the fact that all decisions made when translating fictional conversations that LGBTQ+ characters have about sex may have an influence on the representation of several topics such as sexuality, gender or identity. The study also discusses how other aspects such as the translation of inclusive language and the expression of gender identity may also affect the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters.

Keywords

• audiovisual translation
• lgbtq+
• sex-related language
• subtitling
• dubbing
• gender
• identity
• sexuality
• sexual orientation
• descriptive analysis