Weighty Words? Translating The Biggest Loser for European Audiences

Abstract

First shown in the United States in 2004, The Biggest Loser is one of the most successful and enduring reality television shows. The format has been exported internationally, and domestic variants of the show remain extremely popular in many European countries. From a translation perspective, however, the title of the show provides a challenge, as the original English conveys not only the idea of losing weight, but also the oxymoronic notion of a ‘loser’ ironically being a winner. This contribution, therefore, provides an overview of the strategies used to deal with this issue through examination of the local titles given to The Biggest Loser in thirteen European countries. An initial analysis aimed to ascertain if the title had actually been translated into the local language, either fully or partially, taking into account associated cultural implications regarding English language proficiency. Subsequently, the titles were examined to see if aspects of the original were present, such as wordplay and the element of transformation. Finally, the titles were analysed to see if there were any common geographical or linguistic similarities between the various translation strategies.

Keywords

• the biggest loser
• title
• translation
• reality television