Translating Images. Comic Books and Graphic Novels as Multimodal Texts in Translation

• Authors: Jerzy Skwarzyński
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

A piece of work that requires the interplay of at least two different codes, e.g. written text and elements of design, is a multimodal text (Serafini 2011, 342). These include short or feature films, video games and comic books. The focus of this paper is comics, the non-interactive texts that, nevertheless, need a reader to be vivified (McCloud 1994, 36-37); a flexible platform for new ways of expression which often provides formidable challenges upon translation.Comic books, often referred to as graphic novels, have become a respected literary form often compared to novels rather than pulp fiction which they used to be classified as. Their growing cultural relevance and increasing recognition shift the gravity of choices made by translators working with these texts. Comics often take on much-debated themes, such as gender, feminism or postcolonial issues; that adds to the importance of comics in a current pop-cultural discourse.Nonetheless, the most unique aspect of these texts is their form, which incorporates static visual images organised “in deliberate sequence” (ibid., 7-9) and text. Even though there are instances of comics with no text, it usually is present; without the imagery, however, it makes little or no sense and vice versa. Moreover, the connection between text and image as well as between the images themselves may be intricate and multilayered, making it even more challenging for translators to tackle.Drawing on examples from classics such as Maus, V for Vendetta, Peanuts and the Asterix series, this paper expands on the aforementioned translation issues and underlines the cultural significance of comic books and graphic novels.

Keywords

EN

comic books; graphic novels; translation of graphic novels

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
• Journal: New Horizons in English Studies
• Year: 2019
• Issue: 4

Dates

published

2019

online

2019-09-13

Contributors

author

Jerzy Skwarzyński

• Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej

editor

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

editor

Adam Głaz

editor

Lidia Kniaź-Hunek

editor

Anna Bendrat

editor

Ewelina Prażmo

editor

Przemysław Terejko

editor

Piotr Szczypa

editor

Grzegorz Czemiel

editor

Ewa Antoszek

editor

Justyna Galant

editor

Marta Komsta

editor

Edyta Frelik

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

editor

Anna Oleszczuk

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

other

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

References

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• Bernal Merino, Miguel. 2006. “On the Translation of Video Games.” JoSTrans 6. http://www.jostrans.org/issue06/art_bernal.php.
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• Goscinny, René and Abert Uderzo. 2002. Asterix and the Great Divide, trans. Anthea Bell. London: Orion.
• Goscinny, René and Abert Uderzo. 2012. Wielki rów, trans. Jolanta Sztuczyńska. Warszawa: Egmont.
• Herriman, George. 1916. Krazy Kat (1916-06-11 – Wednesday). Newspaper comic. http://www.comicstriplibrary.org/display/13.
• McCloud, Scott. 1994. Understanding Comics. The Invisible Art. New York: William Morrow.
• McCloud, Scott. 2015. The Sculptor. London: SelfMadeHero.
• Moore, Alan, and David Lloyd. 2005. V for Vendetta. New York: Vertigo.
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• Schulz, Charles. 2004. The Complete Peanuts 1950 to 1952. Edinburgh: Canongate.
• Serafini, Frank. 2011. “Expanding Perspectives for Comprehending Visual Images in Multimodal Texts.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 54(5).
• http://0www.jstor.org.wam.city.ac.uk/stable/pdf/41038867.pdf?acceptTC=true.
• Spiegelman, Art. 2003. The Complete Maus. London: Penguin Books.
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• Zanettin, Federico. 2008. “Comics in Translation: An Overview.” In Comics in Translation. ed. Federico Zanettin, 1-32. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.

Identifiers

DOI

10.17951/nh.2019.4.102-117