Dubbing OR subtitling vs. dubbing and subtitling? The case of multilingual films in Italy

According to the prevailing screen translation mode used, countries tend to be divided into dubbing or subtitling countries. Italy is traditionally a dubbing country and, even though it is currently witnessing an increase in subtitled products, especially since the advent of satellite channels and of DVDs, all screenings at cinemas and all imported audiovisual products broadcast on free terrestrial television channels are dubbed. For various reasons, dubbing became remarkably popular in Italy in the 1930s, and after 80 years it continues to be the main mode used in Italy. Indeed, in spite of the well-grounded reasons of the purists, who advocate a screen translation mode which preserves the original as much as possible, the practice of dubbing has become so deeply rooted in Italian culture that it is difficult to imagine a radical change in the context of audiovisual translation in the near future. Italians are so used to hearing foreign actors speak in their own language that they watch and listen to movies without even thinking of what lies behind the final product. They watch a dubbed product and suspend their disbelief forgetting that the product is actually a ‘fake’. However, on some occasions this process turns out to be more complicated than others. Multilingual films are indeed problematic for film translators and dubbing professionals. As several studies show (Diadori 2003; Heiss 2004; Baldo 2009), multilingual films are a phenomenon on the rise. Dubbing the various languages spoken in multilingual films in only one language –the receiving audience’s - obviously implies the loss of the multiplicity of information related to the use of the different varieties. Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Inglorious Basterds (2009) employs several languages, and none of these can actually be defined as prevailing. The film is set in France, thus some of the characters speak French; however, since the story takes place during World War II, when France was occupied by the Nazis, many speak German. Moreover, some of the characters are American and others are British (and the differences between the two English varieties is evident), and there is also a scene whose dialogues are in Italian. Quite uncommonly, the Italian version of the film has resorted to the adoption of both modes: dubbing and subtitling: English and French have been dubbed into Italian, while the German parts have been left in original and translated through subtitling. The choice of using subtitles, though unusual in the Italian industry, was presumably unavoidable, as the switch from German to the other varieties in many cases is crucial for the plot (there are scenes where the dialogues are actually translated by interpreters in the film). The use of subtitling and dubbing in the same film, however, does not always guarantee the achievement of functional equivalence. Indeed, it is possible to observe unavoidable cases of incoherence related to the dubbed parts, which consequently leads to the disruption of the suspension of disbelief in the spectators.