WATCHING CARTOONS WITH THE EYES OF A TRANSLATOR
WATCHING CARTOONS WITH THE EYES OF A TRANSLATOR

Summary/Abstract: When we watch a film, we deal simultaneously with four different types of signs: verbal acoustic signs (dialogue), non-verbal acoustic signs (music, sound effects), verbal visual signs (written signs in the image) and non-verbal visual signs (what is otherwise seen in the image). The purpose of this paper is to suggest that even if the polysemiotic dimension of film imposes significant cognitive demands upon the viewer of animated cartoons, there is always a choice between mental laziness and rewarding alertness. Although at the periphery of film genre, animated cartoons challenge their translators to extract and transmit the meanings “populating” a world of infinite possibilities. Animated shows can walk where live action shows cannot, animated characters can do things that real people cannot. This world of the limitless is created for people to have fun, but the translation of humor-inducing language is serious business.

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