A.A.

2011 \2012

Lingua Inglese II LM

Valerio Cabiddu
Lingue per la Comunicazione Internazionale;
Matricola 107805

The translation of Alan

Moores V for Vendetta, a
short comment

Index

Foreword

1. Analyses of a translation

2. The graphic novel

2.1

V for Vendetta plot

2.2

v for Vendetta the language, the internal references

3. Analyses of the translation of V for Vendetta

3.1 Direct translation techniques

3.1.1 Borrowing

3.1.2 Calque

11

3.1.3 Literal translation

12

3.2 Oblique translation techniques

15

3.2.1 Adaptation

15

3.2.2 Modulation

18

3.2.3 Transposition, compensation

21

3.2.4 Reformulation (equivalence)

24

Results

32

Images reference

33

Bibliography

34

Foreword
To translate is something quite hard to define. What is translation? In a simple
way, translation can be defined (in a primitive definition) as the act of taking a word
and expressing it in another language. Is it enough to take a word and put it in
another language? But we know that this is not all. We mean, it is already something
but surely it is not all in it. The act of translation is recreating a meaning somehow in
the destination language. Lets take the definition used in the Oxford English online
dictionary: to express the meaning of speech or writing in a different language1. Here
we find something more, we start to see that the act of translation is connected with
meaning. Making a literal translation of a word from language a into language b
does not take care of meaning. That is why an automatic translator will never be able
to substitute man, a human being, in order to translate something. But why? What is
there in the concept of meaning that makes a human being so important in order to
translate?
The first important thing that has to be said is that a normal translation is not a
translation of a single word. When we read something that has been translated it is
normally constituted by several items. In a first level we see the words, the sentences,
in a second level the words can be used to create idiomatic expressions, the sentences
can be used to create nonsensical speech, as sometimes heard in a pasquinade show
(etc.). Then it is already clear that when a translator sits down and he has to translate,
he has to face so many levels that seem to make the act of translation impossible.
Nonetheless it is still possible. Umberto Eco, in his essay on translation2, said that to
translate is to say almost the same thing. Perhaps this is the better definition of
translation. As a matter of fact when we translate a complex text we always lose or
change something in the original text, it can be a very little part of it, but not even the
best translator can give a translation that we can say is 100% faithful. That happens
because, as said above, a complex text has to face various levels of the language (in
both language a and b), those levels concern (but non only) morphological,
1
2

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/translate
ECO U. Dire quasi la stessa cosa. Esperienze di traduzione, Milano, Bompiani, 2003, (foreword)

semantic and pragmatic aspects. When we speak of the morphological aspects of a

translation we mean that when a translation is made it should respect how the word is
constructed and how it should be used according its function in the sentence. To
respect the morphology of the source text means, for instance, to try to respect the
genre of the noun translated, however when passing from one language to another
this is not always be possible. The semantic aspects of a translation concern the
meaning of words, which is surely one of the most important tasks for the translator,
to convey the same meaning. The translator then has to face the pragmatic aspect of
the language which refers to the language in use and its internal or external
implications, the so called knowledge of the world . All these aspects affect the
translators work.
This essay will concentrate on this aspect of translation reflected on the
resulting translation techniques.

1. Analyses of a translation
As said before, translating is a hard job. This essay will not be a translation of a
text but an analyses of an already published translation. How do we do something like
this? By following some steps, answering a couple of questions and presenting
examples, chosen from both the source text and the target text, that have brought the
translator to make a choice. Alternative translations will also be suggested. The steps
that will be followed in this essay are:
a. A short glance at the text type/linguistic genre in discussion.
b. Translation strategy used, for example: calque, amplification, modulation,
etc. divided in two subcategories (direct translation techniques and indirect
translation techniques).
c. Complex words or words that could be seen as very difficult to be translated
because they come from specialist word fields, songs, etc.
d. Internal language reference (they have to be seen as expressions that refer
to a particular aspect of the society, or of the source language) and we will
assess if they have been translated or not.
e. Idioms and reformulation.

2. The graphic novel

V for Vendetta, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyds is a
work most commonly classified as a graphic novel. This classification is used to
indicate works that use the traditional form of a comic book (images, balloon etc.) but
are usually longer and they are a novel in the sense that there is a beginning, a middle
and an end3. However, the most important thing about the term graphic novel, is
the topics that they are about i.e. strong stories, political remarks, and then the
language that is used. This is what makes them more suitable for adults rather than

ROGER VANETA, Behind the Page: Jeff Smith, Part Two, Newsrama, 2008

Children. We can see for instance in Maus: My father bleeds history 4 which
memorializes the experience of the authors father of the Nazism Holocaust, or
Persepolis5 which is about the memories of a young girl growing up in Iran during the
Islamic Revolution.

2.1

V for Vendetta plot

V for Vendetta appeared first in strips between 1982 and 1985 in England
in Warrior, a British anthology comic published by Quality Comics6 and then published
in single magazine form in the United States as V for Vendetta 1 - 10 in 1990. The
plot was strongly inspired by the political climate of England during the early 1980s.
The fears of nuclear world conflict are portrayed in the book and, being particularly
pessimistic about politics at the time, Moore decided to portray a grim, bleak and
totalitarian future.
V for Vendetta is about a man, his quest for revenge and his desire to right the
wrongs in his society. The story takes place in England, in 1997. It is a world ravaged by
war, famine and disease. In response to these changes, the government also changes.
It is a fascist dictatorship, which uses extensive means to control the people. As a
result, the populace sinks into a state of enforced contentment, making no effort to
regain their freedom. V rescues a woman, Evey, from a dangerous situation and takes
her under his wing. He makes it clear from the beginning what he is about, but
because he speaks in riddles, rhymes and literary quotations, she does not understand.
V is a man always dressed in costume with a cloak, hat, wig and mask. He is never seen
out of costume. He is shadowy and mysterious and often his way of thinking is
incomprehensible. He wants revenge for what he has suffered during the beginning of
the fascist period and in his plan to kill the people responsible for the atrocities that he
had survived has a prominent role. The objective of V is not only revenge, but also a
personal fight against the totalitarian government that rules his country. After various
4
5
6

ART SPIEGELMAN, Maus: my father bleeds history, Penguin Book, 2003

MARJANE SATRAPI, Persepolis, Vintage Books, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta

events V tests Eveys faith and she becomes the one who, at the end of the story,
definitively destroys the system, wearing herself, the V camouflage.

2.2

V for Vendetta, the language and the internal references

The graphic novel V for Vendetta includes very little text when we compare it
to a normal novel. Thus the translators job could appear easier, however this is not
the case. All throughout his work, Moore includes allusions, or references to other
works which are hard to be translated. These works mainly derive from books,
paintings, movies or songs. The list is something as follows: Orwell, Huxley, Thomas
Disch, Judge Dredd, Harlan Ellison's "Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman,
"Catman" and "Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World" by the same author,
Vincent Price's Dr. Phibes and Theatre of Blood, David Bowie, The Shadow, Nightraven,
Batman, Farenheit 451, the writings of the New Worlds school of science fiction, Max
Ernst's painting "Europe After the Rains" and Thomas Pynchon. Moore also takes
inspiration from the atmosphere of British Second World War films 7.
The language used is then a melting pot of various styles: quotations from
Shakespeares works, gangsta talking, political speech, direct speech, songs and
verses, just to name a few.
With the language being so complex and full of references, it is understandable
that the work of the translator was not easy at all. The translation chosen for this essay
is the one that was published in Italy in 1991 as supplement to the Corto Maltese
magazine, printed by Rizzoli Periodici, and translated by Stefano Negrini8 an expert
translator, well known in Italy for his translation of fantasy novels such the
Dragolance saga.

For this very useful list it was seen:

http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Annotations/Alan%20Moore/V%20for%20Vendetta/V%20for%20Vendetta%20Revised
%20-%20Complete.html
8

It was not possible to find a biography of the translator

3. Analyses of the Italian translation of V for vendetta

As said above it is not always possible to stay true to the original text. The
translator of V for Vendetta had to adopt a couple of the so called translation
strategies in order make the text comprehendible for the Italian reader. We will now
take a look at the text and his translation following the steps that were outlined in 1.
3.1

Direct translation techniques

Direct translation techniques are adopted when certain terminology and
phrases from the source text cannot be adequately translated into the
target text. Those include:

3.1.1 Borrowing.
Borrowing is when a word, or even of a complete sentence, is used directly,
or rather adopted, in the target text. No translation actually takes place. It
is especially used when the source text reports songs or pieces of poems
that would lose all their function when translated.
Examples:
Image a.1 (borrowing)

Source text

Target Text

Look, you know as well as I do we had to

Senti lo sai anche tu dovevamo farlo. Tutti I

do what we did. All the darkies, the nancy

negri, I finocchi, I beatnik9 si trattava di

boys and the beatniks it was us or them.

loro o di noi.
Alternative translation:

Senti, lo sai bene.. dovevamo faro, tutti I neri,

I finocchi, i frichettoni, si trattava di loro o di
noi!
Comment

The meaning of the noun beatnik is a young person in the 1950s and early 1960s belonging
to a subculture associated with the beat generation10 . The origin of the word came from
beat (the movement) plus nik perhaps influenced by the American use of Yiddish nik
denoting someone or something who acts in a particular way.
The choice of Negrini, to use the same word from the source text is due to the fact that the
beat movement, which took place in the U. S., didnt exist in Italy. Since Italy never
experienced a similar movement there is no word to describe it. As a matter of fact this exact
lexeme was adopted by Italian dictionaries and was used by Negrini too.
Note

In the alternative translation we propose the word fricchettone which indicates a young boy
who dresses (or acts) in a strange way as a sign of protest against society 11. It is itself a calque
from the English freak. The word beatnick is not easily understood nowadays. The only
word that could have been suitable for an alternative translation was a word that could convey,
for amplification, the meaning of freak, strange, different and against the norms dictated by
society.

"Beatniks" were bohemian artists and poets who, during the 1940's and 1950's, romanticized the "negro" culture. As a
rule, they listened to jazz music, wrote avant garde poetry, and held politically leftist (Marxist) opinions. The term was
coined 1958, by San Francisco journalist Herb Caen , and was probably partially derived from the jazz term "beat,"
which refers to rhythm, with the Yiddish pejorative suffix "-nik" added on . However, "beat generation" member Jack
Keroac coined the root term, beat, in 1949; he insisted it came from the word "beatific," . http://ambucks.livejournal.com/49887.html
10
11

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/beatnik?q=beatnik
http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/fricchettone.aspx?idD=1&Query=fricchettone

Image a.2 (borrowing)

10

Source text

Target Text

Wull, Am shura dont know why yur

E la chiedi prorpio a me? Io sono qui solo per

askinme, am oot fer a bevy, yknow? Am not

bere non mi occupo di queste stronzate da

intae athis gangster shite.

gangster.

12

Alternative translation:

E la chiedi proprio a me? Io sono qui per

bere, non mi occupo di queste stronzate da
malvivente
Comment

The meaning of the noun gangster is a member of a violent group of criminals 13 The
choice of Negrini, to use the same word from the source text is due to the fact that in Italy the
word gangster is well known through television and movies from the U. S. . The lexeme is
present in the Italian dictionary too14. Its first appearance in the Italian language was made in
1932.
Note

In the alternative translation the word malvivente was proposed. It has the same meaning as
the word gangster. Nonetheless the word gangster appears better, as was used by Negrini.
The choice of Negrini, considering how commonly the word is used nowadays, appears to be
the best choice.

12

Crf. Page 26 about the Scottish slang used in V for Vendetta

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gangster?q=gangster
14
http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/tag/gangster/
13

Image a.3 (borrowing)

11

Source text

Target Text

So how can you tell me youre lonely

So how can you tell me youre lonely

And say for you that the sun dont shine?

And say for you that the sun dont shine?

Let me take by the hand and lead you through

Let me take by the hand and lead you through

the streets of London, Ill show you

the streets

something

something

of London, Ill show you

Comment

This is a typical case of borrowing due to the fact that, as explained at the beginning of the
subparagraph, a song can hardly be translated without losing the message that it is conveying.
Note

The not fictional song is Streets of London by Ralpf Mc Tells 15.

3.1.2 Calque
The calque is a translation process whereby a neologism is produced in the
target language by modifying in some way the original word from the source language.
Several sorts of calque exist i.e. morphological calques, semantic calques, etc. An
15

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-f1gb9pg8&feature=fvst
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streets_of_London_(song) , 1969

example of a calque from the English language to Italian is the use of the verb
16

realizzare. This verb meaning to do something, to make something real is a

calque of the English verb to realize. Originally, this verb in Italian was used
exclusively to mean to understand exactly something in his whole sense 17.
The use of calques in the Italian translation of V for Vendetta is minimal. In
fact only one18 example was found.

Image b.1 (calque)

Source text

Target Text

He grow roses, beautiful roses the woman in

coltiva rose, rose stupende. La donna della

room one died this morning. The ski on her

cella uno morta stamattina, aveva la pelle

face and neck was like polythene.

della faccia e del collo come politene

Comment

Polythene is the technical name of a tough, light flexible synthetic resin made by
polymerizing ethylene, chiefly used for plastic bags, food containers, and other packaging19.
Comment

In Italian the word politene did not exist until the invention of the synthetic resin itself. The
calque technique is used by creating the word in Italian, adapting this to the phonological and
morphologic aspect of the target language itself.

16

http://dizionarionline.zanichelli.it/dizionariOnline/index.php#1
http://dizionarionline.zanichelli.it/dizionariOnline/index.php#1
18
Please note that this can be anytime contradicted
19
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/polythene?q=polythene
17

12

3.1.3 Literal translation

13

A word by word translation is used depending on the sentence structure. The

English sentence the staff is working hard to finish the job would translate into
Italian as il personale sta lavorando duro per finire il lavoro. Sometimes this
translation technique works and sometimes it does not. The English sentence that we
are using for example could not be translated so easily into German. This example of a
possible word by word translation from English into Italian does not mean, of course,
that all sentences could be literally translated. It is still a technique that is used and
that works, it always depends on the sentence (and on its morphologic structure).
In the examples that follow, the structure of analysis that has been seen for the
previous translation strategies will not be used. There will only be the source text and
the target text. No comments are necessary because, as explained, it is only a word by
word translation, with no acting over the original source text.
Image c.1 (literal translation)

Source text

Target text

your grace? are you alright?

he hasnt hurt me. Be careful Dennis. Hes..
Remember, Dominic. Dennis has got a gun,
this is in the dark, by the door.

vostra grazia? Sta bene?

non mi ha fatto del male. Attenzione Dennis.
E..
Rammenta, Dominic. Dennis ha una pistola.
Siamo al buio, vicino alla porta.

Image c.2 (literal translation)

14

Source text

Target text

Deceased deceased deceased . theyre

dead, Dominic, all dead

Defunto defunto defunto. Sono morti,

Dominic. Tutti morti.

Image c.3 (literal translation)

Source text

Target text

at the last the 1998 show! The ballet on the

finalmente lo show del 1998! Il balletto sul

burning stage! The documentary seen upon

palcoscenico in fiamme! Il documentario sullo

the fractured screen!!

schermo sfaccetato!!

3.2

Oblique translation techniques

The oblique translation techniques are used by the translator when the
structural or meaning items of the text cannot be directly translated
without a loss or alteration of the meaning in the target text. They
concern the semantics and the pragmatics.

3.2.1 Adaptation
The adaptation is also known as free translation and it is a process
whereby the translator substitutes a cultural or social concept from the
source text with the corresponding concept in the target text. This
adaptation makes the text more understandable for the reader of the
target text. Adaptation is useful especially for poems, theater scripts or
advertising.
Examples:
Image d.1 (adaptation)

15

Source text

Target Text

Because if you did you wouldnt have picked

Perch se lo sapessi non ci avresti provato

a vice detail on stake out

proprio con un agente della buon costume

Alternative translation:

Perch se tu lo sapessi non ci avresti provato

con un agente in pattugliamento
Comment

The meaning of the noun stake-out is a period of secret surveillance of a building or an area
by police in order to observe or prevent someones activities 20
Negrinis decision to use buon costume is connected with the work that the character
would like to begin (whoredom). It is believed to be a choice based upon the presence of the so
called police department in Italy, which especially investigates this kind of crime, making then
the situation more Italian and understandable.
Note

This modification of the source text is perhaps too drastic. The text could still be understood
without such a strong adaptation.

Image d.2 (adaptation)

Source text

Target Text

Just a minute, Mr Prothero! Shooter out Ted,

Solo un istante signor Prothero, fuori le berte

just in case

Ted, andiamo sul sicuro

Alternative translation:

Un attimo Signor Protero, fuori le sputa fuoco

Ted, andiamo sul sicuro

20

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stake-out?q=stake+out

16

Comment
The meaning of the noun shooter [informal] is a gun21 , that is a noun that was used in
English speaking countries to indicate the weapon in the 1980s.
The choice of Negrini to use berta is connected with the term from the Bolognese dialect 22
with which the Italian policemen used to call the guns in movies from the 1970s. Those movies
were so popular that this denomination became very commonly used. It is also connected with
the name of a type of super-heavy howitzer developed by the famous armaments manufacturer
Krupp in Germany on the eve of World War I23. The name of this howitzer in Italian was
grande Berta. Over the years the word changed from grande Berta (the howitzer) to
berta (the name of a common gun).
Note
Nowadays, the decision to translate shooter with berta can be seen as outdated, but
considering the year of the translation, it is a suitable adaptation.

Image d.3 (adaptation)

Source text

Target Text

England prevails, Mr. Finch

Ora e sempre Inghilterra, Signor Finch

Alternative translation:

LInghilterra prevarr [or vincer], Signor

Finch
Comment

The meaning of the verb to prevail is to prove to be more powerful or superior 24

Negrinis choice to use Ora e sempre Inghilterra is quite strange. The English for ora e
sempre Inghilterra would be England, Now and Forever. We see a strong adaptation of one
of the most present mottos in the whole graphic novel. Why this choice? According to research
21

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stake-out?q=stake+out
http://www.ciccioweb.it/vocabolario/corso_lessico_bo.html
23
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bertha_(howitzer)
24
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/prevail?q=prevail
22

17

conducted for this essay, the only explanation possible has to be seen in a paradoxical use by
Negrini of an Italian resistance motto, that was as a matter of fact ora e sempre [resistenza].
Being the work of a story of a world of fascism, perhaps Negrini took this decision, using a
well-known Italian motto.
Note

The hand of the translator is, in this case, too strong. The total changing of the source text is
not made for any special need of the target reader, but could be considered as well as another
translation technique: reformulation.

3.2.2

Modulation

Modulation is the strategy of using a phrase that is different in the source and
target languages to convey the same concept. It modulates the semantics and shifts
the point of view of the source language. Through modulation, the translator
generates a change in the point of view of the message without losing meaning and
without creating a sense of loss in the reader of the final text. This strategy of changing
the point of view in a message is what lets the reader of a translated text say: "Yes, this
is exactly how we express it in our language". An example between Italian and English
could be:
English: It is not difficult to make
Italian, literal translation: non difficile da fare
Modulated translation in Italian: facile da fare25
The modulation process works here; making a sentence, that in the source
language is negative, affirmative. As shown, there is no distortion in meaning, but the
change makes for a more pleasant sounding result in the target language.
It can easily be seen, as well for the previous question concerning the calque
and the borrowing, that modulation could be mistaken with the adaptation process.
But here there is no moving from one word to a different one (in the target language)
26

25

This example is reported by http://www.traduzione-testi.com/traduzioni/tecniche-di-traduzione/strategie-ditraduzione.html

26
Cf. page 7

18

Image e.1 (modulation)

19

Source text

Target Text

She is bit hard on him, isnt she?

Lo tratta un po male, vero?

Alternative translation:

un po dura con lui, non trovi che lei lo sia?

Comment

The phrase to be hard on somebody has several27 meanings. Here it is used in order to
convey this meaning: to treat or criticize (someone) severely28.
Negrini in his translation uses the modulation process. The Italian phrase trattare male has
got the same meaning as the above English one. Despite this, the literal translation would have
been written as (lei) un po dura con lui []. Here the focus of the phrase used by the
translator changes: the focus is on him. Lo tratta un po male . Here we also find another
one of the features of modulation. The Italian phrase trattare male is more often used in oral
conversation rather than essere duri (con qualcuno), making the whole sentence more typical
and understandable by the target reader.
Note

As already stated in this essay on a number of occasions, a translators job is never easy. Some
people may think that Negrinis choice of a more literal translation would have been better than
the modulated one. This affirmation shouldnt be disregarded either. The act of translating will
almost always leave some people disappointed, however we can say that in this particular case,
Negrini has made the right choice in making use of modulation.

27
28

Cf for the others meanings http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hard?q=to+be+hard#hard__33

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hard?q=to+be+hard#hard__33

Image e.2 (modulation)

20

Source text

Target Text

What?? But, look, uh, I was..

Cosa??? Ma senta, ehm, io

Alternative translation:

Cosa??? guardi, ehm, io

Comment

This is a good example of the modulation process. The change in perspective in the target text
takes place by changing the verb from to look in the source text (in Italian guardare) to
to listen (in Italian sentire). Both are useful to indicate a pause, a moment of suspension in
the speech or of the acting. There is no change in meaning, no change in the grammatical
structure and Negrinis translation is only a choice of sound based on the situation presented
in the strip.

Image e.3 (modulation)

Source text

Target Text

Heh heh. Thats morse code, yknow.

Mm in codice Morse, sai?

Alternative translation:

Mm questo sai, codice Morse.

Comment

Here there is another typical example of the modulation process. The change in perspective in
the target text takes place by changing the sentence type, from an affirmative one to an
interrogative. The change of perspective is simply a structural modification, there is no change
in meaning at all.
Note

Negrinis decision to use an interrogative sentence, instead of the affirmative one given in the
proposed alternative translation, is due perhaps to the fact that in Italian the use of rhetoric is a
typical way of interacting in conversation29.

3.2.2. Transposition, compensation

These two translation strategies appear here together because some studies
have shown them to be subcategories of adaptation and modulation. Slight differences
in their characteristics can be found, that is why here you find a concise explanation of
these two strategies and also examples of them from the work of our analyses.

Transposition is a translation strategy whereby the translator changes the word

sequence in the translation. If the word sequence of the target text were to be
left the same as in the source text, then the reader would sense a sort of
awkwardness. This changing can be made also in a sense of word class (verb to
noun or noun to adjective etc.) An example of this can be, in English blue ball
that in Italian is palla blu.

29

http://www.grammaticaitaliana.eu/domanda_retorica.html

21

Image f.1 (transposition)

22

Source text

Target Text

You were my lifeline. I was stuck at home.

Io ero relegata a casa, e tu eri il mio unico

You connected me to the world, and Im still

legame con il mondo e mi aggrappo ancora a

clutching at you, even though youre broken

te, anche se non ci sei pi

and Im adrift
Alternative translation:

Tu eri la mia ancora di salvezza. Io ero

costretta a casa. Tu mi connettevi al mondo, e
io mi aggrappo ancora a te, anche se tu sei
affondato e io sono alla deriva.
Comment

The process of transposition appears here with a switching of word class: the English verb to
connect to is translated with the noun legame. The meaning is the same, it does not change.
Note

The modification of the source text could be considered a bit too dramatic. If it were left as a
literal translation, without the use of transposition, the text would still be understood.

Compensation is used, generally, when something cannot be translated but the

meaning that is lost still has to be expressed in some way in the target text.
One example can be in the translation in Italian of the English you, which is
used for both degrees of formality, both formal and informal 30.

30

Peter Fawcett, Translation and Language, St. Jerome, Manchester, 1997 (especially Chapter 4 on Translation
Techniques).

In the shown examples, the analyses procedures that we have seen so far in
this essay will not be taken into account and there will not be any alternative
translation. The comments will solely focus on the translation of you in the Italian
target text.
Image f.2 (compensation)

Source text

Target Text

Did you think to kill me? Theres no flesh or

Credeva di uccidermi? Sotto questa cappa

blood within this cloack to kill.

non ci sono n carne n sangue da uccidere

Youve

idea

how

hard

its

been

maneuvering him into a position where he can

Non sai come stato difficile farlo arrivare ad

una posizione importante.

take charge.
Comment
As explained before, the translation of you from English to Italian is something that depends
on ones contextual knowledge of the text.
In the reported strip we see two speech interactions:
A V (the main character, who is always characterized by a very refined way of speaking)
talks with an officer. Through his knowledge of the internal world of the story, Negrini has

23

surely understood that V, though enemy of the officer, respects him. His choice to use a formal
tone in the Italian translation is perhaps due to this.
B The speech interaction takes place in an informal situation. The two characters are in a
bedroom, talking about some secret business. Like before, Negrinis choice to use the informal
pronoun in the translation is due to his general understanding of the internal world of the
story.

3.2.3. Reformulation (equivalence)

With reformulation the translator expresses something in a completely
different way. The process is creative but not easy. How does a translator deal
with an idiom31? The problem with idioms is really fascinating; the translator
has to find an expression with the same meaning while trying to keep the
originality of the source language.
However reformulation is not just about idioms. The same translation
technique has to be adopted in cases in which there is slang that cannot be
translated in the target language and with expressions that cannot be deduced.
In our short analyses of V for Vendetta, with reference to the reformulation
technique, we will analyze these cases:

31

Three cases of idioms (images g.1, g.2, g.3. )

The use of Scottish slang (images g.4, g.5, g.6)

The reformulation of a particular sentence (image g.7)

A loss and a defeat in the translation (image g.8, g.9)

http://oxforddictionaries.com/ a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those
of the individual words

24

Image g.1(idiom)

25

Source text

Target Text

We thought he appeared out of the blue two

Credevamo che si fosse fatto vivo solo due

months ago.

mesi fa.
Alternative translation

E noi credevamo che fosse comparso sulla

scena solo due mesi fa.
Comment

The idiom, that is used here, is out of the blue. It means 1.From an unexpected or
unforeseen source or in others case 2.At a completely unexpected time32. In this case, the
former meaning is the correct one.
The Italian idioms that can reformulate this English idiom are several: venir fuori, comparso
sulla scena, saltar fuori (etc).
Negrinis choice of farsi vivo is quite strange. Farsi vivo in Italian has got quite a different
meaning in English; to show up. Even if this meaning depicts a sense of appearing, it is
usually used to indicate the returning of someone already known. In this case, with the
idiom, the source text would convey the meaning of a first appearance.

32

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/out+of+the+blue

Image g.2 (idiom)

26

Source text

Target Text

Ahh.. but I see you have already made up you

Oh, ma vedo che hai gi deciso. Va bene

mind very well. We replace the cloth.. like

rimettiamo il telo cos e quando lo

so and when next we wisk it away

togliamo

Comment

The idiom that is used here is to make up (one's) mind. It means 1. To decide between
alternatives; 2. come to a definite decision or opinion. 33. In this case the latter meaning is the
correct one.
This idiom is translated in Italian with the verb decidere or with the phrase fare una scelta.
Negrinis choice appears more than adequate.

Image g.3 (idiom)

33

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/make+up+(one's)+mind

27
Source text

Target Text

He didn even put up a fight, they just opened

Non ha neanche opposto resistenza. Hanno

up with the shooters and..

aperto il fuoco, e
Alternative translation

Non si neppure ribellato, hanno iniziato a

sparare e
Comment

The idiom that is used here is to put up a fight. It is American English and it means 1. to
make a struggle, a fight, etc. (Fixed order.)34.
There are no other idioms that can reformulate this American idiom, nonetheless the verbs
difendersi, opporsi are possible solutions in alternative translations.

Images g.4, g.5, g.6 (Reformulation, the case of Scottish slang)

34

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
(http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/)

Source text

Target Text

Image g4.
Eh snofally nice bitta rumpy pumpy ygot

Bel pezzo di fighetta che ti sei trovato Gordie.

there, Godie
Image g5.
Ess no a pop gun yknow whut am sayin?

Insomma non una scacciacani, e fa un botto

makesan offly big bang, yu wait tel yur

pazzesco. Te ne accorgerai quando la avrai in

holden one, yull see. All be seen ylater,

mano. Ci vediamo dopo allora. Saluti.

then. Bye fer noo.

Image g6.
Cmon Jeanni .. cmon whassamatter wiyer?

Dai, Jeannie dai, non fare la difficile!

Gissa shag, ay?

Facciamoci una scopatina, eh?

Comment

From the source text we can understand that it is a Scottish man who is talking. As we can see,
there is no characterization or special features used in the target language that allow the reader
of the final text to understand that this man is speaking with a heavy Scottish drawl instead of a
standard English accent. The objective is to understand if, with this reformulation, the reader
actually misses out on something. Generally speaking, the target reader doesnt lose any of the
plot, nor the message conveyed in the source text, however this nuance makes the reader of the
original text aware of the fact that the man speaking is a particular kind of man, with his own
identity, in respect to the other characters of the graphic novel.
Note

Irvine Wels is a very popular writer, who has written several novels which are set in
Edimburgh, Scotland. The characters of those novels are young Scottish boys that live without
discipline and almost totally uneducated. Their way of speaking really reflects who they are,
and in the Italian translation of these books the translator has recreated, with a strong use of
neologisms their language, often using footnotes in order to explain something. This means that
in some way it is possible to recreate an accent in a translation.
Here Negrini has not recreated, the Scottish intonation with neologisms, but his decision is
probably due to a reader oriented translation. The target reader would have found it difficult to
understand neologisms such as the ones that are found in the translation of Welshs novels 35
(when V for Vendetta was published graphic novels were read mostly by young lads).

35

About Welsh and the translation of his novels can be interesting to see what he said in a interview
http://www.minimaetmoralia.it/?p=2759

28

Image g. 7 (A reformulation of a particular sentence)

Source text

Target Text

In no longer pretty cities there are fingers in

nelle citt sconciate ci sono mani in pasta, ci

the kitties, there are warrants, form and

sono mandati di arresto, moduli e tessere, e

chitties and a jackboot on the stairs

scarponi sulle scale

Alternative translation
Nelle citt ormai abbruttite ci sono mani in
pasta, mandati di cattura, documenti e tessere
e un anfibio militare sulle scale

Comment
This short passage of the graphic novel written in a form of song was almost totally
reformulated by Negrini. The first part of the first sentence, the phrase, in no longer pretty
city was translated with in citt sconciate. Sconciato is an Italian past participle used as
an adjective to mean dirty, obscene, indecent in English. It comes from the verb sconciare
which is to ruin, to spoil, to deface36. The use of such an adjective, that nowadays is out of
fashion, maintains the tone of the source text, making the target text poetic and allowing the
reader to understand that the city is being run down.
The phrase there are fingers in the kitties was translated with an Italian idiom avere le mani
in pasta which means to be inside a particular business situation, connected with the power
system37. Finger in the kitties it is not an English idiom, or better, it is a neo - idiom
created here by Alan Moore. The word kitty means little cat but also common fund, as it
is used in gambling to indicate where the money is kept. The phrase then would mean that
there are people trying to steal from the public money (most likely referring to dirty politicians
embezzling from the money coffers, or kitties). A "jackboot" is slang for a Nazi soldiers boot
or a soldier in an oppressive government like the one shown in V for Vendetta. The use of
Negrinis translation of scarpone (boot) in the target text is a poorer description of the
meaning that Moore wanted to convey using the noun jackboot.
36
37

http://dizionarionline.zanichelli.it/dizionariOnline/index.php#2
http://dizionari.corriere.it/dizionario-modi-di-dire/M/mano.shtml#18

29

Image g.8 (loss in the translation)

30

Source text

Target Text

You are missing the party weve hired a

Ti perdi la festa. Abbiamo fatto venire

Punch and Judy man specially

apposta le marionette

Comment

Sometimes a translator as to face an expression that cannot actually be translated in the target
text. They are untranslatable for different reasons; sometimes they are word games that have no
correspondence, sometimes they are words or phrases or concepts in the source text that do not
exist in the target language and thus have to be reformulated in the target language minimizing
loss in meaning, which is sometimes unavoidable.
The case of image g.8 helps us to understand this concept. As stated in the source text the man
talks about Punch and Judy. If the translator had chosen a literal translation, an Italian reader
of the target text probably would not understand the message conveyed. Punch and Judy are
two puppets typical of English culture, which are not usually known by Italian people. Punch
and Judy are extremely violent and not really suited to children audiences. Punch generally
beats all the other characters to death. The author has used an internal reference here: the
character Eve dreams about her father talking of Punch and Judy. Like V, the main character
of the graphic novel, Punch always destroys his enemies 38. There is an evident loss of this
internal reference, however the target text is totally understandable.

38

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2588/Academic-American-Encyclopedia

Image g.9 defeat in the translation.

31

Umberto Eco has said about the footnote in a translation:

Ci sono delle perdite che potremmo definire assolute. Sono i casi in cui non possibile
tradurre, e se casi del genere intervengono, poniamo, nel corso di un romanzo, il traduttore
ricorre all'ultima ratio, quella di porre una nota a pi di pagina - e la nota a pi di pagina ratifica
la sua sconfitta. Un esempio di perdita assoluta dato da molti giochi di parole39

There are losses that we can define as irretrievable. They are cases that cannot
possibly be translated. When those cases come up, if we assume that we are
translating a novel, the translator uses the extrema ratio by adding a footnote. The
footnote is his defeat. An example of this kind of irretrievable loss is a lot of word
games.
In this work just one case of footnoting appears. Perhaps, being a graphic novel,
the translator did not need to put footnotes, which appear much more often in
novels.
The surname of one of the graphic
novels characters is Almond . The
other characters in the strip of the
image g.9 make a play on words telling
him that he is a bitter almond. This
word game could not be translated in
Italian, since the surname Almond was
not translated. Negrini in order to
explain the word game has used the
footnote.

39

ECO U. Dire quasi la stessa cosa. Esperienze di traduzione, Milano, Bompiani, 2003

Results
As it has been shown in this short essay, the act of translation must keep, as
much as it can, the originality of the so called source text in the target text. The
several techniques of translation shown have proven that translation involves making
suitable alterations to the source text in order to produce a believable target text,
which is indeed a challenge.
Negrinis Italian translation of V for Vendetta presents cases that are
interesting and useful in understanding an approach to the concept of translation. As
we have seen, it was not always possible for the translator to maintain entirely true to
the source text, nevertheless the target text result is functional.

32

Images reference
For the strip reported in this work, a list of their sources are given here in both
the source and target text. The first figure is the page number, the second one the
strip line, the third one the column (ex. 221, 2, 3: page 221, line 2, third column). The
first number in brackets refers to the source in the target text, the second in square
bracket from the target text.
Image a.1, pag. 7 (33, 3,1) [31, 3, 1]
Image a.2, pag. 8 (192,1,1)[238, 1, 1]
Image a.3, pag. 9 (233, 2, 1 2 - 3) [285, 2, 1 2 3 ]
Image b.1, pag. 11 (81, 3, 2) [90, 3, 2]
Image c.1, pag. 12 (61, 1, 1) [64, 3, 2]
Image c.2, pag. 13 (69, 3, 3) [76, 3, 3]
Image c.3, pag. 13 (90, 1, 2) [103, 1, 2]
Image d.1, pag.14 (11, 2, 2) [6, 2, 2]
Image d.2, pag. 15 (21, 1, 1) [17, 1, 1]
Image d.3, pag. 16 (30, 3, 2) [28, 3, 2]
Image e.1, pag. 18 (46,2, 1) [47, 2, 1]
Image e.2, pag. 19 (53, 2, 3) [55, 2, 3]
Image e.3, pag. 19 (59, 1, 1) [62, 1, 1]
Image f.1, pag. 21 (104, 1, 2) [119, 1, 2]
Image f.2, pag. 22 (236,3,1) and (228, 2, 1) [288, 3, 1 and 279, 2, 1]
Image g.1, pag. 24 (72, 1, 3) [80, 1, 3]
Image g.2, pag. 25 (94, 3, 3) [108, 3, 3]
Image g.3, pag. 25 (120, 2, 1) [141, 2, 1]
Images g. 4, g.5, g.6, pag. 26 (128, 3, 1); (192, 3, 2) (264, 2, 2) [150,3,1; 238,3,2; 320,2,2]
Image g.7, pag. 28(89, 1, 2) [102, 1, 2]
Image g.8, pag.29 (143, 3, 2) [173, 3, 2]
Image g.9, pag.30 (17, 3,3) [13, 3, 3]

33

Bibliography
Source text

MOORE A., LLOYD D (with) WHITAKER S., DODDS S., V for Vendetta, London, Titan Book, 2003 (1990)
Target text

MOORE A., LLOYD D. (con) WHITAKER S., DODDS S., V per Vendetta, (traduzione di Stefano Negrini) V
per Vendetta, Milano, Rizzoli, 1991
Text about translation

ECO U. Dire quasi la stessa cosa. Esperienze di traduzione, Milano, Bompiani, 2003

MORINI M. La traduzione, teorie strumenti, pratiche, Milano, Sironi Editore, 2007

NEWMARK P. La traduzione: problemi e metodi. Teoria e pratica di un lavoro difficile e di

incompresa responsabilit, traduzione dall'inglese di Flavia Frangini, Milano Garzanti, 1988

POPOVIC A. La scienza della traduzione. Aspetti metodologici. La comunicazione traduttiva,

Milano, Hoepli , 1995

ROGER V., Behind the Page: Jeff Smith, Part Two, Newsrama, 2008

PETER FAWCETT, Translation and Language, St. Jerome, Manchester, 1997 (especially Chapter 4
on Translation Techniques).
Internet source

http://dizionari.zanichelli.it/

http://oxforddictionaries.com/

http://www.wordreference.com/iten/elencare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2588/Academic-American-Encyclopedia

http://www.minimaetmoralia.it/?p=2759

http://dizionari.corriere.it

http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Annotations/Alan%20Moore/V%20for%20Vendetta/V%20for%
20Vendetta%20Revised%20-%20Complete.html

http://www.traduzione-testi.com/traduzioni/tecniche-di-traduzione/strategie-ditraduzione.html

http://am-bucks.livejournal.com/49887.html

34