ANALYSIS OF TRANSLATION TECHNIQUE AND QUALITY OF TABOO TERMS IN RICK AND MORTY (2017) SUBTITLE SERIES

Keywords: Series, Subtitle, Taboo, Technique, Quality
The analysis of 106 instances of taboo language in Rick and Morty identifies seven types: cursing, profanity, blasphemy, obscenity, sexual harassment, vulgar language, and name-calling/insult. Obscenity is the most frequent (23.58%), followed by name-calling/insult (22.64%), cursing, and vulgar language (18.86% each). Profanity and sexual harassment each account for 6.60%, while blasphemy is the least common at 2.83%. The study also examines translation techniques, with adaptation being the most used (29.24%), followed by calque (25.47%), amplification (12.26%), generalization (11.32%), literal translation (9.43%), substitution (5.66%), compensation (3.77%), and reduction (2.83%). In terms of translation quality, high accuracy and readability dominate at 68.86%, with mid accuracy and readability at 25.47%, and low accuracy and readability at 5.66%, indicating a strong focus on clarity and cultural relevance.
The author then suggests for future research, researchers may investigate how taboo terms are translated and received in different linguistic and cultural contexts could provide deeper insights into the challenges of translating sensitive content. Such research could help develop strategies for handling taboo language more effectively in diverse settings.