Interdialectical translation as a domesticating practice: from Metegol to Futbolín

Abstract

Metegol is an animated film released in Argentina in 2013. In its original version, the characters were dubbed by Argentine actors using Argentinean Spanish. However, for its distribution in Spain, Spanish co-producers replaced the Argentine voices with a second dubbing in Castilian Spanish. As a result, all the dialectical variants of the Argentinean Spanish were replaced by their equivalents in European Spanish. In addition, in this rewriting of the original film some modifications were introduced in the script in order to adapt it to Spanish audience. These modifications bear close similarities with domesticating translations distinctive of dominant cultures which try to assimilate foreign texts by adapting them. This second dubbing could be analyzed then as an interdialectical translation. We will pay special attention to the importance of football discourse as an identity element in Argentine and Spanish societies. The instrumental use of football as a factor of social cohesion is one of the reasons why the co-producers of both countries have decided to dub the film in their respective national standards.