Strategies for translating English filmonyms into Russian

From the point of view of modern philology, a film can be studied as a special kind of language ^[1], operating with verbal and non-verbal means of transmitting information, focused not only on representing the author's main idea, but also on influencing the viewer. At the same time, it is advisable to consider such a strong position as the title of the film as a link between its plot and the intertextual context, between the baggage of knowledge and experience of a potential moviegoer, which he is guided by when choosing a picture, and the semantic content of the film itself ^[2]. The filmonym previews the viewing and before the direct perception of the film, the name contains a certain index sign that has the meaning of an index that attracts a potential viewer or leaves him indifferent and which, after viewing, acquires a motivated nature ^[3]. 

A filmonym can be considered as a media title, that is, "a name reflecting the main problem (or theme) of a product aimed at a wide audience" ^[4]. The media head is focused on the implementation of contact-setting (phatic) and advertising functions, which consist in helping the viewer navigate the poster. The latter can be achieved by implementing an informative function, when the filmonym is designed to create a general idea of the plot, genre or idea of the film; due to the tonal function, in which the title of the film forms an emotional background for the addressee; as well as due to the signaling function of the filmonym, when the main task of the title is to attract attention ^[5].

The present study is based on the analysis of a sample including original English-language film names and their translated Russian-language versions. The purpose of the study is to study the peculiarities of translating film titles from English into Russian and identify the most frequent strategy for their translation.

The translation of film names is complicated not only by the variability of the pragmatic functions of the names, which the translator seeks to convey in the translated version of the film name, but also by a significant variety of types of film titles.

Filmonyms can be classified depending on the pragmatic features of the implementation of the advertising purpose into positioning and optimizing ones. Positioning film names include movie titles that name the theme of the film, the main character, the place where the events of the film take place, or perform the function of genre differentiation. However, as the research results show, filmonyms of optimizing communicative influence are much more frequent. The latter are aimed at attracting the attention of a potential mass audience by creating intrigue, the effect of surprise, the use of associations, language play, reclamation or pejorative assessment, as well as a disorienting strategy ^[6].

According to the typology of M. N. Moskavets, media headings also differ depending on the mechanism of their comprehension by the addressee. Thus, there are self-sufficient (autosemantic) titles that do not need additional explanation, and synsemantic filmonyms that require explanation (in whole or in part), the incompleteness of perception of which is compensated by the small context in which they are placed ^[7]. Clarification, an addition necessary if an ambiguous interpretation is possible, can be introduced by the iconic means of the poster or by the visual and audio order of the trailer.

The solid sample of the study included such types of English-language film names as headlines reflecting the main problem or theme of the film (Great Freedom); headlines containing the names of characters (Ant-Man); headlines containing an indication of the time or place of the event in which the storyline unfolds (Mrs. Harris goes to Paris); headlines reflecting the author's assessment of characters or events (Lost illusions); headlines anticipating the development of the plot (Past lives). The latter type includes headlines reflecting one event from the plot, most often its climax (What Josiah saw), and headlines reflecting the entire storyline as a whole (Everything went fine).

In the course of translating a filmonym, a linguist is faced with the need to overcome various difficulties. He needs not only to grasp the pragmatic specifics of the name, but also to comprehend the entire foreign-language media text, for which the film title serves as a nomination. This is necessary to assess the semantic and aesthetic meaning, the author's intention and the adequate transmission of the idea using the means of the translation language ^[8]. Translation is carried out using various techniques, or "specific translator operations caused by difficulties in the translation process" ^[9]. In addition to the author's idea and the nature of the difficulties encountered by the translator, the choice of translation techniques is also determined by the translation strategy, that is, the general approach to translation activities, taking into account the specific features of the context ^[10].

The subject of this study is the strategies for translating original English-language film names into Russian. The research methodology is based on the work of T. Seruya ^[11] and L. Venuti ^[12] on translation strategies. To achieve the purpose of the study, methods of linguistic analysis were used: semantic, pragmatic, stylistic, cultural, comparative-typological and quantitative analysis, as well as the continuous sampling method. The study sample includes 150 English-language film titles released after 2000, as well as their translations into Russian.

Modern translation theorists identify such culturally oriented translation strategies as domestication and forenization. Domestication is a translation that involves changing or shortening a foreign text to adapt to the values of native speakers of the language into which the translation is being performed. This strategy involves the use of various transformations, the use of vocabulary that is close to the translation audience, and the rejection of the use of borrowings.

A translator who focuses on domestication often resorts to a functional translation of the film name, shortening it in order to simplify the original structure and language units, or to a communicative translation, in which the goal is not so much to convey accurate information as to convey to the mass audience the emotional component of the original. However, a complete replacement of the filmonym is not always possible. Focusing on the strategy of domestication does not negate the need for careful consideration of the original title of the film, which was given to him by his creators. In some cases, the filmmakers put some idea into their picture, which is revealed in the film and cannot be fully understood without the original title.

Forenization is a translation that preserves as much as possible the peculiarities of the language and culture of the people from whose language the translation is carried out. Within the framework of the forenization strategy, great importance is given to the use of borrowings, neologisms, lexemes formed by transcription and transliteration. The problem of choosing a particular translation strategy is included in the range of issues related to the pragmatic aspect of translation research ^[13].

The analysis of the sample made it possible to distribute all translated Russian-language filmonyms collected by a continuous method into three categories: filmonyms translated as part of the domestication strategy (69.34%), filmonyms translated as part of the forenization strategy (25.34%), and filmonyms, the method of translation of which is based on a combination of these two translation strategies (5.32%).

The forenization strategy was used to transmit by means of the Russian language in 25.34% of the examples of English-language filmonyms from the total number of sample examples. The course on forenization was taken by a linguist when translating the filmonym Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) / Three billboards on the border of Ebbing, Missouri. The use of the Anglicism "billboard" as part of the forenization strategy seems to be successful, since the equivalent of "billboard" would lengthen the already ambiguous name, making it too cumbersome and inconvenient to perceive.

In the translated title to the film Sinister (2012) / Sinister, the forenization strategy is implemented through the transliteration of a little-known foreign word. A translated filmonym performs an intriguing function, attracting the attention of a potential viewer. The same goals were pursued when transliterating the name Split (2017) / Split for a film dealing with the topic of mental disorders, split personality. The forenized title turned out to be euphonious and concise. A similar translation technique was used to transfer the filmonym Overlord (2018) / Overlord by means of the Russian language. The forenized title of the film, which takes place in a Fascist-occupied city, is more attractive to the mass audience than the literal translation of Domination or Domination.

 The transcription technique makes the Russian translation of the title of the film Birdman (2015) / Birdman more attractive and intriguing. The translator preferred transcription, although translation using calculus (Bird-Man) is also possible. As a result of the use of forenization, the movie title sounds unusual. And at the same time, it forms a positive image for the viewer, since by its structure it is associated with famous names of superheroes (for example, Superman). Consonance with precedent names was also used in the translated filmonym for the film Aquaman (2018) / Aquaman.

The implementation of the intriguing function of the filmonym is facilitated by the neologism avatar, known to many Russians at the time of the release of the film Avatar (2009) / Avatar due to the popularity of forums and social networks, where they began to call the profile picture in this way. Therefore, this translation, as part of the forenization strategy, draws the viewer's attention to the film, which forms a positive emotional tone.

It seems appropriate to use the transliteration of the title of the movie Turbo (2013) / Turbo as a translation technique as part of the forenization strategy. Forenization allows you to preserve the style, pragmatics of the original filmonym, to realize its humorous effect: Turbo turns out to be the proper name of the main character of the cartoon – a snail dreaming of speed.

The translation of the title of the film Pearl Harbor (2001) / Pearl Harbor within the framework of the forenization strategy is due to the precedent properties of this toponym, its close connection with the real historical events to which the film is dedicated.

Despite the advantages that the forenization strategy provides in pragmatic terms when translating movie titles containing an indication of the time or place of the film, the event of the film or the name of the main character, according to the results of a quantitative analysis of the sample of our study, the domestication strategy is used much more often when translating an English-language filmonym into Russian. At the same time, we can talk about different degrees of domestication of the filmonym, since some titles undergo partial transformation (27.34%), while others undergo complete replacement (42.00%).

The analysis showed that the translation adaptation of a filmonym within the framework of the domestication strategy is necessary when the translation audience needs to clarify the meaning of the lexeme in the composition of the filmonym. Domestication also allows you to shift the focus, distract the viewer's attention from the linguistic means that form a negative emotional background for native speakers of the target language.

In the plot of the film The Ring (2002) / The Bell, the phone call plays the role of a symbol of the approaching death of the character. In addition, the ring of light streaming from under the lid of the well is the last thing the character sees before he dies. The original English-language name is based on the ambiguity of the English-language lexeme ring (bell, ring). Due to the discrepancy between the meanings of the English and Russian lexemes, the translator had to make a choice between the options Bell and Ring. Despite the fact that the translated filmonym does not convey the language game of the original title, in our opinion, the translation option was chosen successfully, since it is the phone call that is key to pumping suspense into a horror film. The use of translation transformation led to the adaptation of the slogan to the movie: "Before you die, you will hear the bell" instead of "Before you die, you will see the ring" (Before you die, you see the ring).

The original title of the film The Grudge (2004) / Curse uses the polysemous English noun grudge (discontent, ill-will, envy, resentment). These meanings, combined in one word, help to navigate the plot of the film: the ghost of a brutally murdered woman pursues and kills everyone who enters her house. Since there is no exact equivalent of the English lexeme in the Russian language, adapting the name, the translator uses a modulation technique, replacing the English noun with the lexical unit curse – a concept logically following from the original filmonym and the plot of the film.

The original title of the fourth part of the film Die Hard / Die Hard is supplemented with the phrase Live Free: Live Free or Die Hard (2007) / Die Hard 4.0. Like the title of the first part, the title of the continuation of the film is translated into Russian using transformation. The Russian-language phraseology die hard adequately conveys the meaning of the English-language expression die hard. The phrase l ive f gaye is omitted when translated into Russian, since its equivalent is difficult to associate with the Russian-language translated version of the main part of the title. Therefore, to domesticate the title of the fourth series, 4.0 has been added to the name already familiar to the domestic viewer.

To adapt the title of the film Public Enemies (2009) / Johnny D. instead of the literal translation (Enemies of the People), the precedent name of the popular Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in Russia was used. A direct translation of the name would cause residents of the post-Soviet space to associate with the times of Stalinist repression, which would disorient a potential Russian viewer. It should be recognized that the translator's decision to replace the literal version of the translation, consonant with the precedent phenomenon that forms a negative emotional background, with a title containing a precedent name that forms a positive emotional background, is correct.

Modulation as a lexical transformation was used in the translation of the filmonym Snatch (2000) / Big Jackpot. The snatch token (abduction, instant, attempt to grab) is conveyed in the Russian-language filmonym by the stable phrase to hit the jackpot. It is close in meaning to the original title, familiar to the Russian moviegoer and logically connected with the plot of the film about theft and big money.

Another stable expression is used in translation within the framework of domestication of the filmonym No Country for Old Men (2001) / Old people do not belong here. And again, the translator prefers phrasal unity rather than literal translation in order to make the translated filmonym more vivid, attention-grabbing, understandable and "native" for the Russian moviegoer.

When translating the filmonym Chappie (2015) / Robot named Chappie into Russian, the original title containing an indication of the character's name was supplemented by clarification by adding lexical means. The explanation helps to avoid disorientation of the Russian viewer, for whomChappie is the name of dog food.

When comparing the parallel titles of Cars (2006) / Cars, the difference between positional and optimizing types of film names is clearly visible. If the English-language filmonym only serves to nominate cartoon characters, then the Russian-language filmonym seems to be more catchy and expressive due to the use of a synonym with a stylistic addition. The translator preferred lexical and semantic transformation, the use of slangism instead of a neutral equivalent to increase the pragmatic potential of the filmonym, to more effectively perform its advertising and phatic functions.

A similar translation technique using stylistically reduced vocabulary was used to convey the filmonym The Other Guys (2010) / Cops in Deep Reserve by means of the Russian language. The translator introduced concretization during translation, changed the structure of the title, building a translated filmonym on a metaphor. The attention of the audience is attracted by the Americanism of the cop, which, like its Russian-language equivalent, ment, has a pejorative connotation. However, it is a foreign slangism that has been introduced into the translation, since this element of American culture is well known to the Russian audience. This example illustrates that not only forenization, but also the domestication strategy can also be effective in terms of transferring the cultural component of the film name in translation.

The filmonym Seeking Justice (2011) / Hungry Rabbit Attacks undergoes a complete replacement as part of the domestication strategy. The literal translation option In search of justice, of course, loses in the pragmatic aspect. The main character of the film is really in search of justice, but the translated Russian-language filmonym with which the film was released in Russia produces a surprise effect, attracting the attention of more viewers. The same goals were pursued when translating the film name Shark tale (2004) / Underwater Bratva. The plot of the cartoon is really based on the story of a shark, but the translator brought more expressiveness to the title due to the complete replacement of the onym and the metaphorical use of slangism. A similar translation technique was used to convey the title of the cartoon Over the Hedge (2006) / Forest Bratva by means of the Russian language. A variant of the literal translation: On the other side of the fence. The plot of the cartoon is connected with the extraction of food by animals, which is located on the other side of the fence (among people). Probably, the name was replaced in order for the cartoon to have greater commercial success, since the use of the slang term Bratva contains a reference to the cartoon Underwater Bratva (2004), which had great success in the Russian film distribution.

Mind Games (2019) / The Professor and the Madman. The reason why the translator resorted to such a significant transformation of the title is probably due to the discordance of the literal translation of the Professor and the madman. The film does present some competition between the main characters, but domestication was needed to create a more euphonious and poetic translated filmonym, containing a reference to a precedent phenomenon – a translated filmonym to the famous film A beautiful mind (2001) / Mind Games about the mathematical genius J. Forbes.

Hoodwinked (2005) / The True Story of the Red Hat. The literal translation of the Deceptively involved adequately summarizes the plot of the cartoon, since all the characters were deceptively involved in the coming events. Probably, the translators translated it in a different way in order to attract a mass audience, who have known the heroine of fairy tales Little Red Riding Hood since childhood, getting rid of the diminutive suffix and changing her name to Little Red Riding Hood. Indeed, the plot has little in common with the original tale by Charles Perrault.

The technique of complete substitution as part of the domestication strategy was used in the translation of the film name Mozart and the Whale (2005) / Crazy about love. An alternative to the literal translation of Mozart and the Whale was chosen – a filmonym based on hyperbole, allowing the viewer to navigate the genre of the film. The masquerade scene, where the characters were dressed in whale and Mozart costumes, occupies an important place in the plot of the film. The characters were really in love with each other, but the translated title is too far from the original.

The film The Village (2004) / The Mysterious Forest tells about a small closed settlement of people who are afraid to leave their settlement, as mysterious dangerous creatures live in the forest. The literal translation of the Village cannot be considered successful, as it will cause associations in the domestic audience that do not correspond to the content of the film.

When translating the titles of the 8 parts of the movie The Fast and the Furious (2001) / Fast and Furious into Russian, a lexical substitution was used, and this transformation is quite justified. The afterburner token, which indicates the mode of operation of jet engines of airplanes, is now associated with cars by many Russians. For the names of subsequent episodes, the English-language film names underwent minor changes, whereas the Russian film distribution retains the strategy of domestication, and only a digit is added to the main title of the film, indicating the number of the film series. Obviously, the Russian-language filmonym within the framework of the domestication strategy can be considered a successful translator's decision, since the translated titles are catchy, concise and recognizable: The Fast and the Furious (The fastest and the Furious) / Fast and Furious (2001); 2 Fast 2 Furious (Twice as fast and furious) / Double Fast and Furious (2003); 3) The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (The fastest and the furious: Tokyo drift) / Triple Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006); Fast & Furious (Fast and Furious) / Fast and Furious 4 (2009); Fast Five (Fast Five) / Fast and Furious 5 (2011); Fast & Furious 6 (Fast and Furious 6) / Fast and Furious 6 (2013); Furious 7 (Furious Seven) / Fast and Furious 7 (2015); The Fate of the Furious (Fate of the Furious) / Fast and Furious 8 (2017).

Finally, the third category of our classification includes film names, the method of translation of which is based on a combination of two translation strategies. This category is the least frequent and accounted for 5.3% of the examples of filmonyms relative to the general body of the study sample.

When translating the English-language filmonym Air (2023) / Air: Big Jump, a binomial construction with a colon was used. In the first part, as part of the forenization strategy, the original title of the film is preserved, and this English lexeme will be understandable to the mass Russian audience. In the second part of the translated title, after the colon, as part of the domestication strategy, an addition, explanation, and Russian-language filmonym are introduced, which is not a literal translation of the original title, but metaphorically reflects the content of the film dedicated to American basketball player Michael Jordan. The name of the outstanding basketball player has become a household name, and Jordans are called sneakers of the Air Jordan line launched by him. Thanks to the use of such a translation technique, the filmonym has become even more interesting, since the second member of the construction not only allows the viewer to guess the connection of the content of the film with sports, but also clarifies the function of the air token as a precedent phenomenon, which is based on a metaphor with the target sphere basketball and the source sphere nature (in a jump, a basketball player flies through the air like a bird).

It should be noted that contrary to the punctuation rule in binomial constructions, the second term of the heading is capitalized after the colon. Therefore, the title is perceived not as a single movie title, but as two filmonyms of the same film, complementing each other. This helps the translator, who cannot choose one of the two strategies, since neither the forenized version by itself nor the adaptation within the framework of domestication allow to obtain an effective filmonym.

Within the framework of two strategies, the translation of the filmonym Hellboy (2004) / Hellboy was performed simultaneously: A hero from hell. The first part of the binomial construction within the framework of forenization contains the transliteration of the character's name. The second part is a translation of the name of the superhero, made on the basis of a lexical and semantic transformation: hell is replaced by hell to give the film more euphony, poetry, to create a positive connotation by referring to the expression rise from the ashes. A similar technique was used in the translation of the filmonym Ouija (2014) / Ouija Board: Devil's Board – the title of a horror film about a session of spiritualism using Ouija board and its consequences for a group of friends. Another example is the translation of the filmonym Saw (2004) / Saw: A survival game, where the literal translation of the original title, as part of the domestication strategy, is supplemented after the colon by a second member of the construction reflecting the summary of the film, the characters of which become unwitting participants in a cruel game.

It should be noted that binomial constructions are used not only in translations, but also in original movie titles. The original title of the cartoon Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) / Spirit: Soul of the Prairies has been translated into Russian while preserving the binomial structure, however, the second part within the framework of the domestication strategy has been adapted for perception by the Russian audience. The literal translation of Spirit: Cimarron's stallion is suitable for a cartoon about a brave young stallion, but the adapted Russian-language version is more euphonious, intriguing and poetic.

The filmonym Hachi: A Dog's Tail (2009) / Hachiko: the most faithful friend is translated without changing the structure of the title, but using lexical transformations. In the first part, the dog's nickname was changed. This was necessary in order to avoid the consonance of the translated onym with the Russian-speaking dysphemism for the disparaging designation of persons of Caucasian nationality. In the second part of the title, the expression dog's tail is replaced by the most faithful friend, which is also justified: the wordplay tail (tail) and tale (story) based on English homophones cannot be conveyed in a translated Russian-language title. Without the humorous effect of the wordplay, the literal translation of the dog's tail will be incomprehensible to the Russian viewer. Therefore, the replacement of the most faithful friend, which carries an additional explanation to the title of the film, can be recognized as a successful decision by the translator.

In some cases, when translating an English-language title based on a binomial construction, one of the parts is omitted, and the translated filmonym differs from the original in a simplified structure. This decision was made by the translator of the film name Capitan America: The First Avenger (2011) / The First Avenger. When translating, the first part of the title is omitted, the filmonym has become more concise. The reason for the ellipsis of the original film name could be the complex political relations of the country of distribution with a foreign country, the name of which appears in the first part of the binomial construction.

So, in the course of a study conducted on the material of 150 English–language titles of films released after 2000 and their translations into Russian, it was found out that translators more often resort to a strategy of domestication (69.34%), less often to a strategy of forenization (25.34%). In much rarer cases, the translation of a filmonym is based on a combination of forenization and domestication (5.32%).

During domestication, the title of the film adapts during translation, approaches the host culture and often undergoes significant transformation, or is completely replaced by a new filmonym. The high-frequency reasons for choosing a domestication strategy include an unvoiced literal translation, a mismatch of the meanings of similar lexemes in Russian and English, undesirable associations with precedent phenomena, dysphemisms, the emergence of meanings that disorient the viewer, untranslatable wordplay and the use of various stylistic techniques in the original title, as well as cultural differences and the political situation in the world. If there is a fairly accurate literal translation of the English–language original film name into Russian, the name, nevertheless, can be adapted for economic reasons - to become more promotional, catchy and commercially effective for the Russian film distribution, so that the film attracts a mass Russian audience and brings as much profit as possible.

As part of the domestication strategy, various types of translation transformations are used: moving, omitting or replacing a token, adding tokens, changing the shape of a word, and heading constructions. Substitutions can be contextual or lexico-semantic (generalization, concretization, holistic transformation, modulation). The title may include an explanation of the realities of another culture for the domestic moviegoer (explication technique).

As part of the forenization strategy, the translator decides to do without transformations, make the translated title as close to the original as possible, and preserve the realities of foreign culture in it. If a foreign word does not have an exact equivalent in the translation language, or if the equivalent is not able to implement all the necessary functions of the title, methods of calculus, transcription, transliteration can be used. When transcribing and transliterating, it is necessary to take into account how the forenized filmonym will be perceived by the mass audience of the translation, how pragmatically effective it will be. The translator needs to predict whether such an attempt to attract attention with the help of a foreign, unusual-sounding word will be justified. It is important to understand whether the domestic viewer is familiar with the meaning of Anglicism, whether it is popular enough in this period and, as they say, "by ear" to attract the attention of even the person who is not familiar with its meaning. At the same time, the target audience of the film should be taken into account. For example, the transliteration technique used as part of the forenization strategy, in an effort to convey the characteristics of someone else's culture and mentality, is unacceptable if the film is intended for people of an older generation, who, most often, are less interested in new trends coming from other cultures.

Among the most striking examples of the use of such a strategy as forenization, there is a clear tendency to make the name more catchy, unusual-sounding, and intriguing. At the same time, translators take into account that it is better to use such a strategy when the name contains simple and short words that are really easily perceived by the Russian-speaking audience. It should be noted that in accordance with the semantic classification of filmonyms, two types of filmonyms are more often translated within the framework of forenization – titles containing the names of characters and titles indicating the place of action in the film.

In the examples that make up 5.32% of the sample, a binomial construction of the translated onym was used for translation; in this case, the original title of the film in the source language is included in the first part before the colon, and the second part is a variant of the onym in the translation language. Such a translation technique seems to be effective if the translator cannot make a choice between the forenized and adapted versions of the filmonym, since neither of them is able to independently implement the necessary functionality.

Thus, choosing a strategy is one of the most important decisions that a translator makes. Whether he chooses domestication or forenization for this particular film title may depend on the success of not only the translation, but also the entire film in the cinema distribution of the country of the target audience of the translation.

In order to set a course for the right strategy, it is necessary, first, to assess the possibilities of forenization, which will preserve the features of the original name and the features of a foreign culture. If the latter is not possible, then adaptation of the film title is necessary, its preparation for successful perception by the audience of the host culture.

There is an obvious link between the strategies that translators more often give priority to, and the degree of proximity or remoteness of the original and translated languages, as well as similarities or differences between the national cultures of native speakers of these languages. The more similarities there are in language systems, the closer the cultures of native speakers of the original language and the target language are, the more opportunities for forenization. Conversely, the remoteness of cultures, the significant specific originality of each of the language systems, as well as the presence of a small number of common or similar features revealed when comparing the original language and the target language, requires the translator to be able to use the strategy of domestication, methods of adaptation of the name, translation transformations.

Despite the fact that it is the forenization strategy that is focused on a more accurate translation of the film name, which will convey both the form and the content of the original, in our opinion, the ability to translate the name within the framework of the domestication strategy requires more professionalism from the translator and also allows you to get a high-quality result.

Further prospects for the study may be to conduct a diachronic study of the peculiarities of translating English-language film titles into Russian, especially since, depending on the political situation in the world, changes are taking place in the language policy of the Russian Federation regarding foreign vocabulary, which also affects the choice of linguists' strategy for translating media titles.