Subtitle Translation of Allusions From English to Turkish: The Case of Sherlock Series

Intertextuality, by and large, appears in a wide range of fields including literature, arts and audiovisual contents. One of the prominent areas of its existence is in films and TV series where it is often presented as allusions. Subtitle translation of culture-specific items such as allusions has been a significant issue as mass media technologies and contents have started to circulate around the globe in an increasing swiftness. Regarding the spatial and temporal restrictions of subtitling which, to some extent, seem to be problematic especially with the culture-bound sections, it is crucial to render the allusions in the best way possible. In the subtitle translation of allusions, translators mostly tend to retain the original and keep the source text allusions intact. Within the framework of Kristeva’s concept of intertextuality, this study aimed at identifying the allusions in the TV series Sherlock and categorizing them according to Leppihalme’s (1997) classification of allusions based on a quantitative research analysis. Following Leppihalme’s suggested strategies, the present study sought to find what strategies were employed for the subtitle translation of these allusions in Sherlock. The results indicated that retention was the most frequent and appropriate strategy for the NP (Proper-name) allusions, and literal and standard translations for the KP (Key-phrase) allusions.