37th Annual Student Research Conference
German Second Person Pronouns in Translation in Bridgerton
Katrina S. Schooley
Dr. Douglas Ball, Faculty Mentor
As global communication has developed, the importance of cross-cultural pragmatic competence in the field of translation has become increasingly clear, as different languages have different politeness requirements. While English has only one second person pronoun, languages such as German have multiple to denote varying levels of familiarity and formality. The pronoun used is influenced both by power dynamics and the closeness between those involved. This study first explores how the second person pronouns in the popular Netflix television series Bridgerton are translated into German subtitles. Then, this study analyzes whether the choices the translators made would alter the audience’s understanding of the relationships represented. The study has found that the translators used an archaic 3-pronoun system instead of the modern 2-pronoun distinction, maintaining the old-fashioned feel of the original English. The characters’ use of the pronouns is also dynamic, with the level of formality changing as their relationships develop.
Keywords: Linguistics, German, Translation, Subtitles, T/V Pronouns, Pragmatics
Topic(s):Linguistics
German
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 302-4
Location: SUB Georgian Room A
Time: 1:30