THE RENDERING OF HUMOR IN CARTOON TRANSLATION

Abstrak

The translation of humor in animated films is one of the most challenging areas of audiovisual translation because humorous effects are often based on linguistic ambiguity, cultural references, wordplay, irony, and interaction between verbal and visual elements. Translators are expected not only to transfer the semantic content of the original dialogue but also to preserve its humorous function and make it understandable and entertaining for the target audience. This issue becomes particularly significant in cartoons because animated films are frequently intended for audiences of different ages and cultural backgrounds. The present article examines the major characteristics of humor in cartoons, discusses linguistic and cultural difficulties encountered in its translation, and analyzes the principal strategies used to reproduce humorous effects in the target language. Particular attention is paid to adaptation, substitution, equivalent translation, compensation, and translation transformations. The article argues that functional equivalence and audience response are often more important than literal correspondence when translating humor in animated films