| Abstract [eng] |
Despite the growing visibility of LGBTQ+ narratives in audiovisual media, their representation remains a complex challenge, particularly in Lithuania, where societal acceptance of gender non-normativity at the national level is still emerging. Although queer community is increasingly present on screen, its portrayal often faces obstacles, especially during translation. This thesis investigates how LGBTQ+ narratives are rendered in the Lithuanian subtitles of the television series Euphoria (2019), with a focus on how translation choices shape their visibility and meaning. The research is grounded in queer theory and audiovisual translation studies, adopting Santaemilia’s (2018) dual perspective: the translation of sexuality and the sexualization of translation. The former is examined through subtitling strategies categorized by Gottlieb (1992), while the latter is analysed via Démont’s (2017) model of queering, minoritizing, and misrecognizing translation modes. The methodology employs multimodal analysis and incorporates comparative subtitle analysis, semiotic analysis of audiovisual interplay, and qualitative content analysis, all implemented through the lens of critical queer theory. In total, 229 subtitle segments containing LGBTQ+ content were selected and classified into the three aforementioned modes, and 581 instances of translation strategies were analysed to determine how each mode is constructed and which strategies prevail. The findings reveal that the queering mode dominates in the subtitled translation of Euphoria, yet a notable proportion of segments fall under minoritizing or misrecognizing tendencies. The paraphrase is the most frequently employed strategy across all three modes, followed by condensation. Nevertheless, each mode is characterized by a distinct combination of strategies, reflecting varied approaches to representing queer meaning. While such strategies are often used to align content with target-language norms, their application can either preserve or undermine LGBTQ+ visibility depending on context and execution. Moreover, the analysis identified several quality-related issues that suggest room for improvement in the overall quality of the subtitles. The study underscores the need for ethically informed and multimodally aware translation practices when subtitling LGBTQ+ narratives. Integrating queer translation theory into AVT not only enhances linguistic accuracy but also fosters more inclusive, nuanced, and respectful representations of gender and sexual diversity on screen. |
