Abstract:
The present study aims at providing an analysis of various translation strategies used
by subtitlers in the translation of realia or culture specific references. The corpus consists of
excerpts from Series 8 of the American sitcom Friends. Culture specific references are analysed
in terms of their degree of transculturality and are classified into: proper names, names of
places, objects, food and drinks, references to books, movies, TV shows, etc. The analysis
indicates, on the one hand, that the degree of transculturality of culture specific references
varies according to the profile of the target audience and, on the other hand, that in audiovisual
translation the main purpose of foreignizing and domesticating strategies is to mediate an
intercultural encounter.
