One of the two channels in audiovisual translation (AVT) which translators are dealing with is verbal information in written forms on the screen and is typically referred to as graphic codes. Although a number of studies have addressed graphic codes in translation, with the advances in film technology in recent years, it seems increasingly necessary to further research the transfer of newly emerging graphic codes such as SMS texts, text on a computer screen, the Internet language, in dubbing. Despite the high significance and rising amount of graphic codes in an accurate understanding of the course of a dubbed movie, it has received relatively meager attention in AVT studies. As for graphic codes, three methods are used for their rendition in dubbing: audio-rendition of the target graphic codes (TGC) with an actor’s voice off and inserting the voice off when the close shot is on the original graphic code (OGC); subtitling the OGC; and editing and inserting new TGCs in place of the original and deleting the OGCs from the film. This study aims at comparing the transferring of the graphic codes in two of the methods, namely voice off and insertion of new text in the target language in terms of their easier comprehension in two Persian versions of the new Sherlock Holmes TV series dubbed by an official Iranian TV network and a BBC Persian TV network. Additionally, since these two methods have both advantages and constraints on the part of the audience of the dubbed movies, the study also aims at collecting and analyzing the views and comments of the avid viewers using retrospective interview technique.

Keywords