ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the overlapping relationship between humour and multilingualism in the area of audiovisual translation. It includes insights from contributions by some of the most influential scholars in the field. The complexity of the issue is shown in how long-standing assumptions and generalisations about translation may have to be reviewed to account for variables associated with humour and representations of language variation in audiovisual fiction. Although multilingualism is declared to be a measure of authenticity, it is usually a rhetorical device that responds to the author’s overall motivations and style. Different language combinations may be rendered in many different ways, including leaving the minority languages (L3) untouched from ST to TT, or translating them all into the target language (L2). But whatever way they are used, when humour comes into the picture, priorities change, and a certain degree of creativity can sometimes be detected. Examples from different periods, media and types of productions are analysed to illustrate and provide evidence of the ideas developed. The conclusion reached is that there is probably no single factor that accounts for new trends but rather a combination of factors in different areas, some scholarly (historical, research and theoretical perspectives) and others more professional, related to translator practices and industry guidelines.
