WORDPLAY TRANSLATION IN AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH-UZBEK DUBBING IN ZOOTOPIA
Keywords:
Keywords: wordplay, audiovisual translation, dubbing, Zootopia, Uzbek translation, pun translation, pragmatic adaptation, Delabastita.Abstract
Abstract
The translation of wordplay remains one of the most challenging aspects of
audiovisual translation due to the complex interaction between linguistic, cultural, and
semiotic elements. This study investigates the translation strategies employed in the
Uzbek dubbing of the animated film Zootopia, focusing on the rendering of English
wordplay into Uzbek. Audiovisual texts are characterized by multimodal
communication in which verbal expressions are closely connected to visual and
acoustic components. Consequently, translators often face semiotic constraints that
limit the possibility of preserving the formal features of wordplay. Using Dirk
Delabastita’s taxonomy of wordplay translation strategies as a theoretical framework,
this study examines four examples extracted from the film and compares the source
and target language versions. The findings reveal that the Uzbek dubbing
predominantly employs the Pun-to-Non-Pun strategy, prioritizing pragmatic
effectiveness and functional adequacy over formal linguistic equivalence. While
phonetic and rhyming patterns present in the original English dialogue are frequently
lost, translators compensate through descriptive adaptation, cultural localization, and
visual anchoring. The study concludes that the linguistic differences between English
and Uzbek, together with the multimodal constraints of audiovisual translation,
necessitate a shift from formal reproduction toward communicative effectiveness and
audience comprehension.
References
References
Aleksandrova, A. (2020). Dubbing and audiovisual translation: Challenges and
strategies in animated films.
Brasienė, K. (2024). Wordplay translation in audiovisual texts: Semiotic
constraints and visual anchoring.
Brannon, L., et al. (2023). Humor translation and audiovisual synchronization in
animated media.
Brezolin, A. (2021). Translating wordplay: Linguistic approaches and practical
strategies.
Delabastita, D. (1996). Introduction. The Translator, 2(2), 127–139.
Huber, M., & Lideikytė, A. (2021). Multimodality and audiovisual translation.
Kamolovna, M. M. (2025). Linguistic challenges in English-Uzbek translation.
Khandzhian, M. (2024). Equivalence and adequacy in audiovisual translation.
Olena, P. (2020). Pragmatic adaptation in translating humor.
Proceedings of the 17th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association
for Computational Linguistics: Student Research Workshop. (2023).
Reiß, K. (1983). Adequacy and equivalence in translation theory.
Reviers, N. (2019). Audiovisual translation and multimodal communication.
Tukhtajonovna, N. D., & Xemrayevna, M. O. (2026). Cultural adaptation in
Uzbek translation practice.
Williamson, R., & Ricoy, C. (2014). Visual anchoring in audiovisual translation.
Winter-Froemel, E. (2016). Wordplay and linguistic creativity.
Winter-Froemel, E., & Thaler, V. (2018). The dynamics of wordplay in
communication.
