Taking into account the multiple signifying codes which operate simultaneously in audiovisual texts, the main purpose of this paper is to analyse and describe the characteristics of the linguistic code in an audiovisual corpus, focusing on an aspect that is specific to audiovisual texts and, therefore, to audiovisual translation: “prefabricated orality” (Chaume, 2004). Research suggests that fictional dialogue consists of a combination of linguistic features used in speech and writing, and that both translators and scriptwriters should aim to achieve a balance between these features. The implementation of such features should not hinder the understanding of fictional dialogue and must respect its conventions, but must also succeed in recreating a spontaneous-sounding conversation. Several scholars in the field of audiovisual translation have focused their research on dissecting specific features of Spanish dubbed and native prefabricated orality (i.e. discourse markers, interjections, loan words, etc.), and numerous works have been published on scriptwriting. However, no study has yet provided a complete overview of how Spanish fictional dialogue is shaped from a linguistic point of view in both domestic and dubbed audiovisual texts, across all language levels (phonetic, morphological, syntactic and lexical). Working with a corpus of domestic and dubbed sitcoms in Spanish (Siete Vidas and Friends), this paper aims to describe the main features of the linguistic code in native and foreign productions (dubbed from English into Spanish), highlighting the trends when writing and translating these texts, in order to compare them at a later stage. The results reveal the complex relationship established between speech and writing in audiovisual texts, and disclose the resources used by translators and scriptwriters to carefully plan supposedly spontaneous dialogues. Findings also suggest that domestic audiovisual texts bear more resemblances to spontaneous conversation than dubbed texts.

References
Chaume, F. (2004). “Synchronization in dubbing: A translational approach”. In P. Orero (Ed.), Topics in Audiovisual Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Rocío BAÑOS PIÑERO is currently senior lecturer in Translation Technology at London Metropolitan University, where she teaches Translation Technology and Information and Terminology Management, and supervises translation and localisation projects (English into Spanish). She has also worked as an in-house and freelance translator, both in Spain and the United Kingdom. She is currently working on her PhD dissertation at the University of Granada, which focuses on spoken Spanish in dubbed and domestic situation comedies. Her main research interests lie in the fields of localisation and audiovisual translation, especially in dubbing. She is also interested in the study of Spanish colloquial spontaneous conversation and its imitation in fictional dialogue.