Intertext in movie translation: characteristics and strategies (on the material of «Deadpool» franchise)
https://doi.org/10.51955/2312-1327-2026-2-171
Abstract
The article presents a comprehensive study of translation strategies for intertextual elements in audiovisual discourse, based on the "Deadpool" franchise. Intertextuality is considered as a system-forming mechanism of meaning construction, realized through film allusions, precedent names, meta-comments, and references to popular culture. The relevance of the research stems from the need for intercultural adaptation of culturally marked units in the context of media space globalization, as well as the increased complexity of rendering intertext in audiovisual translation, where the pragmatic potential of references directly depends on the congruence of the cognitive bases of the author and the recipient. The theoretical framework comprises concepts of intertextuality (J. Kristeva, M. Bakhtin), works on linguoculturology (V. V. Krasnykh), the theory of allusion translation (R. Leppihalme), the domestication vs. foreignization opposition (L. Venuti), the system of translation transformations (V. N. Komissarov), and R. Jakobson’s functional model, which enables the assessment of the preservation of informative, expressive, and metalinguistic functions. The research material consists of 6 intertextually marked fragments from the films "Deadpool" (2016), "Deadpool 2" (2018) and their official Russian dubbed versions (CPI Films studio). The analysis reveals the dominant translation strategies: direct preservation of intertext (calquing, foreignization) when the referent is highly recognizable, and adaptive substitution (compensation, domestication) in cases of low cultural transparency of the source. Special attention is paid to combined solutions demonstrating a differentiated approach to various types of intertextual elements within a single utterance. The study confirms that achieving communicative-pragmatic equivalence in intertext translation requires the translator not only to possess linguistic competence but also profound background knowledge and the ability for creative adaptation of cultural codes. The work contributes to the theory of audiovisual translation and can be used in teaching translation and localization of culturally saturated media texts
About the Authors
Konstantin P. ZhigalovRussian Federation
Postgraduate Student
Andrey G. Fomin
Russian Federation
Dr. Sci. (Philology), Professor, Department of Translation, Interpreting and Linguistics
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Review
For citations:
Zhigalov K.P., Fomin A.G. Intertext in movie translation: characteristics and strategies (on the material of «Deadpool» franchise). Crede Experto: transport, society, education, language. 2026;13(2):171-187. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.51955/2312-1327-2026-2-171
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