ARMENIAN TELEVISION COMPANIES HAVE DIFFICULTIES WITH DUBBING OF FILMS
Author: Ruzanna Bagratunian
Editor: Khachatrian Haroutiun
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2007
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The positive and negative
aspects of dubbing foreign films into Armenian were discussed at
the September 27 seminar "In the Traps of Dubbing Foreign Films"
organized by National Civil Initiative NGO.
In the opinion of NGO members, all without exception dubbed films
demonstrated on the Armenian television have a low qualitative and
linguistic level. Besides, from the genre and qualitative point of
view these films are far from being cultural values.
Film critic Zaven Boyajian, the editor-in-chief of the Film
Demonstration and Dubbing Unit of the Public Television, expressed
an opinion that dubbed films are not free of this shortcoming indeed
but in itself, film dubbing has some positive aspects.
According to him, the most important cause of these shortcomings is
the lack of good translators. "The majority of translators today are
those of the senior and middle generation who carry the whole burden
of dubbing. Young people have not mastered the art of translation,
they are proficient neither in Armenian nor in the foreign language
they studied," he pointed out. Besides, a great barrier exists between
the literary and spoken language. Z. Boyajian noted that a translator
should be able to find the golden mean between the spoken and classic
Armenian, their fine combination.
In his view, the choice of actors is also a complex process as young
graduates of dramatic faculties do not have a good acting technique,
while better actors are reluctant to do this poorly paid job.
Z. Boyajian said that "low-value" films are chosen through surveys
conducted by the Public Television: "Fimls and programs of his kind
ensure the highest rating, while any television company tries to keep
a high rating in order to be competitive."
Z. Boyajian is not in favor of film dubbing because it devalues
any work of art, making it unlike the original (he said the use of
subtitles is preferable). However, under the RA Law on language,
films and programs in Armenia shall be in Armenian. "This is the most
positive characteristic of dubbing," the film critic noted.