Teaching Culture

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Teaching Culture throughTranslation and
Subtitling Dr. Pia Arboleda University of Hawaii
at Manoa
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Background Language learning is boring.
Our students belong to the MTV and multi-media
generation. To address student needs, we must use
fresh and exciting materials.
Challenge Films, songs, texts are in
Filipino. There is a need for bilingual
materials. Translation and subtitling help to
bridge the resource gap.
photo Flicker.com
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Translation as a Tool for Teaching Philippine
Language and Culture

• practical tips on using translation and
• subtitling for language teaching
• Filipino 435 Translation Theory
• and Practice
• uses of bilingual materials
• for teaching culture

• Target students
• Filipino heritage learners,
• advanced level

Artist Botong Francisco
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Components of an Integrated Approach to
Pedagogy, Culture and Translation
Courses
Philippine Literature
Materials Development
Student Outputs
Philippine History and Culture

• My Projects
• Sakay (film)
• Two Friends, One World (story)
• Thats All / Yun Lang (song)

Translation Projects
Translation course
Philippine Language courses
Philippine Film
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Filipino 435 Translation Theory and Practice
Course Description This course is an
introduction to the theory and practice of
translation from Filipino to English and vice
versa. The student will learn the fundamentals
of translating literary and non-literary texts
for a specific purpose and a specific
audience. Objectives By the end of the semester,
the student should have been able to exhibit an
understanding of translation theories, use these
theories to analyze translated texts, apply these
theories to produce a translation project.
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Fil 435 Translation Theory and Practice
Part I (3-4 weeks)
Input

• What is translation?
• Purposes of translation
• Obligations of the translator
• Different translation methods

• Translation exercises
• Classroom discussions,
• analysis of selected translated texts

Processing Activity

• Critical review in Filipino (3-5 pages)
• Oral presentation in Filipino

Student output
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Part II Project for the Katipunan magazine
What They Say About Scheherazade by Ramon C. Sunico She is the Sultan's new wife. Though no one sees her, those who hear cannot forget. Her voice is sullen like the first rains of summer that come to wake you from the edge of a sultry night. Her voice is sullen and it soothes. Those who can hear her cannot forget the incessant beauty of her telling the endless, delicate constructions that move the hearts of people who do not know her. Truly, she is blessed. As to the source of her power, they say her art is bought with great sadness, with pain sharper than the pointed moon. They say she speaks with great longing for the islands she has forever left behind. It is saddening to think of her own people who have lost her. But the sultan would be a fool to let her go. I myself have witnessed these things. I have heard her stories and wept as vestiges of her voice caromed off the walls of her palace. for Mailin Ang Usap-usapan tungkol kay Scheherazade isinalin nina Mary Rose dela Cruz, Leila Lagundino, Erica Tuyay, at Jovanie dela Cruz Siya ang bagong asawa ng Sultan. Bagamat walang nakakakita sa kanya, yaong mga nakaririnig ay di siya malilimutan. Mapangalaw ang boses niya gaya ng unang patak ng ulan sa tag-araw na gumigising sa iyo sa hangganan ng maalinsangang gabi. Mapanglaw ang boses niya at nakakakalma. Hindi malilimutan ng mga nakaririnig ang walang wakas na ganda ng kanyang pangangatha ang walang hanggan, marupok na kathang isip na nag-uudyok sa mga puso ng nakikinig bagamat di siya kilala. Tunay nga siyang pinagpala. Tungkol sa poon ng kanyang kapangyarihan, sabi nila'y tinubos niya ito ng malubhang lumbay, ng pasakit na higit pang matalim sa matulis na buwan. Sabi nila'y kung magsalita siya'y kasama ang pangungulila sa islang habambuhay niyang hindi na masisilayan. Nakakalungkot isipin ang mga taong nilisan niya, ngunit magiging hunghang ang sultan kung pakakawalan siya. Nasaksihan ko mismo ang mga bagay na ito. Narinig ko ang kanyang mga salaysay at nalugmok ako habang umaalingawngaw ang kanyang naglalahong tinig sa mga dingding ng palasyo. para kay Mailin
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Part III The Translation Project Pre-Translation

• Project Selection
• student interest
• appropriate to their level of
• linguistic competence
• relevance to courses at UH

• Preparatory Phase
• Review of cultural/historical contexts
• Film viewing or close reading of text

• Conversion of DVD/VCD/VHS movie to digital video
  file
• (for subtitling) DVDX
• Transcription (for subtitling)
• Listening exercise
• Spelling
• Paying close attention to expressions, idioms,
  tone, gaps and silences

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Part III The Translation Project Translation

• Actual translation
• target audience
• translation theory
• cultural information
• difference in the language
• structure of Filipino and English
• Classroom Workshop
• discussion of particular
• problems, word choice, suggestions
• Revision and finalization of subtitles or
  translation

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Part III The Translation Project Post-Translation

Writing final papers (Guide Questions) Who is
your target audience? What translation theories
did you use? Describe the process. Discuss
particular phrases or words. What were your
options? Explain your choices. What problems
did you encounter? How did you deal with these
problems? What are your personal reflections
about translation?

• Presentation of oral report
• classroom or conferences (e.g. Filipino as Global
  Language, San Diego)

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Part III The Translation Project Post-Translation
(post-course activities)

• Synchronization (for subtitling)
• synchronize subtitles to video Media Subtitler
• review and revisionaccuracy, timing, overlapping
  of subtitles Virtual Dub
• subtitle embedding Virtual Dub
• video conversion to DVD Ashampoo Burning Studio
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• view film and revise as needed
• Screening of Video (through Katipunan Sine, SEA
  movie night, classroom)
• Translated textsclassroom discussions

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Mumbaki (1996) Direction Antonio Jose
Perez Subtitles Nikolas Bonifacio, Joseph
Daoang, Francess Gagarin Synchronization Jorge
de Luna Andrada
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Mumbaki (1996) Direction Antonio Jose
Perez Subtitles Nikolas Bonifacio, Joseph
Daoang, Francess Gagarin Synchronization Jorge
de Luna Andrada
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excerpt from the final paper of Joseph Daoang,
Nikolas Bonifacio and Francess Gagarin
This elaborate Ifugao burial practice is
performed to please the soul of their kin and
also to satisfy the gods called baki. The age of
the dead person, social status, and cause of
death are also determinants of the burial method.
In Ifugao, when a person of kadangyan rank dies
of natural causes, the bodies are kept in the
chair for as many as thirteen to fifteen days.
And when a person is murdered, s/he is sometimes
dressed in the same clothes s/he wore when s/he
was killed.1 Women of the family take on the
duties and responsibilities to shake the corpse
continually, and shout words of vengeance and
curses on the murderers, their families and
relatives. 2 In Ilocos, women of the family,
usually widows, are paid do a dung-aw (wailing,
chanting, crying). 1 Tomas Andres,
Understanding Ifugao Values (Quezon City Giraffe
Books, 2004), 72. 2 Mariano Dumia,The Ifugao
World (Quezon City New Day Publishers, 1979),
21.
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excerpt from the final paper of Joseph Daoang,
Nikolas Bonifacio and Francess Gagarin
Translating this movie was indeed a great and
unique way of learning about the Ifugao. Without
this project, we would not have acquired this
much information and knowledge about them. This
was a really amazing way of enhancing our
knowledge about the Philippines. Initially, our
expectations for this project were simply to
hone our translation skills and apply all the
things we have discussed in class. However, by
the time the project ended, we realize that we
also gained new insights on the different
complexities of both the English and Filipino
language and the translation process itself.
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Videoke King (2002) Direction Jerry Lopez
Sineneng Subtitles Mary Rose dela Cruz and Laila
Lagundino Synchronization Jorge de Luna Andrada
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Videoke King (2002) Direction Jerry Lopez
Sineneng Subtitles Mary Rose dela Cruz and Laila
Lagundino Synchronization Jorge de Luna Andrada
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Thats All / Yun Lang
Music and Lyrics Bob Haymes, Alan E.
Brandt Tagalog Lyrics Gary Granada, Pia Arboleda
and Jorge de Luna Andrada
I can only give you country walks in
springtimeAnd a hand to hold when leaves begin
to fallAnd a love whose burning lightWill warm
the winter's nightThat's all, that's
all Tanging alay koy kaakbay sa tag-init Sa
taglagas, hawak na labis ng higpit At pagsuyong
taimtim Na kumot mo sa taglamig Yun lang, yun lang
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(No Transcript)
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Two Friends, One World Author Ramon C.
Sunico Artist Joanne de Leon Production and
narration Pia Arboleda
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Two Friends, One World Author Ramon C.
Sunico Artist Joanne de Leon Production and
narration Pia Arboleda
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Sakay (1993) Director Raymond Red Subtitles Pia
Arboleda and Jorge de Luna Andrada
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Sakay Direction Raymond Red Subtitles Pia
Arboleda and Jorge de Luna Andrada
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setting of the movie, Sakay
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worker in kalesa (horse carriage) shop
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comedia, or moro-moro, a folk drama based on the
battles between Christians and the Muslim Moro,
the Philippines photo courtesy of Philippine
Embassy
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L to R seated, Julian Montalan, Francisco
Carreon, Macario Sakay, Leon Villafuerte
standing, Benito Natividad, Lucio de Vega
source Flores, Paul. "Macario Sakay Tulisán or
Patriot?" in Hector Santos, ed., Philippine
Centennial Series at http//www.bibingka.com/phg/
sakay/. US, 24 August 1996.
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Sakays vest with religious figures and Latin
phrases. This was his anting-anting (amulet)
believed to protect him from bullets and other
hazards of war.
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Further reading Abad, Antonio K. General Macario
L. Sakay Was he a bandit or a patriot? Manila
J.B. Feliciano Sons, 1955. Constantino,
Renato. The Philippines A past revisited. Quezon
City Tala Publishing,1975. Ileto, Reynaldo
C. Pasyon and revolution Popular movements in
the Philippines, 1840-1910. Quezon City Ateneo
de Manila University Press, 1979.
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photo Flickr.com, dhammza, 2005
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Maraming salamat po! For questions or comments
pca62_at_hawaii.edu