MAINTAINING THE HUMOROUS EFFECT OF DARK JOKES IN INDONESIAN SUBTITLES OF RICK AND MORTY

Daniel Sbastian; Ribka Angeline Rohaedi

doi:10.33541/dia.v13i1.8549

Authors

Daniel Sbastian Jakarta International University
Ribka Angeline Rohaedi Jakarta International University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33541/dia.v13i1.8549

Keywords:

audiovisual translation, dark humor, dynamic equivalence, subtitle translation, Rick and Morty

Abstract

Abstract

Translating humor, particularly dark humor, poses considerable challenges in audiovisual translation because its comic effect depends on cultural references, pragmatic meaning, and audience tolerance for taboo subjects. While prior research has largely focused on classifying translation techniques, comparatively little attention has been paid to whether these techniques actually preserve humorous effect. This study examines how English dark jokes are translated into Indonesian subtitles in the animated series Rick and Morty, focusing on the strategies used and the extent to which they maintain the original humorous effect. Using a qualitative descriptive design, five purposively selected dark-joke instances from five episodes on the official Prime Video platform were analyzed through Chiaro's (2006) framework of humor translation techniques and Nida's (1964) concept of dynamic equivalence. The findings show that literal translation, adaptation, modulation, and omission are the main strategies employed by the translator. Adaptation and modulation prove most effective when cultural or pragmatic differences prevent literal rendering, whereas omission tends to weaken comic impact despite retaining propositional meaning. Four of the five translations achieved full or near-full dynamic equivalence. These results suggest that preserving dark humor requires prioritizing pragmatic and emotional equivalence over lexical correspondence, offering practical implications for translators working with culturally sensitive comedic content.

Keywords: audiovisual translation; dark humor; dynamic equivalence; subtitle translation; Rick and Morty

References

Abu-Rayyash, H. (2024). AI meets comedy: Viewers' reactions to GPT-4 generated humour translation. Ampersand, 12, Article 100162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100162

Agung, I. G. A. M. (2021). Humor subtitling in stand-up comedy Raditya Dika. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Linguistik dan Sastra (SEMANTIKS), 59–68.

Al-Dahshan, M. A. (2020). Analysing the Arabic subtitles of the humours jokes in "Rick & Morty" show [Unpublished manuscript].

Aleksandrova, E. (2020). Audiovisual translation of puns in animated films: Strategies and procedures. European Journal of Humour Research, 7(4), 86–105.

Azis, I. (2021). Translation technique analysis of dark jokes in the subtitle of Joker movie 2019. Eduvest: Journal of Universal Studies, 1(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.36418/edv.v1i1.6

Azis, I. (2024). Translation technique analysis of dark jokes in the subtitle of Joker movie 2019. Eduvest: Journal of Universal Studies, 4(1), 173–182. https://doi.org/10.59188/eduvest.v4i1.987

Baker, M. (1992). In other words: A coursebook on translation. Routledge.

Baker, M. (2018). In other words: A coursebook on translation (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Chiaro, D. (2006). Verbally expressed humour on screen: Reflections on translation and reception. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 6, 198–208.

Chiaro, D. (2018). The translator as comedian. In D. Chiaro (Ed.), Translation, humour and the media (pp. 1–20). Continuum.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Díaz-Cintas, J., & Remael, A. (2021). Subtitling: Concepts and practices. Routledge.

Dore, M. (2020). Humour in audiovisual translation: Theories and applications. Routledge.

Dynel, M. (2011). The pragmatics of humour across discourse domains. John Benjamins.

Freud, S. (1927). Humour. In The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (Vol. 21). Hogarth Press.

Ghassemiazghandi, M. (2025). Translation of humour in subtitles of animation from English into Persian. Arab World English Journal for Translation & Literary Studies, 9(1), 17–42. https://doi.org/10.24093/awejtls/vol9no1.2

Ghassemiazghandi, M., & Tengku-Sepora, T. M. (2020). Translation strategies of humor in subtitling. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 28(2), 939–955.

Gottlieb, H. (1992). Subtitling—A new university discipline. In C. Dollerup & A. Loddegaard (Eds.), Teaching translation and interpreting: Training, talent and experience (pp. 161–170). John Benjamins.

Hajuningdyah, D. A. (2024). Analyzing humor in translation strategies and techniques in The Amazing World of Gumball: The Boss. Journal of Language and Literature, 12(2), 164–189.

House, J. (2014). Translation quality assessment: Past and present. Routledge.

House, J. (2015). Translation quality assessment: Past and present (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Kartika, D. S., & Rosyidah. (2022). Penerjemahan teks humor bahasa Jerman ke bahasa Indonesia dalam subtitle film Er Ist Wieder Da. Journal Deutsch als Fremdsprache in Indonesien, 6(1), 120–137.

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

Martin, R. A. (2007). The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Elsevier Academic Press.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Mohebbi, A. (2023). The use of cultural conceptualizations as a translation strategy for culture-specific jokes and humorous discourse: A remedy for a malady? Ampersand, 11, Article 100150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amper.2023.100150

Naufal, M., & Cholsy, H. (2024). Kesepadanan pragmatik dark humor pada serial TV "Family Guy". Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya, 8(2), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.30872/jbssb.v8i2.14798

Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Prentice Hall.

Nguyen, T. M., & Le, H. T. (2024). English-Vietnamese translation strategies of subtitles involving humor in the TV series Modern Family. New Voices in Translation Studies, 29(1), 97–121.

Nida, E. A. (1964). Toward a science of translating: With special reference to principles and procedures involved in Bible translating. Brill.

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Samir, A. (2022). An investigation of dark jokes translation strategies in Persian subtitled versions of Joker movie. Journal of Contemporary Language Research, 1(2), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.58803/jclr.v1i2.10

Shtanko, Y. O. (2023). Domestication and foreignization as ways of conveying humor (based on the animated series "Rick and Morty"). In Linguistic space of the modern world: Proceedings of the VII All-Ukrainian scientific conference (pp. 248–253). National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Vallés, D. (2015). Applying Juliane House's translation quality assessment model (1997) on a humorous text: A case study of 'The Simpsons'. New Readings, 15, 1–18.

Yusuf, M. (2024). Analysis of translation technique and quality of taboo terms in Rick and Morty (2017) subtitle series [D4 thesis, Politeknik Negeri Jakarta].