Dude (Looks Like a Lady): Hijacking transsexual identity in the subtitled version of strella by panos koutras

Abstract

Problematizing and relativizing components of culture and identity are a constant theme in translation studies, yet there are fields where culture and identity are radically deconstructed, rather than problematized and relativized; such is the case in the uncharted area of transgenderism. By definition, transgenderism entails both great freedom and great constraints with respect to shaping physical and discourse parameters of identity. Taking Cromwell's (2006) concept of 'transsituated identities' as a point of departure, this article discusses the English subtitles for the cinema in Koutras' recent film Strella (2009). It demonstrates that the filmic language of Strella adopts strategies which are geared towards unsettling fixed hierarchies in society. Harvey's (2000) grid of strategies - namely, ludicrism, inversion, paradox and parody - is extended here for the analysis of filmic language. The analysis reveals that the move from a minor code (Greek) into a lingua franca, within the context of a transgender subculture, leads to recurrent shifts in the semiotic load of these resources in translation. © St Jerome Publishing Manchester.