A multimodal analysis of the English-to-Arabic adaptation of Disney’s “The Bare Necessities”

Abstract

Due to the diverse roles that songs play in films and the growing need for movie distribution in various languages and cultures, the challenge of translating film songs from one language to another has become formidable. This research aims to apply the multimodal three-dimensional model proposed by Cui and Wang (2022. Film song translation: Verbal, vocal, and visual dimensions: On the Chinese translation of Amazing Grace in the film Forever Young. Babel 68(4). 565–585) to analyze the Arabic dubbed version of the 2016 film song “The Bare Necessities.” The analysis revealed that, verbally, the Arabic dubbed version of the song maintained the gay emotional tone and length but made adaptations to the information, metaphors, and images used in the source. Vocally, similar to the English source song, the Arabic dubbed version did not adhere to 1 m and has a 4/4 time signature, aligning with the catchy melody and reinforcing the song’s theme of embracing simplicity and savoring life’s essentials effortlessly. Finally, visually, the analysis showed that the Arabic dubbed version matches the plot, characters and background pictures on the screen. The study contributed by incorporating a visual analysis of songs, adding camera elements, namely camera movement and shot size, to gain a better understanding of the scenes under analysis. The use of over-the-shoulder shots created a sense of conversation that complements the duet, and the pan right and left during dancing added a vividness that matches the verbal gay tone and vocal lightness of the song. This finding, considering visual camera elements, can be regarded as a suggested revision to the original multimodal framework introduced by Cui and Wang. Further implications are discussed.