Subtitling words or omitting worlds? A metafunctionally-oriented analysis

Abstract

This article looks at the phenomenon of omission of metafuncional meanings in the subtitles of the TV series Heroes drawing on the theoretical framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics, particularly regarding the metafunctional dimension and the methodological framework put forward by Kovacic (1998). On these bases, it aims to investigate the meanings translated out of the subtitles in terms of experiential, interpersonal, and textual realizations. The analysis reveals a different representation in the Brazilian Portuguese subtitles, which end up preventing the spectator from having access to certain meanings realized in the dialogues between the characters in the series, which also impacts directly upon the representation of the flux of events of the episode under study.