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It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics / SEREN WALTERS

Swansea University Author: SEREN WALTERS

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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.71744

Abstract

Drawing on theories from Animation Studies, Translation Studies, Cultural Studies, and Audiovisual Translation Studies, this thesis presents nine case studies of the cultural portrayals in source text versions and the German and French-language dubs of a selection of Disney animated classics and the...

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Published: Swansea 2026
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Preece, J., Williams, A. J., and Herman, G.
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71744
first_indexed 2026-04-15T08:48:12Z
last_indexed 2026-04-17T03:55:23Z
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recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2026-04-15T09:56:45.9421485 v2 71744 2026-04-15 It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics 1249ad8ea3db0c6dda5453155117b4e7 SEREN WALTERS SEREN WALTERS true false 2026-04-15 Drawing on theories from Animation Studies, Translation Studies, Cultural Studies, and Audiovisual Translation Studies, this thesis presents nine case studies of the cultural portrayals in source text versions and the German and French-language dubs of a selection of Disney animated classics and their live-action remakes. Han's (2022) understanding of hyperculture is incorporated into the analysis of cultural representation in Disney films and their translations. This thesis provides an overview of the translation strategies for Disney's culture-specific references, foreign language, accent, and dialect, examining to what extent and in which ways these cultural representations are mediated for international audiences, contributing to understandings of the negotiation of cultural identities through mass media. It becomes clear that the dubs often engage in domesticating processes for source and target culture references, while their portrayals of third cultures rarely differ from those in the source texts. Frequently the Québécois dubs present audiences with portrayals that closely follow those in the ST, whereas the French and German dubs make considerably more modifications to culture-specific references. Completed years after the animated films’ releases, Disney’s live-action remakes provide us with a telling insight into the Studio’s changing approaches to cultural representation following widespread social movements such as Black Lives Matter. Growing awareness and shifts in values impact Disney’s screen products with further implications for wider society. E-Thesis Swansea animation, audiovisual translation, culture-specific references, Disney, dubbing, hyperculture 24 3 2026 2026-03-24 10.23889/SUThesis.71744 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Preece, J., Williams, A. J., and Herman, G. Doctoral Ph.D 2026-04-15T09:56:45.9421485 2026-04-15T09:40:13.2670788 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - Modern Languages, Translation, and Interpreting SEREN WALTERS 1 71744__36511__2f82aebda7c54cd7b8889cfeec9117b4.pdf 2026_Walters_S.final.71744.pdf 2026-04-15T09:46:50.4882316 Output 2146509 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: the author, Seren Walters, 2026. Distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
spellingShingle It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
SEREN WALTERS
title_short It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
title_full It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
title_fullStr It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
title_full_unstemmed It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
title_sort It’s A Small World: Translating Cultural Otherness in Disney’s Classics
author_id_str_mv 1249ad8ea3db0c6dda5453155117b4e7
author_id_fullname_str_mv 1249ad8ea3db0c6dda5453155117b4e7_***_SEREN WALTERS
author SEREN WALTERS
author2 SEREN WALTERS
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUThesis.71744
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - Modern Languages, Translation, and Interpreting{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - Modern Languages, Translation, and Interpreting
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description Drawing on theories from Animation Studies, Translation Studies, Cultural Studies, and Audiovisual Translation Studies, this thesis presents nine case studies of the cultural portrayals in source text versions and the German and French-language dubs of a selection of Disney animated classics and their live-action remakes. Han's (2022) understanding of hyperculture is incorporated into the analysis of cultural representation in Disney films and their translations. This thesis provides an overview of the translation strategies for Disney's culture-specific references, foreign language, accent, and dialect, examining to what extent and in which ways these cultural representations are mediated for international audiences, contributing to understandings of the negotiation of cultural identities through mass media. It becomes clear that the dubs often engage in domesticating processes for source and target culture references, while their portrayals of third cultures rarely differ from those in the source texts. Frequently the Québécois dubs present audiences with portrayals that closely follow those in the ST, whereas the French and German dubs make considerably more modifications to culture-specific references. Completed years after the animated films’ releases, Disney’s live-action remakes provide us with a telling insight into the Studio’s changing approaches to cultural representation following widespread social movements such as Black Lives Matter. Growing awareness and shifts in values impact Disney’s screen products with further implications for wider society.
published_date 2026-03-24T05:57:24Z
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score 11.102276

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