From Bearings. to Ça roule ?: Filmmaking, Translation, and Roller Derby

Abstract

Bearings. is a short film that tells the story of Slaughter, a skater for The Sweet City Rollers, a derby league preparing to fold. When Slaughter learns she is needed at work during the night of the league’s final bout, she is forced to decide between one last game with the people and sport she loves, or her job. After spending the year writing, filming, and editing the short film, this senior project endeavors to subtitle it into French. This paper examines the artistic intention behind Bearings. as well as the techniques that proved most effective in translating the film. Through the process of subtitling bearings, connections are drawn between translation, culture, linguistics, literature, and cinema.

Link to subtitled film: https://youtu.be/uRyqD4uc9v4