Translating the mafia: legal translation issues and strategies

Abstract

The mafia has long been a mainstay theme in crime fiction, Hollywood cinema productions and TV dramas. Indeed, the popular conception of the mafia outside of Italy has largely been created by books, films and TV programmes conceived, written and produced in English. Although 'mafia' is used as a loan word in English, in Italian it is a much more semantically complex and culture bound term with a series of intrinsic connotations, including specifically legal ones, which present a challenge for translators, especially if applying the native speaker principle, as they may lack adequate cultural awareness. This paper briefly looks at issues involved in translating the terminology of Italian anti-mafia law within the context of the wider debate on the benefits and drawbacks of foreignisation or domestication strategies, and also considering the role of explicitation, with regard to legal culturemes. It examines possible solutions for the translation of two such specific terms (associazione di tipo mafioso and omertà) and concludes by suggesting the appropriate strategies to be adopted.