The representation of Italian Americans in The Sopranos: stereotypes and Italian Americanisms in dubbing and subtitling

The present study aims at analyzing some of the characteristics of The Sopranos, an American crime drama television series centered on Italian American mobsters. In chapter 1, after a brief introduction to AVT, the two main translation modes, dubbing and subtitling, will be described, and advantages and disadvantages of both will be highlighted. Chapter 2 will explore Italian Americans, with particular reference to the history of their migration to the USA as well as to their language varieties. Chapter 3 will deal with the different representations of Italian Americans in Hollywood cinema. Stereotypes connected to people of Italian descent include that of Dagos, Palookas, Romeos or Latin Lovers and Wise Guys, the last category being the most damaging of all. Chapter 4 will then address the key topic, The Sopranos: a description of the series will be given, followed by some of its linguistic characteristics. In the original version, most characters speak with an Italian American accent; in the dubbed version, most characters speak with a Neapolitan accent, something which characterizes it as a creative version of a foreign series. Finally, chapter 5 will deal with four selected Italian American words for which some alternative translations will be proposed.