‘Loss’ and ‘gain’ in comics

Abstract

This article discusses translations of comics, a topic rarely dealt with in Translation Studies, with specific reference to ‘loss ‘ and ‘gain ‘. It is suggested that —for the purpose of a cogent discussion ‐ we may distinguish between gain with loss’ and ‘gain without loss’. Translations of comics represent a special challenge in that, in order to be successful, they have to actively interplay with illustrations as well as genre elements, i.e. ‘humour’. The article discusses some of these elements and then focuses on successful renditions into Danish of the American daily strip Calvin and Hobbes and a Donald Duck ten‐page comic narrative. The latter, in particular, reveals that subtle forces influence the translation of a comic. This opens for a discussion of the ways comics allow ‐ or make it hard for ‐ a translator to wend her way between ‘gain ‘ and ‘loss ‘. These forces involve an interplay not only between pictures and text, but also the people who do lettering, add colours, and the like.

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