Dimensiuni ale limbajului n context carceral

louse, and maybe a cap. The final touch of the image is given by accessories, jewelry, hair-style, labels or
artifacts.
However, the defining characteristic – and the most interesting for a translator - of youth groups is
language. The notion of “street language” is very difficult to define. Although much research has been done in
the field of sociolinguistics and many books have been written, street culture rarely made the object of these
works. It is true that theorists did not ignore the existence of the phenomenon, but they missed the link
between youth culture, street life and language. In order to be able to operate with the concept as a whole, we
must define each term separately. According to Deborah Cameron, “language is a medium of representation”
(Cameron 1992: 6, my formatting), “a mediator of social relations, an expression of social identity, a
repository of cultural values and a medium of art and ritual” (Cameron 1992: 29). From a sociologic point of
view, the street is a setting where certain groups might act at a given time. It serves as a catalyst in creating
new groups and/or preserving the old ones and it gives a certain identity to the people form these groups
(Marianthi Makri-Tsilipakou, unpublished lecture).
When joining the two words, a whole new concept is born and, logically, street language should be
seen as the “medium of representation” used by social groups who act on the streets. One could say that street
language is non-standard language used by street groups and their members as a tool of identity and
identification. Street language is composed by slang, jargon, swearing, regional words and words with sexual
connotation and many more; these are combined into phrases without taking into account traditional rules of
speech. The young simply play with words, finding new meanings to older expressions or inventing new ones,
in order to express their own beliefs. It is true that the linguistic form is not the traditional one, but street
language is not deprived of poetry or style. This fact is proven by the large number of books, films and even
song lyrics, written in street language or speaking about life on the streets. The young artists use all linguistic
devices they can possibly find. The following example, with the necessary explanations, is a proof in this
sense.
Example:
Chuckie: Why didn't you give me none of that nasty little hoochie-woochie you usually throw at me?
Cathy: Oh, fuck you and your Irish curse, Chuckie. Like I'd waste my energy spreading my legs for
that Tootsie Roll dick? So go home and give it a tug yourself.
The official Romanian translation for this short fragment is:
- De ce nu mi-ai dansat din buric... Aşa cum faci de obicei?
- Du-te naibii, tu şi blestemul tău irlandez, Chuckie. Chiar crezi că sunt dispusă să-mi irosesc energia
pentru chestia aia mică a ta? Du-te acasă şi rezolvă-te singur. (http://www.allsubs.org/subtitrari/subtitrari-
download/good-will-hunting-1997/112931/)
This short fragment, taken from Good Will Hunting, brings up several translation problems, because it
contains both cultural elements and slang. The cultural elements here are “Irish curse” and “Tootsie Roll”.