{"id":1383,"date":"2021-12-16T15:40:44","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T15:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2021-12-16T15:40:44","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T15:40:44","slug":"behind-the-scenes-hero-the-cinematic-universe-of-quico-rovira-beleta-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/behind-the-scenes-hero-the-cinematic-universe-of-quico-rovira-beleta-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind-the- Scenes Hero: The Cinematic Universe of Quico Rovira-Beleta – Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Luc\u00eda Hern\u00e1ndez<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I meet Quico Rovira-Beleta for a chat in December, he begins by telling me that like many audiovisual translators of his generation, he didn\u2019t go to school for audiovisual translation. \u201cAt the time, audiovisual translation programs didn\u2019t exist,\u201d he recounts. \u201cI studied biology. Arachnology, actually. The study of spiders. Can you imagine?\u201d Actually, I can. As a translator myself, I know that expertise is born in pretty unexpected ways and if it\u2019s any consolation, I\u2019m certain this knowledge came in handy when he translated several installments of the Spider-Man<\/em> franchise.<\/p>\n

Quico, who is based in Barcelona, has been translating films for Castilian Spanish audiences since 1985. In his 35-year-long career, the prolific subtitling and dubbing translator has over 1500 movies and series to his name. And though superheroes and science fiction are what he has come to be known for, his work is quite diverse, and was particularly so at the beginning. The first movie he worked on was Rocky IV<\/em>, followed by The Princess Bride<\/em>, and Labyrinth<\/em>. Then came the franchises including the Mission: Impossibles<\/em>, and the Ocean\u2019s<\/em>. \u201cI was only 17 years old when the original Star Wars<\/em> trilogy came out\u201d he tells me, with a longing in his voice. \u201cIt was [when I translated the Star Wars<\/em> prequels] that I gained the trust of Lucasfilm. After that, everything Star Wars has passed through my hands: The Mandalorian<\/em>, the Clone Wars<\/em> movies (he also supervised the Clone Wars<\/em> series), and Episodes 7, 8, and 9<\/em>.\u201d And just when he began to consider himself Star Wars\u2019 go-to in Spain, he was offered the opportunity to translate for what he aptly called their \u201cenemy\u201d: Star Trek. If he was ever torn, he didn\u2019t let on, \u201cThe fans of one don\u2019t get along with the fans of the other, but I\u2019ve done both and I get along with everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

His allegiances are laid bare, however, when he tells me about translating for Marvel, \u201cI am a lifelong fan of Marvel, right from the beginning. I prefer them to DC Comics.\u201d Quico\u2019s first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film was Iron Man 2<\/em> and since then he has translated 18 of the 23 releases.<\/p>\n

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quico told me, \u201cwhen you\u2019re working on a film with fans\u2015the sort that has millions of articles published before you even get started, like was the case for The Mandalorian<\/em>, it\u2019s a challenge.\u201d Marvel is no different. \u201cMarvel has lots of fans that not only love Marvel but know absolutely everything about both Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.\u201d And everything about Marvel is a lot. At first, the movies referenced the comic books. Now 23 MCU films in, they reference previous films, crossover films, and tv series as well.<\/p>\n

Such a vast universe and knowledgeable audience could be intimidating, but Quico is more than up for it. \u201cIt\u2019s a challenge, but it\u2019s an appealing challenge.\u201d It\u2019s clear that to Quico, the challenge is the best part of the job, \u201cIt\u2019s like a puzzle. I become obsessed. The greater the challenge, the more work it takes, the more I like it. Give me something harder. Get my brain working.\u201d And when you hear Quico talk about the fans, you know he\u2019s rising to the challenge for them. They inspire his work. \u201cWhen you translate, you have to have the fans in mind at all times. Always. You can never forget about the fans. Keeping them top of mind makes you more careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quico\u2019s Superpower: Intertextuality<\/strong><\/p>\n

And fans notice. \u201cYou found the line from Iron Man 2<\/em> and put it in Avengers: Endgame!<\/em>\u201d he recounts, filled with pride. With 15 years between these two movies, it\u2019s no easy feat. But it\u2019s in these connections where Quico thrives. He\u2019s even drawn the interest of academic research. When I spoke to Yeray Garc\u00eda Celades, an audiovisual translator who took on the subject for his master\u2019s thesis, he told me his statistical analysis found that in Iron Man 2<\/em> (translated by Quico), 100 percent of the comic book references were found and translated, while the Spanish version of the original Iron Man<\/em> (before Quico started translating for MCU) missed 33% of them.<\/p>\n

While Quico insists that you don\u2019t need to be a fan to translate well, he acknowledges that it helps. His ability to detect references seems supernatural, \u201cI\u2019ll read a script and get a feeling, almost an intuition. It\u2019s as if the text were in bold. This line is from the comic! The intertexts start to find you even when you\u2019re not looking for them.\u201d Then, he knows exactly where to look for what he needs. He tells me that he recognizes a line from the comic book and finds how it was previously translated, \u201cso that the audience can connect the film with the comics they read when they were 15 years old.\u201d I can\u2019t help but think he sees his 15-year-old self in the audience. The way he giddily lists the resources he accesses, it\u2019s clear that documentation is not just a challenge but fun for him, an adult with access to the comic book library of his childhood dreams.<\/p>\n

For MCU, he draws from the Marvel Encyclopedia<\/em>, the Marvel Database<\/em>, the Enciclopedia del Universo Marvel<\/em>, and a website managed by the Spanish publisher of the comics.<\/p>\n

He also knows that for sagas, his documentation serves not only him but will help those that come after him. He has contributed to an internal Star Wars glossary that now contains over 5000 terms. He also consults with experts at both Disney and MCU.<\/p>\n

To Infinity and Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Quico made a name for himself on the big screen, his greatest joy is when he transcends it. The lines he writes sometimes become sound clips for children\u2019s toys, as was the case with the Toy Story<\/em> films. He loves it when audiences take a line he has written and make it a part of their everyday life. To him, they are, \u201cpracticing intertextuality without even realizing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told me about a time he was in a nightclub and the last song of the night came on. Thanks to his translation, \u201cI Like to Move it Move it\u201d from Madagascar<\/em> is just as catchy in Spanish as it is in English. That night, everyone in the club happily moved it moved it into the night, never having realized how much influence he had on them, and of course, they on him.<\/p>\n

\n
Luc\u00eda Hern\u00e1ndez is a freelance audiovisual and marketing translator based in Toronto, Canada. She has worked with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Vice Media, and Fairtrade Canada on documentaries and corporate video as well as interpreted at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hotdocs International Documentary Film Festival, and Caminos Theatre Festival. She has completed M.A.s in Translation Studies (Glendon College) and Spanish Literature (Queen\u2019s University) and is certified for Spanish to English translation by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario.<\/h5>\n
Quico Rovira-Beleta has been an audiovisual translator and adapter since 1985. He taught for the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)\u2019s Master on Audiovisual Translation from 2003 to 2016. He was a founding member of the Spanish Association of Audiovisual Translators and Adapters (ATRAE). He has translated or adapted over 1500 titles and is the official translator of Star Trek, Star Wars and Marvel. He is the winner of 2 ATRAE Awards (in 2013 and 2015), the 2019 IRENE Dubbing Award and the 2020 X\u00e8nia Martinez Award of Honor.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Luc\u00eda Hern\u00e1ndez When I meet Quico Rovira-Beleta for a chat in December, he begins by telling me that like many audiovisual translators of his generation, he didn\u2019t go to school for audiovisual translation. \u201cAt the time, audiovisual translation programs didn\u2019t exist,\u201d he recounts. \u201cI studied biology. Arachnology, actually. The study of spiders. Can you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[283,12],"tags":[354,352,42,252,347,349,353,348,144,351,350],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1384,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions\/1384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/AVD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}