‘Words which could only be your own’: the crossroad between lyrics translation, culture, Brazilian fans, and non-professional

Abstract

In Translation Studies a subject that has produced interesting debates is the translator‟s intervention on the transference of cultural aspects from the source
text to the target text. However, research on the translation of pop songs for understanding purposes has been neglected. The different media where translated
lyrics can be found in Brazil and their translators‟ varied profiles provide a yet unexplored field of study. This article aims to establish to which extend the available
sources of translated lyrics domesticates or foreignises the cultural aspects present
in Morrissey‟s lyrics. Although their practice are not based on academic techniques,
but in empirical knowledge, it is noticeable that the fans‟ collective work, despite
lacking theoretical validity, provides high quality final texts