Audiovisual translation, gender, and multilingualism: Godless or the return to a stereotyped feminist Western

• Published in: Cadernos de tradução Vol. 44; no. 1
• Main Authors: Gómez Castro, Cristina, Lobejón Santos, Sergio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Audiovisual translation; Gender; Godless; Multilingualism; Western
• ISSN: 1414-526X; 2175-7968
• DOI: 10.5007/2175-7968.2024.e95236

The global phenomenon of multilingualism is increasingly common in film productions and television series, which often feature characters from different geographical and linguistic contexts. Until recently, women in such series were relegated to the background and their characters defined according to stereotyped gender roles. However, with gender roles beginning to shift at the turn of the millennium, it is worth studying if this change has steered the entertainment industry in a new direction. In this paper, we analyze the mini-series Godless (Frank, 2017), which at the time of release was advertised as a seven-episode feminist Western set in La Belle, New Mexico, a town populated mostly by widows after the collapse of the mine where the local men used to work. The premise of the series, which at first glance seemed to represent a clear departure from the stereotypes of the traditional American Western, is nonetheless not completely fulfilled. Although the female characters are featured prominently and show a clear development, they do not always break away from stereotypes, as the audience might expect. In this article we will analyze some of these female characters in order to determine whether they in fact portray a new style of woman or if, conversely, they perpetuate old clichés while disguising them as modernity. Moreover, questions pertaining to the depiction of multilingualism in the series are explored. Given that the linguistic hegemony of English in the series is challenged through the presence of two authentic third languages, namely Paiute and German, it is worth examining how this multilingual identity has been transferred in the Spanish version in order to confirm if it is maintained or lost and whether, overall, it perpetuates identity stereotypes.