Title: The Office (US)
Director: Ken Kwapis, Ken Whittingham, Bryan Gordon, Greg Daniels, Amy Heckerling, Paul Feig, Charles McDougall, Dennie Gordon, Victor Nelli, Jr., Roger Nygard, Randall Einhorn, Miguel Arteta, Tucker Gates, Jeffrey Blitz, Harold Ramis, Julian Farino, Joss Whedon, J. J. Abrams, Craig Zisk, Paul Lieberstein, Jason Reitman, Jennifer Celotta, David Rogers, Stephen Merchant, Dean Holland, Asaad Kelada, Gene Stupnitsky, Steve Carell, Brent Forrester, Reggie Hudlin, Seth Gordon, B. J. Novak, John Krasinski, Marc Webbs, Matt Sohn, Mindy Kaling, Rainn Wilson, John Stuart Scott, Alex Hardcastle, Danny Leiner, Micheal Spiller, Troy Miller, Charlie Grandy, Ed Helms, Eric Appel, Brian Baumgartner, Claire Scanlon, Daniel Chun, Bryan Cranston, Rodman Flender, Kelly Cantley, Lee Kirk, Jon Favreau, Jesse Peretz
Screenwriter: Greg Daniels
List of showrunners throughout the series' run:
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Season 1–4: Greg Daniels
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Season 5–6: Paul Lieberstein & Jennifer Celotta
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Season 7–8: Paul Lieberstein
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Season 9: Greg Daniels
Subject: Based on the UK tv series The Office by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
Year: 2005-2013
No. Of seasons: 9
No. of Episodes: 201
Genre: Mockumentary, Sitcom
Original release: NBC, March 24, 2005-May 16 2013
Cast: Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B. J. Novak, Melora Hardin, David Denman, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Ed Helms, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Creed Bratton, Craig Robinson
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Instance 1: Ricky Gervais, Steve Carell
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Instance 2: Ricky Gervais, Paul Lieberstein, Zach Woods, John Krasinski
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Instance 3: Catherine Tate, John Krasinski, Paul Lieberstein, Zach Woods
Duration per episode: 22’-42’
Production country: USA
Production company(s): Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille Productions (2005–12), Shine America (2012–13), NBC Universal Television Studio (2005–07), Universal Media Studios (2007–11), Universal Television (2011–13)
Plot: The Office is a mockumentary on the everyday lives of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company’s office workers in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Main source language: English
Target Dubbed language: Italian (seasons 1-4)
Target title: The Office
Dubbing company: E.T.S. European Television Service (seasons 1-4)
Dubbing director: Pieraldo Ferrante (seasons 1-4), Giorgio Locuratolo (seasons 5-9)
Dubbing actors: Giorgio Locuratolo, Emanuela D'amico, Paolo Vivio, Stefano Crescentini, Luca Ferrante, Clorinda Venturiello (S.1-3), Francesca Manicone (S.4-9), Edoardo Nordio, Guido Sagliocca, Wladimiro Grana (S.1-4), Elio Zamuto (S.5-9), Renata Biserni, Enzo Avolio, Silvio Anselmo, Lidia Perrone, Giuliano Bonetto, Cristina Dian, Mario Bombardieri
Language varieties in ST: (1) Estuary English (Ricky Gervais/David Brent); American English
(2) Estuary English (Ricky Gervais/David Brent)
(3)American English; RP (Catherine Tate/Nellie Bertram), “Nellie Bertram is portrayed as a crass and outspoken woman of English nationality. She has an anti-Irish sentiment. She was born in a "working-class town"* in Basildon, and, until the age of 32, spoke in a "horrendous" Essex accent.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bertram; (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkTBw7mxdQ Nellie’s Essex accent);
”There are even a small number of people-probably between 3 and 5 per cent of the population of England- who have a totally regionless accent. These are usually people who have been to one of the big Public Schools, or who want to sound as if they have.” Peter Trudgill, The dialects of England (second edition, 1999) p.2
Function of language varieties in ST: Time and Place, British vs American, Humor
Dubbed language rendition: Standard Italian
Instance description: Instance 1(Season 7 ep.14 “The Seminar”): Michael meets a funny English gentleman(David Brent);
Instance 2 and 3(Season 7 ep.26 “Search Committee, part one”, Season 7 ep.27 “Search Committee, part two”):
The Scranton branch is looking for a new boss, Jim is in charge of doing interviews for the job;
Instance start time: (1) 00’
(2) 20’14’’
(3) 1’09’’
Instance duration: (1) 1’6’’
(2) 33’’
(3) 1’36’’
Instance web link:
ST Instance 1 transcription:
DAVID: Oh, sorry, mate.
MICHAEL: [BAD ENGLISH ACCENT] Oh, sorry, mate. Excuse me.
DAVID: What you doin’?
MICHAEL: English?
DAVID: I’m sorry, you picked on the wrong person, I can tell you that.
MICHAEL: I’m not picking on you at all. You’re English, correct?
DAVID: Yeah, big time, yeah.
MICHAEL: I’m working on an English character. Would you mind give…it’s called Reginald Pooftah.
DAVID: Ooh! David Brent, my liege. How are you?
MICHAEL: Michael Scott.
DAVID: Oh, there you go. I do characters as well. I got a Chinese fella. No politically correct. He’s called Ho Ly [bleep]. That’s what it sounds like.
[laughing]
MICHAEL: I do ping.
DAVID: Herrow*! Herrow!
MICHAEL: Herrow. I ping.
DAVID: You can’t do that these days. You can’t.
MICHAEL: No, no, no and people don’t understand that it has nothing to do with making fun of a different nationality.
DAVID: No, no, no. Comedy is a place where the mind goes to tickle itself. That’s what she said.
[laughing]
[hug]
DAVID: Ohh!
MICHAEL: That’s good. Pleasure to meet you.
DAVID: Where are you working?
MICHAEL: Dunder Mifflin.
DAVID: Any jobs now?
MICHAEL: No, not right now.
DAVID: Just let me know.
MICHAEL: All right see you around. Bye bye…what a nice guy.
*(Hello in a baby-chineese voice
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=herrow)
TT Instance 1 Transcription:
DAVID BRENT (urtando Michael): Oh, scusi.
MICHAEL SCOTT: Oh, scusi buonuomo. (In un finto accento inglese) Mi perdoni.
DAVID BRENT (ridendo): Cosa? Che ha detto?
MICHAEL SCOTT: È British.
DAVID BRENT: Sta prendendo in giro la persona sbagliata.
Micheal Scott (con finto accento inglese): No, non la prendo affatto in giro, lei è inglese. Giusto?
DAVID BRENT: Si può scommetterci.
MICHAEL SCOTT (con finto accento inglese): Sto studiando un personaggio inglese. Le dispiace…lui si chiama Reginal Pooftah.
DAVID BRENT: Ooh! David Brent, mio signore. Al suo servizio.
MICHAEL SCOTT: Michael Scott.
DAVID BRENT: Oh, che strano. Anche a me piace recitare. Ho…inventato un cinese, il nome è un po’ volgare, si chiama Ca- (beep). Si pronuncia così.
MICHAEL SCOTT (ridendo, in un finto accento cinese): Ooh, Ca! Come stai?
DAVID BRENT: Ca, Ca, Ca!
MICHAEL SCOTT (in un finto accento cinese): Piacele!
DAVID BRENT: Ormai si offendono tutti.
MICHAEL SCOTT: No, no, no. La gente non riesce a capire che lo scopo non è affatto prendere in giro un’altra…un’altra nazionalità.
DAVID BRENT: No, no, no. La comicità è quello spazio in cui la mente a volte riesce a raggiungere l’estasi. È quello che dicono tutte! (ridendo)
MICHAEL SCOTT (abbraccia David): Ookay. È stato un vero piacere.
DAVID BRENT: Lei dove lavora?
MICHAEL SCOTT: Dunder Mifflin.
DAVID BRENT: Assumete qualcuno?
MICHAEL SCOTT: No, non per adesso.
DAVID BRENT: Mi faccia sapere.
MICHAEL SCOTT: D’accordo, arrivederci. A presto. (David Brent se ne va, Michael parla tra sé e sé) Aah, che gentile.
ST Instance 2 transcription:
DAVID: Name, David Brent. Occupation, inspirer. Status, none of your businesses. Young, free and single, though. Thanks for asking. Hear you’re looking for a new boss, yeah? Someone to tell a bunch of discontented, under-encouraged drones what to do everyday. Is that it? Oh, oh, out-of-touch powers that be. Want me to fire them? They don’t see things your way? Then I am that dude. Bye-bye, babe, bye-bye get some other corporate suit to lay down the law. What? You’ve changed your mind? You’re now looking for a leader men? Ipso facto…women too. When do I start? Huh?
TT Instance 2 transcription:
DAVID: Nome: David Brent. Occupazione: ispiratore. Stato civile: non sono fatti vostri. Comunque, giovane, libero e single. Grazie per la domanda. Ehi, cercate un nuovo capo, giusto? Qualcuno che dica ogni giorno cosa fare a una manica di automi scontenti e scoraggiati, e' cosi'? Oh, i nostri capi sono fuori dal mondo! Volete che li licenzi? Diversita' di vedute? Allora sono il vostro uomo. Ciao ciao, piccola, ciao ciao, trovati un'altra azienda su cui pontificare. Come? Avete cambiato idea? Cercate invece un trascinatore di uomini? E di conseguenza... anche di donne? Quando posso iniziare?
ST Instance 3 transcription:
NELLIE: First I’ll take down the cubicle walls.
TOBY: But there aren’t.
NELLIE: Symbol of transparency. There’d be no titles. Everyone has the same job. I’d take your job, but I’d reject the title.
GABE: A little unspecific.
NELLIE: Everyone would be known for their accomplishment.
JIM: I fell like there might be a conflict there and if a conflict did arise how would that be dealt with?
NELLIE: Oh! Yeah. Mmm. Scratch everything from before, I tell you what I’d do. Go the other way. More cubicles. More division. Everyone is somebody’s boss and that person can fire the person below them.
[overlapping comments]
NELLIE: And once a month the lowest-performing person…bye bye.
GABE: How would you compare like an accountant and HR?
NELLIE: Well, I’ll tell you how, shall I? I’ll tell you how.
GABE: Okay.
NELLIE: By splitting the difference.
JIM: I think that’s probably all…we need to hear from…
NELLIE: Zen office hmm? Thought of that? Everyone takes their shoes off before they come in, okay? There’d be no desks. You just sit on the floor.
JIM: That’s very…
NELLIE: You’ve got a Thai woman, out in the back…Sockee…
GABE: Okay.
NELLIE: Sockee.
GABE: That’s not…
NELLIE: Sockee is her name, okay? She’s administering massage, all right, if you need it. If you don’t whatever. Just talk to her. She’s a person. Either way, fifty minutes of that, and you…you are cracking to go.
[silence]
TT Instance 3 transcription:
NELLIE: prima di tutto, rimuovero' le pareti dei cubicoli.
TOBY: Ma non ci sono...
NELLIE: Un segnale di trasparenza. Non ci sarebbero titoli. Ognuno continua a fare il suo lavoro. Me inclusa. Accetterei il lavoro, ma rifiuterei il titolo.
GABE: Un po' vago.
NELLIE: Ognuno sarebbe conosciuto per i suoi... meriti.
(Molto interessante.)
JIM: Credo che la cosa potrebbe suscitare dei conflitti, e se nascesse un conflitto, come sarebbe gestito?
NELLIE: Oh! Certo. Dimenticate cio' che ho detto. Vi diro' quello che farei. Farei il contrario. Piu' cubicoli. Piu' divisione. Ognuno e' il capo di qualcuno e ognuno puo' licenziare il
proprio diretto sottoposto.
[commenti in sovrapposizione]
E una volta al mese la persona con i risultati peggiori... addio.
GABE: E come paragonerebbe un contabile e un addetto alle risorse umane?
NELLIE: Beh, vi diro' come, d'accordo? Vi diro' come.
GABE: Ok.
NELLIE: Giungendo a un compromesso. A meta', da qualche parte.
JIM: Si', penso che sia tutto... Dovremo sentire...
NELLIE: Ufficio zen! Ci avete pensato? E' quello che farei. Tutti si toglierebbero le scarpe prima di entrare. Ok? Non ci sarebbero scrivanie. Ci si siederebbe per terra.
JIM: E' molto...
NELLIE: Ci sarebbe una donna tailandese nel retro, Sockee.
GABE: Ok.
NELLIE: Sockee.
GABE: Non e'...
NELLIE: Sockee e' il suo nome, ok? Farebbe i massaggi. Ok? Se ne aveste bisogno, se no, pazienza, almeno parlatele. E' una persona. In un modo o nell'altro, 15 minuti con lei, e... sareste belli carichi!
[silenzio]