The Role of Intersemiotic Elements in Song Translation: A Case Study of Coin-Operated Boy, Performed by The Dresden Dolls*

This paper analyses the role of intersemiotic elements in song translation, using the Polish translation of Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls as an example. The purpose is to present the process of reconstructing the meaning of a song using the non-verbal semiotic codes of the music, the performative layer, the visual aspects and the cultural context. Such multimodal carriers of meaning seem of particular importance in alternative music. This is certainly true in the case of punk cabaret, a genre that utilises the idiosyncratic aesthetics of the neo-Victorian style, circus, burlesque, and cabaret, where the performative level seems no less important than the lyrics and the music. The textual layer of the song under discussion finds its counterpart in the music and the official video clip. The paper presents how these elements direct the translator towards the chosen linguistic solutions.