Arab fansubbers’ intervention in movie scripts through adding humorous notes: Reactions and functions

Abstract

Translation notes, as employed in fansubbing, are remarks added to the subtitles without reference to the source text. The current study adopts quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the receptivity and classification of translation notes explicitly utilized in fan-subtitled English movies for Arab audiences. In the quantitative part, 90 participants were engaged to assess fan-subbed English films with embedded translation notes in Arabic and subsequently completed an eighteen-item questionnaire. The analysis revealed a favourable disposition towards translation notes, albeit with a caveat of requisite technical refinements in future products. Moreover, the findings indicated a predilection for incorporating such notes in specific film genres, such as comedy and romance, as opposed to horror or documentaries. In the qualitative part, the researchers conducted an exhaustive examination of 120 translation notes, subsequently categorizing them into ten thematic classifications. The investigation further showed that fansubbers might provide commentary on scenes laden with disbelief or blasphemy, distancing the viewers from the content while maintaining a comedic tone. Additionally, fansubbers may exercise discretion in abstaining from translating sequences deemed repetitive or ill-suited for the target audience. The results further posit that vernacular dialects demonstrate a heightened efficacy in conveying humour, as opposed to the utilization of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), given the former’s ubiquity in quotidian communication and the latter’s association with formal contexts. Finally, the study concludes that more streaming platforms are recommended to add a new feature where viewers can watch the AV material with translation notes.