Modern Standard Arabic as a Means of Euphemism: A Case Study of the MSA Intralingual Subtitling of Jinn Series

Abstract

ABSTRACT Subtitling is the most common way of translating audiovisual material interlingually or intralingually. This study examines the use of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) as a means of euphemism in the intralingual subtitles of Netflix’s Arabic series, Jinn which sparked uproar due to the immoral scenes and inappropriate language. Subsequent to watching the series and examining the source script in the Jordanian vernacular along with the MSA subtitles, the researchers categorized them into five categories based on the themes they cover. The findings showed that the MSA intralingual subtitles contributed to toning down the inappropriate language and rendered the show more acceptable to the audience. The study recommends other researchers to conduct more studies on the use of MSA versus colloquial Arabic as a translation strategy.