Blurring the Line between Professional and Amateur Subtitling

The Case of Thai TV Series, English Subtitles and Spanish Fansubs

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/MOaP.28.2022.55.06

Keywords:

Fansubbing, Thai-Spanish, amateur translation, audiovisual translation, indirect translation

Abstract

Fansubbing has generally been characterised by particular features that deviate from professional subtitling conventions; however, recent research begins to show the complexity of the phenomenon and hints at how the line between the professional and the amateur practices is blurring [Dore and Petrucci 2021; Massidda 2015]. The case of Diary of Tootsies, a Thai comedy series and its translations is another representative example of the interconnection of professional and amateur AVT and the need to question the dichotomy between the two practices. This paper revisits professional subtitling conventions and the unconventional features typically associated with fansubs, and then maps them onto the subtitles in the indirect translation chain: the official English subtitles, used as a pivot, and the fansubs created by Spanish-speaking fans. The findings reveal several textual features that are usually attributed to fansubs can also be detected in official subtitles, for instance, unconventional uses of orthotypography, informal abbreviations, and additional explanations. Textual evidence indicates further blurring as these distinctive traits are not always adopted in the corresponding Spanish fansubs. In some cases, fansubbers opt for translation decisions more typical of what might be expected in professional subtitling.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Antonini, R., Bucaria, C. (2016), “NPIT in the Media: An Overview of the Field and Main Issues”, [in:] Rachele Antonini, Chiara Bucaria, eds. Non-professional Interpreting and Translation in the Media, Peter Lang, Frankfurt a.M., https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04731-8/9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04731-8

Bogucki, Ł. (2009), “Amateur Subtitling on the Internet”, [in:] Jorge Díaz-Cintas, Gunilla Anderman, eds. Audiovisual Translation: Language Transfer on Screen, Palgrave Macmillan UK, London, https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230234581_4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230234581_4

Casarini, A. (2014), “Viewership 2.0: New Forms of Television Consumption and Their Impact on Audiovisual Translation”, InTRAlinea. Special Issue: Across Screens Across Boundaries, [online] http://www.intralinea.org/specials/article/viewership_2.0.

Denison, R. (2011), “Anime Fandom and the Liminal Spaces between Fan Creativity and Piracy”, International Journal of Cultural Studies. 14(5): 449-466, https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1367877910394565. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877910394565

Díaz-Cintas, J. (2018), “‘Subtitling’s a Carnival’: New Practices in Cyberspace”, The Journal of Specialised Translation. 30: 127-149.

Díaz-Cintas, J., Muñoz-Sánchez, P. (2006), “Fansubs: Audiovisual Translation in an Amateur Environment”, The Journal of Specialised Translation. 6(6): 37-52.

Díaz-Cintas, J., Remael, A. (2020), “Subtitling: Concepts and Practices”, [in:] K. Washbourne, ed. Subtitling: Concepts and Practices, Routledge, New York. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315674278

Dore, M., Petrucci, A. (2021), “Professional and Amateur AVT: The Italian Dubbing, Subtitling and Fansubbing of The Handmaid’s Tale”, Perspectives, https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1960870. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1960870

Dwyer, T. (2012), “Fansub Dreaming on ViKi: «Don’t Just Watch but Help When You Are Free»”, The Translator. 18(2): 217-243, https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2012.10799509. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2012.10799509

Dwyer, T. (2017), Speaking in Subtitles: Revaluing Screen Translation, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474410946.001.0001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474410946.001.0001

Ferrer Simó, M.R. (2005), “Fansubs y scanlations: La influencia del aficionado en los criterios profesionales”, Puentes. 6: 27-44.

Jirattikorn [จิรัฐติกร], A. [อัมพร]. (2016), ละครไทยกับผู้ชมอาเซียน: วัฒนธรรมศึกษาของสื่อ ข้ามพรมแดน ในอาเซียน [Thai Soap Operas: The Cultural Studies of Cross-border Media in ASEAN], Centre for ASEAN Studies at Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai.

Jirattikorn, A. (2021), “Between Ironic Pleasure and Exotic Nostalgia: Audience Reception of Thai Television Dramas among Youth in China”, Asian Journal of Communication. 31(2): 124-143, https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2021.1892786. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2021.1892786

Kerdkidsadanon, N. (2015), La traducción para el subtitulado al tailandés del cine de Pedro Almodóvar, [online] https://gredos.usal.es/jspui/handle/10366/127422.

Massidda, S. (2015), Audiovisual Translation in the Digital Age: The Italian Fansubbing Phenomenon, Palgrave Pivot, London, https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137470379. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137470379

Massidda, S., Casarini, A. (2017), “Sub Me Do: The Development of Fansubbing in Traditional Dubbing Countries – the Case of Italy”, [in:] David Orrego-Carmona, Yvonne Lee, eds. Non-Professional Subtitling, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Orrego-Carmona, D. (2016), “Internal Structures and Workflows in Collaborative Subtitling”, [in:] Rachele Antonini, Chiara Bucaria, eds. Non-professional Interpreting and Translation in the Media, Peter Lang, Frankfurt a.M., https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04731-8/9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04731-8/9

Pedersen, J. (2011), Subtitling Norms for Television: An Exploration Focussing on Extralinguistic Cultural References, John Benjamins, Amsterdam, https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.98. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.98

Pedersen, J. (2019), “Fansubbing in Subtitling Land: An Investigation into the Nature of Fansubs in Sweden”, Target. 31(1): 50-76, https://doi.org/10.1075/target.18017.ped. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/target.18017.ped

Pérez-González, L. (2007), “Intervention in New Amateur Subtitling Cultures: A Multimodal Account”, Linguistica Antverpiensia. 6: 67-80, https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v6i.180. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52034/lanstts.v6i.180

Pérez-González, L. (2014), Audiovisual Translation: Theories, Methods and Issues, Routledge, New York.

Pérez-González, L., Susam-Saraeva, Ş. (2012), “Non-professionals Translating and Interpreting: Participatory and Engaged Perspectives”, The Translator. 18(2): 149-165, https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2012.10799506. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2012.10799506

Downloads

Published

2022-03-30

How to Cite

Blurring the Line between Professional and Amateur Subtitling: The Case of Thai TV Series, English Subtitles and Spanish Fansubs. (2022). Między Oryginałem a Przekładem, 28(1/55), 119-141. https://doi.org/10.12797/MOaP.28.2022.55.06

Similar Articles

21-30 of 308

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.