A Survey on Viewing Preferences and Habits of Iranian Audience of Audiovisual Translation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of English, Faculty of Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Azadi Square, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

The remarkable popularity and success of foreign feature films and television series as a source of entertainment cannot be disputed. The emergence of amateur subtitling communities has led to dramatic changes in individuals’ viewing habits and styles as fansubbers offer an ideal opportunity for people to access international audiovisual materials, especially in dubbing countries like Iran. However, empirical research on audience viewing preferences and habits in terms of audiovisual translation is scarce. To bridge the gap, over 1200 Iranian viewers filled in an online questionnaire. The results suggest the emergence of new habits and preferences as proportionately more Iranians nowadays access international films and TV series with Persian subtitles, at least among young adults. Also, a small number of the respondents prefer to watch foreign films and programs dubbed. Additionally, there was a weak interplay between viewers’ English proficiency and their tendency towards watching dubbed or subtitled programs, and national TV channels do not appear to be the primary entertainment source when it comes to international cinematic products. Understanding viewers’ preferences and viewing styles forges possible future paths for the translation industry to cater for the needs of individuals with different viewing styles and needs.

Keywords

References

Ameri, S., & Ghodrati, M. (2019). درس کالس از خارج انگلیسی زبان یادگیری در خارجی سینمایی محصوالت جایگاه [Watching foreign audiovisual programs and out-of-class language learning]. Journal of Language and Translation Studies, 52(2), 127- 156.
Ameri, S., & Khoshsaligheh, M. (2018). Exploring the attitudes and expectations of Iranian audiences in terms of professional dubbing into Persian. Hermes, 57, 175-193. https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.v0i57.106206
Ameri, S., & Khoshsaligheh, M. (2019). Iranian amateur subtitling apparatus: A qualitative investigation. Mutatis Mutandis: Revista Latinoamericana de Traducción, 12(2), 431-451. https://doi.org/10.27533/udea.mut.v12n2a08
Ameri, S., & Khoshsaligheh, M. (2020). Dubbing viewers in cyberspaces: A netnographic investigation of the attitudes of a Persian-language online community. KOME, 8(1), 23-43. https://doi.org/10.17646/KOME.75672.45
Antonini, R., & Chiaro, D. (2009). The perception of dubbing by Italian audiences. In J. Díaz-Cintas & G. Anderman (Eds.), Audiovisual translation: Language transfer on screen (pp. 97-104). Basingstoke, England: Palgrave MacMillan.
Beasley, T. M., & Schumacker, R. E. (1995). Multiple regression approach to analyzing cntingency tables: Post hoc and planned comparison procedures. The Journal of Experimental Education, 64(1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1995.9943797
Bogucki, Ł., & Díaz Cintas, J. (2020). An excursus on audiovisual translation. In Ł. Bogucki & M. Deckert (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of audiovisual translation and media accessibility (pp. 11-32). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Casarini, A. (2012). XOXO: Gossip Girl and dubbing in the age of ‘Net lingo. In S. Bruti & E. Di Giovanni (Eds.), Audiovisual translation across Europe: An ever-changing landscape (pp. 59-78). Oxford, England: Peter Lang.
Chaume, F. (2012). Audiovisual translation: Dubbing. Manchester, England: St. Jerome.
Chaume, F. (2013). The turn of audiovisual translation: New audiences and new technologies. Translation Spaces, 2(1), 105-123. https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.2.06cha
Chaume, F. (2016). Audiovisual translation trends: Growing diversity, Choice, and enhanced localization. In A. Esser, M. Á. Bernal-Merino, & I. R. Smith (Eds.), Media across borders: Localizing tv, film, and video games (pp. 68-84). London, England: Routledge.
Chaume, F. (2018). An overview of audiovisual translation: Four methodological turns in a mature discipline. Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 1(1), 40-63.
Chaume, F. (2019). Audiovisual translation in the age of digital transformation: Industrial and social implications. In I. Ranzato & S. Zanotti (Eds.), Reassessing dubbing: Historical approaches and current trends (pp. 104–124). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.
Chaume, F. (2020). Localizing media contents. Technological shifts, global and social differences and activism in audiovisual translation. In S. Shimpach (Ed.), The Routledge companion to global television (pp. 320-331). New York, NY Routledge.
Chiaro, D. (2013). Audiovisual translation. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 1-8). Oxford, England: Wiley-Blackwell.
Chiaro, D. (2019). To Europe with love: Woody Allen’s liquid society. In I. Ranzato & S. Zanotti (Eds.), Reassessing dubbing: Historical approaches and current trends (pp. 169-190). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). London, England: Routledge.
Danan, M. (1991). Dubbing as an expression of nationalism. Meta, 36(4), 606-614. https://doi.org/10.7202/002446ar
Díaz Cintas, J. (2020). Audiovisual translation In E. Angelone, M. Ehrensberger-Dow, & G. Massey (Eds.), The Bloomsbury companion to language industry studies (pp. 209-230). London, England: Bloomsbury.
Díaz Cintas, J., & Nikolić, K. (2018). Introduction: Fast-Forwarding with Audiovisual Translation. In K. Nikolić & J. Díaz Cintas (Eds.), Fast-Forwarding with Audiovisual Translation (pp. 1-13). Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
Díaz Cintas, J., & Szarkowska, A. (2020). Experimental Research in Audiovisual Translation – Cognition, Reception, Production. JoSTrans, 33, 3-16.
Dwyer, T. (2017). Speaking in Subtitles: Revaluing Screen Translation. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Dwyer, T. (2019). Audiovisual translation and fandom. In L. Pérez-González (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation (pp. 436-452). London, England: Routledge.
Enríquez-Aranda, M., & García Luque, F. (2018). The reception of subtitled films from a sociological perspective: An empirical case study. 64(3), 464-489. https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00041.enr
EPI, E. (2020). The world's largest ranking of countries and regions by English skills: The case of Iran. Retrieved from https://www.ef.com/wwen/epi/regions/middle-east/iran:
Fricker Jr, R. D. (2017). Sampling Methods for Online Surveys. In N. G. Fielding, R. M. Lee, & G. Blank (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods (pp. 162-183). London, England: SAGE.
Gambier, Y. (2013). The Position of Audiovisual Translation Studies. In C. Millán & F. Bartrina (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of translation studies (pp. 45-59). Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Gambier, Y. (2018). Translation studies, audiovisual translation and reception. In E. Di Giovanni & Y. Gambier (Eds.), Reception studies and audiovisual translation (pp. 43-66). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.
He, Z. (2017). Chinese fansubbers’ pursuit of translation accuracy in the absence of state censorship. In D. Orrego-Carmona & Y. Lee (Eds.), Non-professional subtitling. Newcastle, London: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Incalcaterra McLoughlin, L. (2019). Audiovisual translation in language teaching and learning. In L. Pérez-González (Ed.), The routledge handbook of audiovisual translation (pp. 483-497). London, England: Routledge.
Kaushanskaya, M., Blumenfeld, H. K., & Marian, V. (2020). The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (LEAP- Q): Ten years later. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23(5), 945-950. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728919000038
Khoshsaligheh, M., Ameri, S., Shokoohmand, F., & Mehdizadkhani, M. (2020). Subtitling in the Iranian Mediascape: Towards a Culture-Specific Typology. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 8(2), 55-74.
Kizeweter, M. (2015). Voices about Polish voices in foreign films: Using an Internet forum as a source of information about the opinions of Polish viewers on dubbing as a mode of AVT. In Ł. Bogucki & M. Deckert (Eds.), Accessing audiovisual translation (pp. 163-178). Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang.
Kozinets, R. V. (2019). Netnography: The Essential Guide to Qualitative Social Media Research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Massidda, S., & Casarini, A. (2017). Sub me do: The development of fansubbing in traditional dubbing countries – the case of Italy. In D. Orrego-Carmona & Y. Lee (Eds.), Non-Professional Subtitling (pp. 63-86). Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Matamala, A., & Ortiz-Boix, C. (2018). Text-to-speech voice-over? A study on user preferences in the voicing of wildlife documentaries. SKASE Journal of Translation and Interpretation, 11(1), 24-38.
Matamala, A., Perego, E., & Bottiroli, S. (2017). Dubbing versus subtitling yet again? An empirical study on user comprehension and preferences in Spain. Babel, 63(3), 423–441. https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.63.3.07mat
MECD.  (2012). European Survey on Language Competences (ESLC): Expert Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.mecd.gob.es/dctm/inee/internacional/eeclvol2ingleslinea.pdf?documentId=0901e72b81443480:
Mellinger, C. D., & Hanson, T. A. (2017). Quantitative research methods in translation and interpreting studies. Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Mereu Keating, C. (2019). Locked into dubbing. In I. Ranzato & S. Zanotti (Eds.), Reassessing dubbing: Historical approaches and current trends (pp. 64-78). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.
Naficy, H. (2011). A social history of Iranian cinema: The artisanal era, 1897–1941 (Vol. 1). London, England: Duke University Press.
O’Connell, E. (2007). Screen translation. In P. Kuhiwczak & K. Littau (Eds.), A companion to translation studies (pp. 120- 133). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.
O’Sullivan, C., & Cornu, J.-F. (2019). History of audiovisual translation. In L. Pérez-González (Ed.), The routledge handbook of audiovisual translation (pp. 15-30). Abingdon: Routledge.
Orrego-Carmona, D. (2014). Subtitling, video consumption and viewers: The impact of the young audience. Translation Spaces, 3, 51-70. https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.3.03orr
Orrego-Carmona, D. (2016). A reception study on non-professional subtitling: Do audiences notice any difference? Across Languages and Cultures, 17(2), 163–181. https://doi.org/10.1556/084.2016.17.2.2
Orrego-Carmona, D. (2018). New audiences, international distribution, and translation. In E. D. Giovanni & Y. Gambier (Eds.), Reception studies and audiovisual translation (pp. 321-342). Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins.
Orrego-Carmona, D., & Lee, Y. (Eds.). (2017). Non-professional subtitling. Newcastle, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Pedersen, J. (2018). From old tricks to Netflix: How local are interlingual subtitling norms for streamed television? . Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 1(1), 81-100.
Perego, E. (2018). Watching translated audiovisuals: Does age really matter? In J. Díaz Cintas & K. Nikolić (Eds.), Fast- forwarding with audiovisual translation (pp. 80-92). Bristol, London: Multilingual Matters.
Perego, E., Laskowska, M., Matamala, A., Remael, A., Robert, I. S., Szarkowska, A., . . . Bottiroli, S. (2016). Is subtitling equally effective everywhere? A first cross-national study on the reception of interlingually subtitled messages. Across Languages and Cultures, 16(2), 205-229. https://doi.org/10.1556/084.2016.17.2.4
Perego, E., Missier, F. D., & Stragà, M. (2018). Dubbing vs. subtitling: Complexity matters. Target, 30(1), 137-157. https://doi.org/10.1075/target.16083.per
Pérez-González, L. (2009). Audiovisual translation. In M. Baker & G. Saldanha (Eds.), The routledge encyclopedia of translation studies (2nd ed., pp. 13-20). Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Pérez-González, L. (2014). Audiovisual translation: Theories, methods and issues. London, England: Routledge.
Pérez-González, L. (2019). Rewiring the circuitry of audiovisual translation: Introduction. In L. Pérez-González (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of audiovisual translation (pp. 1-12). London, England: Routledge.
Rupérez Micola, A., Aparicio Fenoll, A., Banal-Estañol, A., & Bris, A. (2019). TV or not TV? The impact of subtitling on English  skills.     Journal of            Economic             Behavior              &             Organization,    158,        487-499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2018.12.019
Szarkowska, A., & Laskowska, M. (2015). Poland – a voice-over country no more? A report on an online survey on subtitling preferences among Polish hearing and hearing-impaired viewers. In Ł. Bogucki & M. Deckert (Eds.), Accessing audiovisual translation (pp. 179-197). Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang.
Vehovar, V., & Manfreda, K. L. (2017). Overview: Online Surveys. In N. G. Fielding, R. M. Lee, & G. Blank (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods (pp. 143-161). London, England: SAGE.
Zeydabadi-Nejad, S. (2016). Watching the forbidden: Reception of banned films in Iran. In M. Hagener, V. Hediger, & A. Strohmaier (Eds.), The state of post-cinema: Tracing the moving image in the age of digital dissemination (pp. 99- 113). London, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 14 June 2022
  • Revise Date: 14 October 2022
  • Accept Date: 21 December 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics