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Article published In: Babel
Vol. 63:2 (2017) ► pp.153–173

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Those who help us understand our favourite global TV series in a local language

Qualitative meta-analysis of research on local fansub groups

 | University of Information Technology and Management, Rzeszow
 | University of Information Technology and Management, Rzeszow
Published online: 31 August 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.63.2.01luc
Abstract
The main aim of this article is to critically analyse and systematise the debate concerning non-professional subtitling of TV series and movies in some non-English-speaking countries. Most of the studies on fansubbing deal with a specific problem, and they are based on various theoretical frameworks. This paper attempts to merge them into one coherent framework that can serve as a basis for subsequent research. The article addresses the issue of non-professional translation as a solution to the lack of official translations, but also as an alternative strategy for translating the texts of popular culture.
The paper is divided into four parts. The first defines the phenomenon of fansubbing. The second shows how professional and non-professional translations differ. The following two parts, based on different national case studies, answer the questions: who are fansubbers, and what are their motivations?
Résumé
Le principal objectif de cet article est d'analyser et systématiser de manière critique le débat concernant le doublage non professionnel de séries télévisées et de films dans certains pays non anglophones. La plupart des études sur le fansubbing traitent d'un problème particulier et sont basées sur différents cadres théoriques. Cet article tente de les fondre en un seul cadre cohérent pouvant servir de base à une recherche ultérieure. L’analyse de la littérature est soutenue par les résultats d'une enquête menée en Pologne et faisant partie d'un projet européen plus large. L'article traite du problème de la traduction non professionnelle comme solution à l'absence de traduction officielle, mais aussi comme stratégie alternative pour la traduction de textes de la culture populaire.
L'article est divisé en quatre parties. La première définit le phénomène du fansubbing. La seconde montre en quoi la traduction professionnelle diffère de la traduction non professionnelle. Dans les deux parties suivantes, basées sur différentes études de cas nationales, nous répondons aux questions suivantes : qui sont les fansubbers et quelles sont leurs motivations ?
Article outline
  • 1.What is “fansubbing”?
  • 2.Professional and non-professional translation
  • 3.Recent studies on fansubbing
  • 4.Who are the fansubbers?
  • 5.What are fansubbers’ motivations?
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (60)
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2021. Love My House, Love My BirdAn Intercultural Communication Perspective on Chinese Fansub Practices. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research 50:5 ► pp. 481 ff. DOI logo
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2020. Fansubbing: Latest Trends and Future Prospects. In The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility [Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting, ], ► pp. 189 ff. DOI logo
Wu, Zhiwei
2020. The discursive construction of the moral and legal statuses of fansubbers in the Chinese press 2006–2018. Discourse, Context & Media 35 ► pp. 100399 ff. DOI logo

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