Fansubbers’ Motivations and Reasons for Subtitling Korean Films and TV Series

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Elham Fazel Haghpanah
• Masood Khoshsaligheh

Department of English. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/lts.v51i3.78719

Abstract

The current qualitative research was an attempt to discover the reasons that led to the interest in watching Korean films and TV series among Iranian audiences as well as making fan-produced subtitles for these products. To this end, 26 select participants (20 women and 6 men) who have been active in translating and subtitling Korean films and TV series in Iran were qualitatively interviewed. Observational data also were collected by the researchers in the fansubbing Iranian atmosphere. As for the data analysis, grounded theory procedure was mainly used. Participants ranged from 14 to 45 years of age and have been working as a fansubber from one to ten years. The academic background of the majority of these fansubbers was in engineering or natural sciences. According to the results, these Iranian fansubbers are keen enthusiasts of Korean culture and cinematic fiction. They state that their interest in Korean audiovisual fiction is due to a wide range of shared cultural similarities between the two nations as opposed to the western culture. They also point to the non-physical sexuality of the Korean films and series that seem to have an appeal to the Iranian public audiences. The Iranian audiences are also interested in use of the best and the most advanced cinematography technologies as well as the eastern color and philosophy in the Korean television products. Iranian fansubbers proport to intended to help their Persian speaking friends and fellow-enthusiasts to access these foreign language films and TV series so as to enjoy watching such programs. In addition, they also feel motivated to support their favorite Korean film actors as well as their work.

Keywords

• Fansubbers
• Korean Film and TV Series
• Motivations
• Subtitling

20.1001.1.22285202.1397.51.3.3.3

References

خوش‌سلیقه، م و فاضلی‌حق‌پناه، ا. (1395). فرآیند و ویژگی‌های زیرنویس غیرحرفه‌ای در ایران. مجله: فصلنامه مطالعات زبان و ترجمه، 49(2)،29-1.

خوش‌سلیقه، م.، و عامری، س. (1396). عاملیت مترجم و ویژگی‌های ترجمة غیرحرفه‌ای بازی‌های ویدئویی (موردپژوهی آنچارتد ۴: فرجام یک دزد). جستارهای زبانی، ۸(۵)، ۱۸۱-۲۰۴.

ذکایی، م.، و عزیزی‌همدانی، م. (1395). موج کره‌ای در ایران: انگیزه‌ها و آثار اقبال به فرهنگ عامه‌پسند کره‌ای در ایران. مطالعات رسانه‌های نوین، ۱(3)، ۷۷-۱۲۴.

رجب‌زاده، ه. (1381). ژاپن در کوش‌نامه. کتاب ماه تاریخ و جغرافیا، 56و57(5)، 65-71.

صائبی، م.، و هاشمی.، م . (1390). سینمای جدید کره‌جنوبی: تأثیرات جهانی بر آن وتأثیرات آن بر سینمای جهان. نشریة هنرهای زیبا-هنرهای نمایشی و موسیقی، ۳(۲)، 65-70.

صفارمقدم، ا. (1388). مقایسة عناصر ادب در زبان‌های کره‌ای و فارسی. فصل‌نامة تحقیقات فرهنگی، 2(1)، 77-97.

علوی‌مقدم، م.، و کیخسروی، ح. (1395). تحلیل تطبیقی داستان ضحاک بر اساس روایت کوش‌نامه. مطالعات نظریه و انواع ادبی، 1(2)، 7-20.

مجیدی، ن.، و هوشمند، ز .(1389). بررسی دلایل پرمخاطب بودن سریال‌های کره‌ای در بین جوانان. پژوهش‌نامه فرهنگی، 11(11)، 167-195.

 

Ameri, S. (2017). Persian fan translation: The demotic turn. Paper presented at the 3rd Conference on Interdisciplinary Approaches to Language Teaching, Literature and Translation Studies, Mashhad, Iran.

Ameri, S., & Khoshsaligheh, M. (2018). Exploring the attitudes and expectations of Iranian audiences in terms of professional dubbing into Persian. Hermes, 57, 175-193.

Ameri, S., Khoshsaligheh, M., & Khazaee Farid, A. (2018). The reception of Persian dubbing: A survey on preferences and perception of quality standards in Iran. Perspectives, 26(3), 435-451.

Bold, B. (2011). The power of fan communities: An overview of fansubbing in Brazil. Tradução em Revista, 11(2), 1-19.

Diaz-Cintas, J., & Muñoz Sanchez, P. (2006). Fansubs: Audiovisual translation in an amateur environment. Jostrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation, 6, 37-52.

Dwyer, T. (2012). Fansub dreaming on ViKi. The Translator, 18(2), 217-243.

He, T. (2016). Copyright, fan generated contents, and open society in China: Towards an open innovation mechanism of copyrighted contents with fans (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Maastricht University, Netherlands. Retrieved from: http://www.mei.edu/content/1500-years-contact-between-korea-and-middle-east

Iglauer, Ph. (2013, February). Scholars reveal ancient Korean-Iranian diplomatic ties. Retrieved from http:// www. koreaherald.com/ view.php? ud=20130203000203

Jung, E. Y. (2009). Transnational Korea: A critical assessment of the Korean wave in Asia and the United States. Southeast Review of Asian Studies, 31, 69–80.

Khoshsaligheh, M., & Ameri, S. (2014). Translation of taboos in dubbed American crime movies into Persian. T&I Review, 4(2), 25-50.

Khoshsaligheh, M., & Ameri, S. (2016). Ideological considerations and practice in official dubbing in Iran. Altre Modernità, 15(Special Issue), 232-250.

Khoshsaligheh, M., Ameri, S., & Mehdizadkhani, M. (2018). A socio-cultural study of taboo rendition in Persian fansubbing: An issue of resistance. Language and Intercultural Communication, 18(6), 663-680.

Khoshsaligheh, M., Pishghadam, R., Rahmani, S., & Ameri, S. (2018). Relevance of emotioncy in dubbing preference: A quantitative inquiry. Translation and Interpreting, 10(1), 75-91.

Lee, H. S. (2014, June). 1,500 years of contact between Korea and the Middle East. Retrieved from https://www.mei.edu/publications/1500-years-contact-between-korea-and-middle-east

Lee, H-K. (2014). Transnational cultural fandom. In L. Duits, K. Zwaan, & S. Reijinders (Eds.), Ashgate research companion to fan cultures (pp. 207-220). London, England: Routledge.

Lee, S. (2011). The Korean wave: The Seoul of Asia. The Elone Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 2(1), 85-93.

Luczaj, K., & Holy-Luczaj, M. (2017). Those who help us understand our favourite global TV series in a local language: Qualitative meta-analysis of research on local fansub groups. Babel, 63(2), 153-173.

Luczaj, K., Holy-Luczaj, M., & Cwiek-Rogalska, K. (2014). Fansubbers. The case of the Czech Republic and Poland. Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology, 5(2), 175-198.

Massidda, S. (2015). Audiovisual translation in the digital age: The Italian fansubbing phenomenon. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Matkivska, N. (2014). Audiovisual translation: Conception, types, characters’ speech and translation strategies applied. The Scientific Journal Kalbu Studijos/ Studies about Languages, 25, 38-44.

Nord, C., Khoshsaligheh, M., & Ameri, S. (2015). Socio-cultural and technical issues in nonexpert dubbing: A case study. International Journal of Society, Culture & Language, 3(1), 1-16.

Orrego-Carmona, D. (2012, May). Internal structures and workflows in collaborative subtitling. Paper presented at The First International Conference on Non-Professional Interpreting and Translation, Forli, Italy.

Perez-Gonzalez, L. (2012). Amateur subtitling and the pragmatics of spectatorial subjectivity. Language and Intercultural Communication, 12(4), 335-352.

Qiu, P. (2010). Audience activity in the new media era: Chinese fansubs of U.S. TV shows (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Florida, Florida.

Rossum, V.J. (2015). Honorifics in Korean drama: A comparison of translation procedures between amateur and professional subtitlers (Unpublished master’s thesis), Leiden University, The Netherlands.

Sheikhi, M. (2016, May). Cultural ties put Iran, S Korea closer than ever for cooperation. Retrieved from https:// en.mehrnews.com /news/ 116330/ Cultural-ties-put-Iran-S-Korea-closer-than-ever-for-cooperation

Shim, D. (2006). Hybridity and the rise of Korean popular culture in Asia. Media, Culture & Society, 28(1), 25–44.

Trolan, J. (2017). A look into Korean popular culture and its tourism benefits. International Journal of Educational Policy Research and Review, 4(9), 203-209.

Truong, B. (2014). The Korean Wave: Cultural export and implications. Retrieved from https://middlegroundjournal.com

Vinczeova, B. (2016). Using fansubbing as an interdisciplinary tool for subtitle teaching in the Slovak context. European Journal of Social and Human Sciences, 10(2), 89-97.

Wongseree, T. (2016). Creativity in Thai fansubbing: A creative translation practice as perceived by fan audiences of the Korean Variety Show Running Man. In P. Henry-Tierney & D. Karunanayake (Eds.), CTIS occasional papers (pp. 60-86). Manchester, England: The Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies.

Zhang, X. (2013, August). Fansuubing in China. Multilingual Online Magazine (Jul/Aug Issue), 30-37. Retrieved from https://multilingual.com/current-issue/?issue=137