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Subtitlers’ Visibilities on a Spectrum in the Digital Age: A Comparison of Different Chinese Translations of The Big Bang Theory

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When Translation Goes Digital

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting ((PTTI))

Abstract

While subtitlers could previously only assert their presence through their distributor-commissioned subtitles, subtitlers today can openly interact with other social agents through user-generated content and online social media, including fansubs and blogs, gaining a sort of “new visibility.” (Desjardins, Translation and social media: In theory, in training and in professional practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 104–106, 2017). However, the subtitler “visibility” in online or digital settings has not yet constituted a focal area of research (Pérez-González, Audiovisual translation: Theories, methods and issues. Abingdon: Routledge, 2014). This chapter presents a comparison of the subtitler’s old and new visibilities, specifically, the visibilities generated by industry-produced subtitles and by fansubs. An updated conceptualization of subtitler visibility is proposed. To illustrate the conceptual work, the chapter presents a case study comparing different Chinese translations/subtitles of The Big Bang Theory. Rather than defaulting to binary value(s), subtitlers are now actively managing their presence on a spectrum.

This research is part of the author’s MPhil research at Hong Kong Baptist University, which has been funded by the University Grant Committee of Hong Kong.

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Change history

  • 24 March 2021

    Owing to an oversight on the part of Palgrave the affiliation of author in Chapter 3 was incorrectly published. The chapter has now been updated with the correct affiliation as “B. Huang, School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland”

Notes

  1. 1.

    This study was conducted in 2017.

  2. 2.

    See its official description online at https://www.warnerbros.com/studio/divisions/home-entertainment/warner-home-video.

  3. 3.

    Sohu is a major video website in mainland China; it not only broadcasts Chinese audiovisual products, but also buys copyrights of foreign audiovisual products and provides Chinese subtitles for distribution in mainland China. See the official website for Sohu at: http://tv.sohu.com/.

  4. 4.

    Sohu has a business relationship with fansub groups, as it buys and uses anonymous fansubs for The Big Bang Theory. See http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2476548034 for more details.

  5. 5.

    Access the YYeTs fansubs for all seasons of TBBT at: http://www.rrys2019.com/resource/11005.

  6. 6.

    Danmaku, also known as “bullet curtain,” is a comment function that enables members of a video’s audience to “shoot” comments immediately on to the video they are watching. The comments sync with the video timeline, creating a sense of a shared watching experience.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Boyi Huang

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  1. Boyi Huang
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Translation, Université de Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Renée Desjardins

  2. TransCrit, Université Paris 8, Paris, France

    Claire Larsonneur

  3. Departamento de Filosofia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil

    Philippe Lacour

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Huang, B. (2021). Subtitlers’ Visibilities on a Spectrum in the Digital Age: A Comparison of Different Chinese Translations of The Big Bang Theory. In: Desjardins, R., Larsonneur, C., Lacour, P. (eds) When Translation Goes Digital. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51761-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51761-8_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-51760-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-51761-8

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