Assessing the quality of the English subtitle adaptation of web cartoon series Taximan Talla
Keywords:
Adaptation, audience, reception, translation, subtitle quality assessmentAbstract
This study investigates the quality of English subtitles and attempts to correct challenges related to adaptation in the web cartoon series Taximan Talla. Following a pilot study that applied Pedersen’s FAR model, the research study pursues three objectives: to identify, describe, and analyse the subtitling strategies employed by the subtitler, to evaluate the attitudes of the English-speaking audience towards the English subtitles of the web cartoon series, and to propose more suitable subtitling strategies for the series. Data collection combines content analysis to extract excerpts from the corpus and questionnaires and observations for audience reception. Corpus data was analysed using Toury’s Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), while quantitative data is processed with Microsoft Excel. Findings are presented in the form of frequency tables and pie chart where required. Results of the study revealed that substitution (46%) and condensation (16%) were the most frequently applied subtitling strategies; audience reception is generally average. Based on these results, transfer (32%) and expansion (26%) are proposed as more suitable strategies for enhancing the quality of the web series’ English subtitles. Consequently, it is recommended that the audience should be taken into consideration and thus prioritise target culture-oriented strategies when subtitling particularly expressions with a certain cultural or societal identity.References
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