Abstract
Understanding of key character attributes in foreign film may be reduced when perception is dependent on subtitles. This research aimed to validate a reception-based method for empirically measuring functional equivalence of character voice in subtitled film. Participants watched a Japanese film excerpt, with or without English subtitles, and rated their impressions of the central character (Takuji) on 16 character descriptors (8 antonym pairs), identified by the author as important for understanding Takuji. Perceptions of Takuji’s personality were compared between Japanese and English speakers in two studies (Study 1, N = 49, 28 Japanese, 21 English; Study 2, N = 53, 23 Japanese, 30 English). Both studies involved assessment of Takuji by Japanese speakers (no subtitles) and English speakers (English subtitles). Study 2 attempted to improve inter-item reliability and equivalence between languages by using more direct antonyms and longer descriptors than Study 1. Results from both studies established significant differences in character perceptions between Japanese and English viewers and confirmed the reliability of Japanese intracultural perceptions. Consistency in the loss of character voice between language groups in both studies confirmed that this approach to measuring character voice has strong potential for assessing subtitling approaches that aim to address functional equivalence in character perception.
Highlights
In recent years, subtitling has come into favour as the primary approach to audio-visual translation for English speaking audiences
This paper aims to investigate the assertion that character voice may be lost in subtitled film by validating a measure of audience perceptions of character traits
Unrelated samples t-tests compared mean ratings of Takuji on the 16 descriptors between the Japanese monolingual condition (Group 1) and the English subtitle condition (Group 2). These confirmed the loss of character voice, with statistically significant differences (p
Summary
In recent years, subtitling has come into favour as the primary approach to audio-visual translation for English speaking audiences. Subtitles often omit parts of the original dialogue that are judged by the translator to be unnecessary to understanding the overarching plot of a given film, instead aiming to maximise their readability. These eliminated elements of speech often contain nuances that are core to the formation of character voice (i.e., elements of speech that inform the audience about a character’s motivations, beliefs, social status, background and personality). Understanding the personality of the main characters in a film is undoubtedly key to full appreciation of the director’s and actors’ intent
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