Fan translation in the Vietnamese context: a preliminary study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This preliminary study asks what genres and languages are translated by fans in the Vietnamese context, using a methodology based on distant reading of materials available on the Youtube website. While there is a growing body of work on fandom and fan translation, little focuses on postcolonial locations such as Vietnam. Due to its history of colonisation and the shifts in language use that have resulted from colonisation and independence, there is a long history of voluntary translation in Vietnam that has contributed to the development of a thriving fan translation culture in the Vietnamese language. After examining the postcolonial position of Vietnam and the history of voluntary translation in the country, this article examines the first hundred videos found on Youtube using the search term “Vietsub”. Youtube was chosen for its popularity and international reach, as well as the abundance of Vietnamese subtitled videos on the website. The findings show that many of the videos come from Asian countries such as Korean and China, questioning the hegemony of Anglophone text production seen in fan studies. Furthermore, the main genres for translation on Youtube are TV shows and songs, highlighting fan investment in popular media.