Subtitling of culture-bound terms: strategies and quality assessment

Abstract

Subtitling, one of the under-researched topics in translation studies, is a challenging task faced by many restrictions that compel subtitlers to use specific strategies to enhance the quality of the subtitles. In relation to this, this study aimed to identify the subtitling strategies adopted in subtitling the culture-bound terms in the American movie entitled ‘The American Pie’, and to assess the quality of the translation of these terms. For this purpose, the data was collected from the movie and qualitatively analyzed using Pedersen's (2005, 2011) typology and Pedersen's (2017) quality assessment model. The results of the study showed that most of the strategies proposed by Pedersen were used. It was also found that some other translation strategies were used in the subtitles. Two new subtitling strategies were identified by the author, viz., using euphemistic expressions and using formal language to render informal language. The quality assessment showed that most subtitles are of a good quality, as in few cases there were some serious errors or problems.