Subtitling Song Lyrics in Films – Pilot Reception Research

Abstract

Abstract The following article is based on a study into the reception of subtitled song lyrics in audiovisual translation. The study involved nine musicals subtitled into Polish and screened at a recurring cultural event every two weeks over a span of eight months. After each screening, a survey was distributed to investigate the perception of the target text: whether the audience could spot if the subtitles rhymed and respected the original rhythm, and whether the presence of rhymes and rhythm in song subtitles influenced audience satisfaction. The total number of songs tested was 88, and the total number of distributed surveys was 209. The results showed that the viewers were unable to recognize the presence or absence of the musical match – they tended to respond that the subtitles matched the music regardless whether the actual musical match of the translation was 70% or 5%. A high percentage of the surveys (40%) showed lack of attention towards the presence of rhymes. The responses of those who declared that they paid attention to rhymes were somewhat correct. Lastly, the results showed that the presence of the musical match and rhymes has little or no effect on the satisfaction with the subtitles.