The Application of Transcreation in Subtitling Cultural References: The Case of Masameer Animated Cartoon

Abstract

The growing number of people watching audiovisual products in languages other than their mother tongue necessitated translation to bridge the linguistic barriers and ensure complete comprehension as perceived by the source text audience. The translation of cultural references is an increasingly important issue in the translation field, specifically in audiovisual products, and the findings of this study will show the efficiency of applying the transcreation procedure to overcome such challenges. Moreover, the main aim of this paper is to analyze the applicability of the transcreation procedure in translating cultural references found in audiovisual materials, particularly in Masameer animated cartoons, to determine if implementing this procedure will result in a successful translation. The paper attempts to answer the question: How can the application of the transcreation procedure help convey the meaning and effect of the cultural reference found in the source text? This research paper has followed the qualitative method to analyze the implementation of the transcreation procedure on the examples that contain cultural-specific items. It is found that the application of transcreation is essential to fill the cultural gap in a creative way that preserves the meaning of the original. Thus, transcreation is valuable because it gives a sense of creativity, adapts the text culturally, and delivers accurate translation.