Arabic Fan subtitles on YouTube: Extra linguistic cultural references in stand-up comedy clips

Abstract

This paper examines the phenomenon of Arabic fansubtitling of Western stand-up comedy through a sample of fifteen clips found on YouTube to evaluate how fansubtitlers approach the extra- linguistic cultural references in the clips. In this textual analysis of the sample clips, we identify some of the techniques most commonly used in rendering the extra-linguistic cultural references such as retention of the original reference, omission, or literal translation. We conclude that literal translation is the most common problem in rendering the meaning of cultural references. To help the viewer interact with the clips, we recommend keeping the original reference and providing a short explication which would often give the viewers the best experience of the clip and the cultural knowledge contained in it. This paper argues that despite the problems with the quality of some of the subtitles they produce, fansubtitlers are changing the profession of translation. Some have developed creative ways to explain the cultural references using pictures, animations, and glossary lists. Moreover, they contribute to the globalization of Western culture, but at the same time reshape the discourse around these clips by integrating them within local debates about politics, social customs, and ethics. Those clips emerge as sites where viewers contend with identity and their place in the world.