Dubbing viewers in cyberspaces: A netnographic investigation of the attitudes of a Persian-language online community

Abstract

It appears that online communities have provided a free and user-friendly platform for users to do many real-time pieces of stuff from doing translations to discuss translations. The field of translation studies has begun to investigate these online virtual environments for varied perspectives. Nevertheless, the existing research has mainly addressed fansubbing communities. The present investigation, however, analyzed a Persian-language online community where its users exchanged comments and shared ideas regarding dubbing in Iran. For the purposes of this study, netnography, as a reliable research method within the marketing discipline and communication studies, was employed to study the community and its members. The collection and analysis of posts and comments from this online community yielded new insights into Persian dubbing and how Iranian dubbing audiences view Persian dubbing. On another level, the study provided evidence supporting the application of netnography as a methodological tool in investigating reception in audiovisual translation.