‘There are no restrictions on me’: a netnographic approach to amateur subtitling from the perspective of translanguaging

Abstract

Amateur audiovisual translation is experiencing an increase in both prominence and scholarly attention, rejuvenating studies into audiovisual translation by shifting focus to earlier overlooked aspects of intralinguistic, interlinguistic, and intersemiotic translation activities, often sidelined in favour of monolingualism. Drawing on the netnographic data from the self-subtitling vlogger @成员外 on the popular Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili.com, this study examines how and why the vlogger utilises multiple communicative resources to perform subtitling in amateur online settings through the lens of translanguaging. The results reveal that the translator employs source languages, local vernaculars, internet buzzwords, trans-registers, trans-modalities, and trans-discourses in his subtitling activities. These manipulative boundary-transcending transcreations not only enhance accuracy and expressiveness but also facilitate cultural mediation, and ultimately, foster the co-construction of an affinity space configured by a spirit of participation, collaboration, and mutual understanding. This study, as an attempt at the interdisciplinary study of applied linguistics and translation studies, sheds light on the production of audiovisual content in the media localisation industry and provides a solid foundation for future inquiries and explorations in this burgeoning field.