Manipulation of subtitles on social media : a case study of manner

The Internet is a fertile ground for new subtitling practices. Unbound by subtitling norms, amateur subtitlers on the Internet produce subtitles in their own manner and set new trends. Among which, the creative subtitling practice which constitutes subtitles that depart from the original dialogues in meaning has caught the attention of academics in the audiovisual translation field. These subtitles are intentionally mistranslated (or “manipulated” in the words of Hermans (1985)) for different purposes. In this study, we call these subtitles “fake subtitles”. On the Internet, Manner, a Macau-based production company that has an active presence on various social media platforms, is a producer of fake subtitles. Videos produced by Manner often contained English subtitles that did not deliver the message of the original Cantonese dialogues. In this study, we investigate how this subtitling practice is practised on social media using Manner as a case study. Data were collected from five videos produced by Manner for analysis. It was found that Manner’s English subtitles contained features such as romanised Cantonese, profanities, non-standard typography, etc. In terms of content, the English subtitles were manipulated through addition and replacement of elements, as well as through the use of hyperbole. It was found that ideology on three levels, namely the Internet environment, Manner, and Manner’s translator, has influenced the way Manner’s subtitles were manipulated. In addition, the manipulated English subtitles sometimes pose ethical concerns due to its sexist content. Such a phenomenon highlighted the need for academics to re-evaluate the role and function of subtitles, as well as the need to adapt existing translation theories to embrace new audiovisual trends.Master of Arts (Translation and Interpretation