Subtitling Song Lyrics in Films – Pilot Reception Research

Abstract

The following article is based on a study into the reception of subtitled song lyrics in audiovisual translation. The study involved nine musicals subtitled into Polish and screened at a recurring cultural event every two weeks over a span of eight months. After each screening, a survey was distributed to investigate the perception of the target text: whether the audience could spot if the subtitles rhymed and respected the original rhythm, and whether the presence of rhymes and rhythm in song subtitles influenced audience satisfaction. The total number of songs tested was 88, and the total number of distributed surveys was 209. The results showed that the viewers were unable to recognize the presence or absence of the musical match – they tended to respond that the subtitles matched the music regardless whether the actual musical match of the translation was 70% or 5%. A high percentage of the surveys (40%) showed lack of attention towards the presence of rhymes. The responses of those who declared that they paid attention to rhymes were somewhat correct. Lastly, the results showed that the presence of the musical match and rhymes has little or no effect on the satisfaction with the subtitles.

Options for Translating English Movie Lyrics Into Arabic: A Case study of Netflix Arabic Subtitles of 60 Lyrics

“…The ''deletion'' option seems easy to the subtitlers and does not expose them to the linguistic and cultural constraints that accompany the lyrics. Aleksandrowicz (2019) confirmed that ''this option is the most commonly used in audiovisual translation (AVT)'' (p. 175). Netflix is one of the world's leading companies that add subtitles in different languages to AV products in order to attract international audiences.…”

“…In addition, the translators resort to this option when the lyrics play in the background or when their effect is otherwise vital in the cinematic plot. Aleksandrowicz (2019) argued that the complete deletion of the translation is the most frequent option used in audiovisual translation (AVT). Neglecting the music in translating the lyric…”

“…This omission constitutes a criticism of Netflix as a leading streaming platform in the subtitling industry. According to Garwood Aleksandrowicz (2019) argues that lyrics must be translated in musicals, as they are crucial elements that contribute to the emotional and narrative aspects of the story. The findings of this study support the assertion of R. Apter and Herman (2016), who stated that omission might falsify lyrics translation.…”

“…Moreover, several studies focused on. Different aspect of songs/lyrics translation, including, reception of subtitled song lyrics (Aleksandrowicz (2019), song translation options (Franzon, 2005(Franzon, , 2008(Franzon, , 2015, opera and music translation (Gorle´e, 1997), lyrics in contexts (Greenall et al, 2021), lyrics translation procedures (Irawan & Mundriyah, 2022), Principles of song translation (Low, 2003(Low, , 2005, techniques of translating lyrics (Poluwa, 2021), and others. However, it seems that the study of lyrics translation options into Arabic is not a common research area in the context of audiovisual translation studies, a gap that this study attempts to fill.…”

“…However, it seems that the study of lyrics translation options into Arabic is not a common research area in the context of audiovisual translation studies, a gap that this study attempts to fill. Aleksandrowicz (2019) stated that ''there is relatively little academic research into the topic of translating song lyrics in films.'' Furthermore, Franzon (2008) argued that songs had received little attention in translation studies due to the lack of clarity about the identity of those who translate the songs professionally.…”