Masood Khoshsaligheh; Amir Arsalan Zoraqi; Manjet Kaur Mehar Singh
Abstract
Subtitling is one of the most widely used translation practices in the localization of video games and enjoys great popularity among end-users. Given the language-bound nature of subtitling practices, the present study seeks to shed light on the subtitling practices followed in Persian game localization ...
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Subtitling is one of the most widely used translation practices in the localization of video games and enjoys great popularity among end-users. Given the language-bound nature of subtitling practices, the present study seeks to shed light on the subtitling practices followed in Persian game localization and empirically provide a descriptive account of how game localization is carried out in the Iranian context. To this end, five video games were tested and played by the authors, and 300 subtitle segments were extracted from each title (totaling 1500 subtitle segments) and their respective translations in localized versions (totaling 3000 segments). Subtitles were analyzed in terms of subtitle length and segmentation, font (size adjustability, type, color, and background), character identification, sound effects, emotions, and line breaks. It was revealed that the Persian localized versions were very similar to the original regarding font, character identification, sound effects, and emotions. However, subtitle length and segmentation varied between the original and localized game versions.
Masood Khoshsaligheh; Farzaneh Shokoohmand; Fatemeh Delnavaz
Abstract
Audio description (AD) is an inter-semiotic translation for the benefit of people with vision impairment. AD research aims to enhance the quality of this accessibility tool and users’ satisfaction. Nevertheless, parallel to the fledgling state of AD practice in Iran, local research on the topic ...
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Audio description (AD) is an inter-semiotic translation for the benefit of people with vision impairment. AD research aims to enhance the quality of this accessibility tool and users’ satisfaction. Nevertheless, parallel to the fledgling state of AD practice in Iran, local research on the topic is substantially scarce, and the current article is the first published in the English language. To study the quality of current AD production in Persian, the work of Sevina, a newly-formed Iranian NGO pioneering in AD services in Iran, was examined. More specifically, considering the non-professional status of the group, the purpose of the research was to determine whether the group had developed a systematic approach to producing intralingual AD for Persian-language feature films. The findings revealed that the sampled intralingual AD produced by Sevina was based on a fairly consistent approach, even though there is room for much improvement. The article discusses the necessity of further research to support the professional practice of AD in the Iranian mediascape.
Masood Khoshsaligheh; Saeed Ameri; Farzaneh Shokoohmand; Mehdi Mehdizadkhani
Volume 8, Issue 2 , September 2020, , Pages 55-74
Abstract
Given the increasing pace of dissemination of cultural content across global borders, subtitling as a cost-effective solution for rendering audiovisual programs is gaining more popularity, even in societies, which have been traditionally using dubbing as the dominant modality for foreign films and television ...
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Given the increasing pace of dissemination of cultural content across global borders, subtitling as a cost-effective solution for rendering audiovisual programs is gaining more popularity, even in societies, which have been traditionally using dubbing as the dominant modality for foreign films and television series. Likewise, various types of subtitling practices have developed and are used in Iran both at official and non-official outlets. While official dubbing has failed in some aspect in addressing the growing interest of Iranian viewers of foreign content, a variety of non-professional subtitling has been filling the gap, and subtitling appears to be dominating the audiovisual media market. Despite such developments, the necessities of professional practice of subtitling, including standardized guidelines, codes of ethics and practice, and training, have never been realized in Iran. In the absence of a professional subtitling tradition, this article presents the status quo of non-professional subtitling into Persian and introduces the specific typology of this practice in the Iranian mediascape.
Masood Khoshsaligheh; Azadeh Eriss; Saeed Ameri
Volume 7, 2 (Special Issue on Iranians Views of Cultural Issues) , September 2019, , Pages 40-51
Abstract
Audiovisual translation, the same as other forms of intercultural communication, tends to intervene with the original in order to comply with the norms of the receiving culture. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iranian cinema has resorted to a conservative approach wherein the portrayal of the ...
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Audiovisual translation, the same as other forms of intercultural communication, tends to intervene with the original in order to comply with the norms of the receiving culture. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iranian cinema has resorted to a conservative approach wherein the portrayal of the role of women, among other cultural issues, has been controlled to adapt to the Islamic thoughts, which constitute the pivotal Iranian ideological framework. The underground cinema, on the other hand, resists this official practice and adopts a more norm-breaking approach. This study examines the portrayal of women in a selection of dubbed and subtitled films into Persian. The findings reveal that the gender-related content in dubbed films was altered due to the socio-cultural considerations and ideologically charged motivations as well as the norms and clichés prevalent in the Iranian society. Similar measures, however, were not taken in the subtitles of the foreign films, which were produced by the amateurs.
Masood Khoshsaligheh
Volume 6, Issue 1 , March 2018, , Pages 31-46
Abstract
Discourse audiences are susceptible to fall victims of the concealed ideological representations in discourses at the expanse of changing and modifying their mental models through which they act on the world. Translators as readers and at the same time intercultural mediators need to be equipped with ...
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Discourse audiences are susceptible to fall victims of the concealed ideological representations in discourses at the expanse of changing and modifying their mental models through which they act on the world. Translators as readers and at the same time intercultural mediators need to be equipped with the knowledge of how ideology is accommodated in discourse both not to fall victim to it and to intervene as necessary. The curriculum of English translation undergraduate program at Iranian universities does not formally include any course or portion of the syllabus of a course to address ideology in discourse and translation. Using think aloud protocol procedure, the present study aims at investigating the extent of this knowledge of Iranian graduates of BA in English Translation. The results demonstrate that the trained English translators mainly examine the source discourse at more metaphorically visible levels of discourse and the more abstract discourse categories remain almost untapped.
Christiane Nord; Masood Khoshsaligheh; Saeed Ameri
Volume 3, Issue 2 , September 2015, , Pages 1-16
Abstract
Advances in computer sciences and the emergence of innovative technologies have entered numerous new elements of change in translation industry, such as the inseparable usage of software programs in audiovisual translation. Initiated by the expanding reality of fandubbing in Iran, the present article ...
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Advances in computer sciences and the emergence of innovative technologies have entered numerous new elements of change in translation industry, such as the inseparable usage of software programs in audiovisual translation. Initiated by the expanding reality of fandubbing in Iran, the present article aimed at illuminating this practice into Persian in the Iranian context to partly address the line of inquiries about fandubbing which still is an uncharted territory on the margins of Translation Studies. Considering the scarce research in this area, the paper aimed to provide data to attract more attention to the notion of fandubbing by providing real-world examples from a community with a language of limited diffusion. An exploratory review of a large and diverse sample of openly accessed dubbed products into Persian, ranging from short-formed clips to feature movies, such dubbing practice was further classified into fundubbing, fandubbing, and quasi-professional dubbing. Based on the results, the study attempted to describe the cultural aspects and technical features of each type.
Masood Khoshsaligheh
Volume 2, Issue 2 (Special Issue on Translation, Society and Culture) , September 2014, , Pages 112-119