Exploring the landscape of arabic fansubbing: dynamics and emerging trends

Academic interest in audiovisual translation within the Arab world is a relatively recent development. While Arab scholars are increasingly recognising the importance of audiovisual translation studies, research specifically focused on fansubbing remains limited. This gap highlights the need to advance and systematise the study of fansubbing in the Arab context, establishing it as a legitimate and distinct field of scholarly inquiry. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics and workflows of Arab fansubbing groups. Its primary objective is to explore the internal operations of these groups, their online presence, and to compare the identified patterns with those of fansubbing groups in other regions. To achieve these objectives, two prominent fansubbed websites were carefully examined and analysed. Additionally, interviews were conducted with Arab fansubbers managing these websites to explore their work dynamics, audience engagement, perceptions of subtitling, and perspectives on the enforcement of copyright laws in the Arab world. Screenshots of the fansubbers’ work were also utilised for detailed analysis and discussion. The findings indicate that fansubbing groups demonstrate a deep understanding of their audience’s expectations, the ideologies and socio-cultural factors shaping the subtitling process, and the possible consequences of their subtitling decisions.