The mistranslation of non-verbal communication cues in subtitled English movies

Abstract EN

Wordless messages are communicated through different non-verbal cues such as body language, hand gestures, and facial expressions.

the translation of these cues therefore is very important because it enhances mutual understanding between people from different cultural backgrounds.

on the other hand, the failure to provide acceptable equivalents may lead to use them in wrong situations which results in serious consequences.

the present study addresses some of these consequences with special reference to English movies subtitled into Arabic.

it hypothesizes that the strategies followed by Arab translators in rendering non-verbal communication are deficient.

it attempts to suggest a new translation approach to improve the viewer’s perception, for instance, the use of a special strategy in subtitling the non-verbal cues whether highlighting the obscene cues or writing the subtitle in an italic writing format for those who are not obscene.

it also concludes that the audience prefers to see subtitles to the non-verbal cues rather than leaving them without subtitling as providing these can assist to bridge the cultural gap between English and Arabic.