Cultural Mediation and Gatekeeping in Dubbing of American Feature Films on Iranian Television

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study investigated mediation and censorship in the Persian dubbing of a sample of American feature films broadcast on Iranian national television to get insights into the details of these gatekeeping practices in recent years. The results revealed that many verbal and nonverbal instances relating to sexuality, Christian rituals and symbols, violence, insults and profanity, out of marriage relationships, and sensitive political references were identified inappropriate and edited out in the dubbed versions on account of religious, socio-cultural, and political considerations. The achieved results of the study have immediate pedagogical applications for dubbing practitioners, translators, students, and educators.

KEYWORDS:

• Dubbing
• audiovisual translation
• cultural mediation
• television
• iran

Filmography

Apatow, J., Arnold, S., Roth, D. A. (Producer), & Brill, S. (Director). (2008). Drillbit Taylor [Apatow Productions]. United States: Paramount Pictures.

Coen, J., (Producer), & Coen, E., (Director). (2014). O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Touchstone Pictures, Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films]. United States: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

Kopelson, A. & Carlyle, P. (Producer), & Fincher, D. (Director) (1995). Se7en [Cecchi Gori Pictures & Juno Pix]. United States: New Line Cinema.

Perry, Y, Hall, P. & Ozzie, A. (Producer), & Perry, T (Director). (2012). Good Deeds [Tyler Perry Studios]. United States: Lionsgate.

Pitt, B, Gardner, D., Kleiner, J. Pohlad, B., MacQueen, S. Milchan, A., Katagas, A. (Producer), & MacQueen, S. (Director). (2013). Twelve Years a Slave [River Road, Entertainment, Plan B Entertainment, New Regency Productions, Film4 Productions]. United States: Fox Searchlight Pictures, Entertainment One Films, Summit Entertainment.

Sher, S., Hudlin, R. & Savone, P. (Producer), & Tarantino, Q. (director). (2012). Django Unchained [A Band Apart & Columbia Pictures]. United States: The Weinstein Company & Columbia Pictures.

Wessler, C.B. & Aziz, R., (Producer), & Farrelly, B. & Farrelly, P., (Director). (2014). Dumb and Dumber To [New Line Cinema]. United States: Universal Pictures.

Williams, M.G. Williams, R. & Radcliffe (Producer), & Columbus, C. (Director). (1993). Mrs. Doubtfire. [20th Century Fox & Blue Wolf Productions]. United States: 20th Century Fox.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Masood Khoshsaligheh

Elnaz Pakar & Masood Khoshsaligheh (Corresponding author)

Department of English, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

Elnaz Pakar is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of English at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, where she also teaches courses on audiovisual translation at undergraduate and master’s level. Her research focuses on cultural issues in written and audiovisual translation.

Masood Khoshsaligheh is Full Professor of Translation Studies and Vice Dean for Research at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. His research lies on the intersection of translation, audiovisual media, and intercultural communication. Email: [email protected] ORCID iD 0000-0002-6508-1986