The Challenges and Strategies Involved in the Netflix Arabic Subtitling of Humor in the Sitcom The Big Bang Theory

This research delves into the challenges involved in the Arabic subtitling of humor in the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory (BBT)as viewed on Netflix. The study also analyses the translation strategies employed to subtitle the humor instances in the BBT. While Arabic audio-visual translation is increasing steadily, humor subtitling within this context remains relatively unexplored. The taxonomy offered by Diaz-Cintas and Remael (2014) was employed to categorize the occurrences of humor and was also used to study the translation strategies present in these situations. The findings reveal that literal translation was the most used strategy in the analyzed data. However, this strategy often fails to capture the subtle humor nuances rooted in character personalities and often misses the intended meaning, requiring nuanced adaptations to convey the true cultural significance. Scientific humor presented unique challenges also. Translating the BBT’s humor for Arabic audiences proved a challenging feat also due to its heavy reliance on puns, wordplay, and references specific to English. Moreover, cultural allusions posed constant hurdles. Even subtitling constraints played a role, with limited space and time hampering attempts to convey scientific jargon and cultural nuances alongside the humor. Notably, Arab subtitlers, prioritizing subtitle conciseness, rarely opted for the addition strategy, despite its potential to bridge comprehension gaps. This study thus underscores the intricate interplay of linguistic fidelity, cultural adaptation, and technical constraints in navigating the tricky terrain of humor translation.