Incentives of Iranian amateur subtitlers: The sought Bourdieusian capitals

Abstract Technological advancements have transformed the utilization and perception of audiovisual products by audiences, shifting from passive audiences to engaged participants who actively contribute to meaning generation and content creation. Using a mixed-method design, this study explored the incentives of amateur subtitlers of feature films within the framework of Bourdieu's (2002) sociological capitals. In the first phase, based on the review of the related literature, a 32-item questionnaire was designed and validated. The responses of a criterion sample ( n = 343) of amateur Persian subtitlers were statistically analyzed. Next, a purposive sample was qualitatively interviewed. The findings revealed that the main incentives of these amateur subtitlers were to acquire subtitling and translation skills, to pursue personal interests in films and TV series, and to improve their English. Considering Bourdieu's (2002) theory, Persian amateur subtitlers primarily seek to acquire cultural capital, dispositions and tastes of the upper class and elites, social capital, and to a lesser degree symbolic capital, and economic capital.