FANSUB CYBER CULTURE IN CHINA A Master’s Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication, Culture and Technology By Yuan Tian, Bachelor of Arts Washington, DC April 26, 2011 Copyright 2011 by Yuan Tian All Rights Reserved ii FANSUB CYBER CULTURE IN CHINA Yuan Tian, Bachelor of Arts Thesis Advisor: Mirjana N. Dedaic, PhD. ABSTRACT With the popularization of Internet in China, fansubbing foreign movies or television programs became a rising phenomenon in Chinese cyberspace. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese netizens organized as fansub groups work collaboratively subbing foreign mass media products and put them online for free downloading. This thesis investigates the fansubbing practice and constitution of these Chinese fansubbers of American TV shows - a unique Internet community of practice and affinity, which is, by definition, also a community of interculturality. Through a longitudinal participant observation in the community and my experience in watching the fansubbed shows, I analyze the textual characteristics of fansubtitles of American TV shows, attributing its difference from traditional audio-visual translation and its interculturality catering to the demand of the members of the community. My analysis also centers on the intercultural features of fansubbing community, which shows that the fansubbing practice that bridges and reflects both American and Chinese cultures shapes its members’ identities construction, in terms of their language, sense of humor, and national and international personalities. Based on these, I argue that this particular cyber community contributes to the process of globalization, which in turn help to influence and precipitate China’s cultural and even political reform. iii The research and writing of this thesis is dedicated to my beloved advisor Mirjana N. Dedaic for all of the support, guidance, and love she provided along the way. I am grateful to the members of the fansubbing community for agreeing to be interviewed, for providing information and friendship during my fieldwork, and for their hard work that enriches millions of Chinese people’s life. Many thanks to all my friends, especially to Nuo Zhao, Yingzhen Zhao, and Katherine Dale for their great help, support and encouragement in accomplishing my thesis. I would also like to give my special thanks to my parents, Li Tian and Zhongling Zhao, for their love and dedication during my study in the United States. Their positive attitude towards life and their belief in me have given me the confidence and courage to follow my inclinations. TIAN YUAN iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................ 5 2.1 Intercultural Interactions through Mass Media Products .................................................. 5 2.2 Computer Mediated Fan Culture ...................................................................................... 7 2.3 Interculturality of Mass Media Products Translation ..................................................... 11 2.4 Fansubtitling Translation ................................................................................................ 13 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 3 DATA AND METHODOLOGIES .................................................................................. 19 3.1 Ethnography on the Internet ............................................................................................ 20 3.2 The Field Site .................................................................................................................. 22 3.2.1 Multisited Ethnography ........................................................................................... 22 3.2.2 Major Fansub groups and their online forums ......................................................... 23 3.2.3 Baidu Post Bar ......................................................................................................... 31 3.2.4 Locating myself in the field ..................................................................................... 32 3.3 Data ................................................................................................................................. 34 3.3.1 Online Data and Observation ................................................................................... 34 3.3.2 Interviews ................................................................................................................. 35 3.3.3 Survey ...................................................................................................................... 37 3.4 Methodological and Theoretical Approach to Data ........................................................ 38 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 4 FANSUBBING AS A PRACTICE .................................................................................. 41 4.1 Background ..................................................................................................................... 42 4.2 Methods........................................................................................................................... 43 4.3 General Operating Procedures ........................................................................................ 45 4.4 Text Typology ................................................................................................................. 47 4.4.1 General Translating Norms ...................................................................................... 48 4.5.2 Authorship and Readership ...................................................................................... 51 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 5 THE INTERCULTURALITY OF FANSUBBING TRANSLATION ...................................... 59 5.1 Alienation ........................................................................................................................ 61 5.2 Use of Annotations and Comments ................................................................................ 65 5.2.1 Annotation................................................................................................................ 65 5.2.2 Comments ................................................................................................................ 68 5.3 Localization ..................................................................................................................... 71 5.3.1 Localization of cultural references ........................................................................... 71 5.3.2 Localization of language .......................................................................................... 74 5.4 Self-regulation on sensitive content ................................................................................ 78 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 81 CHAPTER 6 THE FANSUBBING COMMUNITY AND THE NEW CULTURE ...................................... 82 6.1 Qualifications of the Fansubbers .................................................................................... 83 6.1.1 Skill Requirements ................................................................................................... 84 v 6.1.2 Time and Dedication ................................................................................................ 86 6.1.3 Tests and Workshops ............................................................................................... 87 6.1.4 Summary .................................................................................................................. 91 6.2 Ethical Norms of Fansubbing Community ..................................................................... 92 6.2.1 Non-Commercial and Fair Use of the Fansubs ........................................................ 92 6.2.2 Loyalty to the Fansub Group ................................................................................... 97 6.2.3 Building Community Respect ................................................................................ 101 6.3 Members’ Cultural Identity ........................................................................................... 104 6.3.1 Inter Group Structure ............................................................................................. 105 6.3.2 Animosity and Alliance ......................................................................................... 106 6.3.3 Hierarchy and Family ............................................................................................ 110 6.3.4 The National and International .............................................................................. 114 6.4 Summary ......................................................................................................................