Understanding Thai Fansubbing: Collaboration in Fan Communities Translating a Korean TV Show Thandao Wongseree, MA Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies Dublin City University Supervisor: Dr Ryoko Sasamoto External Supervisor: Dr Minako O’Hagan, The University of Auckland November 2017 Declaration I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Doctor of Philosophy is entirely my own work, and that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge breach any law of copyright, and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work Signed: ID No.: 13211894 Date: i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors, Drs Minako O’Hagan and Ryoko Sasamoto. To Minako for her guidance, valuable advice and support throughout the course of study. She has helped expand my vision in both the academic world and real life. To Ryoko for her kindness and useful advice and ideas while conducting this research. I could not have reached this stage without their kind assistance and encouragement. I would like to express my gratitude to Chiang Mai University, my home university, for providing me with the scholarship so that I could pursue a PhD at Dublin City University and the opportunity to gain many valuable experiences while studying in Ireland. I would like to express my gratitude to Than Maitree Suthephakul, Khun Yutthana Ngarmlert and the personnel of a cable television company for providing me with the opportunity to gather useful information regarding audiovisual translation practices and the current legal framework concerning copyright laws in Thailand. I would like to especially thank all the participants, especially the interviewees, for giving me an opportunity to gain insights into their great efforts and dedication in producing translations for other fan audiences. This present research and future studies rely on the very useful information they provide. Also, I would like to show my sincere gratitude to Dr Tessa Dwyer who gave valuable and useful feedback on a previous draft of my thesis. Your insightful advice really helped me to improve my thesis. Many thanks to my friends and colleagues in Thailand and to those whom I met during the journey while conducting this research for your help and useful advice in completing this research. I would like to thank my family for their huge mental support. To my late Dad who taught me many life lessons and made me the way I am now. To my aunts, uncles and cousins for their encouragement and wonderful Thai meals I have missed so much during the time I have stayed in Ireland. Most importantly, to my Mom who is the best mom and best friend in the world. Thank you so much for always being there. ii Publications and Presentations from the Present Research Publications: Wongseree, T. 2016. Creativity in Thai fansubbing: A creative translation practice as perceived by fan audiences of the Korean variety show running man. CTIS Occasional Papers, 7. pp.60-86. [Online] Available from: http://hummedia.manchester.ac.uk/schools/salc/centres/ctis/publications/occasional- papers/Wongseree.pdf Presentations: Wongseree, T. 2016. Ethics of Thai fansubbing practices in the case of a popular Korean TV show. Paper presented at The 7th Asian Translation Traditions Conference (ATT7), September 26-29, Monash University, Malaysia. Wongseree, T. 2016. Tribute to fandom in the digital world: Thai fansubbing practices in the case of a popular Korean TV show. Paper presented at the 1st Irish Association for Asian Studies Conference, June 17-18, Dublin City University, Ireland. Wongseree, T. 2015. Bringing a popular Korean TV show to Thai audiences: Thai fansubbing analysed according to Bourdieu’s habitus. Paper presented at Colloquium Fansubbing in the World Context: Creativity, Conflicts and Controversy, July 8-10, University of Vienna, Austria. Wongseree, T. 2015. Thai fansubbing practice: legal and ethical challenges in the online environment. Paper presented at the 6th Media for All International Conference, September 16-18, Western Sydney University, Australia. Wongseree, T. 2014. Creativity in Thai fansubbing: a creative translation practice as perceived by fan audiences of the Korean variety show. Paper presented at the International Postgraduate Conference in Translation and Interpreting (IPCITI), October 29-31, University of Manchester, United Kingdom. iii Table of Contents Declaration ..................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... ii Publications and Presentations from the Present Research ....................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. x Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Research Field and Location ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Rationale, Questions and Operationalisation ............................................................... 8 1.3 Thesis structure ........................................................................................................................... 11 PART I: RESEARCH CONTEXTS AND LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................... 14 Chapter 2 Research Contexts: Media Landscape and Fans in Thailand ...................................................... 15 2.1 Media Consumption in Digital Environments ............................................................................. 15 2.1.1 Rise of digital platforms in media consumption in Thailand .............................................. 15 2.1.2 Audiovisual translation background in Thailand ................................................................. 17 2.2 Fans and Fandom ........................................................................................................................ 20 2.2.1 Korean fandom or K-wave in Thailand ................................................................................ 20 2.2.2 Fan activities in digital environments ................................................................................. 22 2.3 Legal Framework for Online Activities ........................................................................................ 26 2.3.1 Legal framework in relation to online activities in Thailand ............................................... 27 2.3.2 Ethics in relation to online activities in Thailand ................................................................ 30 2.4 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 3 Collaboration in Fansubbing in Digital Environments ................................................................ 35 3.1 Fansubbing .................................................................................................................................. 35 3.1.1 Fansubs as creative products made by fans ....................................................................... 35 3.1.2 Fansubbing as a community translation practice in digital environments ......................... 41 3.2 Ethical Issues in Digital Environments ........................................................................................ 47 3.2.1 Ethics in translation ............................................................................................................. 48 3.2.2 Digital media ethics ............................................................................................................. 50 3.2.3 Ethics in fansubbing ............................................................................................................ 52 iv 3.3 Creativity in Collaborative Environments ................................................................................... 57 3.3.1 Creativity as a social activity ............................................................................................... 57 3.3.2 Distributed creativity .......................................................................................................... 60 3.4 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................................... 64 PART II: METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND FRAMEWORK OF ANALYSIS ....................................