Effects of pivot templates in subtitling : A case study of Terrace House: Opening New Doors

Abstract

This thesis examines the effects of pivot translation in subtitling in the Japanese reality television series Terrace House: Opening New Doors, which was translated to Finnish using an English-language pivot template. By analysing excerpts of the primary source material by means of qualitative research, the study found that the presence of a pivot template dictates what is translated and what details are important to convey. In some instances, the Finnish translator’s difficulty in interpreting the English-language template which was not created primarily for translator use was detected. The pivot template also places an additional cultural layer between the source and target cultures, affecting localization choices. Finally, evidence of the audiovisual context of the source text being lost was uncovered. The study found that pivot translation contains unique challenges in addition to those encountered when working with subtitling templates in general. The conclusions drawn are in agreement with other relevant studies: pivot translation is not an ideal method of subtitle translation, but as it remains a common practice, developing solutions that enable subtitlers to produce the highest quality work possible is imperative.