Challenges in subtitling classic Arabic-language films
What is it about?
without a degree of film literacy and some interest in film studies the subtitling of an Arabic-language film into English would be a difficult task. The paper, takes a look at the subtitling of a popular and a classic Egyptian film. It presents a simple framework for the study, analysis and subtitling of an Arabic-language film into English. This is a new area in translation studies in the Arab world.
Why is it important?
Perhaps it is the first study that examines the full subtitling of any film from the Arab world. Despite the technical nature of the paper, it is accessible to anyone familiar with Egyptian cinema, Naguib Mahfouz and the Egyptian vernacular. Subtitling into English is a new specialization in the Arab world and interest in audiovisual translation is still at its infancy. This paper is a small step towards the popularisation of the concept and to encourage more debate on translation and subtitling into English (and other foreign languages).