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Article published In:
Translation and Interpreting Studies
Vol. 18:2 (2023) ► pp.261–279
Thematic section

Fan translation and affective mediation

A study of Hiddles’ Translation Army of China

ORCID logo | Communication University of China
ORCID logo | Communication University of China

This study seeks to foreground the concept of ‘affective mediation,’ which is defined as an interventionist process in translation wherein affect is matched, managed, and modulated between communicating bodies. Situated in the context of fan translation, this study utilizes a multimodal analysis of the subtitling practice of Hiddles’ Translation Army of China, a Chinese internet-based, celebrity-oriented fan translation group, and identifies three ways its fansubbers mediate affect toward the object of fandom, i.e., British actor, Tom Hiddleston. The findings suggest that the fansubber’s mediation is conducive to restructuring the affective configuration in the target text and creates a site for emotive performance in fansubbing. The study also argues that affect-mediated fansubbing opens a new space outside the diegetic zone for an imagined interaction and relationship between the entire fandom community and the object of fandom.

Keywords: affective mediation, fan translation, intervention, performativity, online community
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Toward the affective dimension of mediation in translational activities
  • Fan translation as an affective activity
  • Data and methods
  • Affective mediation in the Army’s subtitling
    • The use of emoticons
    • Changes in tone
    • Translator notes and comments
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 27 November 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.23012.mo
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