A socio-cultural study of taboo rendition in Persian fansubbing. An issue of resistance

This article examined the translation of taboo language in English language films subtitled into Persian by Iranian fansubbers. Based on the results, the fansubbers’ strategies towards taboo language translation were classified into maintaining, deleting, mitigating, substituting, and amplifying. Further analysis suggested that their approach was guided by the source culture norms rather than the target culture norms as evidenced by their attempts to keep as many taboos as possible irrespective of the disapproval of the recipient dominant conventions. Such an exercise appears to be a subversion and resistance to the hegemonic doctrine and conservative ideology advocated in the Iranian society and mass media.