The Role of Translation of Scene Language in Intercultural Communication

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized world, audiovisual media serves as a key medium for intercultural communication. However, the translation of scene language—culturally specific idioms, humor, social registers, and contextual expressions—poses significant challenges in conveying cultural meaning across linguistic boundaries. This study explores how scene language is translated in international cinema and its implications for intercultural understanding. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, three culturally rich films (Parasite, Amélie, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and their English subtitles were analyzed alongside semi-structured interviews with five professional audiovisual translators. Findings reveal that translation often results in the loss of cultural nuance due to technical constraints, such as subtitle length, as well as the strategic choices of translators navigating between cultural fidelity and audience accessibility. While adaptation and functional equivalence were common strategies, these choices sometimes altered the source culture's narrative intent. The study highlights the translator’s role as a cultural mediator and emphasizes the ethical and communicative importance of preserving scene language in translation. Implications include the need for greater cultural sensitivity in subtitle production and further research into audience reception and multilingual translation practices.