Translation Strategies for Thai Superstition and Belief in Netflix Thai Horror Films: A Multimodal Perspective on Interlingual Subtitling

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Superstition and belief are deeply embedded in Thai culture and frequently depicted in Thai horror films, posing challenges for translation into other languages. Despite growing research on culture-specific items (CSIs), limited attention has been paid to how such elements are translated across multiple films within the same genre. This study aims to analyse the translation strategies used to render Thai culture-specific expressions of superstition and belief in 14 Thai horror films streamed on Netflix between 2021 and 2024. It also adopts a multimodal perspective to explore how subtitling constraints are negotiated through the interaction of verbal and non-verbal elements

Methods: A total of 276 lexical items and phrases were analyzed using the translation strategy frameworks of Baker (1992) and Pinmanee (2018). The analysis combines quantitative frequency data with qualitative interpretation, considering each translation within its audiovisual context. 

Results: Ten translation strategies were identified, with paraphrase using a related word being the most frequently employed strategy (43.68%), followed by paraphrase using an unrelated word (16.97%), cultural substitution (8.30%), and using a loan word (7.94%). The findings further revealed a tendency to employ concise translation strategies, particularly paraphrase-based strategies, the use of more general words, and omission, reflecting the technical constraints of subtitling in terms of space and time. This tendency suggests translators’ efforts to balance audience comprehension and readability with the transfer of cultural meanings under subtitle limitations. Although some culturally specific meanings were simplified or adapted, cultural meanings could still be conveyed through the multimodal nature of film, in which visual and narrative elements played a role in co-constructing meaning.

Application of this study: This study contributes to audiovisual translation (AVT) research by demonstrating how multimodal elements support the transmission of culturally specific meanings, even when subtitles are condensed or adapted under technical constraints. The findings may also serve as practical guidance for translators and subtitle practitioners in handling culturally embedded audiovisual content and provide a basis for future studies on AVT in other culturally complex contexts.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that meaning in AVT is conveyed not only through subtitles but also through the interaction of verbal, visual, and contextual elements. In translating Thai superstition and belief, translators are required to balance cultural specificity with audience comprehension under the spatial and temporal constraints of subtitling. The findings also reflect the negotiation between domestication and foreignization, while some cases show features of exoticization. This suggests that the translation of culturally embedded content in audiovisual media should not be considered from a linguistic perspective alone, as multimodal elements also play an important role in supporting meaning.