Between calculated betrayals and creative freedoms: The subtitling of Elite Squad 2 in China on Youku and Bilibili
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2025.e108401Keywords:
audiovisual translation, censorship, Elite Squad 2, Brazilian films in China, subtitlingAbstract
This article presents a comparative analysis of the Chinese subtitles of Tropa de Elite 2 (Elite Squad 2), as released on the platforms Youku and Bilibili, focusing on the cultural, political, and linguistic implications of audiovisual translation in distinct mediation environments. Drawing on the analytical models of Pedersen (2011) and Gambier (2019), the study examines a bilingual corpus comprising two versions of the film: an indirect translation via English (Youku, 2012) and a direct translation from Portuguese (Bilibili, 2022). The analysis identifies recurring patterns of omission, generalization, and domestication of extralinguistic cultural references, swear words, and pragmatically marked expressions, revealing the impact of institutional censorship practices and platform-specific logic. Results indicate that while the Youku version tends to soften or erase oral and cultural features of the original, the Bilibili version shows greater expressive freedom and creativity, particularly due to its younger, more participatory user base. This study contributes to our understanding of audiovisual translation as a context-sensitive act of discursive mediation, shaped by intersecting layers of ideological, institutional, and algorithmic constraints in the global streaming era.
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