Audiovisual Translation: A Case Study of What We Wanted

Abstract

This study examines the English and Turkish subtitles of the German Netflix film Was Wir Wollten based on its dubbed version. In the film, main characters Alice and Niklas speak Standard High German (Hochdeutsch), while Christl communicates in South Tyrolean German, a distinct dialect, with her husband Romed and their children. To highlight cultural contrasts between the families, Saran Digital Studios, responsible for the Turkish subtitles and dubbing, made a notable localization decision: they replaced South Tyrolean German with Aegean Turkish in the dubbed version. According to interviews with Saran Digital Studios and Netflix officials, various Turkish dialects, including the Black Sea accent, were considered before finalizing the dubbing by the officials. The Aegean dialect was, however, chosen for its comprehensibility, as many Turkish viewers might be unfamiliar with regional dialects. As known, the Aegean dialect is closely associated with comedy in Türkiye, potentially creating a mismatch since Was Wir Wollten is a drama. This study explores how these localization choices affect Turkish audiences' interpretation of the film's themes. It investigates whether the use of the Aegean dialect leads viewers to perceive the drama as comedic, how effectively the film's message is conveyed in Turkish dubbing, and whether Eastern or Southeastern dialects might have better preserved the original dramatic tone providing that they were chosen by the officials. The research aims to contribute to audiovisual translation studies, examining the role of dialects in localization and audience reception.