When Saudis Stop Being Humorous: The Subtitling and Reception of Saudi Dark Humour in Masameer County

Abstract

This study is designed to examine the effect that Netflix English subtitles might have on the way English-speaking viewers receive Saudi dark humour. To achieve this, the researchers analyse Netflix’s English subtitling of two episodes of the Saudi adult animation Masameer County, which is known for its humorous discussion of sensitive issues in Saudi society. This study hypothesises that, partly due to sociocultural considerations, the humorous elements found in the Saudi animation is more appreciated and understood by Saudis than English speakers. It is also hypothesised that the inaccurate translation of specific humorous elements by the non-Saudi subtitler further aggravates the difficulty English-speaking audiences understanding the animation’s dark humour. To assess these hypotheses, the active role of the subtitler is considered. This is achieved by employing the sociological lens of habitus developed by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. To understand the subtitler’s habitus, the subtitler was interviewed to reveal the personal/social factors that affected her translation’s decisions regarding specific humorous scenes. The outcome of these decisions is assessed by examining their reception by English-speaking viewers. A questionnaire was conducted with English-speaking viewers asked to watch the two episodes of Masameer County under examination. The questionnaire shows that the English-speaking viewers did not receive the Saudi humour with all its sociocultural associations. The findings reveal that the subtitler’s habitus exerted powerful effects on her translational choices, which led to a loss of the Saudi humorous sense in the English-speaking viewers.