The Portrayal of Women in English Films Localized into Persian

Abstract

Audiovisual translation, the same as other forms of intercultural communication, tends to intervene with the original in order to comply with the norms of the receiving culture. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the Iranian cinema has resorted to a conservative approach wherein the portrayal of the role of women, among other cultural issues, has been controlled to adapt to the Islamic thoughts, which constitute the pivotal Iranian ideological framework. The underground cinema, on the other hand, resists this official practice and adopts a more norm-breaking approach. This study examines the portrayal of women in a selection of dubbed and subtitled films into Persian. The findings reveal that the gender-related content in dubbed films was altered due to the socio-cultural considerations and ideologically charged motivations as well as the norms and clichés prevalent in the Iranian society. Similar measures, however, were not taken in the subtitles of the foreign films, which were produced by the amateurs.