The Making and Unmaking of Non-Professional Subtitling Communities in China: A Mixed-Method Study

This chapter reports a mixed-method study on the non-professional subtitling communities in China. Qualitative data were collected through virtual ethnography and interviews, and quantitative data were obtained through an online survey. The analysis of the qualitative data shows that two operational models have been popular in the non-professional subtitling communities in China: the altruistic model and the monetised model. These two operational models differ from each other in accessibility, content and revenue sources. Based on a survey of 375 respondents, it was found that when young consumers chose overseas programmes they cared about subtitle availability most and copyright-licensed status least. It was also found that consumers’ recognition of
video websites was much higher than that of fansubbing groups. Building on the mixed-method analysis, I retold the narratives of fansubbers, consumers and regulators. When narratives clashed, a VCD (visibility-change-determination) model emerged to encapsulate the asymmetrical tripartite relation. The visibility of the non-professional subtitling communities was at odds with the changing behaviour of consumers and the State’s determination to protect intellectual property rights. At the end of the chapter, I summarise the factors that make and unmake the nonprofessional subtitling communities in China and offer my suggestions for responsive action the communities could take to sustain their operations.