Fan Translation and Multilingualism

This chapter examines multilingualism within fan translation, that is, the voluntary and unofficial translation of content (typically media-related) by enthusiasts. While there has been systematic analyses on professional treatment of multilingualism in films, little is known on how amateur translators deal with multilingual elements in various genres during the translation process. We begin with a historical overview of fan translation, then explore the intersection of multilingualism with fan translation, referencing platforms like Viki and collaborative renditions of multilingual films. The focus of this study is to introduce three key case studies, including fandubbing of songs, scanlation of comics, and translation of video games. These cases illustrate how fans strategically leverage multilingual resources to adapt culture-specific aspects from the source text, catering to the fan community. Additionally, we review how multilingualism influences fan subtitler’s identity construction and contributes to language learning. In conclusion, we draw on the prospective of fan translation and propose valuable avenues for future research in fan translation amidst global linguistic diversity.