The (re)dubbing of Disney Pixar films into Arabic: Audience; Dubbing Process; Translation Strategies

Abstract

For almost forty years, Disney films were localized for Arab audiences using Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA), as part of Disney's strategy to enhance authenticity and appeal by using local dialects, capitalizing on Egypt's reputation as a major cultural hub with a rich talent pool in the entertainment industry. However, in 2013, the children's channel of Al Jazeera, known as JCC, obtained the rights to distribute Disney films in the Middle East and North Africa, insisting on using Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for dubbing. Given the popularity of these films among Arab audience, this shift into MSA was unexpected and involved redubbing already localized films. While the (re)dubbing into MSA can be explained by Al Jazeera's language policies that favor the use of a standard language for its shows, the switch to MSA, in dubbing Disney films for Arab audience, brought some local dubbing studios into the mix to work on the MSA dubs. This was a significant shift from the previous approach, where Masreya Media, in Egypt, had been the sole dubbing studio for all Disney films until this point. This doctoral study seeks to explore the dominant professional practice and behaviors associated with dubbing of Disney films from English to Arabic. The research methodology employs a two-pronged approach. The first part involves an interview with Aysha Selim, Disney Character Voices International's (DCVI) Creative and Operations Manager Middle East for Arabic Dubbing. This combines a thorough analysis of two different Arabic versions, i.e. ECA and MSA, enabling me to provide insights into the difference in the professional practice that the two different Arabic versions have gone through, i.e. the different dubbing agents. This aims at offering a comparative and descriptive analysis of the two different Arabic dubbed versions (i.e., ECA and MSA) of the Disney Pixar films; A Bug’s Life (1998) and Finding Nemo (2003). The descriptive approach employed in analyzing the two different Arabic versions, i.e. ECA and MSA, is primarily influenced by Toury’s (1995) approach involving the descriptive translation studies. Within the context of descriptive translation studies, additional insights were drawn from Chaume's (2004) signifying codes which contribute into the Film Translation. These codes assist in comprehensively addressing the diverse semiotic elements presented in the original films and treated differently in the two different dubbed versions of each Disney Pixar film used in the study. The qualitative review is also complemented by a quantitative analysis, which further explores and pinpoints various factors contributing to the difference in professional practice associated with localizing the two different Arabic versions of the two Disney Pixar films examined in this research. The primary objective is to determine the distinctions that set the two different Arabic versions (i.e., ECA and MSA) of Disney Pixar films apart. By delving into these details, this study aims to enrich the understanding of the professional practice and dubbing behaviors associated with dubbing Disney films for Arab audiences.