The Influence of a Cultural Filter on the Netflix Series Emily in Paris: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the English and French Translations

Abstract

The prominent streaming service Netflix has millions of members across the world and offers a wide range of movies and series in different languages. The platform is now utilized for more than simply entertainment; it is also used by many to learn foreign languages. Hence, the question of whether translation achieves international inclusiveness or is tailored to the culture of a particular country arises. This study focuses on the translation of the Netflix Original series Emily in Paris. The original English version, as well as the French dubbed and subtitled versions, were examined using a qualitative method to determine how much of a difference the culture filter makes. Furthermore, this study investigates the effect of the Netflix Timed Text Style Guides on the use of cultural filters in the French subtitled version, as well as the code-switching throughout the series.

This study found that the French synchronization of the Netflix Original series Emily in Paris applied cultural filters in terms of directness and ad-hoc formulations; the French translations were made more direct and had more ad-hoc formulations than the original English version. The series’ French subtitled version furthermore adhered to the Netflix Timed Text Style Guides, making this version appear more straightforward in comparison to the others.

Code-switching is another factor that might cause the series’ French subtitled version to diverge from the original English and French dubbed versions. Code-switching occurred often in both the original English and French dubbed versions of the series. Aside from greetings, catch phrases, expressions of affection, and adjectives and adverbs, numerous random words were used on a regular basis. Finally, there were two more factors that impacted how the French translations of the series came across, which were storyline discrepancies across versions and gaps in the translation of the subtitled version. The French dubbed version followed a different plot from the original English and French dubbed versions, and the French subtitled version did not always subtitle language that was entirely in French in both the original English and French dubbed versions. All of these factors might lead to viewers of the French versions of the series having a different viewpoint on the series than viewers of the original English version.