The influence of translation method - L2, L2 with L1 subtitles or L1 dubbing - on narrative persuasion for Dutch and German natives.

Abstract

It has been proven that narratives, both written and visual, can influence individuals' beliefs and attitudes. To date, few studies have investigated the use of different translation methods on the persuasive impact of a visual narrative. The current study investigated the influence of three different translation methods – L2 (English), L2 with L1 subtitling and L1 dubbing – on seven concepts of narrative persuasion: transportation, identification, spatial presence, flow, enjoyment, story-consistent beliefs and narrative understanding. Results show that for most items of story-consistent beliefs, for transportation, identification, spatial presence, flow, enjoyment and narrative understanding, there are no differences between the three translation methods used and between the Netherlands and Germany, indicating the translation methods are mostly equally effective and that the two countries are rather comparable. Additional gender analyses revealed several differences between men and women for story-consistent beliefs, identification, enjoyment and narrative understanding. Furthermore, analyses excluding participants living outside their home country showed differences for story-consistent beliefs, spatial presence, flow and narrative understanding. Future research needs to expand on the findings of the current study to create a clear picture on the influence of different translation methods on several concepts of narrative persuasion, and the differences between countries and gender.