Challenges in Netflix Arabic subtitling of English nonbinary gender expressions in ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ and ‘One Day at a Time’

Abstract

Abstract People with genders outside of the binary prefer using language that matches and affirms their identities. This can pose a challenge to translators who are translating into gendered languages like Arabic or who are from cultures where such identities do not receive as much recognition as in the Arab culture. This study examines Netflix Arabic subtitles for scenes centered on nonbinary characters in ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ and ‘One Day at a Time’ series. It investigates how subtitlers dealt with such a challenge in translation. The results showed that the subtitlers failed to use appropriate language, lacked consistency when it came to pronouns and repeated misgendering when it came to grammatical agreement. Using gendered or incorrect inflections is the biggest issue, as they are the main indicators of gender in grammatical gender. The main problem seems to arise from the translators’ personal views on, or rather lack of understanding of, gender. This led them to revert to the usage of language that aligns with the characters’, sometimes assumed, biological sex instead of their gender, resulting in misgendering the characters. The study recommends that further research be conducted on A.V. materials on other platforms that are more prone to censorship.