Cite this article as: Muhammad, A. U., & Idris, A. A. (2025). Subtitling approaches: A survey of subtitling practice in Kannywood industry. Sokoto Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies (SOJOLICS), 1(3), 122–127. https://www.doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2025.v01i03.016
SUBTILING
APPROACHES: A SUVERY OF SUBTITLING PRACTICE IN KANNYWOOD INDUSTRY
By
Ali
Umar Muhammad
Department
of Nigerian Languages
Northwest
University, Kano
&
Ali
Abubakar Idris
Department
of English and Literary Studies
Northwest
University, Kano
Abstract
The aim of this paper is
to explore the practice of subtitling Hausa films in Kannywood industry.
Subtitle is a form of translation of film’s dialogue which is rendered from one
language (film’s dialogue: source language) to another (subtitle: target language).
Six Hausa film subtitlers with at least five year experience are purposively
selected, and interviewed on the approaches they deploy while creating
subtitles for the Hausa films. The data is analysed using content analysis. It
is identified that simultaneous approach is mostly used by the research
participants that five of them use it, and only one of them attaches more
significance to the indirect approach. Therefore, the study recommends that,
since simultaneous method is found to be used predominantly, it is the most
suitable approach for subtitling the Hausa films as it allows the subtitlers to
watch both actions and discourse production by the characters for them to
appropriately insert the subtitles.
Keywords: Subtitle, Kannywood,
Hausa, Practice, Industry
1. Introduction
Subtitle and dubbing
have continued to make films more interesting all over the world. According to Supardi and Putir (2018),
subtitle and dubbing are considered as two major methods of translation in
audiovisual practice across film industries. They also argue that subtitle is
one of two possible methods for providing the translation of movie dialogue,
where the original dialogue soundtrack is left in place and the translation is
printed along the bottom of the movies. Based on this, this paper reviews the
literature related to subtitle types of subtitles, importance of subtitle,
theoretical framework for the work, methodology employed for studying the
approaches of subtitle, and the procedure for subtitling in the Hausa film
industry.
Therefore, the aim of
this paper is to explore the subtitling practice in the Kannywood film industry
and suggest which of the current approaches applied by Kannywoodsubtitlers is
the most suitable one
2. Literature Review
The literature on
subtitling presents it as a key practice in audiovisual translation and as an
important means of making films and television programmes accessible to wider
audiences. Subtitle is generally understood as the written representation of
spoken dialogue that appears on the screen, usually at the bottom, and
corresponds closely with what is said by the characters in a film or television
programme. Scholars agree that subtitle involves rendering spoken utterances
from a source language into a target language in written form, while
maintaining synchrony with the visual and auditory elements of the film. It is
therefore not merely a written text, but a carefully timed and constrained
translation that works alongside images, sounds, and actions to convey meaning.
In this sense, subtitling is a multimodal activity that combines language,
visuals, and sound, making it distinct from other forms of translation.
Within the context of
Hausa films, particularly those produced by Kannywood, subtitling has become
increasingly important. Kannywood is a major Hausa film industry with its
centre in Kano, and it occupies a position comparable to other global film
industries such as Hollywood and Bollywood. Unlike Nollywood, which largely
uses English, Kannywood traditionally employs Hausa as the main language of
interaction in films. However, as the industry seeks to reach audiences beyond
native Hausa speakers, English subtitling has emerged as a practical solution.
Attempts to replace Hausa dialogue entirely with English have proven
unsuccessful, as many Hausa viewers prefer films produced in their language.
This has reinforced the need for subtitling rather than full language
substitution. English subtitles allow Hausa films to communicate with non-Hausa
audiences while preserving linguistic authenticity for native viewers. As
scholars note, one of the main strengths of subtitling lies in its ability to
retain the original language and cultural flavour of a film while still making
it accessible to a broader audience.
Subtitling is also
valued for its economic and practical advantages within the film industry. It
is generally less costly than dubbing and allows the original voices and
performances of actors to be preserved. For viewers in subtitling contexts,
authenticity is often more important than financial considerations, as
subtitles enable them to experience films in their original linguistic form.
Technically, subtitles are usually presented as open subtitles in many Hausa
films, meaning they are permanently embedded in the film and cannot be removed
by the viewer. This places certain limitations on the audience, who can only
pause, rewind, or adjust playback speed to aid comprehension. Scholars further
point out that subtitling extends beyond spoken dialogue to include other
meaningful elements such as written signs, inscriptions, and background
information conveyed through sound. Through this combination, subtitling aims
to make films more understandable and enjoyable, especially for viewers whose
first language is different from that of the film.
A growing body of
empirical studies has examined subtitling from different perspectives,
particularly in relation to language learning and translation practice.
Research conducted in various contexts shows that watching subtitled films can
improve listening skills, vocabulary acquisition, and overall language
comprehension among learners of a second or foreign language. Comparative
studies consistently demonstrate that viewers who watch films with subtitles
often perform better than those who watch without subtitles. Other studies
focus on analytical models and theoretical frameworks for subtitling,
emphasising the role of audiovisual and discourse features in meaning-making.
These studies underline that meaning in subtitled films is created through the
interaction of words, images, and actions, and they provide guidance on how
subtitlers can make informed choices. While some studies are concerned mainly
with the effects of subtitles on learners, others aim to identify the most
suitable approaches and theories for subtitling practice. Differences among
these studies often lie in their theoretical orientations, research methods,
and specific objectives, even though they share a common concern with improving
subtitling quality.
The literature also
identifies several types of subtitles, reflecting different linguistic and
technical choices. Broad distinctions are made between interlingual subtitles,
which translate dialogue from one language to another, and intralingual
subtitles, which occur within the same language. Another common classification
distinguishes between open and closed subtitles, depending on whether viewers
can turn them on or off. More recent studies, especially those related to
language learning, group subtitles into three major types: standard subtitles,
which combine foreign language audio with native language text; bimodal
subtitles, where both audio and text are in the same language; and revised
subtitles, which present native language audio with foreign language text.
These categories are widely used in research because they capture most
subtitling practices and allow for clearer comparison across studies.
Finally, the importance
of subtitling is widely recognised across disciplines. Subtitles play a crucial
role in promoting accessibility, particularly for people with hearing
impairments, by ensuring that spoken content is available in written form. They
also support multilingual communication by bridging language gaps in an
increasingly interconnected world. Beyond accessibility and language transfer,
subtitles enhance clarity for all viewers, especially in noisy environments or
when speech is unclear. They also assist in conveying cultural meanings,
idioms, and references that might otherwise be lost. In educational contexts,
subtitles are shown to support comprehension, vocabulary development, and
memory retention. Taken together, the literature presents subtitling as a vital
linguistic and social practice that supports inclusion, learning, and
cross-cultural communication, while also serving the practical needs of
contemporary film industries such as Kannywood.
3. Theoretical Framework
This
study is guided by two theories of film translation, manely:Gottlieb (1997) and
Diaz-Cintas and Remael (2007). Gottlieb (1997) argues that for a subtitler to
perform the work correctly, he or she must work within the ten strategies for
good subtitle, namely transfer, paraphrase, deletion among others. Diaz-Cintas
and Remael (2007) maintain that subtitle is more than simply translating a
film’s dialogue; it also involves elements such as the position of the text and
other on-screen features like graffiti and placards. Therefore, this study
explores the practice of subtitling in the Kannywood film industry using these
two theories.
4. Methodology
A research methodology
is a special tool governing the conduct of every study (Ali, Muhammad, Baguddu,
& Maimota,2014). It is defined as a
highly intellectual human activity used in the investigation of nature and
matter. It, also, deals specifically
with the way data is collected, analyzed and interpreted (Muhammad, 2010). This study uses a qualitative approach for
data collection, and data analysis. Qualitative research is a ‘type of
education research’ in which the participants’ knowledge is essential for
exploring or investigating a phenomenon (Muhammad, 2014). The data is collected
from six (6) participants who spent five years and above in the industry. The data is collected through an interview.
The participants are asked questions that are directly related to their work as
subtitlers. All the collected data are transcribed and translated for the
analysis.
5. Data Presentation and Analysis
It
is through the data analysis that the outcome of any research is achieved. Creswell (2012, p. 217) states that “a
qualitative interview occurs when a researcher asks one or more participants
general open-ended questions and records their answers.” The researcher then
transcribes and types the data into a computer file for analysis. The data
collected via interview is presented and analysed here in this section. The data consists of interviews conducted
with Hausa film subtitlers in order for the researchers to be more familiar
with the work of the participants. It
presents the procedures and strategies of making English subtitles. The analysis shows that most of the subtitlers
use similar procedure for providing subtitles.
Therefore, the collected data is analysed below:
5.1 Procedures for Creating Subtitles in Hausa
Films
The
results related to the procedures and methods used by Hausa film subtitlers to
produce subtitles are described in this subsection. The interviewees explain that they use only
two methods to do their job. These two
methods are called 1) simultaneous procedure, and 2) asynchronous
procedure. Therefore, these two methods
used by the Hausa film subtitlers are explained below, using the responses
obtained.
5.1.1 Simultaneous Procedure
The simultaneous method
of creating English subtitles in Hausa is used by some of the respondents. For
instance, when the interviewer asks this question: “How do you normally provide
subtitles in Hausa films?” Below are the responses by some of the interviewees:
I usually watch any film
I want to subtitle three times to four times.
In the first place, I have to be familiar with the film's content in the
first watch. Secondly, I write subtitles
of each dialogue in the appropriate place.
When I finished from the beginning to the end, I finally watched to
ensure all the subtitles went together with the dialogue. Sometimes, mistakes occur when a subtitle has
a different meaning than the current dialogue.
So, we watched to avoid that. (P1)
In order to create
subtitle, I watched the film first from the beginning to the end. Then, I start watching again and writing the
subtitles of each utterance at the same time.
(P3)
The two participants
show that the procedure used to provide English subtitles in Hausa films in the
above responses. They have to watch the
film more than two times for them to do the task. The method they use is simultaneous, because
they normally create the subtitle of each dialogue instantly while watching the
film. This procedure is related to some of the strategies for good subtitling
practice. Gottlieb (1997) argues that during the subtitling process one may
paraphrase the original dialogue from the source language. Also, these two
participants always watch films from beginning to end before creating the
subtitles at the second or even third watch. However, concerning creating
subtitles, the other Participant reveals that s/he uses the same method used by
participants 1 and 3, but s/he adds something different:
I am using two different
methods for providing subtitles in Hausa films.
The first method I watched the film and providing the subtitle of each
dialogue while watching. Alternatively,
I watch the film and write down the subtitle of each dialogue on paper from the
binning to the end. After which, I took
the subtitle of each dialogue and put it in the appropriate position. (P2)
This shows how the
subtitler uses two methods for providing the English subtitle in Hausa films.
This echoes the argument of Gottlieb (1997) which shows marrying more than one
approach like transfer, paraphrase, imitation, and deletion. But when asked, “which
method do you use often?” The participant provides the following response:
Most of the time, I used
the first method, which is writing the English subtitle at the same time on the
script while watching the movie. (P2)
Looking at the above
extracts, Participant 2 uses two different methods. However, s/he rarely uses the second method,
which is not utilised by Participants 1 and 3 because they prefer the first
method, that is providing the subtitle of each dialogue while watching the film
at the same time, which is simultaneous approach. Although Participant 3 prefers the
simultaneous method, s/he often uses the second method. Also, Participant 6
uses the simultaneous method for subtitling.
When asked on how s/he normally creates English subtitle, the response
is as follows:
For us to create
subtitle of each film or short video, we have to use one of the two ways. Number One is to provide the subtitle
directly or to write on paper and put on the script later. But I provide the subtitles of each work
directly. (P6)
Again, when asked, “What
do you mean by directly? Can you explain in detail?” The Participant gives the
following response:
I mean I do not write
the subtitle on paper while watching a film.
I always provide the subtitle of each dialogue directly on the
script. (P6)
From
the above extracts, it can be explained that participants 1,2,3 and 6 employ
simultaneous procedure for providing subtitles in Hausa films. Also,
Participant 2 uses simultaneous procedure but often resorts to the indirect
procedure.
5.1.2 Separate Procedure/Indirect Procedure
Unlike the previous
method or procedure for creating English subtitles in Hausa films, in this
procedure, the subtitlers watch any film and write down the subtitle on paper
and later insert the subtitle in the film.
The participants’ responses are presented below:
Even though I know two
methods for providing subtitles, I only used one method of creating
subtitle. When I get the work, I watched
the film and write down all dialogues in the Hausa language on paper, I used to
give a space. The space is for writing
the equivalent subtitle. After I
finished from first scene to the last one.
Then, I take subtitle of each dialogue and write it on the appropriate
position. (P4)
The response of
Participant 4 shows that s/he does not subtitle the Hausa film directly but
normally writes the translation of each dialogue on paper separately and later
inserts it on the script. One
interesting thing mentioned by Participant 4 is “writing on the appropriate
position”. Based on this, s/he is
asked: “What do you mean by ‘appropriate position’?” Below is his/her response:
You know, when you
intend to write subtitles on screen, you must consider its position. It must be in the centre, not by right or
left. This is the meaning of the
appropriate position. (P4)
Like Participant 4,
Participant 5 also uses indirect or separate method while providing
subtitles. S/he provides the following
response:
Well, most of the time I
watched any film I want to subtitle from the beginning to the last scene. I at the first watch, I want to be familiar
with the film’s content and the message the producer wants to spread to the
viewers. For the second time, I write
the Hausa utterances on paper. After
this, I provide the subtitle of each utterance.
(P5)
The responses above
indicate that some of the subtitlers consider and acknowledge the message that
filmmakers want to spread to viewers.
Participant 5 is also asked: “Please, can you make it clear to me
because you said, ‘most of the time’. Or
are you using another method or not?”
I said most of the time
because we create English subtitles using two methods. The one I mentioned, and the other one is
writing the subtitle instantly on the script while watching the film. Throughout my work time as a subtitler, I
think I used the direct method seven to eight times. (P5)
The participants'
responses about the procedures and methods they use to create English subtitles
in Hausa films show that they use two methods or procedures to do their
work. The first method is always used by
four participants (P1, P2, P3 and P6).
As obtained from the interviews conducted, four out of the six
interviewees prefer simultaneous method. Meanwhile, the second method is
utilised by two participants (P4 and P5).
In addition, some of the subtitlers use the first method, and they also,
very rarely, use the second method, and only Participants 5 gives preference to
the second method.
5.1.3 Simultaneous Method as Best Approach for
Subtitling the Hausa Film
It can be deduced that
simultaneous method is more effective and simpler. It is possible for the
subtitlers to watch both performance and speeches made by the cast, and that
helps in providing the best and accurate subtitles. This is due to the fact that before the task
of subtitling begins, one has already familiarised himself with the film, and
that helps in maintaining the message of the film. This is affirmred by
Gottlieb (1992) that as utterances made by the characters are heard subtitles
are seen at the same time. It is obvious that this can best be done when
simultaneous approach is employed. Simply, this method suits the Hausa film
considering the fact that the subtitle is written in English - which is simply
a kind of translation.
6. Conclusion, Findings and Recommendations
Based
on the data collected and analysed for the current study, it is revealed that
subtitling film is a profession that requires a great expertise that
investigation on how it is conducted, and how it should be improved needs to be
carried out. Therefore, this paper has examined the two major approaches of
subtitle known as simultaneous and indirect methods, as as well as its three
kinds called standard, bimodal, and revised subtitles. Also, the importance
attached to subtitle has been highlighted. According to the studies in the
field of audiovisual translation, effective subtitling requires expertise in
the field of audiovisual translation because great skill can improve the
process and help in reducing or even eliminating errors that may distort the communication
(Gottlieb, 1997; Pinto, 2018; Wang, 2023; Xinfei and Miaomiao, 2024). The
success of subtitling film using any kind of approach needs a special ability.
The
analysis of the responses provided by the six participants of the study reveal
that the best approach for subtitling the Hausa films is simultaneous method
for its efficacy and accuracy. Consequently, five of the respondents clinch
this method, while only one of them prioritizes the second method, namely
indirect approach. Therefore, it is recommended that the best method for
subtitling the Hausa films is simultaneous approach since the participants
apply it, and it proves productive that both words and actions of the cast
augment the effort of subtitlers. Also, besides using software available for
accuracy in their job, subtitlers need to be more proficient in using the
English language to make their job more professional.
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