On Extralinguistic Cultural Reference: The Translation of Thai Color Terms in English Subtitles

Abstract

When translating cultural references in subtitles from Thai to English or vice versa, most previous studies often rely on Newmark’s (1988) and Baker’s (1992) broad typologies of translation strategies for textual analysis. Moreover, these studies often focus solely on identifying the most commonly used strategies without delving into the extent to which the translation is constrained by spatial and temporal dimensions. This study, therefore, aimed to address these gaps with twofold objectives: 1) to adopt Pedersen’s (2011) more recent taxonomy for rendering Extralinguistic Cultural References (ECRs) in the analysis of the translation of Thai color terms in English subtitles, and 2) to explore to what extent such translation meets spatial and temporal requirements of subtitling. The analysis employed a mixed-method approach. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods with the mainstream Thai drama Good Heavens! I’m a Goose, Not a Swan (Lopanpaibul, 2025), rich in culturally specific color terms, this study examined translation strategies applied in translating Thai color terms in the English subtitles. Then, a quantitative approach was used by applying a formula developed from Díaz-Cintas and Remael’s (2021) technical considerations and Netflix’s (2025a) style guide to shed light on audiovisual constraints. The study found that the translator employed three strategies, i.e., Generalization, Direct Translation, and Substitution. Generalization, in particular, was the most frequently used strategy to achieve clarity and brevity. However, while this strategy suited the spatial dimension, the subtitles were displayed too quickly for comfortable reading.