Translation and Interpreting Research
Research Institute for Translation Studies (RITS)

Strategies Used for Persian Dubbing of Russian Utterances as L3 in English Movies

Document Type : Translation Studies

Authors

Erfan Sabrkonande 1
Dariush Nejad Ansari 2
Mahmoud Afruz 3

1 MA in Translation Studies, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/tir.2025.21082
Abstract
In contemporary cinema, multilingualism serves as a powerful tool for enhancing narrative realism, yet it poses considerable challenges for dubbing practices, particularly when a third language (L3) appears in a predominantly English-language film. This study examines how Iranian dubbing studios render Russian-language utterances—functioning as an L3—within English films intended for a Persian-speaking audience. Drawing on a corpus of 15 multilingual movies, the analysis applies the framework proposed by Corrius and Zabalbeascoa (2011) to identify recurring translation strategies. The findings reveal a strong preference for direct translation of Russian segments into Persian, resulting in the systematic neutralization of multilingual elements in dubbed versions. This homogenization risks undermining narrative coherence and reducing the representation of linguistic and cultural diversity. Additionally, the study identifies instances of explicitation strategy which enhance the transparency of multilingual scenes for target viewers. By evaluating the narrative impact of each identified strategy, this research underscores the importance of preserving multilingual markers in dubbing and contributes to the growing field of audiovisual translation studies.

Keywords

AVT
cinema
multilingualism
Russian language
target audience
Translation and Interpreting Research
Volume 2, Issue 8
Autumn 2025
Pages 13-26

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