Exploration of Colloquialization and Cyber-localization in Streaming Media Subtitle Translation

Abstract

With the rise of global streaming platforms represented by Netflix, Disney+, and iQIYI, the practical environment and reception ecology of audiovisual translation (AVT) have undergone a fundamental transformation. Distinct from the “hallowed” and “elitist” orientation of traditional film and television translation, subtitle translation on streaming platforms exhibits a prominent new trend toward “colloquialization” and “cyber-localization”. This paper aims to systematically explore the underlying drivers, specific manifestations, theoretical challenges, and practical reflections triggered by this trend. The paper first analyzes how the immediacy, interactivity, and “circle-based” (interest-group) characteristics of streaming platforms reshape translation contexts and audience expectations. Subsequently, through a comparative analysis of subtitle versions for several streaming series (such as The Queen’s Gambit and Everything Everywhere All at Once) against traditional translation versions, it elaborates on the translation strategies of “colloquialization” (e.g. life-like dialogues, creative use of modal particles, and splitting of long sentences) and “cyber-localization” (e.g. internet slang, adaptation of meme culture, and interactivity presets for danmaku) across lexical, syntactic, pragmatic, and cultural dimensions. The study finds that this trend is a product of the synergy between media convergence, technological empowerment, and youth subculture. Although it significantly enhances the immediacy, intimacy, and communicative power of the translated text, it also harbors risks such as over-domestication, obsolescence traps (temporality pitfalls), and cultural discounts. The paper concludes that streaming subtitle translation is evolving from an “invisible” interlingual conversion toward a “visible” form of cultural adaptation and community co-construction. This research offers important insights for deepening translation ethics, quality assessment, and talent cultivation in the digital era.