(In)visibility of Latin American and Caribbean Spanish Variation in Closed Captions: The Case of Netflix's La Firma
Abstract
Over the past decade, a notable surge in Spanish-language programming has been witnessed across streaming platforms, with Netflix emerging as a prominent contributor to this trend (Faughnder, 2021; Spencer, 2021). Additionally, the growth of online streaming services has expanded the options for audio and captioning, aiming to enhance viewers’ experiences (Shaw, 2021; Davies, 2019). This expansion has facilitated increased usage of both closed captions and subtitles in the online streaming world. Due to the proliferation of Hispanophones in various digital spaces and the availability of captioning options, this study conducts a content analysis of the Netflix show La Firma, exploring the disparities between the expansive morphosyntactic linguistic diversity exhibited by participants on the show and the comparatively restrictive closed captions provided by the streaming platform.
The reality competition La Firma showcases Spanish judges and contestants from various Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Consequently, the show becomes a rich environment for Spanish linguistic variation. However, the findings reveal that while the program adequately presents their linguistic diversity orally, the closed captions fail to adequately represent their morphosyntactic diversity. In fact, the two most prevalent strategies of invisibilization were the use of replacement and deletion. Some of the affected linguistic features include subject pronoun expression, preposition para, gender and number agreement, the use of the diminutive, and (de)queísmo. The ramifications of such closed captioning practices are significant, as they obscure the richness of linguistic variation inherent to the show, thereby underscoring the imperative for streaming services to critically reflect on the effects of these choices. Such considerations are crucial for fostering inclusivity among international audiences, especially those comprising multicultural and multidialectal communities who engage with these speakers and utilize such language varieties in their daily interactions.
(In)visibility of Latin American and Caribbean Spanish Variation in Closed Captions: The Case of Netflix's La Firma
MBSC Gallery Room 308
Over the past decade, a notable surge in Spanish-language programming has been witnessed across streaming platforms, with Netflix emerging as a prominent contributor to this trend (Faughnder, 2021; Spencer, 2021). Additionally, the growth of online streaming services has expanded the options for audio and captioning, aiming to enhance viewers’ experiences (Shaw, 2021; Davies, 2019). This expansion has facilitated increased usage of both closed captions and subtitles in the online streaming world. Due to the proliferation of Hispanophones in various digital spaces and the availability of captioning options, this study conducts a content analysis of the Netflix show La Firma, exploring the disparities between the expansive morphosyntactic linguistic diversity exhibited by participants on the show and the comparatively restrictive closed captions provided by the streaming platform.
The reality competition La Firma showcases Spanish judges and contestants from various Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Consequently, the show becomes a rich environment for Spanish linguistic variation. However, the findings reveal that while the program adequately presents their linguistic diversity orally, the closed captions fail to adequately represent their morphosyntactic diversity. In fact, the two most prevalent strategies of invisibilization were the use of replacement and deletion. Some of the affected linguistic features include subject pronoun expression, preposition para, gender and number agreement, the use of the diminutive, and (de)queísmo. The ramifications of such closed captioning practices are significant, as they obscure the richness of linguistic variation inherent to the show, thereby underscoring the imperative for streaming services to critically reflect on the effects of these choices. Such considerations are crucial for fostering inclusivity among international audiences, especially those comprising multicultural and multidialectal communities who engage with these speakers and utilize such language varieties in their daily interactions.