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China was traditionally a dubbing country, but contemporary viewing habits and the reception of different modes of audiovisual translation have been relatively understudied. This article analyzes how subtitling and dubbing are received among contemporary Chinese viewers, based on the findings of a large-scale online survey distributed to adult participants of different age groups in China. 877 participants responded to the survey from 23 provinces and regions mainly from mainland China. The findings suggest that foreign-language films have a greater appeal to younger audiences, many of whom are inclined to bilingual subtitles. Dubbing tends to be better received among older adults. Interestingly, subtitle fans tend to switch to dubbed versions when accompanied by children and older adults. In addition, positive reviews and public recognition are a stronger impetus to convert subtitle fans and boost the consumption of dubbed films, compared with other factors, such as genre variation and dubbed readaptation. This survey has delved deeper into the translation-related and technical variables that account for the lower popularity of dubbing. Moreover, it highlights a number of areas for future reception research in the Chinese context.
Jingjing Li (Mon,) studied this question.