Self-mediation practices in Persian YouTube subtitling: An affective translation perspective

The rise of intralingual blogger subtitling on YouTube has introduced innovative practices in today's mediascape, particularly through the use of subtitles that include notes. These affective subtitles may enhance audience engagement and inclusivity by helping viewers better understand and connect emotionally with the content. Nonetheless, subtitling on YouTube, particularly from an affective labour angle, remains relatively unexplored. To fill this void, the study focuses on the popular Persian YouTube channel @Kouman, known for its entertaining content targeted at Persian-speaking audiences. Informed by theories of affect theory and affective self-mediation, this study examines how captions create a platform for materializing affective labour through subtitlers' notes, which convey their voice and inner thoughts to create a more personalized viewing experience. The findings suggest that these notes function as a form of affective labour, exhibiting subtitler's witty remarks and inner thoughts that shape how the video content is felt and understood. These affective and embodied strategies help build affective bonds with the viewers, creating a stronger connection between them and the channel. This study argues that translation theory should reconceptualise subtitles as dynamic, mood-shaping assemblages rather than mere conduits of dialogue.