Preserving Cultural Elements in Audiovisual Translation: A Multimodal Contrastive Study of Mulan’s Subtitles

This study centers on the critical issue of cultural preservation in the subtitle translation of animated films, using the 1998 Disney feature Mulan—a work deeply rooted in Chinese folklore—as a case in point. Adopting Multimodal Discourse Analysis as its theoretical foundation, the research undertakes a comparative investigation of the two Chinese subtitle versions available on two streaming platforms, which are officially named bilibili and iQIYI. Based on distinct user profiles across the two platforms, marked divergences between the two subtitle versions lend rationale to this inquiry. The analytical framework encompasses four dimensions—culture, context, content, and expression—yet deliberately foregrounds the cultural dimension, given the film’s rich embeddedness in traditional Chinese values, symbols, and narrative motifs. The findings reveal that the iQIYI subtitles demonstrate a clear superiority in cultural preservation: they not only retain a wealth of indigenous cultural references but also effectively transmit the underlying value system, rendering the translation both accessible and resonant for Chinese audiences. By contrast, the bilibili version, although stronger in contextual adaptation, content coherence, and expressive artistry—particularly in reconciling on screen situational cues with broader socio cultural backgrounds and in restoring nuanced interpersonal relationships—exhibits relative weaknesses in cultural retention. This disparity highlights the inherent tension between cultural fidelity and other translational priorities. Ultimately, the study underscores that for culturally loaded animated features, a deliberate strategy of cultural preservation is indispensable, and it offers practical guidance for future audiovisual translation practices and for comparative analyses that seek to balance multimodal demands with cultural heritage protection.