Latent Thematic Analysis of Comments Left by Iranian Consumers on Dubbed Animations: A Netnographic Approach

Dubbing has traditionally been the main AVT interlingual mode used for the translation of films and animations in Iran. The rapid growth of market technology has revolutionized audiovisual products and their translations. It has provided an interactive environment for consumers, producers, translators and audiences and has led researchers to pay more attention to consumers, their receptions and their experiences. The present study aimed to explore the latent themes in the comments of dubbed animation consumers’ in Iran. To this end, taking a netnographic nonparticipatory approach, twelve animations were selected from different on-line fields. Comments left by the viewers of those dubbed animations were collected, filtered and analyzed. A total number of 4353 comments were initially collected. After several levels of filtering for relevance, 1155 comments were analyzed. The researchers used thematic analysis to identify the latent themes. Seven semistructured interviews were also conducted to confirm the themes and establish the trustworthiness of the obtained results. The analyses of comments revealed seven initial themes, namely voice actor visibility, gratification-seeking, brand-opting, upto- dateness, intactness, self-determination, and cultural appropriation. The themes were categorized into three main themes of expectation, motivation, and behavior of Iranian consumers. The results can be used to provide a link between the industry and academia, highlighting how better products can be provided for audiences.