Dutch audience perceptions of human and machine-translated pronouns for non-binary referent in subtitles

Publication type
C1
Publication status
Published
Authors
Daems, J, Van Hee, C., & Van Muylem, A.
Series
4th Workshop on Gender-Inclusive Translation Technologies (GITT 2026), 4th Workshop on Gender-Inclusive Translation Technologies (GITT 2026)
Pagination
3-15
Publisher
European Association for Machine Translation (EAMT) (Tillburg)
Conference
Fourth International Workshop on Gender-Inclusive Translation Technologies (GITT 2026) (Tilburg, The Netherlands)
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Abstract

The increased representation of non-binary characters in audiovisual media is societally crucial, yet non-binary language (e.g., pronouns) offers new challenges for translators. In Dutch, the acceptability of pronoun strategies for non-binary reference is debated and evolving. Machine translation (MT) is increasingly being used in audiovisual translation, yet its potential for translation in gender-sensitive contexts is understudied. In this paper, we compare three pronoun translation strategies (two human-produced, one MT) for rendering the English non-binary pronoun they into Dutch in an audiovisual context, using a fragment from the Netflix show Sex Education. We explore general acceptability of these strategies and compare this to audience perceptions after viewing subtitled fragments employing a specific strategy. The results support findings from earlier work on non-binary pronouns in Dutch and indicate that the MT-generated translations were perceived as the least suitable.