Back-Translation of Swearwords by Professional Translators

Evidence From the Arabic Subtitled Version of The Wolf of Wall Street

Bibliographic Data

ID22147170
AuthorsRaghad Najjar (0009-0005-4871-5966, Applied Science Private University), Ahmad S Haider (0000-0002-7763-201X, Applied Science Private University), Yousef Sahari (0000-0001-8318-6987, King Khalid University), Sondos Hassan (Applied Science Private University), Noor Darwish (0000-0003-3352-5439, Applied Science Private University)
Year2026
Volume10
Issue1
Publication date2026-01-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOpen Cultural Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2451-3474 • E-ISSN: 2451-3474
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/culture-2025-0107
OpenAlexW7167466966
LanguageEN
References cited26

This study examines how swearwords are translated across linguistic and cultural boundaries. A professional translator was asked to back-translate the Arabic subtitles of ‘ The Wolf of Wall Street’ movie into English. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to investigate swearing in the source and target texts, focusing on the frequency, intensity, meaning, and implications of these expressions. The quantitative analysis indicated that the translator used taboo expressions in 150 cases. The analysis has also revealed that there were only 22 cases with consistent intensity, 117 cases of intensification, and 11 cases without an ST counterpart. The qualitative analysis revealed that intensification strategies were linked to the preservation and recreation of the original script’s tone, as well as to processes of naturalization and cultural adaptation. The results of this study reveal that the communication of taboo language is related not only to linguistic form but also to nuance, culture, context, and role. Further studies are recommended to explore the translation of swearwords across a wider range of audiovisual materials, genres, and cultural contexts. Future research could also examine language pairs beyond Arabic and English to provide broader cross-linguistic insights

Arabic · Cultural diversity · Qualitative research · Recreation · Taboo · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity · Swearing, Euphemism, Multilingualism · Translation Studies and Practices

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