Culture-Bound Expressions in Netflix Subtitles and Dubbing: The Case of the Egyptian Series Finding Ola

This paper examines English subtitling and dubbing of culture-bound expressions in the Egyptian Arabic Netflix series Finding Ola from a comparative perspective . Based on a mixed-methods approach, the study uses criterion-based purposive sampling to select 100 culture-bound expressions and categorize them thematically into idiomatic , religious , and swearing expressions. The English subtitles and dubs are then analyzed quantitatively in terms of translation strategy and qualitatively in terms of semantic adequacy, pragmatic force, and cultural resonance. The results reveal that paraphrase is the most common strategy in both modes, showing a shared preference for accessibility and fluent comprehension in global English localization. Cultural substitution is the second most used strategy, which occurs more frequently in dubbing than subtitling, reflecting the dubbing priority of spoken naturalness and immersion. Omission is employed more substantially in subtitles than in dubbing, complying with subtitling space and readability constraints. Qualitative analysis, however, indicates that frequent paraphrasing and occasional omission can compromise idiomaticity, emotive intensity, and character voice, particularly in culturally rich idioms and insults. In general, the study contributes to AVT studies by providing a controlled within-text comparison of subtitling and dubbing strategies for Egyptian Arabic and by showing how mode constraints and acceptability norms influence the representation of culturally rooted meaning in English screen translation.