Some thoughts about the final paper

Some thoughts about the final paper:

Why I would not focus on just one fansub group: Based on my personal experience and knowledge, although different fansub groups do have different styles of translation and dissimilar internal rules of running their groups, the reasons and motivations for people joining such groups and the general living environment for such groups usually don’t possess intrinsic differences. And my research question here is: Why would fansub groups in China keep distributing foreign films and TV shows online with subtitles translated by them despite the concerns over piracy and copyright? I am not trying to present a successful model of running a fansub group, nor do I wish to gain insight into the daily operation routine of such groups in a limited time frame by picking out one group to study. I already know, to a large extent, about what is happening in such groups because I used to be in one of them, which is exactly why I want to make my efforts more worthwhile by providing explanations that could apply to almost all of the fansub groups in China and therefore I could offer general suggestions for policy-makers to ponder. I expect to examine this kind of industry as a whole and I hope to come up with a systematic interpretation to explain the conflict existing between protecting intellectual property in the digital age and satisfying the public’s need for learning about foreign culture. I am afraid focusing on one group would narrow and constrain my understanding as well as thinking toward the research question. I want to observe the discussions on the Website Zhihu precisely because those who answered the relevant questions are or were from different fansub groups and have or had different positions in those groups.

Which theories and previous articles to choose: Anything regarding fansub groups is quite fuzzy and messy. Although this kind of territory involves lots of aspects, including the violation of the law, the distribution model in the digital age, the formation of online communities and the increasing need and curiosity to learn about foreign culture, there seems to be very few compelling and influential articles so far, let alone widely respected theories interpreting the whole situation, to the best of my knowledge. And I think the lack of sophisticated and profound theories and articles in this area is partly related to the fact that it is hard to keep up with the rapid development of technology, which in turn would intensify the problems existing in this territory because there is no consistent and solid guidance to follow through, making the chaotic state of such industry worse then before. Frankly speaking, right now, I don’t have any specific authors, article or theories that I must include. The articles regarding this topic are very scattered and very few of them have truly made waves in China’s society or among Chinese fansub groups. What I probably would do to learn from others’ thoughts may be like this: To gain insight by reading articles not relating to fansub groups yet closely relevant to a certain angle of the topic; To piece together the thought-provoking information or criticism from widely scattered yet directly relevant reports or posts; To analyze the academic articles that could match up with my purpose and expectation.

In addition, there is one critical question I am confused by: How many articles should I include in my final paper? (Since I am not exactly doing a literary review nor a research)