Narrating across cultures: Title translations of Turkish series

This study examines the title translations of Turkish TV series into Arabic and Spanish, focusing on how these translations reshape the series as narratives. To this end, as a qualitative dataset, the translated titles of eleven Turkish series were comparatively analyzed within the framework of Narrative Theory in order to explore the narrative functions of translation. The findings indicate that Spanish translations tend to preserve the original titles or the core themes of the series, whereas Arabic translations frequently reframe the narratives to emphasize romance, emotionality, or cultural familiarity for the target audience. Overall, the study concludes that translating series titles is not limited to linguistic transfer alone; rather, it is shaped by audience expectations, marketing considerations, and socio-cultural adaptation. Accordingly, translated titles are evaluated as commercial and cultural tools for enhancing audience engagement. Future research conducted with different series, languages, and audience-oriented studies may broaden insights into title translation and the reframing of narratives in audiovisual products.