| Subtitling presents challenges due to its time-bound nature, requiring translations that are accurate, culturally sensitive, and easily understood without additional explanations. There is limited empirical research on how Indonesian CSIs, such as honorifics, food, and expressions, are handled in subtitling, particularly by nonnative English-speaking translators. This study investigates how culture-specific items (CSIs) in the Gadis Kretek (‘Cigarette Girl’) series are translated into English subtitles while preserving Indonesian and Javanese cultural nuances for international audiences. Gadis Kretek was first released on Netflix in 2023 and presented with foreign language subtitling options, including English. The fiveepisode drama series audio is originally performed in Indonesian. Using a qualitative research approach, this study applies Newmark’s (1988) CSI categories and Molina and Albir’s (2002) translation techniques to analyze the CSIs’ translation. Using a qualitative approach, the analysis combines the identified CSI categories with eighteen translation techniques and draws on Brown and Levinson’s (1978, 1987) politeness theory to interpret power relations, social distance, and degrees of imposition. A corpus of paired Indonesian–English subtitle lines was compiled through observation and note-taking, yielding 56 CSIs. To deepen interpretation, a brief reception survey followed by semi-structured interviews of three English-speaking viewers elicited perceptions of carefully selected CSI translations. The analysis identifies the most frequent CSIs, including organizations, customs, social culture, and honorifics. It examines how translation techniques such as literal translation, adaptation, borrowing, and generalization are used to render these items. Findings reveal that among the 56 identified CSIs, while literal translation is commonly applied for its faithfulness, it may result in the loss of cultural nuances and naturalness, particularly in idiomatic and hierarchical expressions. Techniques like modulation and adaptation are also utilized to convey meaning while maintaining cultural depth under the constraints of subtitling. Audience interviews indicate that certain translated expressions can appear outdated or offensive due to cultural differences, highlighting the translator’s need to balance fidelity with the target audience’s perceptions. This study also found that the role of politeness theory in handling CSIs is related to social hierarchy and interaction, explaining why translators may opt for omission or generalization to avoid face threats and cultural misinterpretation. The study’s insights contribute to subtitling practices by demonstrating how the choice of translation techniques affects the conveyance of Indonesian and Javanese cultural elements, offering practical implications for training programs in translation and interpreting. |