Audiovisual Translation Subtitles and Subtitling Intro

Introduction

An increasing number of contributions have appeared, over recent years, on the subject of  Audiovisual Translation (AVT), particularly in relation to dubbing and subtitling, to the extent that this has become “one of  the fastest growing areas in the field of Translation Studies” (Díaz-Cintas, 2008: 1). Many international conferences have been dedicated to this topic and several undergraduate and postgraduate courses have been developed in third level institutions across Europe, some entirely devoted to subtitling and training of subtitlers whilst others use subtitling as an ef fective pedagogical tool for foreign language (FL) teaching and learning. The broad scope of this branch of Translation Studies is challenging, an AV text being a truly “multidimensional space” in the sense intended by Barthes (1977: 176), which transcends and links several sensory dimensions. Audiovisual Translation amalgamates diverse disciplines including film studies, translatology, semiotics, linguistics, applied linguistics, cognitive psychology, to name but a few, not forgetting, of course, technology and ICT. However, as Orero (2004: viii) writes, “though much work has been done over the years by scholars such as Yves Gambier and Henrik Gottlieb, there is still plenty of scope at both academic levels: teaching and researching”. This publication is primarily intended for both “academic levels”. The first section is dedicated to theoretical issues, which, it is hoped, will stimulate further debate and encourage exciting progress in research informed teaching. The second section lends itself  to a perhaps less developed area of research in the field of  AVT and its potential in foreign language pedagogy. The sequence of articles in this volume is intended to create a discourse which, beginning with ref lections on wider methodological issues, advances to a proposed model of analysis for colloquial speech, touches on more “niche” aspects of  AVT (e.g. surtitling) and progresses to didactic

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Introduction

applications in foreign language pedagogy and learning at both linguistic and cultural levels and concludes with a practical proposal for use of AVT in FL classes. An interview with a professional subtitler (who is also an academic and a researcher) draws the volume to a close, providing us with an insider’s view of  the world of subtitles. In Part One, Łukasz Bogucki’s article outlines familiar approaches to Translation Studies (comparative, process and causal models) and discusses their applicability to AVT research. Special attention is given to a methodology which has already been applied to AVT, namely Action Research. The objective of  this paper is to examine whether a universal methodological approach is feasible in the case of a discipline as complex and non-homogeneous as AVT and whether similar tools can be used in studying intra- and interlingual translation, addressing the requirements of diverse audiences. Lupe Romero discusses issues concerned with the (audiovisual) translation of colloquial speech, with particular reference to cinematographic productions with a high degree of orality (author or independent films). The author proposes a set of categories for analysing colloquial speech and therefore a model, applicable to both dubbing and subtitling, for describing and quantifying the oral features present both in the source and target texts. Maria Freddi and Silvia Luraghi, followed by Eduard Bartoll, guide us into the world of surtitling: translations or transcriptions projected above the stage or displayed on a screen. Freddi and Luraghi question whether translation universals utilized in subtitling can also be applied to surtitling. With an in-depth analysis of the English translation of Salvatore Cammarano’s libretto for Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller and a study of translation strategies used therein, the authors propose an interesting avenue of research for universals in translation. Bartoll’s article explores surtitling in an alternative setting – the theatre – and focuses on a Catalan version of Macbeth. The author raises awareness of this highly specialized technique and discusses the dif ficulties of providing surtitles for live performances, which are, of course, subject to changes of rhythm, speed of enunciation and reformulation of dialogue. Bartoll argues that the translator’s vulnerability is heightened in this context.

Introduction

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Part Two opens with Claudia Borghetti’s contribution, which examines AVT within the framework of Intercultural Foreign Language Education and explores the complex critical-interpretative process that FL students must negotiate in order to translate an AV text. Since this process includes identifying cultural data present in the ST, ref lecting on the cultural context of  the TT, and deciding if and how to render cultural data on a linguistic level, Borghetti suggests that audiovisual translation can be used ef fectively in the FL classroom to stimulate students’ intercultural awareness. Continuing along the lines of cultural awareness raised by AVT, Marcella De Marco’s contribution of fers a dif ferent perspective on the utilization of subtitles in academic environments: the author illustrates how gender and identity issues can be integrated in the curriculum design of a subtitling module. The paper presents a subtitling module which constitutes part of  the MA in Applied Translation Studies at London Metropolitan University and discusses teaching methodologies and students’ reactions. Moving on to language acquisition per se, Eithne O’Connell gives us an overview of the use of AV in language learning and of research into the positive ef fects that can be derived from this practice. The author then discusses the relevance of such research for minority languages, the Irish language being the case study in question, and how Irish language learners can improve their linguistic skills through the use of subtitled material. Elisa Perego and Elisa Ghia concentrate on how eye-tracking can be employed to gauge visual attention and reading behaviour of audiences exposed to captions and subtitles. The article reports on experiments showing the impact of dif ferent translation strategies and layout format on visual activity and ref lects on how results from eye-tracking tests can prove beneficial in FL acquisitional contexts. Noa Talaván Zanón assesses the benefits of both the creation of interlingual subtitles by the students themselves and the use of ready-made materials. Experiments carried out by the author prove that subtitles are a valid support for enhancing listening comprehension skills in communicative, task-based FL learning contexts. Expanding on the topic of pedagogical applications of subtitling, Stavroula Sokoli, Patrick Zabalbeascoa and Maria Fountana present the

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results of an EU-funded project, Learning via Subtitling, and discuss the implementation of subtitling activities in third level FL courses. Learners’ feedback is analysed and participative learning, through subtitling, is shown to increase students’ motivation and attainment. Finally, after discussions on the validity of using subtitling in FL classes, the closing contribution by Laura Incalcaterra McLoughlin and Jennifer Lertola provides practical guidelines for the implementation of such practice. Whilst examples provided relate to the teaching of  Italian, the model can be easily applied to other languages, as the article contains detailed step-by-step descriptions of a typical teaching module unit and required software. The book concludes with an interview by Carlo Eugeni, an academic and professional subtitler, who gives us an insight into the world of subtitlers and their work. He answers questions on subtitling procedure, standards, “mistakes”, and the positive impact of subtitling on translation skills. Laura Incalcaterra McLoughlin

References Barthes, R. (1977), Image-Music-Text, London: Fontana. Díaz-Cintas, J. (ed.) (2008), The Didactics of  Audiovisual Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Orero, P. (ed.), Topics in Audiovisual Translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.