Towards A Methodology For The Investigation Of Norms In Audiovisual Translation

Here is presented for the first time a methodology for the investigation of norms which operate in the field of audiovisual translation. Based on the findings of the polysystem approach to translation, the present work aims to demonstrate that it is possible to investigate audiovisual translation and the norms that operate in it in a systematic way. Human agents, (audiovisual) products, recipients, and the mode itself are thoroughly investigated and stratified under a lower, middle and upper level. Specific techniques for collecting and analysing data are suggested. The model is tentatively applied to the investigation of norms which seem to determine the choice between subtitling and revoicing children's TV programmes in Greece. However, one will soon notice that the same model could be applied for the investigation of audiovisual translation norms in any other country. But not only that: one will quickly realise that, with minute modifications, the same model can prove effective for the study of norms in other modes of written translation too. Therefore, this volume can be of a high interest not only to audiovisual translation scholars and practitioners, but to general translation scholars and students of translation proper as well.

The late twentieth-century transition from a paper-oriented to a media-oriented society has triggered the emergence of Audiovisual Translation as the most dynamic and fastest developing trend within Translation Studies. The growing interest in this area is a clear indication that this discipline is going to set the agenda for the theory, research, training and practice of translation in the twenty-first century. Even so, this remains a largely underdeveloped field and much needs to be done to put Screen Translation, Multimedia Translation or the wider implications of Audiovisual Translation on a par with other fields within Translation Studies. In this light, this collection of essays reflects not only the “state of the art” in the research and teaching of Audiovisual Translation, but also the professionals' experiences. The different contributions cover issues ranging from reflections on professional activities, to theory, the impact of ideology on Audiovisual Translation, and the practices of teaching and researching this new and challenging discipline.In expanding further the ground covered by the John Benjamins' book (Multi)Media Translation (2001), this book seeks to provide readers with a deeper insight into some of the specific concepts, problems, aims and terminology of Audiovisual Translation, and, by this token, to make these specificities emerge from within the wider nexus of Translation Studies, Film Studies and Media Studies. In a quickly developing technical audiovisual world, Audiovisual Translation Studies is set to become the academic field that will address the complex cultural issues of a pervasively media-oriented society.

There are three fundamental issues in the field of screen translation, namely, the relationship between verbal output and pictures and soundtrack, between a foreign language/culture and the target language/culture, and finally between the spoken code and the written one. All three issues are raised and discussed by contributors to this special issue of The Translator. The topics covered include the following: the use of multimodal transcription for the analysis of audiovisual data; the depiction and reception of cultural otherness in Disney animated films produced in the 1990's; the way in which subtitles in Flanders strengthen the already streamlined narratives of mainstream film stories, and how they 'enhance' the characteristics of the films and their underlying ideology; developing a research methodology for testing the effectiveness of intralingual subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing; the pragmatic, semiotic and communicative dimensions of puns and plays on words in The Simpsons; the reception of translated humour in the Marx Brothers' film Duck Soup; and non-professional interpreting in live interviews on breakfast television in Finland. The volume also includes a detailed profile of two postgraduate courses that have been successfully piloted and run at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona: the Postgrado de Traducción Audiovisual and the Postgrado de Traducción Audiovisual On-line.

This book presents the first study of voice-over from a wide approach, including not only academic issues but also a description of the practice of voice-over around the globe. The authors define the concept of voice-over in Film Studies and Translation Studies and clarify the relationship between voice-over and other audiovisual transfer modes. They also describe the translation process in voice-over both for production and postproduction, for fiction and non-fiction. The book also features course models on voice-over which can be used as a source of inspiration by trainers willing to include this transfer mode in their courses. A global survey on voice-over in which both practitioners and academics express their opinions and a commented bibliography on voice-over complete this study. Each chapter includes exercises which both lecturers and students can find useful.

A volume of selected, annotated references arranged under specific headings to provide a non-partisan guide to teachers involved in designing courses in translation and/or interpreting.

Translating Culture Specific References on Television provides a model for investigating the problems posed by culture specific references in translation, drawing on case studies that explore the translational norms of contemporary Italian dubbing practices. This monograph makes a distinctive contribution to the study of audiovisual translation and culture specific references in its focus on dubbing as opposed to subtitling, and on contemporary television series, rather than cinema. Irene Ranzato’s research involves detailed analysis of three TV series dubbed into Italian, drawing on a corpus of 95 hours that includes nearly 3,000 CSR translations. Ranzato proposes a new taxonomy of strategies for the translation of CSRs and explores the sociocultural, pragmatic and ideological implications of audiovisual translation for the small screen.

The exponential growth of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) in the last three decades has consolidated its place as an area of study within Translation Studies (TS). However, AVT is still a young domain currently exploring a number of different lines of inquiry without a specific methodological and theoretical framework. This volume discusses the advantages and drawbacks of ten approaches to AVT and highlights the potential avenues opened up by new methods. Our aim is to jumpstart the discussion on the (in)adequacy of the methodologies imported from other disciplines and the need (or not) for a conceptual apparatus and framework of analysis specific to AVT. This collective work relates to recent edited volumes that seek to take stock on research in AVT, but it distinguishes itself from those publications by promoting links in what is now a very fragmented field. Originally published as a special issue of Target 28:2 (2016).