The appeal of audiovisual products stems largely from the combination of visual and auditory resources, but professional subtitling focuses on translating dialogue and specific written information on-screen.
Can we really say we are making a film accessible when we subtitle only one of its modes?
If in a Portuguese film or documentary someone pinches their earlobe without saying anything, how are British viewers, for example, expected to understand that it means ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ when that hand gesture is unfamiliar to them? More worryingly, how can we avoid Italian viewers, for example, from misunderstanding the situation when in their culture the same gesture has a sexual and offensive connotation?
This project challenges the assumption that audiovisual content is made accessible when only verbal resources are translated. It makes an innovative contribution to the subtitling industry by reviewing current subtitling practices, testing the possible limitations and opportunities of alternative subtitling practices focused on translating meaning expressed through any element (visual, auditory, verbal, or non-verbal).
Can we really say we are making a film accessible when we subtitle only one of its modes?
If in a Portuguese film or documentary someone pinches their earlobe without saying anything, how are British viewers, for example, expected to understand that it means ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ when that hand gesture is unfamiliar to them? More worryingly, how can we avoid Italian viewers, for example, from misunderstanding the situation when in their culture the same gesture has a sexual and offensive connotation?
This project challenges the assumption that audiovisual content is made accessible when only verbal resources are translated. It makes an innovative contribution to the subtitling industry by reviewing current subtitling practices, testing the possible limitations and opportunities of alternative subtitling practices focused on translating meaning expressed through any element (visual, auditory, verbal, or non-verbal).
This project has three main strands:
STRAND 1. Conduct interviews with professionals involved in production and distribution
This includes a series of interviews with film directors, producers, and distributors to better understand how they understand viewers' meaning-making processes and how that influences how they produce audiovisual content. This strand also aims to collect data on these professionals' understanding of subtitling, its purpose, and its process.
COMPLETED
STRAND 2. Collect data on subtitling professionals' attitudes and perceptions
This includes a large survey and a series of interviews among subtitling professionals and project managers to better understand:
- how they understand subtitling and its possible limitations
- how they normally deal with meaning expressed non-verbally when subtitling,
- how they perceive alternative subtitling practices and the implications a change in practice might have on their workflow and training
COMPLETED
STRAND 3. Guidelines for Enhanced Subtitling
This includes the development of an analytical framework capable of accounting for the multimodal nature of audiovisual products, together with a set of guidelines for the newly developed Enhanced Subtitling, in which meaning expressed visually and auditorily, verbally and non-verbally, is translated through the use of subtitles and additional titles on screen.
The aim is not to replace current subtitling practice, but to develop an alternative practice that enhances accessibility and the viewing experience.
Related to this, see the project "Subtitling of Clear Shadows: an action research project on enhanced subtitling"
The aim is not to replace current subtitling practice, but to develop an alternative practice that enhances accessibility and the viewing experience.
Related to this, see the project "Subtitling of Clear Shadows: an action research project on enhanced subtitling"
COMPLETED
STRAND 4. Collect empirical data on viewers' reception and perception
This will include a series of experimental reception studies taking advantage of eye-tracking technology, questionnaires and interviews. The aim is to collect data on:
- the impact of current subtitling practices in maintaining or eliminating the source text’s layers of meaning;
- the impact of innovative subtitling practices in maintaining or eliminating the source text’s layers of meaning, and
- the viewers’ expectations and attitudes regarding different subtitling practices.