As editors Díaz Cintas and Nikolić begin their introduction to this collection by pointing out, we are living at a time when technological advances have been driving a rapid global expansion in internet connectivity and in the availability of multiple types of audiovisual (AV) content in different languages across a wide range of platforms and devices. Concomitantly, the roles and responsibilities of audiovisual translation (AVT) and of translators of media content are multiplying, and the imperative to gain a better understanding of them is greater than ever. Fast-Forwarding with Audiovisual Translation makes a significant contribution to achieving this goal, in that it presents a comprehensive and forward-looking collection of research that examines several of the most significant parts that AVT and translators of AV material play in contemporary AV communication and the accompanying ethical issues. These include the attempt to better understand the needs of viewers of different ages and with varying sensory abilities, as well as the complexities and competences involved in producing AVTs, with the ultimate objective of improving the quality of AVTs and users’ access to translated AV content. This collection is moreover concerned with the educational benefits that AVTs can provide, and with manipulations that can arise during the interlinguistic and intercultural mediation processes of AVT, as well as the implications in terms of cultural representation.
In their introduction, Díaz Cintas and Nikolić highlight the huge shift in human communication in recent decades from page to screen and trace the rise of AVT, providing an informative and wide-ranging update on the state of the art in AVT research and professional practice. The editors then present the twelve chapters in this collection authored by seventeen contributors and organised into four parts.
Part 1 investigates strategies adopted by AV translators and considers the implications of choices made in terms of interlinguistic and intercultural transfer and representation. In Chapter 1, Minutella explores the various ways in which the multilingual Bollywood film My Name Is Khan has been manipulated as it has undergone production, distribution and translation/dubbing/adaptation processes before being presented to Italian-speaking audiences. Also examining multilingualism and multiculturalism with a focus on India and Italy, in Chapter 2, Manfredi considers issues of domestication and foreignisation in the dubbing of a multicultural sitcom for young viewers, focusing on the translation of culture-specific items. In Chapter 3, Izwaini examines censorship and manipulation in the subtitling of US films and TV series into Arabic.
Part 2 examines cognitive aspects of the reception and process of producing AVTs. Firstly, in Chapter 4, Szarkowska, Krejtz and Krejtz report on the findings of their eye tracking experiment investigating whether displaying subtitles over shot changes causes viewers to re-read the subtitles. In Chapter 5, Perego tests whether dubbed TV programmes hold any advantages over subtitled programmes for older viewers, and whether age has any effect on viewers’ processing of both forms of AVT. Moreover, the author discusses the potential benefits of subtitles for older and younger viewers. In Chapter 6, Deckert applies a descriptive model that draws on cognitive linguistics to examine the construction of meaning in subtitling. In Chapter 7, Hvelplund explores the under-researched area of cognitive processes involved in dubbing, and measures translators’ allocation of cognitive resources during the process of translating for dubbing.
Part 3 is concerned with competences, guidelines and provisions for the professional production of AVTs. In Chapter 8, Mazur presents findings of the ADLAB project identifying audio description crisis points as a starting point for creating common European audio description (AD) guidelines. Chapter 9 reports on Morettini’s corpus study which seeks to determine which subtitling competences are most sought after by AVT and media companies. In Chapter 10, Gürkan and Díaz Cintas analyse the current situation in Turkey as regards the provision of subtitling for viewers who are D/deaf or hard of hearing.
Part 4 considers certain educational benefits of AVT. In Chapter 11, Ibáñez Moreno and Vermeulen address whether producing ADs can boost students’ (meta)linguistic competence as learners of other languages. In Chapter 12, the last chapter of the volume, De Ridder and O’Connell present the findings of a study which employs corpus linguistics methods to determine to what extent the Belgian variety of Dutch is used in subtitles on Flemish public television and considers the implications in terms of language planning for this minority language.
Due to the surge in media accessibility research in recent years, I would argue that to read this burgeoning field described as one of the “lesser-known areas of research […] gradually becoming part of the remit of AVT” (13) now seems somewhat out of step. However, Fast-Forwarding with Audiovisual Translation provides a comprehensive collection of innovative, invaluable research that contributes to our understanding of major issues in the field and constitutes essential reading for scholars of AVT.
Sharon Black
Queen’s University Belfast
E-mail: sharon.black@qub.ac.uk