A Practical Proposal for the Training of Respeakers

Abstract

In the field of Audiovisual Translation, some disciplines still have a long way to go in terms of visibility. Speech recognition-based subtitling, also known as respeaking, is a case in point. Even though it seems to be consolidating as the preferred method of providing intralingual live subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing in many TV channels, it is far from being consolidated regarding research and especially teaching. Building on the research carried out so far in the field, the present article attempts to tackle the question of the training of respeakers. First of all, respeaking is presented, described and compared to subtitling and interpreting. Then, a full account is given of the skills required for a respeaker, whether they are to be obtained from subtitling, interpreting or specifically from respeaking. Finally, a practical proposal for the training of respeakers is put forward by way of practical exercises geared at providing students with the required skills.