The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation

Ed. Jorge Díaz Cintas (2008 )

Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 263 pp.

Reviewed by: Simona Sangiorgi

Interactions and interrelations between the field of audiovisual translation (AVT) and that of didactics may produce fruitful results. The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation certainly provides a tangible argument in favor of such a position. As a matter of fact, this volume offers a stimulating synthesis of “academic” and “professional” spheres, i.e., of general theoretical principles and specific practical resources (including a cd rom with materials such as exercises, film clips, and a subtitling software program) that has beneficial effects not only on the world of scientific research focusing on strategies or techniques to be applied when translating audiovisual documents, but also on the training of interpreters and translators and, consequently, on the level of professional practice. In particular, the work of the several contributors presented by Jorge Díaz Cintas provides useful ideas, suggestions, and innovative approaches to lecturers, researchers and students who are interested in the study of audiovisual translation, or also in exploiting audiovisual translation modes such as subtitling, dubbing or voice-over as means for teaching or learning foreign languages. Thus, The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation goes beyond the status of “book”. It may be defined as an up-to-date multidimensional and multi-modal tool which may encourage a wider conception of the act of translation and, consequently, the construction of alternative frameworks within the sphere of language. The collective volume is organized according to four main parts, which include fifteen studies addressing a wide range of issues. The multiplicity of approaches featured by this work has also an international character since the authors are experienced scholars, academics, and professionals from South Africa, the Americas, and Europe. The first part, “Inside AVT”, may be seen as an in-depth investigation of the “basics” of AVT, i.e., the semiotic dimension of audiovisual documents, and the role of screen-writing as a fundamental component of both the audiovisual product and the specific training courses. Patrick Zabalbeascoa opens this part and describes the complex and transversal interactions and combinations among the several constituents of audiovisual texts, thus demonstrating, also by means of practical examples, the permeability of those boundaries that seem to separate the audio, visual, verbal, and nonverbal levels. Patrick Catrysse and Yves Gambier focus on screenwriting and the main “mechanisms” and dynamics of this process. Their main point is that promoting the specific study and practice of the methods and strategies adopted by professionals, particularly as far as the narrative and rhetorical devices are concerned, may improve the transmission of dialogues and scripts to the target audience, and thus the quality of translation itself. Aline Remael offers further analysis on subtitling and its crucial role as “communicative bridge” between the visual, the spoken, and the written dimensions of language. The second part, “Hands-on Experience in AVT”, addresses the practical side of AVT. Jan-Louis Kruger explains how training in specialist fields such as technical translation, audiovisual translation, and software localization may be successful if it is based on a solid knowledge of language not only in terms of language practice, but also in terms of theoretical principles. His article is followed by Jorge Díaz Cintas, who offers a number of observations aimed at making readers aware of the notions, principles, and theoretical and practical conditions that should be considered in order to teach a module on subtitling. Moreover, his contribution includes several practical exercises for students and a subtitling program. Training courses and their development in terms of technologies and didactics are also the object of Eduard Bartoll and Pilar Orero’s article, who particularly focus on online courses and on the experience offered by the online masters level degree at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Anna Matamala explores another “region” of the complex world of audiovisual translation, i.e., that of voice-over, which has recently attracted increasing attention within academic research and teaching, but still presents some “voids” waiting to be filled. Particular attention is devoted to the teaching and learning methods to be adopted in courses on voice-over, and the chapter also includes several materials to be used by students of this topic. Frederic Chaume’s chapter provides a detailed analysis of dubbing as one of the main audiovisual transfer methods adopted for the translation of films, cartoons, commercials, and other television productions. He then considers dubbing in the didactic perspective, identifies the main difficulties that may be encountered when teaching a dubbing course, which are mainly related to synchronization between the spoken text and the image, and offers some guidelines to teachers. Miguel Bernal-Merino indicates the main points at issue in the translation of videogames and suggests a closer collaboration between academia and the localization industry in order to develop specialized training in videogame localization. Fernando Toda closes the second part by presenting a collaborative project which involves institutions, professionals, academics, and students from different European countries and offers intensive courses in the several areas of AVT aimed at promoting the study and practice of AVT at a European level. The third part, “AVT for special needs”, explores functions, techniques, and practices of special forms of AVT aimed at people with sensory impairment. The first contribution is by Josélia Neves, who illustrates the special strategies, techniques and methods that should be involved in training programs on subtitling for dDeaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH) people, in order to improve the quality and efficacy of the messages conveyed and of the whole rendering process. Audio description (AD) is the object of Joel Snyder’s article, which describes the development of this form of “translation”, and provides readers with useful indications and exercises that may be used in teaching AD to students. The volume’s last part, “AVT in language learning”, explores some forms of subtitling as potential resource for foreign language teaching learning. Jorge Díaz Cintas and Marco Fernández Cruz present the findings obtained from a series of research works aimed at evaluating the role and impact of subtitled video materials within the process of foreign language learning. They come to the view that the use of these materials has beneficial effects at several phases of foreign language teaching and learning, and that teachers should include them as a main teaching strategy. Maria Pavesi and Elisa Perego investigate the contribution of subtitles on second language acquisition (SLA) further, and then they focus on a particular type of subtitles, i.e., SLA-oriented, interlingual subtitles, which are specifically employed in “incidental” SLA situations. Vera Lúcia Santiago Araújo closes the volume by presenting the findings of a research she conducted in order to investigate whether and how subtitled films may help students of English as a foreign language (EFL) in improving their comprehension and speaking abilities. Her study reinforces the idea that subtitled video materials are beneficial learning resources and thus calls for more research in this sense. One of the most common arguments that animate the debate about AVT studies is that research is often based on scattered approaches, and that many research works seem to touch a number of theoretical and practical issues without exploring them in depth. This book, besides offering a wide and at the same time detailed overview of the production and reception process, and pedagogical value of audiovisual translation, may be considered a possible materialization of guidelines to be followed in the future in order to discourage fragmentation. As a matter of fact, the form and content of The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation are organized in a way that the plurality of research objects, analytical perspectives, and practical activities related to AVT results into a single volume. This provides students, teachers, and scholars with a “map” of the multifaceted AVT disciplinary area, and encourages more awareness in the orientation and development of further research and diffusion of AVT in its academic and professional perspectives.
Review of The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation by Simona Sangiorgi & inTRAlinea is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribuzione-Non opere derivate 3.0 Unported License.