From darkness to light in subtitling
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Elena Di Giovanni
Abstract
This paper focuses on the status of subtitling in Italy, an activity which is often neglected by researchers as well as audiences, notwithstanding its being on the increase thanks to DVD distribution, the proliferation of satellite channels and, more significantly, of film festivals.
In referring to Abe Mark Nornes’ advocacy of “abusive subtitling”, this paper wishes to bring the practice of subtitling in Italy out of the darkness, shedding light on some of the most interesting opportunities it offers for the diffusion of otherwise ignored cinematic products as well as for subtitlers’ training and academic research. Drawing inspiration from the experience carried out at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators in Forlì, Italy, in the production of subtitles by students involved in an international film festival on human rights, this paper sets out to advocate the power of subtitling in Italy and strive to bring it out of its position of obscurity. Even though its force can still be felt on a limited scale, subtitling can go far in enhancing knowledge of extremely remote cultures and, from an academic perspective, it ought to encourage more systematic, interdisciplinary research while also contributing to students’ individual and professional growth.
Abstract
This paper focuses on the status of subtitling in Italy, an activity which is often neglected by researchers as well as audiences, notwithstanding its being on the increase thanks to DVD distribution, the proliferation of satellite channels and, more significantly, of film festivals.
In referring to Abe Mark Nornes’ advocacy of “abusive subtitling”, this paper wishes to bring the practice of subtitling in Italy out of the darkness, shedding light on some of the most interesting opportunities it offers for the diffusion of otherwise ignored cinematic products as well as for subtitlers’ training and academic research. Drawing inspiration from the experience carried out at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators in Forlì, Italy, in the production of subtitles by students involved in an international film festival on human rights, this paper sets out to advocate the power of subtitling in Italy and strive to bring it out of its position of obscurity. Even though its force can still be felt on a limited scale, subtitling can go far in enhancing knowledge of extremely remote cultures and, from an academic perspective, it ought to encourage more systematic, interdisciplinary research while also contributing to students’ individual and professional growth.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction: Audiovisual translation comes of age 1
- Recent developments and challenges in audiovisual translation research 11
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Part 1. Electronic databases and corpora
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ICT approaches
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring macrostructures 37
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring microstructures 51
- New tools for translators: INTCA, an electronic dictionary of interjections 63
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Linguistic approaches
- Spoken language in film dubbing: Target language norms, interference and translational routines 79
- High felicity: A speech act approach to quality assessment in subtitling 101
- Inserts in modern script-writing and their translation into Spanish 117
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Part 2. Perception and quality
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Empirical approaches
- The perception of dubbese: An Italian study 135
- Acceptance of the norm or suspension of disbelief? The case of formulaic language in dubbese 149
- Measuring the perception of the screen translation of Un Posto al Sole : A cross-cultural study 165
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Cultural and psycholinguistic approaches
- Taming teen-language: The adaptation of Buffyspeak into Italian 183
- From darkness to light in subtitling 197
- Subtitles and line-breaks: Towards improved readability 211
-
Socio-economic approaches
- The localization of promotional discourse on the internet 227
- Issues of quality in screen translation: Problems and solutions 241
- References 257
- Filmography 285
- Index 289
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Introduction: Audiovisual translation comes of age 1
- Recent developments and challenges in audiovisual translation research 11
-
Part 1. Electronic databases and corpora
-
ICT approaches
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring macrostructures 37
- Forlixt 1 – The Forlì Corpus of Screen Translation: Exploring microstructures 51
- New tools for translators: INTCA, an electronic dictionary of interjections 63
-
Linguistic approaches
- Spoken language in film dubbing: Target language norms, interference and translational routines 79
- High felicity: A speech act approach to quality assessment in subtitling 101
- Inserts in modern script-writing and their translation into Spanish 117
-
Part 2. Perception and quality
-
Empirical approaches
- The perception of dubbese: An Italian study 135
- Acceptance of the norm or suspension of disbelief? The case of formulaic language in dubbese 149
- Measuring the perception of the screen translation of Un Posto al Sole : A cross-cultural study 165
-
Cultural and psycholinguistic approaches
- Taming teen-language: The adaptation of Buffyspeak into Italian 183
- From darkness to light in subtitling 197
- Subtitles and line-breaks: Towards improved readability 211
-
Socio-economic approaches
- The localization of promotional discourse on the internet 227
- Issues of quality in screen translation: Problems and solutions 241
- References 257
- Filmography 285
- Index 289
