3403LHS: Audiovisual Translation - Challenges and Opportunities

This case study delves into the multifaceted world of audiovisual translation, examining the challenges and opportunities that arise in the digital age. It explores the impact of new communication technologies on translation practices, particularly in dubbing, voice-over, and subtitling. The study highlights the importance of adapting content for diverse audiences, including the sensory impaired, and addresses the complexities of linguistic and cultural differences in film and media. It further discusses the issues in translating humor, the significance of audio description, and the evolution of audiovisual translation as a creative field. The analysis emphasizes the need for consistent strategies in cultural transfer and the importance of meeting the intercultural skills of audiences, concluding with a reflection on the future of audiovisual translation and its role in a globalized world.

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English Language and Linguistics
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Issues in Audiovisual Translation
New communication technologies have emerged at the turn of the 21st century due to the
digital revolution. The new media and their amplified interactive consumption have influenced
the social and political frameworks across the globe. Audiovisual translation is the fastest
growing component within the field of translation and translation studies. With the dissemination
of audiovisual texts, the cross-cultural interactions have become fast and far-reaching at a global
level. It is challenging for the Audiovisual Translation industry to meet the expectations of
much-varied audiences that also include the sensory impaired and to deliver a translation that is
true to the original.
Audiovisual materials use two codes, the image, and the sound. There are three types of
audiovisual translation, dubbing, voice-over and subtitling (Balaci, 2015). Dubbing replaces the
source language with the target language, the voice-over imposes a target language translation
over the source language and subtitling preserves the original soundtrack but gives a visual
image of the translation as subtitles. Audiovisual translation is made of several overlapping
components like media translation, multimedia translation, multimodal translation and screen
translation (Chiaro, 2008). The interlingual transfer of verbal language employ these different
terms both visually and acoustically. Some kind of electronic devices is used in the process of
Audiovisual translations. The field of audiovisual translation is audiovisual and multimedial in
nature. Audiovisual Translation faces both challenges and opportunities. The studies on
audiovisual translation reflect how the medium brings together knowledge of traditional media,
audience reception, different languages and cultures (Bollettieri, Di Giovanni, & Rossato, 2014).
According to Bollettieri, Di Giovanni, & Rossato, (2014), the audiovisual translation in
connection to the web redefines the role of the writer and translator when fostering intercultural

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dialogue. Because of the extended use of audiovisual translation modes in global news, business
negotiations, criminal trials, and political conflicts, there is more and more international contact
(Kang & Nam, 2015). Thus, it becomes imperative to understand how different
translation modes work from culture
A large and varied audience
Today, a large number of communities all over the planet engage with Audiovisual text
which has become more varied and sophisticated over the years. In the new media ecology, one
comes across various audiovisual genres to create immersive experiences for the masses (Pérez-
González, 2014). Audiences today are becoming more specialized and demanding as well as
heterogeneous. New modalities, techniques, and practices are emerging in the field of
Audiovisual Translation where the modes are no longer monolithic. The Audiovisual Translation
techniques and practices need to be continuously updated and reconfigured to meet the growing
needs and challenges (Bollettieri, Di Giovanni, & Rossato, 2014). Its distribution and reception
are expected to cross the national, cultural and social boundaries. The audiences today come
from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Reaching across different disciplines and
various spaces beyond cultural boundaries remains a challenge for Audiovisual Translation texts.
The two critical aspects of Audiovisual Translation texts are the content and the audiences
(Bollettieri, Di Giovanni, & Rossato, 2014). The audiovisual texts need to be shaped so that they
are understood by the target audiences adequately. The translated text and sound should be
comprehensible to the largest number of consumers across communal, regional and social
identities. While it is significant to remain in close adherence with the original, the final output
should be emotionally comprehensible and connecting to the consumer.
Linguistic differences

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Films are a popular medium across the globe, and the intralingual “translation” of a film
can impact how well the film is understood and received. Linguistic differences are one of the
most significant challenges for a film that is to be released for an international audience. As
language and culture are deeply tangled, the Audiovisual translators carry the onus of making a
translation that is culturally embedded (Ramière, 2006). The translation of cultural specifics
remains one of the most challenging areas of intercultural transfer and tests the limits of
translation. The cultural identity of local English-speaking communities impacts the linguistic
varieties in audiovisual translations. Films are beyond linguistics and translation and need to be
seen as cultural objects (Bollettieri, Di Giovanni, & Rossato, 2014). Film script translation and
the audiovisual dubbing process may tend to be less respectful to the original translation. What
adds to the issues is the involvement of different people at different stages of translation and
dubbing (Orero, 2004). Although dubbing follows more or less the same steps in the studies in
different countries, the final result may change, based on the country and the studio. The
translators, the readers, and the proofreaders may stray too far from the original meaning of the
text. Thus, the Audiovisual translation procedure in case of the films is a complex process that
relies on many different factors, stages and the technicians involved. (Orero, 2004). Audiovisual
translators often face the problem of translation of humor as humor does not function in
isolation. Some kind of humor crosses socio-cultural, linguistic, geographic and personal
boundaries (Balaci, 2015). The first challenge for the translators’ is to understand the humor in
the source text and provoke a similar effect in the translated material. Some information might be
omitted or added because of space-time limitations and comprehension problems in the target
language that may not have the corresponding terms as stated by Balaci (2015).
For the sensory impaired

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Audio description widens the accessibility to visual media for all individuals. Still, the
Audiovisual texts and translations face the challenge of fulfilling the needs of sensory impaired
members of the society. The audio-description by blind and visually impaired audience need a
legislative framework for the audiovisual media (Bollettieri, Di Giovanni, & Rossato, 2014).
Audio subtitling (AST) in some countries such as the Netherlands is used with the
primary objective making the foreign TV programs accessible for those who are visually
impaired and for people with language impairments and even for the elderly (Braun & Orero,
2010). A speech-synthesis computer converts the text into speech and a signal using a special
decoder is transmitted to the users who enjoy the broadcast without disturbing the program.
People with sensory disabilities such as poor vision or impaired hearing need a more engaging
and entertaining experience. The vocabulary and audio description should be more
precise and emotive so that they can feel the text and the vivid descriptions (Walczak, 2017).
Past studies reflect that the sensory impaired members are enthusiastic about the creative
descriptions as they are more captivating. Audio description standards should interpret the
images subjectively faithfully and make the content more realistic. However, these rules are
difficult to apply for the artistic cinema genres as asserted by Walczak (2017). One of the major
concerns is the acceptability of synthetic speech with the help of AST. The audio description and
voice-over could be further improved (Braun & Orero, 2010). The consumer should not hear just
a simple ‘reading out’ of the subtitles on the screen. Creativity, as well as proper planning and
use of trained describers and talents, can enhance the experience of such users.
Audiovisual translation is still in its infancy but provides new scopes of progress and
improvement. It is a creative way that paves the way for developing linguistic competence and
technical know-how. It demands professional behavior to deliver ideational clarity, technological

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accuracy and linguistic acceptability (Orero, 2004). As the audience and consumers of
Audiovisual text are in an intercultural position, the translators carry the responsibility of the
cultural transfer of the content and meet the intercultural skills and readiness of the audiences.
It is also seen that native English-speaking audiences do not judge the accuracy of
foreign-language speakers in a positive manner. The speech confluency of nonnative English
speakers may generate negative assessments among native English-speaking audiences (Kang &
Nam, 2015). This can significantly affect the subtitle and voiceover modes in media-rich content.
Conclusion
In the era of globalization and global media and mass media systems, where Audiovisual
translation is finding an increasingly important place and use, it is essential to understand the
issues and challenges faced by the medium. Although the mass media systems have become
increasingly advanced and are more attuned than before, the industry of Audiovisual translation
is still at an early stage. There are new emerging practices and theoretical frameworks to address
new challenges that face in the production and consumption of audiovisual texts. The question of
how translation is handled for subtitles, voiceover, dubbing, and live translation can impact the
final result and how the consumers receive it. The mode of translation can raise concerns about
the accuracy of the final translation and may lead to biased judgments. The quality of audio
subtitling, audio description, and voice-over need further improvements with a variety of
strategies, especially for the sensory impaired audiences. The audiovisual translation should
follow consistent strategies when translating cultural specifics and meet the ends of wide and
varies audiences. As the field of Audiovisual translation gets vast and enhanced due to the rising
expectations and advancing technologies, the significant concerns revolve around the
responsibility towards cultural transfer and the authenticity of the translated material. The field

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of translation is rather complex, not just because of the technical aspects, but the potentially
diverse audiences.

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References
Braun, S .& Orero, P. (2010). Audio description with audio subtitling - an emergent modality of
audiovisual localisation. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 18(3), 173–188.
Balaci, A. (2015). What kind of problems does the translator of AV material (Sex in the City)
face and how are these resolved? Treball de fi de grau, 1(1), 1–30.
Bollettieri, R. M., Di Giovanni, E. & Rossato, L. (2014). New Challenges in Audiovisual
Translation, Across Screens Across Boundaries Retrieved from
http://www.intralinea.org/specials/article/new_challenges_in_audiovisual_translation
Chiaro, D. (2008). Issues in Audiovisual Translation in M. J. Last Editor (Ed.), The Routledge
Companion to Translation Studies (25). Routledge, Publisher.
Kang, S., & Nam, Y. (2015). Effect of Audiovisual Translation Mode on Perceived Truthfulness
of Stories on Video. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 43(1), 137–
144.
Pérez-González, L. (2014). Audiovisual Translation. Routledge, 1(1), 1–15.
Orero, P. (2004). Topics in Audiovisual Translation. John Benjamins Publishing, 1(1), 1–227.
Ramière, N. (2006). Reaching a Foreign Audience: Cultural Transfers in Audiovisual
Translation. The Journal of Specialized Translation, 6(1), 152–156.
Walczak, A. (2017). Creative Description: Audio Describing Artistic Films for Individuals with
Visual Impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 111(4), 387.

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