Subtitling and captioning

The Scientific Bulletin of the Politehnica University of Timişoara , 2021

The current paper aims to analyse the main features and the limitations of the online automatic subtitling platforms. Based on different applications such as: video-to-text transcription programs, machine translation programs, and text segmenters, automatic subtitling involves a complex workflow and is meant to enhance the productivity of the professional subtitler. There are very few studies about the online subtitling platforms, therefore, the analysis we carried on will provide comprehensive empirical data and will contribute to a better knowledge of these innovative systems.

PhD Thesis, 2017

Social Semiotics 26 (1): 59-75, 2016

The framework which governs subtitles and viewers’ comments is investigated in this study, through five film clips-parodies of the same movie, which are subtitled in the Cypriot dialect with different linguistic content every time. The study focuses on the semiotic role of subtitling and the examination of text content and meaning. Also, subtitle characteristics and typographic practices for the transcription of subtitles into a language system which lacks an official and widely accepted orthographic system are examined. As for the visual rendering of the Cypriot dialect in subtitling, the study proposes that the use of typography by fansubbers, facilitated by technology proliferation, often results in failure of legibility, cohesion and comprehension of the text, while projecting a sense of orality and improvisation. The main concluding remark is that subtitling is used as a semiotic tool in visual communication as it operates as a “semiotic switch” in the expected production of semiosis by the language of the text and the production of semiosis by the subtitles.

2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Italian fansubbing phenomenon through an analysis of the beliefs and practices of two online communities: ItaSA and Subsfactory . The present study builds upon prior research related to amateur translation conducted by Bogucki, and found in Diaz-Cintas and Anderman (2009). In the concluding remarks of his paper, “Amateur Subtitling on the Internet”, the author states the lack of feasibility of investigating the work of fansubbers, since the unpredictability of their work and their linguistic incompetence deprive their translations of any potential credibility. He argues, however, that if amateur subtitling were to become near-professional, fansubbed versions should be subjected to a translation quality assessment and, therefore, contrasted with professional subtitling. Thus, since the quality of Italian fansubs has improved over time, being produced under conditions almost comparable with those found in the professional environment, th...

2020

An approach to Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Audience in Greece, 2009

Subtitling for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) is a relatively new branch in the field of audiovisual translation. From a technological and a social point of view, SDH could be characterised as ‘mature’, ‘advancing’ or ‘totally absent’ in different countries. Surprisingly enough, Greece belongs to the second category, although only since 2006, through a single source (ERTdigital) and with the need of special equipment, which is also why little, if any, material can be found on the process, the distribution and the aims and prospects of SDH in Greece. The purpose of this dissertation is to approach the practice through examples of audiovisual material that could possibly be of interest to television viewers. Those examples and the process followed are presented in the first chapter. Considering the ‘infancy’ of SDH in Greece, a brief theoretical background including discussions on the current role of SDH in Greek television, as well as a detailed commentary on the choices made regarding the linguistic and technical dimension involved in the production of SDH in the examples of chapter 1 were considered crucial and were, thus, included in the second and third chapter. A further aim is to highlight the importance of specific kinds of information that need to be illustrated for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HOH) and possible ways in which this could be processed both theoretically and practically. The process followed for the production of SDH will be based on official guidelines, while the strengths and weaknesses of the guidelines will be discussed on the grounds of viewers’ needs. The information presented is the outcome of research, discussions and exchange of data with national organisations and people involved in the production of SDH in Europe. The dissertation attempts to explore the process of SDH, identify its role in Greece and suggest ways in which it could further develop in the future.

Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning, 2012

The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Translation, 2017

Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Spoken Language Translation, 2020