Audiovisual Translation  MA

In this module you will gain an overview of the audiovisual translation (AVT) industries, including different forms of avt work, market-driven volumes and professional practices within the different sectors of the industry. 

You will critically engage with the effects of internationalisation and the knowledge sets required in addition to core translation skills such as understanding the business aspects of international co-productions.

You will look at current industry trends and the problems associated with multi-platform distribution models. 

The module also familiarises you with the terminology sets for film production and the film-making process, helping you to develop strategies for documentary and terminological research. 

This module introduces you to the translation process and the specific translation problems and constraints within audiovisual translation.

You will explore methods of dealing with the linguistic, semiotic and technical features of av translation and will be equipped with the ability to research and evaluate appropriate procedures for solving micro- and macro-level translation problems such as the translation of metaphors, humour in translation, non-standard language use (taboo language, ambiguity, slang, colloquialisms, regional dialects), and genre-specific requirements (such as poetry, drama and children's literature).

In this module you will focus on the technical and professional requirements and skills necessary for subtitling.

These include research and documentation related to a variety of av source material, an understanding of industry norms and their application and the technical mastery and critical evaluation of different subtitling software.

You will also examine the norms and requirements governing the creation of industry-standard English master files, including concepts of standardisation in multilingual DVD production; explicitation, adaptation and localisation of culturally specific concepts and content, etc.

The linguistic range of the module is intra-lingual (English language), allowing you to focus on the technical and research aspects necessary for the production of effective industry-standard subtitles which can be used as master files or mono-lingual closed-caption files for the hard of hearing. 

This module allows you to explore interlingual audiovisual translation and the factors which impact on the transfer of multimodal meaning between two cultural and linguistic systems.

You will analyse the range of culturally specific modes of oral forms, the relevance of visual and aural stimuli and their interaction with each other.

You will be equipped with the strategies to handle the limitations imposed by subtitling, identify core meanings and contextualise these appropriately within the new lingua-cultural environment.

You will engage with a range of genres, drawing on material from documentaries, news, cartoons, tv series, drama, thrillers, period drama, comedy, etc. 

This module familiarises you with the particulars of dubbing and voice-over. It addresses the specific problems of off-and on-screen synchronization techniques.

You will consider the constraints of AVT, focusing on speech patterns, rhythms and lip movements. You will practise translating dialogue that conveys narrative meaning while adapting the foreign language dialogue to match original language lip movements.

In addition to producing written translations of dialogue within the technical environment of relevant subtitling software, you will also become familiar with the recording process and will produce revoicing and over-voicing in different genres. 

This module familiarises you with audio description for film and television and the contexts for its production.

It identifies the main techniques and interpretative frameworks used to  make films and tv programmes accessible to blind and visually impaired viewers.

You will be introduced to the decision-making processes involved in constructing an effective audio description.

These include identification of essential and non-essential onscreen action or mise-en-scene, critical awareness of the extent of narrative description and cultural dispositions for the range of emotive inflection.

You will acquire the ability to interpret and explain a complex narrative, fitting this to the constraints posed by diegetic dialogue and sound effects. 

In this module you will study the specifics of producing and translating texts occupying the interface between written and spoken discourse.

These may be audio guides for sighted visitors, audio description for the partially sighted or blind, or a combination of the two.

You will analyse the different text conventions and learn how to research, plan and script / translate guides for specific purposes.

You will be introduced to and apply the principles of discourse analysis, contrastive text type conventions, and the relevance of style in translation (linked to domains-specific language features).

You will become familiar with the work of educational departments and issues of accessibility. Texts are drawn from a wide variety of appropriate sources.  

This module introduces you to the production of screenplays and the role of translated screenplays in the international film financing process.

It identifies the principles of screenwriting and visual storytelling, character and story, scene construction and the function of dialogue and their relevance for translation, relating these to industry norms in terms of length, pacing, macrostructure, etc.

You will be introduced to the relevant screenwriting software, layout and formatting conventions and how these formal features are linked to the constraints that must be observed in translating screenplays.

You will consider the constituent text types of screenplays,  analysing their linguistic and textual features, as well as their function within the screenplay.

You will explore a range of translation strategies and procedures and assess their suitability for rendering the a wide range of language forms.

Translation is a process-oriented activity involving many roles besides the translator who often works as part of a project team.

You will examine how, prior to receiving  a text for translation, a number of processes have to be performed, such as client negotiation and agreement of the brief (assessing the source text for characteristics including quality, length, linguistic complexity, file formats, tm-suitability etc., availability of supporting materials, timeline, multi-lingual spread, skopos, pricing, etc).

You will also examine the transfer phase (which is supported by terminology research, domain-specific searches, identification of  translation problems such as linguistic ambiguity and conceptual gaps, etc.) and the post-transfer phase of reviewing, revising, proofreading, file conversions and client-specified formatting.