Topics in Audiovisual Translation

Book excerpt: The late twentieth-century transition from a paper-oriented to a media-oriented society has triggered the emergence of Audiovisual Translation as the most dynamic and fastest developing trend within Translation Studies. The growing interest in this area is a clear indication that this discipline is going to set the agenda for the theory, research, training and practice of translation in the twenty-first century. Even so, this remains a largely underdeveloped field and much needs to be done to put Screen Translation, Multimedia Translation or the wider implications of Audiovisual Translation on a par with other fields within Translation Studies. In this light, this collection of essays reflects not only the “state of the art” in the research and teaching of Audiovisual Translation, but also the professionals’ experiences. The different contributions cover issues ranging from reflections on professional activities, to theory, the impact of ideology on Audiovisual Translation, and the practices of teaching and researching this new and challenging discipline.In expanding further the ground covered by the John Benjamins’ book (Multi)Media Translation (2001), this book seeks to provide readers with a deeper insight into some of the specific concepts, problems, aims and terminology of Audiovisual Translation, and, by this token, to make these specificities emerge from within the wider nexus of Translation Studies, Film Studies and Media Studies. In a quickly developing technical audiovisual world, Audiovisual Translation Studies is set to become the academic field that will address the complex cultural issues of a pervasively media-oriented society.