The Linguist

@Linguist_CIOL AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 13 MULTILINGUAL TV There are also time restraints. A character may be speaking quickly so a 'full translation' won't fit on screen and we have to go with a shorter alternative. We might also want to know whether a direct translation is appropriate or whether we should localise a bit for the audience. Some agencies prefer a translation that reads more like the source language sounds, even if the joke/word doesn't work as well in the target language. For example, the word bravo in French can be translated as 'bravo' in English, but today we would more commonly say 'well done', as 'bravo' sounds quite dated. In fact there is a pedagogical argument to avoid over- translating/localising, so the subtitler would not translate certain names, such as festival titles or culinary dishes, leaving viewers to look them up if they are interested. It may also be easier for language learners if the translation is direct. For instance, in French people often say Non, mais… and although we don't say 'No, but…' in English in the same way, a direct translation may be appropriate. How to work together Working independently and at one's own pace is wonderful and liberating, but a subtitler has to make difficult choices and omit certain information to fit the message on screen, in keeping with reading speeds and shot changes. In a recent Instagram Live session, subtitling expert Jorge Díaz Cintas and translator Daniela Costa discussed the lack of professional resources in the subtitling industry and the need to enhance creative collaboration. 1 Subtitlers of all levels have little or no guidance regarding the audiovisual material at hand and no way of consulting the dubbing team to compare translation choices. A film or television series will be translated slightly differently for dubbing and subtitling for many reasons, including the human brain's ability to process the spoken word faster than the written word and the educational aspects mentioned previously. However, a lot could be gained from the two teams collaborating and maintaining a level of consistency. Furthermore, how can audiovisual translators expect to improve their skills and practice if they never receive feedback, constructive or otherwise? From accidentally using the wrong language variant (e.g. UK vs US English) to an overuse of exclamation marks or poor segmentation, we can only learn from our mistakes if they are identified. So what is the solution? A truly transparent and collaborative process may never be the norm, but the technology that allows us to Zoom across continents, Live Chat with customer services and Slack among colleagues already exists, and incorporating them into a desktop-based profession is not a huge leap. The new platform OOONA provides online tools for subtitling and captioning, including a cloud service that automatically backs up work. Models such as this could potentially incorporate chat plugins, enabling a more seamless conversation between project managers, translators, proofreaders and quality controllers. In the past five years alone I have seen amazing advancements in subtitling software, such as the ability to preset in-house guidelines, import scripts and automatically generate subtitles from audio. While many will want to explore the possibilities of integrating artificial intelligence (machine translation) as an aid, I believe adding more humans to the process would produce much better and sustainable results. As subtitlers, we need to protect our profession, and the best way of doing this is by working together. Notes 1 ATA Audiovisual Division, Instagram Live session; instagram.com/p/CMpfEISn_4P/ DRAMATIC SHIFT The popularity of Scandi noirs The Killing (top) and The Bridge (above) led to a boom in foreign-language TV (main image) and audiovisual translation

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