Audiovisual translation in context. Granting access to digital mediascapes

Abstract

In a context of digital and technological changes and transformations the contributions of the special issue offer valuable insights, mostly grounded on experimental research, that help to map out the changes taking place in the audiovisual sector and, by extension, in our society, where AVT practices have triggered an enormous increase in the number of people who consume audiovisual content, have expanded the contexts where these contents are consumed, and have also diversified the type of programmes that get translated, whether in professional or amateur circles. The articles included in this dedicated collection are one of the outcomes of the 5th International Symposium on Translation, held in October 2021 at the University of Palermo in collaboration with University College London and the University of Bergamo. The event, entitled Audiovisual Translation and Computer-Mediated Communication: Fostering Access to Digital Mediascapes, was a great success, open to students, academics, teachers, and professionals interested in the role and potential of access services, of which interlingual and intralingual translation is a fundamental component in the promotion and propagation of digital discourses and visuals. The seven contributions contained in this special issue offer empirical research, state-of-the-art frameworks and descriptive investigations focused on the various AVT and MA practices, and covering areas such as interlingual subtitling, subtitling for people who are deaf or hard of hearing (SDH), audio description (AD) in the media (i.e., streaming platforms, TV broadcasting, amateur platforms) as well as in the arts (i.e., opera, museums, film festivals), SDH for pedagogical purposes, and subtitling in amateur online settings. They are all testament to the important role that stakeholders such as translators, audio describers and adapters in the fields of AVT and MA play in the act of international communication, as experts who actively contribute to the dissemination of sual information and products across platforms, media outlets, websites, and art venues such as theatres, and opera houses.