Prefabricated orality : a challenge in audiovisual translation

Creating fictional dialogues that sound natural and believable is one of the main challenges of both screenwriting and audiovisual translation. The challenge does not lie so much in trying to imitate spontaneous conversations, but in selecting specific features of this mode of discourse that are widely accepted and recognised as such by the audience. The main purpose of this article is to analyse and describe the linguistic code in an audiovisual corpus, focusing on what is specific to audiovisual texts and, therefore, to audiovisual translation. Although this code is common to all texts that need to be translated, it stands out further in audiovisual texts since they are “written to be spoken as if not written” (Gregory and Carroll, 1978: 42). We are therefore dealing with texts whose orality may seem spontaneous and natural, but which is actually planned or, as Chaume (2004a: 168) terms it, ‘prefabricated’. Since this is a characteristic that is common to most audiovisual fictional texts regardless of their origins, our aim here is to describe the main features of the linguistic code in native and foreign productions (dubbed from English into Spanish) and to highlight the trends when writing and translating these texts, in order to compare them at a later stage

Challenges and constraints in designing a localisation module for a multilingual cohort

The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the challenges that may arise when designing a module in localization at postgraduate level for a multilingual cohort. This will be achieved by drawing on our own experience at a higher education institution in the UK (London Metropolitan University), and by reflecting on the strategies implemented to overcome these challenges. Special attention will be paid to key issues such as the resources needed (both human and technical), students’ needs and expectations, and how to ensure an effective alignment between the curriculum and professional practices. Specific challenges and constraints will also be explored, such as the increasing heterogeneity of cohorts, particularly in terms of students’ backgrounds and language combinations. Although this heterogeneity can be difficult to manage and will have an impact on the resources needed, it can also be seen as an opportunity to increase students’ awareness of cultural differences, which is key to working in localization

La oralidad prefabricada en los textos audiovisuales: estudio descriptivo-contrastivo de Friends y Siete vidas

Decenes Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 2004-2005

Audio description and plurilingual competence: new allies in language learning?

The CEFR (Council of Europe, 2001) and its companion volumes (Council of Europe, 2018, 2020) highlight the development of plurilingual and pluricultural competence (PPC) as one of the main objectives of language teaching and learning. Within this context, the plurilingual approach in education has placed translation in a prominent situation, with authors such as Cummins (2007) observing how it promotes not only the acquisition of foreign languages (FL) and the consolidation of L1s, but also biliteracy development and identity affirmation. Within translation, audiovisual translation (AVT) has proven to be particularly effective in language learning (cf. Lertola, 2019). The polysemiotic nature of audiovisual texts incorporates elements that require the activation of specific forms of mediation that cannot always be found in general translation. This article sets out to reflect on the influence that linguistic and semiotic transfer in AVT can exert on PPC (Author, 2021), drawing on the results of a quasi-experimental research undertaken within the PluriTAV project (cf. Martínez-Sierra, 2021). This specific study was aimed at assessing the development of PPC through audio description (AD) in BA English undergraduate students, who were organised into an experimental and a control group, with only the former using AD as a didactic tool. Although results do not reveal a statistically significant improvement in PPC acquisition, they enable the formulation of hypotheses to be tested in further research. In addition, the experimental group showed some progress in the development of specific plurilingual and pluricultural skills, which suggests that the use of AD in the FL classroom can improve learners’ plurilingual and pluricultural repertoire.El MCER (Consejo de Europa, 2001) y sus volúmenes complementarios, Companion Volume with new descriptors (Consejo de Europa, 2018, 2020), destacan el desarrollo de la competencia plurilingüe y pluricultural (CPP) como uno de los principales objetivos de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de lenguas. En este contexto, la presencia del enfoque plurilingüe en la educación ha situado a la traducción en una posición destacada. Así, autores como Cummins (2007) subrayan su papel no solo en la adquisición de lenguas extranjeras (LE) y la consolidación de las L1, sino también en el desarrollo de la biliteracidad y la afirmación de la identidad. Dentro del campo de la traducción, la traducción audiovisual (TAV) ha demostrado ser especialmente eficaz en la adquisición de lenguas (cf. Lertola, 2019). La naturaleza polisemiótica de los textos audiovisuales incorpora elementos que requieren la activación de formas específicas de mediación que no siempre se encuentran en la traducción general. En este artículo se reflexiona sobre la influencia que puede ejercer la transferencia lingüística y semiótica propia de la TAV sobre la CPP (Author, 2021), a partir de los resultados de una investigación cuasi-experimental llevada a cabo dentro del proyecto PluriTAV (cf. Martínez-Sierra, 2021). Este estudio específico tenía como objetivo evaluar el desarrollo de la CPP mediante la audiodescripción (AD) en estudiantes de filología inglesa divididos en un grupo experimental y otro de control, donde solo el primero utilizó la AD como herramienta didáctica. Aunque los resultados no revelan una mejora estadísticamente significativa en la adquisición de la CPP, permiten formular hipótesis a contrastar en futuras investigaciones. Además, el grupo experimental mostró ciertos progresos en el desarrollo de algunas habilidades plurilingües y pluriculturales específicas, lo que sugiere que el uso de la AD en el aula de LE puede enriquecer el repertorio plurilingüe y pluricultural del estudiantado

Preventing and designing out plagiarism : making the most of VLEs and CAA tools

Plagiarism is an issue that has recently become a heated topic of discussion, attracting the attention of scholars, institutions and the media. Although plagiarism has always existed, the development of new technologies, especially the increased use of the Internet for academic purposes, have lately been blamed for the growth of opportunities for plagiarism (Baty, 2000). The role of new technologies is such that new terms like "cyber plagiarism" or "digital plagiarism" (Park, 2003: 481) and "cyber cheating" or "e-cheating" (Jones et al., 2008) have been coined to refer to the use of new technologies for dishonest purposes. However, this paper aims to take a very different approach by considering technology not as a temptation or an enemy in the fight against plagiarism, but rather as a powerful ally. The emphasis is on appropriate strategies that could be implemented using Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and Computer Aided Assessment (CAA) tools to prevent and design out plagiarism in a specific context: the MA Applied Translation at London Metropolitan University