The Peculiarities and Norms of Film Subtitling

Abstract

The amazing impact of the audiovisual media on the world has caused the dwellers of the translation territory think of a wider and more flexible definition of translation which embraces the new forms of linguistic and cultural transfer. Although subtitling differs from text translation in several aspects, it is considered as a special form of translation (Hatim and Mason, 1997). The commencement of subtitling dates back to the silent films era (Schwarz, 2002) and it has been a common practice in some small countries such as Scandinavian ones (Broddason, 2006). However, it is still a new phenomenon in most countries, including Iran in which it is mostly reserved for feature films offered in video shops. Film subtitling, which might deceptively seem simple, is considered as a complex undertaking with its own restrictions which stem from its unique audiovisual framework (Chaume, 2004). This paper attempts to both explain the peculiarities of this special form of translation and deal with the common standards that should be observed in this field.