Technological advances in audiovisual translation

Technical forms of organization, technical networks and equipment, the entire material aspect of technology, have penetrated into the depths of who the authors are, into their bodies and their communicative relations, in the process bringing about deep changes to the way societies cohere.

Abstract

This chapter maps out the field of audiovisual translation (AVT) in conjunction with technology by investigating emerging trends and discussing some critical aspects of the increasing pervasiveness of digital accelerationism and the globalized (r)evolution that has affected the entertainment industry in the last decades. By adopting a diachronic perspective, this chapter opens with an historical trajectory that spans from the invention of cinema to the rise of Web 2.0 in the new millennium. In order to take stock of the impact that technological advances have had on AVT practices, the most prominent areas of the field, i.e. subtitling and revoicing, are analysed to unveil the specific technologies, architectures and software programs developed to enhance and optimize translation tasks as well as global localization workflows. In the last section, a set of conclusions highlights the implications of technological innovation in the professional practice of audiovisual translators.