Article published In: Translation and Interpreting Studies
Vol. 18:1 (2023) ► pp.91–112
How subtitling professionals perceive changes in working conditions
An interview study in German-speaking countries
Published online: 1 November 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.20107.kun
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.20107.kun
Abstract
The job of a subtitler is undergoing significant changes. This study investigates subtitling professionals’ perceptions of the effects these changes are having on their working conditions. With this aim in mind, an email interview study was conducted with nineteen freelance subtitling professionals producing German-language subtitles. Overall themes in the subtitlers’ accounts were disillusion with recent trends in the subtitling profession (the precarization of the subtitling profession, acceleration of production processes, virtualization of collaboration), concerns about quality (unavailable or low-quality working materials, market entry of unskilled subtitlers, replacement of established local subtitling guidelines by international ones, machine translation), but also opportunities (predictability, solidarity among subtitling professionals). Suggestions for future directions concern longitudinal studies to evaluate the effects changes in professional subtitling practice have on working conditions over time with follow-up surveys to collect subtitlers’ opinions on how the problems identified could best be tackled.
Article outline
- Introduction
- Related research
- Method
- Results
- Change as disillusion
- Concerns about quality
- Change as opportunity
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgments
- Note
References
References (24)
AVÜ Die Filmübersetzer*innen. 2020. “Qualitätsstandards für interlinguale Untertitel.” [URL]
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2006. “Using thematic analysis in psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2): 77–101.
Chesterman, Andrew. 2007. “Bridge concepts in translation sociology.” In Constructing a Sociology of Translation, ed. by Michaela Wolf and Alexandra Fukari, 171–83. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Díaz Cintas, Jorge. 2001. “Striving for quality in subtitling: The role of a good dialogue list.” In (Multi)Media Translation, ed. by Yves Gambier and Henrik Gottlieb, 199–211. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Georgakopoulou, Panayota. 2019. “Technologization of audiovisual translation.” In The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation, ed. by Luis Pérez González, 516–39. London: Routledge.
Hunt, Nigel, and Sue McHale. 2007. “A practical guide to the e-mail interview.” Qualitative Health Research 17(10): 1415–21.
Kapsaskis, Dionysios. 2011. “Professional identity and training of translators in the context of globalisation: The example of subtitling.” JoSTrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation 161: 162–84.
Künzli, Alexander. 2014. “Aspekte der Untertitelungspraxis im deutschsprachigen Raum. Eine elektronische Fragebogen-Umfrage.” In Die Übersetzung im Kino, ed. by Alain Boillat and Irene Weber Henking, 269–83. Marburg: Schüren.
Künzli, Alexander, and Daniel Gile. 2021. “The impact of ICTs on surveys and interviews in translation and interpreting studies.” Parallèles 33(2): 18–34.
Kuo, Arista Szu-Yu. 2015. “Professional realities of the subtitling industry: The subtitlers’ perspective.” In Audiovisual Translation in a Global Context, ed. by Rocío Baños Piñero and Jorge Díaz Cintas, 163–91. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Nagel, Silke. 2009. Das Übersetzen von Untertiteln. Prozess und Probleme am Beispiel der Kurzfilme Shooting Bokkie, Wasp und Green Bush. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Nikolić, Kristijan. 2010. “The subtitling profession in Croatia.” In New Insights into Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility. Media for All 2, ed. by Jorge Díaz Cintas, Anna Matamala, and Josélia Neves, 99–108. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Oziemblewska, Magdalena, and Agnieszka Szarkowska. 2020. “The quality of templates in subtitling. A survey on current market practices and changing subtitler competences.” Perspectives 30(3): 432–453.
Panier, Anne. 2012. Übersetzungsschwierigkeiten und -probleme bei der Untertitelung der Textsorte Dokumentarfilm. Eine Untersuchung am Beispiel des Films “Entre la coupe et l’élection” von Regisseurin Monique Mbeka Phoba. Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
Prunč, Erich. 2008. “Zur Konstruktion von Translationskulturen.” In Translationskultur – Ein innovatives und produktives Konzept, ed. by Larisa Schippel, 19–41. Berlin: Frank & Timme.
Robinson, Douglas. 2020. Becoming a Translator: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Translation. Fourth edition. London: Routledge.
Rodríguez-Castro, Mónica. 2013. “The project manager and virtual translation teams: Critical Factors.” Translation Spaces 21: 37–62.
Romero-Fresco, Pablo. 2019. “Respeaking: Subtitling through speech recognition.” In The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation, ed. by Luis Pérez González, 96–113. London: Routledge.
Ryan, Gery W., and H. Russell Bernard. 2003. “Techniques to identify themes.” Field Methods 15(1): 85–109.
Silvester, Hannah. 2020. “Working conditions and collaborative practices in the translation of French film: Subtitling Banlieue cinema.” Perspectives 30(3): 399–414.
Svahn, Elin. 2020. The dynamics of extratextual translatorship in contemporary Sweden: A mixed methods approach. Doctoral thesis, Stockholm University.
Cited by (7)
Cited by seven other publications
Bosseaux, Charlotte
Bosseaux, Charlotte
Künzli, Alexander
Thurlow, Crispin
Dallı, Harun & Seung-eun Sung
2024. The state of pivot subtitling. FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation 22:2 ► pp. 151 ff.
Pięta, Hanna, Susana Valdez, Rita Menezes & Stavroula Sokoli
Torres-Simón, Ester, Susana Valdez, Hanna Pięta & Rita Menezes
2023. Is indirect translation a friend or a foe of sustainable development?. Translation Spaces 12:2 ► pp. 204 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 6 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.