Audiovisual translation, translators, and technology: From automation pipe dream to human–machine convergence

Abstract

Audiovisual translation (AVT), broadly understood as a synonym for media content localization, and not only as a particular practice of linguistic transfer, is undergoing a revolution that was unthinkable only a few years ago – even in those territories where viewers are less accustomed to localized content. Digitalization and technological changes, which have had such an impact on the way audiovisual texts – whether original, localized, or adapted – are produced, distributed, edited, consumed, and shared have also had a substantial impact on the AVT profession. This article explores the ways in which technology has been evolving as an aid to translators: from being merely a clerical aid for transcribing digital texts to automating tasks and integrating machine translation into human translation processes. This it does by providing a range of tools to assist translators in their work processes, progressively migrating both tools and processes to cloud-based environments. The focus is then on AVT, and more particularly on dubbing, where digitalization has shaped the consumer market and posed several challenges to language technology developments and AVT professional practices. Academia has also paid attention to such developments and has increasingly dealt with a number of matters affecting both practice and training to cater to the needs of current media markets. A final word is devoted to proposing a literacy-based framework for the training of translators that embraces technology so as to incorporate automation as an additional aid and which redefines the audiovisual translator’s workstation.