Subtitling as a component of multimodality

The paper will discuss subtitling as a valid form of film translation, and as a valuable ADDITION to a foreign language audiovisual production. The alternative strategy of dubbing films will also be discussed, but with an objective eye so as not to reignite unnecessarily the ongoing ‘subtitling versus dubbing’ debate. Subtitling will be discussed from both a diachronic and synchronic perspective and the basic aim will be to discover how well subtitles can be integrated into an already multi-modal text. The properties of multimodal texts will be examined, particularly in relation to the film medium and the multimodal transcription tool will be illustrated in terms of its contribution to subtitle decision-making. The language of film will be examined as a text type particularly in terms of its relationship with real spontaneous spoken dialogue. The results of experiments conducted in Trieste will be used to illustrate various points and to support theoretical positions. Examples will be shown of film and television material mostly as regards the English/Italian language combination but at least one Rumanian film will figure.