Subtitling returns

Dear all,

There was a positive response to the few tidbits I posted on subtitling earlier in the summer, so I thought the following might be of interest.

For those of you within hailing distance of London, the Translators Association of the Society of Authors is holding a subtitling workshop on 8 October called 'Found in Translation'. The language combination is French-English but I believe no knowledge of French is necessary to enjoy the workshop. More information on the event can be found here on the BCLT website (I couldn't find details on the Society's website but may, as usual, have been looking in the wrong place).

I also came across the following amusing short film which any of you who teach translation may like to use as an Awful Warning about the perils of machine translation:

Translators Association translation seminars

For those of you in within hailing distance of London, there are two seminars coming up run by the Translators Association of the Society of Authors. They will be on 29 July (translating sex in literary fiction) and 8 October (subtitling). Both will be run by experienced professional translators and should be very enjoyable. The events are open to members and non-members of the TA and advance booking is required.

29 July

Lewd Rude and Nude: the art of translating private parts

This workshop will explore the ins and outs of genital mention in the translation of literary fiction. In many languages, our private parts can be described in neutral language, for example the French 'le sexe', which is applicable to either gender. In English however we often find ourselves vacillating between medical, pornographic and downright crude vocabulary.

Translators from any language are invited to join Polly McLean in a facilitated discussion of the impact on register and tone of these less than perfect choices. If you would like to contribute some problems or examples in advance, please email her on pollymclean at googlemail.com

3.00–5.00pm

£7.50

Society of Authors
84 Drayton Gardens
London
SW10 9SB

Enquiries to Sarah Burton, sburton at societyofauthors.org, 020 73736642 (last-minute applications by phone)

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8 October

Found in Translation: writing subtitles for the movies

This workshop will examine the nuts and bolts of subtitling fiction and documentary films. After a brief introduction presenting the raw material (spotting list and dialogue list as well as image) from which a subtitler works, the constraints it imposes on the translation process, and the types of problems encountered, we will tackle some concrete examples drawn from feature films, shorts and documentaries shot in French and subtitled in English. A command of French is helpful but not essential.

3.00–5.00pm

£7.50

Society of Authors
84 Drayton Gardens
London
SW10 9SB

Enquiries to Sarah Burton, sburton at societyofauthors.org, 020 73736642 (last-minute applications by phone)