Subtitling for Deaf Children
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University College London Centre for Translation Studies Subtitling for deaf children Granting accessibility to audiovisual programmes in an educational way Soledad Zárate Supervisors: Dr Jorge Díaz-Cintas Dr Ros Herman Declaration of originality I, Soledad Zárate, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Soledad Zárate 11th August 2014 Abstract This thesis is a contribution towards the subtitling practice of audiovisual programmes for deaf children. It starts by offering an overview of relevant research on Subtitling for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing (SDH), conducted both in the UK and abroad. A descriptive and comprehensive study on how children’s programmes broadcast in British television are subtitled for deaf children constitutes the starting point of the project. In an attempt to gain an understanding on how deaf children read subtitles, the linguistic difficulties encountered in the acquisition of a spoken language as well as their reading characteristics are examined. In doing so, contributions from both Deaf Studies and Audiovisual Translation are considered. Deaf children are placed in their social context and the different types of hearing loss, prelingual and postlingual deafness, and cochlear implantation are discussed. Education for the deaf is also tackled, encompassing the history, philosophies and current trends. The ultimate aim of the project is to contribute to the subtitling practice of deaf children by conducting empirical analysis. Hands-on research is conducted with a group of deaf children recruited from a mainstream school. Case studies are used in the piloting leading to the main experiment, which consists of exploring techniques to enhance word recognition and content comprehension. The findings of the main experiment, analysed using statistics, and the children's feedback, obtained orally at the end of the main activity and presented in a narrative form, are discussed as a contribution towards future research. Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr Jorge Díaz-Cintas, my primary supervisor, for accompanying me on this research journey and providing me with unconditional support. His guidance has had a great influence on how I have developed as a researcher. I cannot stress enough how his corrections, often strict and detailed, but always constructive, have contributed to my work and to broadening my understanding of the subject. He is both a distinguished scholar and an excellent mentor, a rare combination that I have been privileged to witness. I would also like to thank Dr Ros Herman, my secondary supervisor, for her very thoughtful and insightful contribution to the experimental part of this doctoral research project. I am very grateful to my examiners, Dr Rocío Baños-Piñero and Prof. Aline Remael, for reading my thesis in a most detailed manner and providing valuable suggestions to refine it. As good teachers are those who inspire, I must thank Chas Donaldson, whose seminars on Subtitling for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing, taught at Roehampton University as part of the MA in Audiovisual Translation in 2006, impacted me enormously. Another major influence has been Dr Josélia Neves, whose talk as a guest speaker at Roehampton University in 2006 sparked my interest in researching the subject. I found her enthusiasm contagious and admired her ability to think and plan in concrete ways. In the early stages of my research, I engaged on several occasions in conversations with Josélia, the most memorable one being during the Summer School in Screen Translation, in Bertinoro, Italy, in 2009. What started supposedly as an ordinary conversation ended up being a rollercoaster of new ideas and exciting projects. This is how, as soon as I got back to London from Bertinoro, I organised a trial project on SDH for children at the Puppet Theatre Barge, London, in 2009. One of my dearest friends, Dr Marcello Morciano, during these years of research, despite his very busy schedule as a Research Associate at the School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice at the University of East Anglia, has taken an interest in my work and has shown me how a scientist thinks about data and findings. During his visits to London, at the most unexpected moments, he would take pen and paper and start noting down tasks for me to complete by the time of his next visit, including publications in relevant journals, which he encouraged me to seriously consider, for which I am very grateful. I would like to thank my partner, Fabio Ricchiuto, for his support during these years of research. On the very first day we met, introduced by my friend Marcello, he witnessed and engaged on a long conversation about data, and that was only the beginning… Subtitles and deaf children were to follow on a much more constant basis. Special thanks go to Joseph Eliahoo, from Statistical Advisory Service at Imperial College London, for his support in analysing the data collected for the experimental part of the thesis, and to Howard Cardinal for proofreading this thesis thoroughly and in no time. Thanks to the subtitling companies – IMS, Intelfax, ITFC, Nickelodeon UK, Red Bee Media, and Subtext – and subtitlers – Greig Forbes, Claude Le Guyader, Helene McGowan, Ant Purvis, and Neal Rattee – who collaborated on this project with open-mindedness by completing questionnaires about their subtitling practices. Last but not least, this project would not have been possible without the deaf children who took part in it and without the support of the head teacher and staff working in the London-based primary school they were recruited from. This thesis is dedicated to them and to all deaf children worldwide. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of tables ................................................................................................... 11 List of figures .................................................................................................. 12 Abbreviations ................................................................................................. 14 PART ONE: STATE OF THE ART ............................................................ 19 Chapter One Introduction to the project, aims and methodology ................................... 21 1.1 Motivation and aims .............................................................................. 26 1.2 Research methodology .......................................................................... 28 1.3 Thesis structure ..................................................................................... 34 Chapter Two Subtitling for the deaf and the hard of hearing (SDH) .............................. 37 2.1 From the origins of subtitles .................................................................. 37 2.2 Within Audiovisual Translation (AVT) ................................................ 41 2.3 The case of cinema ................................................................................ 42 2.4 The case of DVD releases and videogames .......................................... 45 2.5 The case of on demand programme services......................................... 47 2.6 The case of British television ................................................................ 58 2.6.1 SDH research............................................................................... 59 2.6.2 From The Guidance on Standards for Subtitling (Ofcom 1999) to the Code on Television Access Services (Ofcom 2012a) ............................................................................... 63 2.7 Research on SDH conducted in Europe ................................................ 69 2.7.1 The Netherlands .......................................................................... 71 2.7.2 France .......................................................................................... 71 2.7.3 Belgium ....................................................................................... 72 2.7.4 Spain ............................................................................................ 73 2.7.5 Portugal ....................................................................................... 74 2.8 Research on SDH conducted outside Europe ........................................ 76 2.8.1 USA ............................................................................................. 76 2.8.2 Canada ......................................................................................... 79 2.9 Research conducted with hearing children ............................................ 79 PART TWO: THEORETICAL ANALYSIS .............................................. 83 Chapter Three Descriptive analysis of subtitling practice on British television ............... 85 3.1 Corpus.................................................................................................... 86 3.2 Methodology.......................................................................................... 88 3.3 Analysis ................................................................................................. 93 3.3.1 Editing vocabulary and expressions ............................................ 94 3.3.2 Segmentation, line breaks and spotting ....................................... 99 3.3.3 Typographical cues .................................................................... 108 3.3.4 Subtitle presentation rates: reading speeds ................................ 113 Chapter Four How do deaf