In Element 1 we have seen how to subtitle acoustic verbal elements.
In LO1 of this Element, we have seen how to deal with the visual verbal elements of an audiovisual text.
In this LO we deal with the non-verbal elements of the speech to subtitle
be they acoustic or visual.
This video lecture is aimed at letting you know how to identify
which non-verbal elements need to be turned into verbal for each LTA trained working context.
First of all, I will try to draw on the lessons learnt in LO1
meaning I will briefly recap the notions of text, context, semiotics of the audiovisual text.
This will allow me to introduce the question of the communicative impact
each of the semiotic elements composing an audiovisual text have
on the overall communication of the audiovisual text.
With this in mind, I will try to concentrate on non-verbal elements
both acoustic and visual
and how to deal with them in the subtitling process in case they play an important informative role.
This is the agenda of this presentation.
Lessons learnt.
In LO1 of this element we have seen the features of any text
which go beyond what is said.
For each of the seven characteristics of a text
we have given concrete examples to be considered in real-time intralingual subtitling.
In particular we have seen the notions of cohesion, coherence, intentionality
acceptability, informativity, situationality and intertextuality.
These are rarely considered if one thinks of velotyping
as a mere repetition of what is said by a speaker.
Then, we have moved to that velotypists not only have to focus on what they type
but they also need to understand the relationship of what is said with the context.
Indeed, the meaning-making process of any speech event
can only be understood in relation with its context.
Furthermore, we have briefly analysed the three aspects of any context
that is its field, tenor, and mode.
Concerning the semiotics of any speech event
we have finally seen that it communicates through the combination of many semiotic components.
Be they TV programs, conferences, parliamentary sessions, meetings or school classes
they are all of either an acoustic or visual nature
and they are either verbal or non-verbal.
In particular we have analysed the different codes
characterising the four semiotic macrocategories of a speech.
The impact of non-verbal elements.
Generally speaking, we tend to think that the verbal elements
are more relevant than non-verbal elements
and acoustic elements are more relevant than visual elements.
However, this is not always the case.
The table in this slide shows the impact on communication
of each semiotic element in the original version of an action movie
and the corresponding impact of the same movie
subtitled for the deaf and the hard of hearing.
Of course, a movie is neither a conference speech
a parliamentary session, a news item, a school class nor a work meeting.
However, this study shows
that when the subtitler tries to translate the spoken into written
the attention of the audience is hijacked by the verbal component of subtitles.
In particular, the acoustic verbal components and the visual verbal components together
account for only 30% in a movie
while they account for more than the double, 65%
in the same movie once it is subtitled.
This happens because, a deaf or hard-of-hearing person
can only rely on the visual channel to access the acoustic elements of a speech.
In this context, the live intralingual subtitler
turns almost all the verbal acoustic elements into subtitles
plus the non-verbal acoustic elements
he or she deems essential to the understanding of the source text.
Deciding whether to subtitle non-verbal acoustic elements or not
is not always an easy task.
This normally depends on how they contribute to the understanding of the event
or to its unfolding.
If the velotypist decides to subtitle them
a caption describing the non-verbal acoustic occurrance is usually enough.
However, the subtitler may not have captions ready at hand.
In preparation of the event to subtitle
we suggest that the subtitler or the editor drafts a list of possible captions
that could be used while subtitling the event.
As you can see from the examples provided in the slide
we suggest using expressions that clearly state something
that the audience can immediately understand
like [voting starts] when the bell announcing the start of the voting sessions rings
instead of the ambiguous [bell] or [bell ringing].
The same is true for the caption saying [time for assessment is over]
to tell a deaf student he or she has no more time
to dedicate to writing his or her assessment
instead of [stop] or [teacher activated alarm clock].
Also, try to avoid general captions like [music]
which means nothing to the eyes of the reader.
Being more specific like [Intersteno anthem being played]
is for sure more useful and informative.
Finally, try to be as exhaustive as possible
and use more words that you may think are enough.
Instead of [applauses], prefer [applauses from Lib Dems]
if you are subtitling a political speech
as applauses may generate confusion
and make the reader think the whole parliament approves what is said by the speaker.
What is important to understand here is that, depending on the setting
such captions are more or less needed.
For example, during conferences their use is limited to some recurrent things
like [applauses from audience] or [Wim laughs]
while during a meeting the person receiving personalised access
may be more interested knowing what happens around them.
In the news, it is very common to see captions translating non verbal acoustic events
like [explosion], [ambulance syren], [shots], and similar.
In the case of non-verbal visual elements
the decision of the velotypist to translate them in the subtitles
also depends on the way subtitles appear on screen.
If they appear as two lines bottom of the screen showing the speaker
the task is easy
as the viewer can more or less simultaneously
watch the screen and read the subtitles.
However, in a conference you may have the speaker projecting a presentation on a screen
and the subtitles appearing on another screen.
In this case the viewer’s experience needs to be facilitated somehow.
Similarly to what happens in dealing with visual verbal elements
in this case, you may opt for either a momentary transitional caption
telling the audience to watch the other screen
or you can add some words verbalising what images mean.
In the case of a speaker showing a picture and speaking about the picture
you can either use a transitional caption
like that in the first column which says [watch slide]
or you can verbalise the reference to the picture
and add something like 'as you can see from the slide' to the speaker’s output.
Similarly, when a speaker shows a chart where several lines indicate
how given sectors of a company performp
it may be useful to inform the audience about what happens in the other screen.
Again you can either use a caption saying [watch the red line]
or add 'the red line indicating a 1% growth' to the speaker’s output
if he or she does not mention the piece of data.
Another example may be that of a speaker using a map
to show the position of a city like Milan, without telling it.
The velotypist can either make use of a transitional caption saying [watch map]
or verbalise the event by adding 'in the north of Italy' to the speaker’s output.
A last case of visual non-verbal element is a new speaker speaking.
This is very common when subtitling classes and meetings
but also in other contexts like parliamentary sessions
the news, or the Q&A after a conference.
There are several options to signal a new speaker.
One solution is that of using a name tag
which is the name of the speaker followed by a colon or a dash
or the name into parentheses or brackets.
If you don’t know the name of the speaker
you can simply go to a new line and start the new subtitle with a dash.
In some cases, specially on TV
turns can be signalled by changing the colour of the text.
Similarly to what happens with the previous cases
of acoustic non-verbal elements and visual verbal elements
we suggest you draft a list of these strategies before the event
so as to be ready and use them when needed.
The summary.
In this video lecture we have summed up some of the lessons learnt in LO1 of Element 2
and then tried to provide an overview of the strategies
to be used in different working contexts to turn non-verbal elements into subtitles.
In particular we have recalled the notions of text
context and semiotics of an audiovisual text
to then move to the impact non-verbal elements have in an event
and how this impact changes when the same event is subtitled.
Finally we have seen some of the strategies
used to verbalise both acoustic and visual non-verbal elements.
In the homework session
you will be asked to try and provide solutions for each situation
where non-verbal elements are essential for the good understanding of a speech.