Reception Studies in Audiovisual Translation Research, The Case of Subtitling at Film Festivals

This paper aims to analyse the reception of film subtitling by diverse audiences at Italian film festivals in 2009 and 2011. The theory at the basis of audiovisual translation connects with reception theory, where comparable questionnaires were offered to a mixed public at the Venice and Turin film festivals. Results have shown that subtitling is preferred by the majority of interviewees (although Italian viewers still give precedence to dubbing), and that they are conscious of technical issues like “condensation and synchrony”. These answers may be a starting point for research in subtitle quality. Last but not least, subtitling for television succumbed to dubbing in the preference of viewers, probably because “the long-standing Italian tradition is hardly ever challenged” in this field.