Subtitling Norms for Television

“ Subtitling Norms for Television is a comprehensive and carefully researched academic study that will soon occupy the bookshelves of translation studies scholars, researchers in AVT and AVT practitioners alike. It takes the time to introduce and contextualise subtitling within AVT, but then moves on into the very specialized area of subtitling norms and extralinguistic cultural references (ECR’s), by the way of descriptive translation studies, drawing on a vast corpus of original material and a sound theoretical framework. Indeed, the book places subtitling, and AVT more generally, squarely within descriptive translation studies, demonstrating the relevance of its concepts and methodology for AVT, but also the relevance of technology-driven AVT for Translation Studies. In addition, Jan Pedersen’s meticulous analysis of subtitling strategies and the parameters that influence them is prime teaching material, and of great interest to practitioners in search of translation solutions. Finally, and equally importantly, the book raises new questions and is written in an engaging and accessible style that I truly hope will inspire many.”

“Jan Pedersen's stimulating book is based on solid, large-scale empirical research as well as his personal experience of working as a subtitler. This combination of factors makes the book a particularly welcome addition to subtitling studies. Subtitling Norms for Television is readable and well argued and avoids jargon. Whether you are a subtitler eager to compare notes with a colleague, a viewer curious about what goes on behind the scenes before the subtitles you need reach your living room, a student writing a thesis on some aspect of this very influential type of translation or an academic interested in subtitling norms and strategies, you will find this a very rewarding read.”

“Once and again we read that audiovisual translation (AVT) has come of age, and Pedersen’s book is substantial proof of such a statement and a proud addition to our field. He deals with that challenging area of Extralinguistic Cultural References in a thorough, seriously witty and solidly researched manner. His proposed model for the analysis of ECRs is without a doubt one of the most promising breakthroughs we’ve seen in AVT in recent years, a seminal heuristic tool for researchers. Highly accessible in style, with a mine of information and excellent examples, this is essential reading for anyone interested in AVT.”

“In this fascinating study on subtitling, based on an impressive corpus of 50 feature films and 50 episodes of TV series, Jan Pedersen, himself an experienced subtitler-cum-scholar, analyzes the norms used in Sweden and Denmark, respectively, when dealing with what he calls Extralinguistic Cultural References, in short ‘ECRs’. [...]
This well-written and long-needed book deserves to be enjoyed by all those who take an interest in what happens in the translation of the world’s perhaps most popular text type, TV fiction, from the world’s most dominant language, English, in what may be the world’s most subtitling-happy corner, Scandinavia.”