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Article published In:
Indirect Translation and Sustainable Development
Edited by Jan Buts, Hanna Pięta, Laura Ivaska and James Hadley
[Translation Spaces 12:2] 2023
► pp. 204–230
Special Issue Article

Is indirect translation a friend or a foe of sustainable development?

Pivot subtitlers’ perspective

ORCID logo | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
ORCID logo | Leiden University
ORCID logo | Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, FCSH, CETAPS
ORCID logo | University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies

This article addresses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the lens of pivot template subtitling, a practice deemed logistically efficient by some and ethically suspicious by others. Drawing on (i) a critical review of 29 European codes of ethics promoted by professional translation associations and (ii) the answers to our online questionnaire on pivot subtitling (completed by 376 subtitlers based in Europe), we analyse the main concerns raised about pivot subtitling from the standpoint of access to decent work and economic growth in the AVT industry. Findings suggest that, from the professional subtitlers’ point of view, current practices in pivot template-centred workflows may slow down the progress on SDG8, worsen working conditions and clash with professional codes of ethics. We end by suggesting ways to improve the use of indirect translation, so it does not hinder progress on SDG8 in the AVT industry.

Keywords: indirect translation, professional subtitlers, SDG 8, pivot templates, ethics, survey research
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Related research
    • 2.1Sustainability, SDGs, and translation
    • 2.2SDG8 in translation studies
      • 2.2.1Target 8.2, economic productivity, and innovation
      • 2.2.2Target 8.3, Decent job creation and entrepreneurship
      • 2.2.3Target 8.5, Equal pay for work of equal value
    • 2.3SDG8 and indirect translation
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Codes of ethics
    • 3.2Questionnaire
  • 4.Findings and discussion
    • 4.1SDG8 in codes of ethics
      • 4.1.1Relevant skills
      • 4.1.2Indirect translation
      • 4.1.3Fair competition and rates
    • 4.2SDG8 in questionnaire results
      • 4.2.1Subtitlers’ views on quality
      • 4.2.2Subtitlers’ views on the market and pivot templates
      • 4.2.3Subtitlers’ view on disruptive processes in subtitling
      • 4.2.4Subtitlers’ view on language related issues
  • 5.Conclusions
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 10 August 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.22025.tor
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