The author offers in this book a comprehensive approach to the world of subtitles, taking a look at its historical dimension as well as the socio-cultural and professional ones: from the origins of this type of translation activity and its articulation in Spanish society, primarily by opposition to dubbing, to the different professional phases needed in the generation of subtitles, via the linguistic and formal aspects that characterise their presentation on screen. Besides establishing a taxonomy of the different types of subtitles that exist, the book also considers questions related to the semiotic value of the image, the pedagogical dimension of subtitles, the vulnerability of a translation practice that finds itself in the rare and difficult situation of having to cohabit with source text and dialogue, the systematic invisibility of the translator and the legislative and economic factors that regulate this profession.