STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES IN SUBTITLING

This study explores subtitling as a vital and complex form of audiovisual translation, emphasizing the combination of linguistic accuracy, cultural sensitivity and technical precision required in the subtitling process.Subtitling, as interlingual communication, goes beyond direct translation -it requires conveying spoken dialogue, visual cues, and cultural nuances through concise, synchronized on-screen text.The research focuses on the core strategies employed by professional subtitlers to navigate the challenges, including adaptation, compression, foreignization, and domestication.These strategies function as overarching frameworks that guide the decision-making process when subtitling idiomatic expressions, humour, culture-specific references or emotionally charged language.To operationalize these strategies, subtitlers rely on a variety of techniques essential for tailoring the original message to the subtitle format, which is limited to two lines, a set number of characters and brief screen time; this demands skillful distillation of the core message while preserving the speaker's tone, intention and emotional depth.The study also highlights the subtitler's dual role as both a linguistic and cultural mediator, responsible for ensuring that the subtitling is not only accurate and readable but also emotionally resonant and culturally appropriate.This mediation is particularly important in contexts where language reduction is necessary, such as in fastpaced dialogue, action scenes or humour that relies on cultural knowledge.By analyzing real-world examples and contextual applications of these strategies and techniques, the research offers valuable insights into the dynamic and interpretive nature of audiovisual translation.It emphasizes the cognitive demands placed on subtitlers, who must simultaneously process auditory, visual and textual information while making rapid decisions about how best to convey meaning within the constraints of the medium.