Leading Online Training for Language Professionals

Community translations are not always disseminated as texts (in print or online). To take the example of the recent COVID-19 awareness campaigns in different countries, multilingual information was made available in audio and video formats as well. Audiovisual resources were also developed using different communication options (e.g., video with community language speakers vs. subtitling). This module will focus on the sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects of written, spoken and audiovisual communication across different communities, and will provide practical advice to future translators in relation to translation and language use options for each dissemination method. Sociolinguistic variation in multilingual societies poses serious challenges for both translation commissioners and translators (Burke, 2018). For both it is essential to conceive of community translation as part of an effective communication strategy. Apart from acting as expert advisers, community translators need to distinguish between one dissemination medium and another and use the language variety and translation options that most serve the communication strategy. With examples, especially relating to audiovisual and subtitled public messaging, this module will illustrate how community translators will be guided by the communicative context and translation brief to determine the most effective translation strategy.