Carlo Eugeni (University of Leeds)

Real-time intralingual subtitling is one of the most intriguing professions in the field of Audiovisual Translation because the focus is not just on how accurate subtitles are, but also how rapidly they are produced, in a race against the clock and with a severe assessment from end users and researchers. This implies a deep understanding and command of two important aspects by the professional: accuracy and delay. Accuracy is one of the oldest and most debated topics in the research and profession (Apone, Brooks, and O’Connell 2010; Eugeni 2008, 2009; Ofcom 2015; Romero-Fresco 2009, 2011, 2018). It is not simply a question of how many words of a speech are transferred in the subtitles; many perspectives contribute to different views of the notion. This implies that it varies according to countries and traditions, as well as the choice of the measurement tool used to assess it. 

Delay is also the object of many investigations (EBG 2014; Eugeni 2020; Mikul 2014; Romero-Fresco 2015; Romero-Fresco and Eugeni 2020). Again, it is not simply a question of time, as views vary according to country and tradition. Depending on the notion of accuracy and delay, professionals must possess different skills to reach the target standards, of which being rapid and accurate are common. 

This speech will be divided in 2 parts: a theoretical part and an illustrative part. In the theoretical part, the notions of quality and delay in real-time subtitling will be briefly addressed. In particular, the factors influencing them will be detailed and discussed. Then, two opposite views will be considered: verbatim subtitles aimed at 100% correspondence between the words in the subtitles and those pronounced by the speaker; and sensatim subtitles aimed at providing end users with all the idea units pronounced by the speaker. Finally, a theoretical framework for the overall comprehension of the various notions of accuracy will be proposed. In the illustrative part, participants will be shown a tool that is free of access, and which allows to reach MARS, or a professional’s Most Accurate and Rapid Speech-to-text dictation rate; as well as its algorithm for automatically counting accuracy. MARS is one of the results of the EU-funded LTA project and aims at allowing teachers, trainers, and professionals assessing the maximum amount of words per minute a TV subtitler, a conference speech-to-text interpreter or a court or parliamentary reporter can produce while maintaining high quality accuracy standards. 

Carlo Eugeni is the programme leader of the MA in Audiovisual Translation and Localisation at the University of Leeds, and the chairman of the Intersteno Scientific Committee. He has pioneered studies on respeaking with research, publications and experimental professional projects on live subtitling and deafness.