Giselle Spiteri Miggiani | University of Malta (original) (raw)

articles by Giselle Spiteri Miggiani

Tirant Lo Blanch, 2024

This study aims to identify the main challenges when learning translation and adaptation for dubb... more This study aims to identify the main challenges when learning translation and adaptation for dubbing. It seeks to pin down the most recurrent issues so that these can be addressed through focused training before they become ingrained habits. Such issues are bound to impinge on the quality of dubbed end products. To this end, a group of 15 postgraduate students studying audiovisual translation were asked to perform a translation and adaptation task for dubbing purposes. The task was evaluated against an error-based assessment rubric (Spiteri Miggiani, 2022). The errors encountered were labelled and quantified and the results were then compared to those of a previous study (Spiteri Miggiani, 2023a) held in a professional context, whereby well-established adapters carried out the same task. The comparison is intended to further pinpoint the specific needs of newbie translators and the strengths and weaknesses of both categories. The aim is to direct training focus accordingly while highlighting potential and employability skills in the newer generation of translators notwithstanding lack of experience. The data analysis reveals that the most common error categories across both groups of translators include issues related to 1) synchronisation as an end-product-oriented parameter; and 2) script functionality as a process-oriented parameter that refers to practical aspects of the script.

LJRHSS, 2024

This article provides a descriptive and analytical overview of the ongoing practical projects and... more This article provides a descriptive and analytical overview of the ongoing practical projects and action research intended to implement inclusive practices in the media sector in Malta. It also provides a transversal analysis of the findings across a series of applied and experimental studies investigating the practice of inclusive subtitles, a translation mode that targets a broad spectrum of viewers, providing linguistic, cultural, and sensory access. These studies adopt a user-centred approach. They engage in reception studies to identify the needs of the local audience while testing and shaping a set of proposed guidelines to be adopted by local practitioners and stakeholders. The main findings and insights are based on the observation of patterns and potential norms that emerged across the studies and corroborate, or otherwise, the specifications and recommendations in the said guidelines while identifying the need for further research focusing on specific aspects. This paper could provide a model for similar territories that are seeking to engage in inclusive practices applied to media content.

JoSTrans, Issue 40, 2023

Following the proposal of an assessment model that attempts to measure quality in dubbing (Spiter... more Following the proposal of an assessment model that attempts to measure quality in dubbing (Spiteri Miggiani, 2022), this paper presents the data and findings of its application in a professional setting. The study aims to pin down the main translation and adaptation issues affecting quality standards in the professional practice, thereby highlighting them for the sake of translators, trainees, trainers, and other professional roles in the dubbing workflow. The goal is to address these issues through awareness, focused strategies, and dialogue with the stakeholders involved. The model was applied to two translation tasks carried out by a group of established adapters. The tasks were reviewed to identify, categorise, and quantify errors. The data analysis reveals that in one task, the top three errors were related to (1) script functionality, more specifically dubbing notations and character allocation; (2) natural sounding language, more specifically source calques; and (3) translation, more specifically unnecessary loss. In the second task, (1) synchronisation also emerged as a significant challenge, in particular, mismatched labial consonants; together with (2) functionality; and, (3) translation.

Languages, 2023

Abstract Given the vast scholarly attention paid to multilingualism on traditional media over the... more Abstract
Given the vast scholarly attention paid to multilingualism on traditional media over the years, it seems timely to focus on streaming platforms. This paper sets out to identify potential norms for the rendering of multilingual occurrences in the localised content of Netflix series. It also seeks to explore whether streaming translation practices related to multilingualism differ from the consolidated norms and practices for TV and cinema content. The chosen data sample consists of the Italian dub streams of five TV Netflix-produced shows featuring multilingualism as a main characteristic. The strategies and techniques adopted in each series are singled out, quantified, and labelled according to a combination of taxonomies. These include dubbing, revoicing, subtitling, part-subtitling, diegetic interpreting, unchanged speech transfer, and no translation. A wider analysis is also carried out across all the data sample to draw patterns on a macro level. The findings reveal a strong tendency to mark and preserve multilingualism, in line with Netflix’s own policies and dubbing specifications. Transfer unchanged combined with subtitles emerges as the most recurrent strategy, while the dub-over strategy accounts for 13% of the multilingual occurrences in the data sample. Extensive neutralisation is therefore not encountered. That said, a certain degree of overlap between multilingual translation norms on Netflix and conventional Italian dubbing practices (which tend to neutralise) can still be observed.

The Making of Accessible Audiovisual Translation. Oxford/New York: Peter Lang. Carmen Pena-Díaz (ed) (2023). , 2023

Recent technological advances, and in particular, the cloud turn in audiovisual translation (Bola... more Recent technological advances, and in particular, the cloud turn in audiovisual translation (Bolaños & Díaz Cintas, 2020) have had a huge impact on localisation global trends, prac-tices and workflows (Díaz Cintas & Massidda, 2019; Bywood, 2020). In this chapter, tradi-tional dubbing workflows (Whitman Linsen, 1992, Chaume, 2007a, 2012; Spiteri Miggiani, 2019,) will be discussed and then compared to cloud dubbing workflows, thus outlining the differences in processes and their impact on the professional roles involved (Baños-Piñero, 2018; Bolaños & Díaz Cintas, 2020). The chapter will focus mainly on the translation and adaptation phase and will draw special attention to the benefits and challenges of prepar-ing a dubbing script in the cloud from a practitioner perspective. It will highlight how the assistive tools available on such platforms can help to achieve the commonly accepted dubbing quality standards (Chaume, 2007b; Spiteri Miggiani, 2021a, 2021b), while also meeting the functional needs of a dubbing script. To this end, reference will be made to professional cloud dubbing platforms such as Voice Q, One Dub and ZOOdubs, the last-mentioned illustrated in further detail. Such platforms are changing market demands in terms of professional roles and skill requisites, and consequently this also implies the need for a new translator trainer approach (Stringer, 2020).

XLINGUAE 15(2), 2022

Quality assessment in the field of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) has been addressed by several s... more Quality assessment in the field of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) has been addressed
by several scholars, particularly in relation to interlingual subtitling (Pedersen, 2017;
Robert & Remael, 2016), intralingual live subtitling (Romero-Fresco & Martínez
Pérez, 2015) and interlingual live subtitling (Robert & Remael, 2017; Romero-Fresco
& Pöchhacker, 2017), but to-date no model in relation to dubbing has been proposed.
As with other AVT modes, the need for a quality assessment method in dubbing arises
in academic and in-house training contexts. Moreover, localization companies often
resort to ‘entry tests’ before engaging translators. Self-assessment also proves to be
one of the main challenges for trainees in a dubbing training context, and any quality
assessment tools can possibly be of help. This paper proposes a tentative quality
assessment model that attempts to pin down the ‘errors’ in a dubbing dialogue script
while measuring the quality via a percentage score system. The model focuses on the
translation and adaptation phase in the dubbing workflow and is therefore based on a
set of textual quality parameters. These are drawn on a revisited taxonomy of dubbing
quality standards (Spiteri Miggiani, 2021a, 2021b), further adapted from Chaume
(2007), which takes into account the dubbed end product as a whole. The model
combines an end product-oriented approach with workflow-oriented standards and
expectation norms, therefore taking the industry perspective into account. This
implies considering the functionality of a dubbing script as a macro quality parameter
in its own right. The application of this tentative model has so far been limited to the
author’s academic and in-house training settings. This paper, therefore, is simply
intended as a point of departure to pave the way toward applied and collaborative
research that could test, validate, and further develop the proposed model

The following guidelines are to be considered work in progress. Further experimental studies are ... more The following guidelines are to be considered work in progress. Further experimental studies are necessary to test and develop them further. Meanwhile, they are being used for didactic and educational purposes, applied research, and local media localisation projects. The parameters and specifications provided are intended for interlingual and intralingual subtitling both in English and Maltese (source languages: English, Maltese, or foreign languages). They are meant to guide audiovisual translators in a Maltese linguistic and cultural setting. They draw on widespread standards and conventions and their variations in use across TV networks, streaming platforms, and localisation companies globally, and have been adapted to suit Maltese-specific needs. Inclusive subtitles are intended for a broad spectrum of viewers who may or may not have hearing loss, and who may or may not understand Maltese. The specifications and strategies proposed aim to create an inclusive enjoyable experience that can be shared by all alike. The aim is to seek a balance that ensures that no viewer is deprived of essential information (e.g., relevant sounds, or culture-specific terms and references) while trying to avoid overabundant or redundant information.
For further detail on the ongoing research carried out to develop these guidelines, refer to the author's forthcoming articles.

JAT 4(1) 2021, 2021

The sudden boom of non-English language content on popular streaming platforms has obliged media ... more The sudden boom of non-English language content on popular streaming platforms has obliged media localisation companies to react and adapt quickly to provide the market with English dubbing lip-synch services. This comes with several challenges due to the absence of a long-established English dubbing tradition and professional practice, as well as the lack of consolidated norms and conventions, or a textual repertoire to act as a point of reference. This paper builds on a prior theoretical study (Spiteri Miggiani, 2021) that seeks to identify potential norms as well as challenges in English-language dubbing. It goes a step further by exploring strategies and techniques that could address the identified challenges while aiming to satisfy the generally accepted quality standards that govern dubbing globally. The proposed strategies apply to the dubbing workflow as a whole with a special focus on the dubbing text adaptation process. The study aims to set the grounds for further research required to corroborate these strategies through applied studies in an academic setting, or through collaboration with localisation companies where they can be tested and observed in professional practice. Key words: English-language dubbing, dubbing, adaptation, training, applied strategies, quality standards, lip-synch, rhythm, intonation, sound

JosTRans 36(a) 2021, 2021

The availability of a significant amount of non-English audiovisual content on streaming platform... more The availability of a significant amount of non-English audiovisual content on streaming
platforms gave rise to a new localisation demand: English-language dubbing of films and
TV series. This paper examines English lip-synch dubbing vis-à-vis the norms and quality
standards that generally govern dubbing in other cultures and languages. It proposes an
empirical analysis based on a selection of English-dubbed fiction series episodes streamed
on Netflix. These are analysed in primis as target culture audiovisual texts in their own
right and only later in comparison with their original counterparts. The intent is to identify:
(1) recurrent patterns across English dubbed products; (2) challenging factors specific to
English dubbing; and, (3) possible explanations to such challenges. The study reveals that
due attention is given to dialogue synchronisation in terms of matching duration, pauses
and lip movements, even though the last-mentioned also presents inconsistencies.
Naturalness in the target language and speech tempo are pursued, sometimes affecting
other quality parameters, such as rhythmic synchrony that turns out to be one of the major
challenges throughout. Other patterns that emerge include unnatural intonation, in
particular, speech melody, and instances of hollow sound quality, especially in outdoor
scenes. The ultimate aim of the study is to lay the groundwork for further research into
strategies that could possibly meet the identified challenges.

Chapters by Giselle Spiteri Miggiani

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter illustrates the strategies and guidelines, discussed in previous chapters, as applie... more This chapter illustrates the strategies and guidelines, discussed in previous chapters, as applied to first-hand examples drawn from popular TV series. The analytical approach adopted is inspired by the genetic analysis method proposed by Richart Marset. Instead of an a posteriori analysis of the final product in comparison to the original, the rewriting process is retraced in its various stages, all the way up to the recorded version. The “in-between” drafts of a selection of dialogue scripts offer insights into the reasons behind adaptation choices and text manipulation, in an attempt to disclose the contents of the dubbing-script black box. Further text modification that takes place during the recording sessions is also given due consideration.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter presents company guidelines related to dubbing specifics. These are intended to prov... more This chapter presents company guidelines related to dubbing specifics. These are intended to provide a number of benchmarks to dialogue writers. Since there are no standard universal guidelines, common threads and norms that are widely used, across many countries, are brought together, so as to provide the dialogue writer with some tools that can help face the challenges that accompany the dubbing process. This chapter provides the novice dialogue writer with an insight to first-time challenges and consequential decisional processes. The suggestions put forward are related to foreign languages and accents, songs, character allocation, language style, punctuation, censorship, as also other issues and practical aspects.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter breaks down the dubbing script into its various components, textual and paratextual,... more This chapter breaks down the dubbing script into its various components, textual and paratextual, as it analyses the dialogue writers’ tasks in great detail. These include, among others, the preparation of character lists, synopsis, titles, recaps; the insertion of dubbing notations and the creation of background 'walla'. The dialogue writer is introduced to these practical aspects and the way they are handled. Dubbing companies give them extreme importance for reasons of functionality, logistics, and administration, and dialogue writers must know how to approach such tasks before they take on their first assignments in dialogue writing.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter goes through the dubbing deliverables, that is, the various documents which are prod... more This chapter goes through the dubbing deliverables, that is, the various documents which are produced for and throughout the dubbing process, and which are handled by various professional roles in the dubbing companies. These include post-production scripts, target language scripts, dubbing consistency sheets, glossaries, metadata files, and others. The purpose and function of these deliverables, and their consequent effect on the dubbing chain is tackled from the industry’s standpoint. Existent samples are provided to illustrate this dubbing industry material. Loop segmentation and dialogue segmentation are also discussed in detail.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter offers an overview of the dialogue writing process from a technical and practical pe... more This chapter offers an overview of the dialogue writing process from a technical and practical perspective. It compares various approaches, offers strategies for the synchronization of text and images, and proposes a working methodology that can be useful in the initial stages of training and practice in dialogue writing. The suggested strategies are aimed at producing functional scripts, while possibly obtaining time-and-quality efficiency results. This chapter also draws onto the field of cognitive science in an attempt to understand how the work methods adopted by dialogue writers can have an impact on the quality of their scripts, the latter being based on the standards generally agreed upon in academia.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter focuses on the notion of constrained writing as a tool to enhance freedom and creati... more This chapter focuses on the notion of constrained writing as a tool to enhance freedom and creativity in dialogue writing. In order to highlight this notion, this chapter draws on other fields, specifically literary criticism, classical poetics, creative writing, screenwriting and cognitive informatics. The analogies drawn also have a functional purpose, in that they lead towards suggested skills-enhancement methods to be applied to dialogue writing for dubbing. The possibility of bridging film studies and audiovisual translation is explored by seeking ways in which training in dialogue writing for dubbing can be a valuable asset to film screenwriters.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing. An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

This chapter unveils the dubbing and dialogue writing process through the eyes of the practitione... more This chapter unveils the dubbing and dialogue writing process through the eyes of the practitioner, while offering insights into scholarly viewpoints on the subject. Industry jargon and academic terminology are compared and used hand in hand in order to describe the role of dialogue writers and how their contribution impacts on the dubbing process and on the other professional roles involved. This initial part of the book also introduces various norms across countries and continents, especially where the division of dialogue writing tasks, recording methods and software tools are concerned. It also enables the reader to come to grips with the demands of the dialogue writing profession, particularly the dubbing constraints to be handled and quality standard expectations.

Books by Giselle Spiteri Miggiani

Teatru Manoel, The National Theatre of Malta. Ad Honestam Populi Oblectationem. Midsea Books Edition, Malta, 2016

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective, 2019

This book analyses an important phase in the interlingual dubbing process of audiovisual producti... more This book analyses an important phase in the interlingual dubbing process of audiovisual productions: the elaboration of target language scripts for the recording studios. Written by a practitioner in the industry who is also an academic and trainer, it provides practical know-how and guidelines while adopting a scholarly, structural and methodical approach. Supported by an exemplified, analytical and theoretical framework, it is non-language specific and discusses strategies and tricks of the trade. Divided into three parts, the book provides a descriptive, practical and analytical approach to dubbing and dialogue writing. The author analyses scripts drawn from her own professional practice, including initial drafts that illustrate the various transformations of a text throughout the rewriting process. She also offers a ‘backstage’ perspective, from first-hand experience in recording sessions that enabled knowledge of text manipulation, studio jargon, and the dubbing post production process. This publication will provide a valuable resource for novice dubbing translators and dialogue writers, while offering practitioner insights to scholars and researchers in the field of Audiovisual Translation, Film and Media Studies.

Tirant Lo Blanch, 2024

LJRHSS, 2024

JoSTrans, Issue 40, 2023

Languages, 2023

The Making of Accessible Audiovisual Translation. Oxford/New York: Peter Lang. Carmen Pena-Díaz (ed) (2023). , 2023

XLINGUAE 15(2), 2022

JAT 4(1) 2021, 2021

JosTRans 36(a) 2021, 2021

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing. An Insider's Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan), 2019

Teatru Manoel, The National Theatre of Malta. Ad Honestam Populi Oblectationem. Midsea Books Edition, Malta, 2016

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing: An Insider's Perspective, 2019

Languages

Given the vast scholarly attention paid to multilingualism on traditional media over the years, i... more Given the vast scholarly attention paid to multilingualism on traditional media over the years, it seems timely to focus on streaming platforms. This paper sets out to identify potential norms for the rendering of multilingual occurrences in the localised content of Netflix series. It also seeks to explore whether streaming translation practices related to multilingualism differ from the consolidated norms and practices for TV and cinema content. The chosen data sample consists of the Italian dub streams of five TV Netflix-produced shows featuring multilingualism as a main characteristic. The strategies and techniques adopted in each series are singled out, quantified, and labelled according to a combination of taxonomies. These include dubbing, revoicing, subtitling, part-subtitling, diegetic interpreting, unchanged speech transfer, and no translation. A wider analysis is also carried out across all the data sample to draw patterns on a macro level. The findings reveal a strong ten...

XLinguae

Quality assessment in the field of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) has been addressed by several sc... more Quality assessment in the field of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) has been addressed by several scholars, particularly in relation to interlingual subtitling (Pedersen, 2017; Robert & Remael, 2016), intralingual live subtitling (Romero-Fresco & Martínez Pérez, 2015) and interlingual live subtitling (Robert & Remael, 2017; Romero-Fresco & Pöchhacker, 2017), but to-date no model in relation to dubbing has been proposed. As with other AVT modes, the need for a quality assessment method in dubbing arises in academic and in-house training contexts. Moreover, localization companies often resort to ‘entry tests’ before engaging translators. Self-assessment also proves to be one of the main challenges for trainees in a dubbing training context, and any quality assessment tools can possibly be of help. This paper proposes a tentative quality assessment model that attempts to pin down the ‘errors’ in a dubbing dialogue script while measuring the quality via a percentage score system. The model...

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing, 2019

Following the descriptive approach which is intended to also include a scholarly outlook, this se... more Following the descriptive approach which is intended to also include a scholarly outlook, this second part of the monograph aims at shifting perspective and illustrating the dubbing industry’s standpoint. Adopting a practical approach, it seeks to focus on the functional aspects and demands of dubbing companies. The chapters in Part II draw mostly on real documentation containing company guidelines and dubbing specifics; a variety of scripts and dubbing deliverables; and research, consultation, and training sessions with dubbing companies based in different global regions, as well as on personal professional practice.

This first part of the monograph is intended to pave the way for the practical and functional tas... more This first part of the monograph is intended to pave the way for the practical and functional tasks and demands that delineate the dubbing and dialogue writing process. The insider’s description of the dubbing and dialogue writing process is accompanied and supported by a scholarly outlook on the subject matter and is aimed at introducing specific aspects and issues that will be dealt with later on from a practical viewpoint.

Dialogue Writing for Dubbing

Dialogue writing can certainly be considered as a form of constrained writing or constrained tran... more Dialogue writing can certainly be considered as a form of constrained writing or constrained translation (Mayoral et al. 1988; Titford 1982). The number of restrictions to be handled in dubbing adaptation need not discourage dialogue writers, says Chaume; on the contrary these can be seen as a challenge that stimulates creativity: originality used within certain limitations and parameters, of course, otherwise it would be difficult to distinguish between dialogue writing and other forms of creative writing (Chaume 1998, p. 21). What is being suggested in this chapter is that the constraints that make dialogue writing such a difficult task can actually enhance creativity and freedom in writing; rather than being considered, by dialogue writers, as solely restrictive, they can also be considered as creative.

Journal of Audiovisual Translation