Subtitling for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: Past, Present and Future

Since the projection of the first film ever in 1895, audiovisual products have been an important way to access information. More evidently so with the emergence of a need for audiovisual translation (AVT) following the inclusion of intertitles and sound. Over recent decades the growth of this academic field, and the market, have been hugely significant – there is no doubt that AVT is no longer a secondary field within Translation Studies (TS) but a mainstream field of research and, undeniably, also a mainstream practice in the translation market. That said, as a young discipline, there is still a long way to go and plenty of new subfields to explore in depth. That is the case of subtitling for hearing impaired (SDH) children.

The present paper looks at the history of this subfield of study – its research, theory and practice – to offer an overview of the past and present of this discipline but, most of all, to present a view of where we are heading. This paper analyses some of the most challenging characteristics of SDH for children and tries to envision future practices and trends in research in this field.