مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - FUNCTIONAL SUBTITLING FOR THE DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING: AN EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN TURKEY

Abstract :

Disabled individuals still try to tackle loads of problems if they are to partake in a regular social and cultural life. One of the aspects of cultural integration and participation is the ability to reach audio-visual medias, which should be adopted to the needs of the groups whose ability differs from the general target audience. Subtitling and subtitle translation are two of those tools which integrate deaf and hard-of hearing, who usually fell beyond the ‘regular’ target audience in such cases. This study discusses the role of the subtitle translation in integration of deaf and hard-of hearing to the society, and analyses the processes it goes through within the framework of functional translation theories. After explaining the functional approaches which create the aforementioned framework, focus of the study shifts to the processes and actors involved in the translation. Data used in the study is derived from the current situation of the deaf and hard-of hearing society in Turkey. In this sense, the current situation in Turkey is described by both questioning the problems at present and underlining significant improvements. A special emphasis is put on the need of an educational web for the deaf and hard-of hearing and the importance of collaboration with the translators specialized on the field.