Professional Norms for Dubbing in Spain

Abstract

To date, few academic studies about the dubbing industry have been conducted and no quality standards have ever been set. As a consequence, translation for dubbing in Spain lacks a set of professional norms. Although Spanish dubbing studios share some common conventions, there is no uniformity in the use of parameters such as dubbing symbols or the number of lines a take must have. Instead, each dubbing studio applies its own rules according to its habits and needs. The research group trama (Translation and Communication in Audiovisual Media) from the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, has conducted an empirical and descriptive study, financed by the former Ministry of Education, with the aim of producing a map of the professional norms for dubbing in Spain. This article sets out to describe this study and to analyse the data gathered from a professional perspective. A discussion will follow, highlighting the relevance of this cartography of norms for the profession and for the training of translators-adapters in Spain