ABSTRACT
Two decades after the first translation conference to examine audiovisual communication and language transfer held in Strasbourg in 1995, translation departments in the Arab World have developed only a passing interest in the new field of audiovisual translation studies. Research and graduate papers tend to focus mainly on one mode only, i.e. ‘subtitling’, and mostly on one direction: into Arabic. Moreover, the research methodology tends to be primarily sociolinguistic. This chapter examines the state of audiovisual translation teaching and research in Arabic, a situation which mirrors in no small part the traditional efforts in print translation. Despite an early interest in translation as a catalyst for development, the overall results of official translation efforts have been less than satisfactory. In a bid to encourage research in this emerging field, the chapter focuses on the applied aspects of audiovisual translation. It highlights some innovative examples from various locations and industries across the Arab World. The field of audiovisual translation has the potential to address several of the numerous challenges faced by Arab educational, cultural and media institutions today.
