Problems of Interlingual Transfer of Textual Units in Audiovisual Translation

Abstract

Audiovisual translation (AVT) has become one of the fastest-growing fields of Translation Studies due to the rapid development of digital media, streaming platforms, and global communication. Unlike conventional written translation, audiovisual translation requires translators to consider linguistic, cultural, visual, and acoustic elements simultaneously. This multimodal nature creates numerous challenges in the interlingual transfer of textual units. The present study examines the major linguistic and extralinguistic problems encountered during audiovisual translation, focusing on subtitling and dubbing as the two dominant AVT modes. The study employs qualitative comparative analysis based on theoretical approaches proposed by Díaz Cintas, Chaume, Pedersen, Baker, and Gottlieb. The findings indicate that successful interlingual transfer depends not only on linguistic equivalence but also on functional adequacy and multimodal coherence. Translators frequently apply strategies such as adaptation, omission, condensation, reformulation, and cultural substitution to preserve communicative effectiveness. The research concludes that audiovisual translation should be regarded as a process of intercultural mediation rather than simple linguistic substitution. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on audiovisual translation and provide practical recommendations for translators working in multilingual audiovisual environments.