Title
Amateur dubbing and humour to promote wellbeing. An innovative project for hospitalized children and adolescents
Conference name
9th International conference Media for all
City
Country
Spain
Modalities
Date
27/01/2021-29/01/2021
Abstract
Dubbing has always been an expensive and time-consuming mode of Audiovisual Translation (AVT) because of the complex processes it entails and the many professionals it requires (Ranzato 2016; Dore 2019; Spiteri Miggiani 2019). However, advances in technology have allowed dubbing to be done more easily and cost-effectively. Nowadays, computer software available on any personal computer can be used to create homemade dubbed versions of any audiovisual content. Nonetheless, thus far, amateur dubbing has mostly been aimed at offering content that was unavailable on the mainstream market (fandubbing) or at parodying people and/or situations (fundubbing) (Chaume 2019; Baños 2019).
This study focuses instead on an innovative pilot project carried out at Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence, Italy, which promotes the use of nonprofessional dubbing to foster wellbeing among children and adolescents who have to cope with illness while staying in hospital (Dore and Vagnoli, forthcoming). Like other healthcare support activities, amateur dubbing is characterised by an attempt to create a playful, social, creative, and distracting context that seeks to fully involve participants. However, unlike activities such as clowning and pet therapy (Vagnoli et al. 2010; Antonelli et al. 2019), amateur dubbing can invest participants with a more active role, putting them at the centre of the dubbing process to experience positive emotions via humour and a host of images and characters. The present work explains the project’s systematic organisation and implementation, along with the technical and linguistic challenges it involves. Data retrieved from semi-structured interviews with some patients, families and practitioners involved will be presented to show its positive effects and that, although in its infancy, this approach may offer promising opportunities for its replicability.
This study focuses instead on an innovative pilot project carried out at Meyer Children’s Hospital in Florence, Italy, which promotes the use of nonprofessional dubbing to foster wellbeing among children and adolescents who have to cope with illness while staying in hospital (Dore and Vagnoli, forthcoming). Like other healthcare support activities, amateur dubbing is characterised by an attempt to create a playful, social, creative, and distracting context that seeks to fully involve participants. However, unlike activities such as clowning and pet therapy (Vagnoli et al. 2010; Antonelli et al. 2019), amateur dubbing can invest participants with a more active role, putting them at the centre of the dubbing process to experience positive emotions via humour and a host of images and characters. The present work explains the project’s systematic organisation and implementation, along with the technical and linguistic challenges it involves. Data retrieved from semi-structured interviews with some patients, families and practitioners involved will be presented to show its positive effects and that, although in its infancy, this approach may offer promising opportunities for its replicability.