The future of mediators for live events. LTA project. Academic and vocational training

Languages and cultures are intimately related; especially in the age of Information Society, where Technology continuously gives rise to new levels of interaction. In this context, the traditional training of language professionals in Translation Studies is no longer in line with current social, and industry requirements. A common discourse among professional translators is the fact that translator training programs are “inefficient, misleading, too theoretical, and irremediably out of touch with market developments” (Pym, 2011: 6). Current market practices in the translation field are evolving and differentiating in terms of method (crowd-sourcing, relay, and live); working possibilities (in person and remote); distribution opportunities (from massive to individual) and roles (translator, interpreter, and linguistic and cultural mediator). Moreover, the disruption of automatic mediation processes clearly demands a fresh look at the training of future professionals, which is already highlighted by the EMT Expert Group (2009: 7). There is, then, a gap to be bridged in training, which requires training skills to be defined for professionals of language and cultural mediation (real-time intralingual reporters or subtitlers), whilst taking into account technical possibilities and industry requirements.

This article deals specifically with this topic. In particular, it will start from a definition of mediation as a key concept in Media Accessibility; it will then present the results of a survey regarding the skills required of real-time intralingual subtitlers and their role as mediators in several fields of everyday life; lastly, existing technologies in the field of re-speaking which are used to produce real-time intralingual subtitles on TV and standard live settings will be described, as well as the extent of their contribution to the domain of mediation.