Sign Languages in Audiovisual Media: Towards a Taxonomy from a Translational Point of View

Abstract

Sign language (SL), sign language interpreting (SLI) and sign language translation (SLT) have often been overlooked in both theoretical and more practical approaches within Audiovisual Translation (AVT) studies. This is a theoretical contribution that aims at presenting a taxonomy for the classification of SL, SLI and SLT that might serve to encourage and develop descriptive accounts in the field. This objective is achieved through a review of previous literature on sign language, media accessibility and descriptive AVT studies. To this end, a brief introduction to how SLT and SLI are conducted in the area of audiovisual (AV) content will be presented. A short discussion from an AVT perspective on source languages (L1s), target languages (L2s) and third languages (L3s) will follow, including observations on the role of SLs in AV production, the stages at which SLs are implemented, and the possible translation modes for these languages. Reflections here will lead to the proposal of the first ever taxonomy for the analysis of those AVT modes which include the presence of SLs in AV content. Finally, conclusions will focus on the importance of fostering methodologically strong descriptive studies on SL translation and interpreting from an AVT perspective.