Subtitles and captions are often treated as technical afterthoughts, but we will explore how and why they become acts of authorship — shaping voice, meaning and access.
Subtitling is often understood as a neutral process of translation, but every choice, from phrasing and timing to tone and omission, shapes how a story is received. In documentary, this raises urgent questions around authorship, particularly when working across languages, cultures and power structures. At the same time, captions are rarely considered beyond compliance, despite their potential to reshape how sound, rhythm and atmosphere are experienced on screen. Bringing together filmmakers, translators and accessibility practitioners, this session explores subtitling and captioning as both craft and responsibility, asking who controls meaning, what is lost or transformed in translation, and how more creative and inclusive approaches might expand the language of documentary itself.
Speakers:
To be announced
Moderator:
Ling Lee (Editor, Director, Cinematographer & Co-Programme Director and Lecturer of Film and Moving Image, University of Edinburgh)
