Audiovisual translation (AVT) training is progressively becoming more widespread, mainly due to its greater presence in institutions of higher education. Such increased interest of universities in this particular field can be considered a reflection of the tremendous impact that audiovisually translated products have on our everyday lives.
However, as authors such as Díaz-Cintas write, “AVT is an area in which there seems to have been a chronic lack of expertise amongst trainers to teach it” (2008: 5). In other words, AVT trainers seem to be in need of new ideas so every contribution in this respect should be welcome. Besides, AVT “shares an umbilical relationship with technology,” so “future professionals should be exposed to the latest software generations” (Díaz-Cintas, 2008: 4-6). Hence, our job as AVT trainers is – at least – twofold: we need to (1) assimilate and keep up with new developments in AVT training and (2) be able to assimilate new technology and implement it in the classroom.
This presentation first gives a brief review of the current state of affairs regarding AVT training. I will then refer to the AVT undergraduate course taught at the University of Murcia to illustrate a way in which trainers can make use of and integrate dubbing and subtitling software programs into their classes. More concretely, I will explain the way in which Windows Movie Maker and Subtitle Workshop are used in the classroom to carry out dubbing and subtitling simulations respectively so that trainees can go beyond the translation stage, get an overall view by completing the dubbing and subtitling processes and can actually see how their translated scripts materialise on the screen. Finally, I will present two samples of clips dubbed (from the television animated series The Simpsons) and subtitled (from the film Chinatown) by the students to show the final and authentic results of this activity and prove the didactic potential of this software.

References
Díaz-Cintas, J. (2008) The Didactics of Audiovisual Translation, Benjamins: Amsterdam/Philadelphia.

Juan José MARTÍNEZ-SIERRA teaches Audiovisual Translation at the Department of Spanish Language, General Linguistics, and Translation & Interpretation of the University of Murcia (Spain). Besides his PhD in Translation Studies, Martínez-Sierra holds a BA in English Language and Culture and an MA in Intercultural Communication. He has already published several articles dealing with audiovisual translation and culture. He has also published a book on the translation of humour in
audiovisual texts from an intercultural and discursive perspective.