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Interpreting the cinema interpreter-mediated interactions at film festivals in the Czech republic

Publication

Abstract

Film festivals are an important setting for interpreted interactions in the Czech Republic. Fifteen years ago, the most common interpreting activity at film festivals was that of the film dialogue.

However, with technological innovations in subtitling, interpreted introductions before the screening and debates with crew members post-screening currently constitute the major interpreting activities at many film festivals. This thesis observes interpreting at film festivals from two points of view.

Firstly, interpreting at Czech festivals is observed from a distance. Research was conducted by means of interviews and questionnaires directed to film festival organizers and hired agencies responsible for interpreting at the festivals.

The result of this investigation is presented as a list of interpreting methods and approaches observed at individual festivals in the Czech Republic. Secondly, the thesis looks at four Czech film festivals from a closer perspective.

Consecutively interpreted interactions before and after film screenings were observed in detail. The following festivals were included in the research: Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival One World, Prague Short Film Festival and Prague International Film Festival - Febiofest.

While the working mode of interpreting in the examined debates was mostly consecutive, in some cases it was combined with chuchotage in one direction of the bilateral communication. The mode of research was orientational and qualitative.

Qualitative analysis of recordings from the debates and introductions was supported by ATLAS.ti software. Twenty-five interactions from the four festivals were recorded in the cinemas.

The research is based on four theoretical concepts: culture, interaction, dialogue and text. Culture is traced both as language culture and as an individual culture with associated norms and values.

Each interaction is seen as a unique encounter of cultures.