Questions and Answers Regarding Languages and The Media 2008

Languages and The Media is a biennial international conference dedicated to the practice of translation and transfer of language in films and on television, as well as in interactive media such as computer games and the Internet. Specialists who cover the broad sector of media business, as well as the translation and interpreting sectors, will hold lectures and seminars and lead discussions and workshops in which current trends and the latest developments are introduced. Details of new projects, practical applications and research results also enrich the conference participants’ learning experience. The conference themes include the latest developments in dubbing, subtitling, voice-over and translation for the media.

The exhibition, which runs parallel to the learning sessions, offers the opportunity for vendors and manufactures to present the very best products and services in the field. The dates for the 7th conference are October 29th – 31st. The conference venue is the Hotel InterContinental in Berlin.

How did it all start?
In 1996 the first Languages and The Media conference was launched with the idea of creating a forum where experts in the field of language transfer in audiovisual media have the opportunity to discuss trends and changes. In those years the Internet, video games and multimedia platforms were not as present as they are now. However, topics like access to the media and quality standards of translation, subtitling and dubbing are as important to talk about now as they were 12 years ago. New themes come to the fore while classic themes are updated.

Who is the target audience?
The range of professions represented includes decision-makers on language from the media, distributors of audiovisual media products and services, producers of media programmes, website developers and translators, subtitling and dubbing companies, language industry specialists, researchers in media studies as well as representatives of consumer organisations. Nearly 200 experts from over 30 countries worldwide exchange their experiences in the field of audiovisual translation.

What can attendees expect from this year’s conference?

It is a superb forum for exchanging experience, networking and monitoring developments in the field of audiovisual translation. More than 200 individuals from over 30 countries will be there. Together with a well-chosen programme by Languages and The Media’s Steering Committee, they make it one of the premier events of its kind. Workshops regarding, for example, audio description, seminars with topics like literacy and live subtitling as well as panels concerning high levels of access regulation are part of the conference programme. Anyone interested in the international debate on universal access to the media should not miss the Berlin gathering.

What is this year’s current theme all about?
This year’s conference theme concerns the question of quality. Our main topic is Global Business – Local Access. Good-bye Quality?

With this topic Languages and The Media addresses vital themes such as national and international language policies in the media, multilingual access to global media as well as the distribution and quality of content. The contrasts between worldwide and local distribution, between language requirements and different audiovisual translation modalities are challenging and these topics will be addressed in the lively debates at Languages and The Media. Subtitling as well as audio description to enable medial access to a deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as a blind and partially sighted audience is one element of audiovisual translation modalities which will be part of the conference.

Also high on the agenda are topics such as audiovisual localisation, access to the media for specific audiences, new technologies and tools as well as multiple uses of assets.

One programme highlight will be the opening plenary with Brij Kothari, researcher at the faculty of the Indian Institute of Management, and Alex Varley, CEO of Media Access Australia (MAA).With their diverse topics and perceptions they provide an insight into the accessibility of media and therewith different ways to offer possibilities to get universal access to mass media on a global scale.

Whose brainchild is Languages and The Media?
The event is the work of the Berlin-based firm ICWE. The company organises international conferences and exhibitions with a focus on all sectors of education, training and ICT. Over the last 19 years, ICWE’s multilingual team has organised conferences, seminars, workshops and exhibitions in over 30 countries across the world.

October 7, 2008

 

Languages & The Media

7th International Conference & Exhibition on Language Transfer in Audiovisual Media
October 29 – 31, 2008
Venue: Hotel InterContinental Berlin, Budapester Strasse 2, 10787 Berlin, Germany
Organiser: ICWE GmbH, Leibnizstr. 32, 10625 Berlin, Germany,
Tel.: +49 (0)30 310 18 18-0
info@languages-media.com
www.languages-media.com

Press contact:

ICWE GmbH
Juliane Walter
Leibnizstr. 32
10625 Berlin Germany
Tel: +49 (0)30 310 18 18-0
juliane.walter@icwe.net
Press releases are available at: www.languages-media.com/press.php