Existing subtitler training programmes and challenges for South Africa as a developing country

This article (part of a series of articles on the training of subtitlers in South Africa) investigates existing subtitler training programmes in developed countries as a point of departure in attempting to determine the challenges that face South Africa as a developing country in this regard. In order to position subtitler training meaningfully in terms of outcomes, existing courses are plotted on a continuum with vocational training at one extreme and academic-theoretical education at the other. To focus the discussion further, existing courses are investigated in terms of the national context of subtitling, the demographics of the country, legislation and policies that have a bearing on subtitling, training aims, academic level, course duration, course content, subtitling equipment or software used, practical training, entry levels, ideal candidates, assessment and the use of scripts in training. The article concludes that any South African course in subtitling should be rooted firmly in the domestic subtitling context, also in terms of the needs of the country. It also finds that a South African course will require a strong academic-theoretical foundation balanced by considerable emphasis on vocational training in order to establish subtitling within the field of language practice.