The Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (ICCS) is delighted to announce a guest lecture organized by the Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (ICCS), featuring Prof. Jorge Díaz-Cintas, Professor of Translation and founding director of the Centre for Translation Studies (CenTraS) at University College London, UK.

The lecture will take place on Tuesday, 31 March, from 15:30 to 17:00, in T2-101.

Talk Title: From Local to Global: Audiovisual Translation in a Digitally Interconnected World

Speaker: Prof. Jorge Díaz-Cintas, University College London

Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital platforms and streaming services has intensified global demand for multilingual audiovisual content, underscoring the critical role of audiovisual translation (AVT) in the globalisation of media productions. Supported by technological innovation, practices such as subtitling, dubbing, and accessibility services have long served to overcome linguistic, cultural, and sensory barriers. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), however, are reshaping traditional AVT practices and professional workflows. This presentation examines current developments in AVT against the backdrop of an increasingly globalised media landscape, highlighting both emerging opportunities and persistent challenges. Particular attention is paid to the translation of less commonly used and under-resourced languages, which continue to face limitations in terms of data availability, technological support, and professional expertise. The presentation further explores emerging AI-driven solutions designed to address these constraints, including speech recognition, synthetic voices, automatic spotting, and machine translation. By assessing the impact of AI on media localisation, this talk offers insight into how technological innovation may enhance linguistic diversity, accessibility, and efficiency in AVT, while also raising important questions concerning quality, ethics, and the evolving role of human expertise in the localisation process.

Bio: Jorge Díaz Cintas is Professor of Translation and founding director of the Centre for Translation Studies (CenTraS) at University College London. He is the author of numerous articles, special issues and books on audiovisual translation, including Subtitling: Concepts and Practices (with Aline Remael, 2021). Jorge is a frequent speaker at international conferences and events, and has offered consultancy services to the European Parliament, European Commission, NATO, OOONA, Deluxe and Netflix, among others. He is the Chief Editor of the series New Trends in Translation Studies and the recipient of the Jan Ivarsson Award (ESIST, 2014) and the Xènia Martínez Award (ATRAE, 2015) for invaluable services to the field of audiovisual translation

We look forward to your participation!

Warm regards,

Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (ICCS)