Translation and Media Accessibility
About This Course
Designed for advanced bilingual specialists, this course integrates localisation with audiovisual translation (AVT) practice and media accessibility studies. Working with a broad range of multimodal materials, including news media, streaming platforms, podcasts, film, advertising, social media, subtitles for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, and emerging formats such as live subtitling, learners will learn to translate and adapt content for Singapore’s diverse, multilingual media environments. Through seminars, translation assessments, guided critiques, group projects, and independent research, learners will develop advanced competences in English–Chinese media translation, alongside proficiency in translation technologies and post-editing workflows.
What You'll Learn
1) Demonstrate an advanced understanding of localisation, audiovisual translation, and media accessibility frameworks.
2) Identify and resolve linguistic and cultural challenges in English–Chinese multimodal media translation.
3) Use professional translation technologies, including automatic translation tools, subtitling software, and machine translation post-editing workflows.
4) Assess the sociocultural and ethical implications of translation in multilingual media contexts.
5) Produce culturally adapted, audience-appropriate translations that meet professional and ethical media standards.
Course Syllabus
Week 1: Media localisation and the global language services industry
Week 2: Journalistic translation and multilingual news communication
Week 3: Trans-editing and post-editing in media contexts
Week 4: Subtitling principles and screen text ergonomics
Week 5: Cognitive processing in audiovisual translation
Week 6: Audio description and media accessibility
Week 7: Respeaking and live subtitling
Week 8: Translation across social media platforms
Week 9: Collaborative and participatory translation in digital spaces
Week 10: Translation quality assessment in audiovisual contexts
Week 11: Audience reception and trust in technologically mediated translation
Week 12: Risk management in audiovisual translation
Week 13: Reflection and future directions"
Entry Requirements
Admission Requirements
Applicants should hold a BA degree (at least an average grade of B or equivalent) preferably in language- or humanities-related disciplines. Candidates with other qualifications and experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval.
English Proficiency
Applicants whose native tongue and medium of university instruction are not English should submit their TOEFL or IELTS score. The following minimum score is required: 85 for the internet-based TOEFL test (with a minimum score of 22 for the writing section); or 237 for the computer-based TOEFL test; or IELTS score of 6.0.
Chinese Proficiency
Applicants should have a functional command of modern written Chinese sufficient for reading and understanding general and professional texts commonly encountered in Singapore. The minimum proficiency level is comparable to completion of secondary school Higher Chinese or equivalent. Native-like or advanced literary proficiency is NOT required.