From inconspicuousness to flow - the CIA model of subtitle quality

摘要

Professional subtitlers' perceptions of quality were studied in an online survey conducted in three German-speaking countries. Fifty-nine subtitlers filled in a questionnaire that contained items on quality parameters and quality assurance measures. The respondents' quality statements were categorised into three overall quality dimensions - correspondence between original and subtitles, intelligibility, and linguistic authenticity - each with its own subset of quality parameters. This was the basis for the construction of the CIA model of interlingual subtitle quality. It is hypothesised that if the model's quality dimensions and parameters are met, subtitle reception will lead to a flow experience. Suggestions for future directions concern time-lag studies to investigate how quality perceptions evolve over time, research into subtitling competence, and testing of the validity of the model by having professional subtitlers assess a set of subtitles while thinking aloud.