UNIVERSIDAD VERACRUZANA
FACULTAD DE IDIOMAS
LICENCIATURA EN LENGUA
TESINA
“Subtitling the video Instuciones de la EU. Unificación
de las Instituciones y composición actual, parte 1 de 4:
the process of subtitling and translation techiniques.
PARA OBTENER EL TÍTULO DE
LICENCIADO EN LENGUA INGLESA
PRESENTA
MIGUEL ÁNGEL CHAVALA SEBASTIÁN
DIRECTORA
MTRA. CRISTINA VICTORIA KLEINERT
XALAPA-ENRIQUEZ, VERACRUZ
SEPTIEMBRE DE 2015
AGRADECIMIENTOS
A Dios:
Por haberme acompañado a lo largo de mi carrera y por ser la luz que siempre
iluminó mi camino. Durante cuatro años estuviste conmigo y me diste la sabiduría
para terminar mis estudios de licenciatura. Te debo todo lo que soy porque sin
tu ayuda, jamás lo habría logrado. Gracias, Jehová, porque eres bueno y para
siempre es tu misericordia.
A mi mamá Sarita:
Porque en ningún momento de la vida me has abandonado. Gracias por todo el
apoyo y amor que me has brindado; eres el ángel que cuida mis pasos y que
ilumina mi vida. Este logro también es tuyo porque he visto que con mucho
sacrificio y sufrimiento luchaste hasta el final para que pudiera concluir mi
licenciatura. Te amo con todo mi corazón, madre querida.
A mi papá Héctor:
Por todo tu apoyo y por ser parte esencial de este gran logro. Eres un excelente
ejemplo de trabajo, dedicación, empeño e inteligencia. Tus consejos, apoyo,
cariño y palabras de ánimo me motivaron a salir adelante día con día. Siempre
fuiste y seguirás siendo mi modelo a seguir. Te amo, papi.
A mi abuelita Lenchita y mamá Vicky:
Porque en todo momento han estado conmigo y sus oraciones siempre me
alcanzaron. Su gran amor siempre ha sido mi principal motivo para salir adelante.
Las amo con todo mi corazón.
A mi directora de tesis, maestra Cristina:
Por ser mi apoyo durante los cuatro años que estuve en la facultad. La considero
como mi segunda mamá, no sólo por todo el tiempo que hemos convivido, sino
también por el cariño que me tiene. Gracias por estar al pendiente de mi
desempeño académico y por su gran ayuda, paciencia y valioso tiempo que me
brindó en cada momento para que pudiera llevar a cabo y culminar este trabajo.
La quiero mucho.
A la directora de la Facultad de Idiomas, maestra Carmen Báez:
Porque siempre estuvo comprometida con el bienestar de nuestra querida
facultad. Aprecio mucho las facilidades que incondicionalmente me brindó
mientras fui estudiante. Gracias por todo su apoyo, cariño y palabras de ánimo.
Es mi gran ejemplo a seguir, la quiero mucho.
A mis maestras, Ana Livia y Cucurachi:
Por ser parte importante en mi desempeño académico. Sin duda alguna, sus
excelentes enseñanzas siempre quedarán grabadas en mi mente y me ayudarán
a ser un buen profesionista. Gracias por todo su apoyo y cariño para conmigo.
Las llevaré en mi corazón.
A mis amigas Lupita Canela y Alma:
Porque desde el primer momento me brindaron su amistad tierna y sincera.
Gracias por acompañarme tanto en mis momentos alegres como en mis
momentos tristes. Más que amigas, se han convertido en parte de mi familia.
Aprecio el cariño y apoyo que siempre me han brindado. Fue un placer haberlas
conocido.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RATIONALE.............................................................................................. 6
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 7
1.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................... 10
1.1
Translation ................................................................................................................. 10
1.2
Translator competence ............................................................................................ 13
1.3 Translation procedures .............................................................................................. 15
1.3.1 Translation into a second language ..................................................................... 15
1.3.2 Reduction ................................................................................................................. 16
1.4 Translation techniques .............................................................................................. 17
1.4.1 Borrowing ................................................................................................................. 17
1.4.2 Calque ...................................................................................................................... 17
1.4.3 Transposition ........................................................................................................... 17
1.4.4 Modulation ............................................................................................................... 18
1.4.5 Equivalence ............................................................................................................. 18
1.4.6 Adaptation: ............................................................................................................... 19
1.4.7 Compensation: ........................................................................................................ 19
1.5 Audiovisual translation .................................................................................................. 20
1.6 Subtitling .......................................................................................................................... 23
1.7 Subtitling parameters..................................................................................................... 27
1.8 Spatial parameter/ layout .............................................................................................. 28
1.9 Temporal parameters/ duration ................................................................................... 30
1.10 Orthotypographical conventions ................................................................................ 31
1.11 Target text editing ........................................................................................................ 32
2.
METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................... 36
2.1 The process of subtitling the video Instituciones de la Unión Europea. Unificación
de las Instituciones y composición actual’ part 1 of 4 ..................................................... 36
2.2 Translation-subtitling process ...................................................................................... 37
2.3 Script ................................................................................................................................ 37
2.4 Translation ...................................................................................................................... 37
2.5 Subtitling process........................................................................................................... 39
2.6 Software for subtitling .................................................................................................... 40
2.7 Final edition................................................................................................................... 41
3. SUBTITLES ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 42
3.1 Analysis of the translation techniques used in subtitling ......................................... 42
3.1.1 Number of characters: ........................................................................................... 42
3.1.2 Displays: ................................................................................................................... 43
3.2.3 Use of italics: ........................................................................................................... 43
3.2.4 Subtitles in dialogues: ............................................................................................ 44
3.2.5 Use of acronyms and abbreviations: ................................................................... 44
3.2.6 Segmentation: ......................................................................................................... 45
3.2.7 Omitting items from the original (padding expression): .................................... 45
3.2.8 Addition: ................................................................................................................... 46
3.2.9 Reduction: ................................................................................................................ 46
3.2.10 Modulation: ............................................................................................................ 47
3.2.12 Transposition:........................................................................................................ 47
3.2.13 Adaptation: ............................................................................................................ 48
3.2.14 Equivalence: .......................................................................................................... 48
3.2.15 Borrowing: ............................................................................................................. 49
3.2.16 Calque: ................................................................................................................... 49
3.2.17 Compensation: ...................................................................................................... 50
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................... 54
ANNEX: TRANSLATION COMPARISON ................................................... 56
RATIONALE
During these four years that I studied at the School of Languages in the
Universidad Veracruzana, the field I enjoyed the most was translation. This is
why I chose to focus my final project on it. By this research, I want to demonstrate
the knowledge and the abilities that I acquired at the Universidad Veracruzana
(UV).
Translation is divided into several fields and branches; however, I decided to write
about audiovisual translation (AVT). It is not something new for me because I
subtitled two videos in my translation classes and others two videos as a part of
my social service work. I chose one of these videos to do my research. This video
was about the European Institutions in the European Union. The primary reason
I selected this topic was the fact that I used not only AVT’s principles, but also
some important translation techniques and theories, and subtitling parameters.
Subtitling these videos meant a great challenge for me because I had to translate
from Spanish into English, which is an inverse translation: from L2 to L1. It was a
learning exercise in where I put into practice the abilities and knowledge about
translation I learned at the UV. I also demonstrated how important the translation
techniques and subtitling parameters are in order to produce a video, which
presents both an accurate translation and quality subtitles. This is why I focused
this research piece on those techniques and parameters, so that the final version
could cause the same effect on the receiving audience.
I hope that my final project contributes in my professional life and also helps to
those who are interested in this field of the translation.
INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, we are able to obtain any kind of information in different manners
thanks to technology. One of the most notable ones is media, which is causing a
great impact in the people. In this modern age, we can watch a video or program
not only on television, but also in the internet. Of course, education has benefited
people around the world because they have learnt from some video classes,
which have been tuned into internet.
It is important to mention that translation has played an important role in these
technological advances. First of all, due to the fact that the important discoveries
are available in just one language. This is why they must be translated, so that a
majority of people can take advantage of the new contributions. Fortunately,
media can be translated because of technology’s growth. One of the processes
to do this is AVT, which is divided in two main areas: subtitling and dubbing. In a
dubbed video, people can listen to the translation while they are watching the
screen, whereas in a subtitled video, people read the translation in subtitles while
they are watching the screen. I subscribe that the translation is like a bridge: it
joins words that are separated by the language. It has also helped society,
because through subtitling, people have the opportunity to know about important
information which may benefit people´s lives, either professionally or personally.
The purpose of this research is to recover the subtitling process of a video about
the Composition of European Institutions. It is entitled Instituciones de la EU.
Unificación de las Instituciones y composición actual, part 1 of 4 and 2 of 4. I
carried out the translation and subtitling process in 2014 as part of my social
service. The videos were taken from iTunes UV, an institution of the Universidad
Veracruzana (UV).
I chose this video because when I was subtitling I found myself in trouble by
translating some phrases, especially some functions and names of the European
Institutions. My aim translating this video was that the final version could have the
same effect on the target viewers as it had in the source viewers. This is why I
had to translate and interpret each sentence and phrase according to the
translation theories, which experts have proposed. I focused this research on the
translation techniques and subtitling parameters because I strongly believe that
to produce a quality subtitled video, a translator must be able to combine these
two areas. In this paper, I analysed the most notable phrases in which I used
both the translation techniques and subtitling parameters. Then, I will carefully
explain how I solved each example, and finally I supported each example or
situation with one of the theories established by specialists in the field of
translation.
This research deals with inverse translation: from Spanish (L1) into English (L2).
This type of translation is becoming more and more common within the translation
process because English is an important language, not only because it has a
great number of native speakers around the world, but also because, according
to David Crystal (2003:2), it is the most common language all over the world,
becoming into a lingua franca. He exposes these examples to support this idea:
‘You hear it on television spoken by politicians from all over the world. Wherever
you travel, you see English sings and advertisements.’ Most of the time, some
relevant information is not in English and people do not take advantage of it
because they do not understand the source language. In order that these videos
about the European Institution meant a quality work, I used this type of translation
to achieve it. However, it was necessary to put the translation through a lot a
reviews and corrections, so that it could have an adequate English level. In
addition, I added subtitles to the videos following the established parameters such
as time, and number of letters and lines in order to achieve a quality work.
This research will bring notable benefits to people who are interested in the
European Union and its Institutions. For instances, they will know what
perspective Mexican people have on these institutions and theirs functions.
Furthermore, students from all over the world may know more about the
educational quality of the UV. It may motivate them to come here in order to study
at the UV. Regarding the students of the School of languages at UV, I consider
that it will be useful if they want to perform an inverse translation. Moreover, they
will know what to take into consideration when performing this type of translation,
so that the translated version can as similar as possible to the source version in
sense of semantic.
This research is organised in the following way: The first chapter refers to the
theoretical framework and contains translation concepts, the definition of AVT
and the most notable subtitling parameters, and experts’ concepts which support
this investigation.
The second chapter deals with the methodology and offers a description of how
I carried out this work. I mention each activity that I did while performing this
process. For instance, the elaboration of terminology, the process of translation,
the description of the software, which is used for subtitling, the process of
subtitling and the edition of the final version. Then, I elaborated a table which
presents a comparison between the Spanish version and the translation in
English such as it appear on the subtitles.
The third chapter contains an analysis about the translation techniques and AVT
parameters which were used when translating each sentence from the video
Instituciones de la EU. Unificación de las Instituciones y composición actual, part
1 of 4.
Finally, the fourth chapter is the conclusion where I explain what this research
meant for me and how it impacted in my life as a professional and the result which
I obtained throughout this process. Also, I added a table in where a compare the
original version in Spanish and the version appearing in the subtitles. The aim
doing is was to demonstrate that this process was accurately carried out.
1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Since language was developed among human beings, translation has played an
important role in the social context. Due to the variety of languages and cultures,
people needed to communicate with each other in order to know more about
improvements in science and technology, and changes in society. Although we
live in a globalised world, there are still barriers that have not been broken down,
such as the ones related to the language. However, translation plays an important
play nowadays because it let people access to information, which was written in
another language.
Translation, as any other study field, is divided into areas. In the current society,
the AVT has a great relevance. Firstly, television, as a mean of communication,
covers an important part of the world and most of the people have access to it.
Secondly, because through the internet, people are able to find any kind of
videos. The main branch of AVT translation is subtitling, which gives people the
opportunity to have access to videos which were produced in another language.
1.1 Translation
This project is inserted in the field of translation. Therefore, it is important to first
know what translation is and how we can do in order to perform an accurate work.
Translation is a very old practice, which has been used since there are different
languages. People always needed to communicate with other individuals who
speak another language. This is why translation became a very useful activity.
According as the years have passed, translation has greatly been developed. It
used to be a practice or an activity; therefore, there were neither rules nor
techniques to be followed. However, many translators, researchers, and scholars
have contributed with rules, techniques, parameters, and theories to consolidate
translation as a science.
As a science, translation has different types of definitions. These are the most
important and common ones. For instance, the translators Nida and Taber, 1971,
in Snell-Hornby (2006:25) state this: ‘Translating consists in reproducing in the
receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source-language
message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style’.
According to these authors, translating involves more than an exchanging of
meaning. It also includes relevant aspects such as the text’s characteristics. It
means that the text must conserve the same semantic level and the styles that
include register or terminology. For this reason, the translation must be as equal
as possible to the source text in all linguistics aspects.
Nord (1991:32) affirms this: ´Translation is the production of functional target text
maintaining a relationship with a given source text that is specified according to
the intended or demanded function of the target text.´
In these words, the author expresses that it is important and essential to have the
source text, so that it can be translated. Furthermore, the translation is supposed
to fulfil a certain function within a social context. This is why it is important to take
these concepts into consideration when translating any type of text.
As people need to interact with other people and cultures, they have sought an
effective way to break down these obstacles. The most common way to do this
is through translation, and Nord (1991:32) states this, regarding with this
situation: ‘Translation allows a communicative act to take place which because
of existing linguistic and cultural barriers would not have been possible without
it’.
However, within the translation there are three types of categories in which it can
be included. The translator and linguistic Roman Jakobson, 1959/2000, in SnellHornby (2006:21) uses the three categories in the following way:

Intralingual translation, or ‘rewording’: ‘an interpretation of verbal signs by
means of other signs of the same language’;

Interlingual translation, or ‘translation proper’: ‘an interpretation of verbal
signs by means of some other language’;

Intersemiotic translation, or ‘transmutation’: ‘an interpretation of verbal
signs by means of signs of non-verbal signs systems’.
This research is focused on the interlingual translation because I reproduced
verbal sings in Spanish by means in written English language.
In order to have a better understanding about this type of translation, I refer to
one of Munday’s concept:
The process of translation between two different written languages involves
the translator changing an original written text (the source text or ST) into a
written text (the target text or TT) in a different verbal language (the target
language or TL). (2001, p. 5)
In this concept, the author calls the text in the original language ‘source text’; the
original language, ‘source language’. And he calls the final translation as ‘target
text’; the goal language, as ‘target language’. This concept tells the important
translators’ role when performing the process of translation. Although the
translator changes the original text into another language, s/he changes neither
the meaning nor the main purpose of the author. The only thing that is changed
is the language and the linguistic signs. Nothing else should be changed because
the main ideas have to remain in the translation.
A quality translation must be as similar as possible to the source text in sense of
meaning and lexis.
The aim is to reproduce as accurately as possible all grammatical and lexical
features of the ‘source language’ original by finding equivalents in the ‘target
language’. At the same time all factual information contained in the original
text...must be retained in the translation. (Meetham and Hudson, 1969, in
Bell, 1991, p. 13)
The translator plays an important role by performing a translation because s/he
must be aware of the original text’s main features in order to reproduce them in
the target language. In the process of translation, the translator can face
difficulties, such as idiomatic and cultural phrases, which if they were translated
literally, it means translate them remaining the same content without changing
the structure or style, they would not have any sense in the target language.
Therefore, the translator/subtitler has to think about the most suitable way to
solve those cultural and idiomatic barriers. There are translation techniques,
which are useful in this process. By using them, the audience is provided with
similar idiomatic and cultural phrases in their mother tongue. For instance, if some
phrase, in the source language, amused the source audience, the subtitles
should cause the same effect on the target audience.
1.2
Translator competence
During the process of translation, there is a person who plays a crucial role to
achieve the goals: the translator. Although there are many sophisticated tools in
order to perform a translation, they will never replace the human beings. It is
because this process requires specific abilities such as thinking, training, reading
ability and assimilation, which only people are able to display. There is a
misconception: if a person speaks other languages, automatically is a good
translator. However, it is not true, a translator, as any professional, needs to
develop a series of competences in order to perform this kind of activity. Kelly
(2002:17), in her article, suggests that a translator should possess these
competences: ‘communicative and textual sub competence in at least two
languages
and
cultures,
psychological
sub
competence,
cultural
sub
competence, thematic sub competence and instrumental-professional sub
competence.’
Bell, Roger T (1991:15) defines the translator as ‘communicators’. He affirms this:
‘All communicators, as receivers –face essentially the same problem; they
receive signals (in speech and in writing) containing messages encoded in a
communication system which is not, by definition, identical with their own’.
The main characteristic of a translator is her/his bilingual ability and plays the role
of a mediator within a monolingual audience. House, 1977, in Bell, Roger
(1991:15) describes the translator with the following concept: ‘The translator has
been
defined
as
a
‘bilingual
mediating
agent
between
monolingual
communication participants in two different language communities’.
The same author, Bell (1991:35) asks himself a question: ‘What is it that
translators know and be able to translate and be able to do in order to translate?’
He answers this question by giving the following characteristics and abilities a
good translator should possess:
The translator must, as a communicator, possess the knowledge and skills
that are common to all communicators…in two languages (at least)’. He adds
these terms: ‘…the professional (technical) translator has access to five
distinct kinds of knowledge; target language (TL) knowledge; text-type
knowledge; sources language (SL) knowledge; subject area (‘real world’)
knowledge; and contrastive knowledge. (Bell, 1991, p. 35)
The translator, as the mediator in a monolingual society, must possess specific
abilities in order to perform his/her work perfectly. S/he should have ‘knowledge
about other languages. It is because s/he must first understand the message in
the source language, so that the translation is correct in the target language.
Furthermore, a good translator must know about linguistic and social issues, such
as text-types and culture.
Dolet, 1997, in Munday, Jeremy (2001:27) sets out five principles, which a
translator must take into consideration when translating:
1. The translator must perfectly understand the sense and material of the
original author, although he [sic] should feel free to clarify obscurities.
2. The translator should have a perfect knowledge of both SL and TL, so as
not to lessen the majesty of the language.
3. The translator should avoid word-for-word renderings.
4. The translator should avoid Latinate and unusual forms.
5. The translator should assemble and liaise words eloquently to avoid
clumsiness.
One of the main translation’s characteristics is that the integrity of the original text
remains. This is why the translator should not change the register into the target
language. For example: if the original text has specialized words, the target text
must have specialized words. S/he must be aware of the audience and use a
standardised language in the translation, so that the message can be well
understood. He has to use the same words the audience would use.
As we realise not everybody can perform the role of a translator because it
requires preparation and some specific characteristics, which are mentioned
above. It is essential for anybody who wants to be a translator to fulfil each one
those abilities and characteristics so as to carry out a faithful, good and clear
translation.
1.3 Translation procedures
Translation is not only a replacement of the source text into a target text, but also
an exchanging of cultural aspects. Therefore, the translator should be able to
reproduce that information, which is relevant for the readers. In order to solve
these barriers, s/he needs to take into consideration the translation techniques,
which were proposed by scholar translators. And they are exposed in this
research.
1.3.1 Translation into a second language
According to Campbell (1998: 1, 12) translation into the second language is a
regular and accepted practice; however, it is an area largely ignored by applied
linguistics in general and by the literature of translation studies in particular. The
problems arise when an individual translates into a second language do not fit
easily into the framework established by the orthodox translation studies, which
tends to assume that all translators work into the first language.
Campbell states:
The primary difficulty of translating into L2 is to produce a natural-sounding
target text. He convincingly maintains that the right evaluation of the second
language output should be based on the authentic-looking quality and
situational appropriateness of the target text. (1998, p. 68)
He also states that translating into the second language is a practice totally
different from translating into the first language. The main differences are the
following:

Translating from a second language: The main difficulty is in
comprehending the source text.

Translating into a second language: The real difficulty is in producing a
target text in a language in which composition does not come easy. (1998,
p. 57)
The individual who performs a translation into the second language must fulfil
these important competences:

The ability to produce stylistically authentic texts.

Second language proficiency.

High level of second language proficiency.

Textual competence.

Acquisition of advanced skills and strategies in a second language.

Translators have to be able to produce faithful texts to similar texts written
by native speakers. (Campbell, Stuart, 1998, p. 57)
1.3.2 Reduction
According to Díaz Cintas (2001: 23), subtitles are not an integral translation from
the original dialogues. Their main characteristics are the text reduction and
omissions in the process of translating. It is because subtitles need to be in
coordination with the oral material. Moreover, the ear sense works quicker than
the sight, and in order that the audience can comprehend both the images and
the subtitles, reduction should be performed. There are two types of reductions:

Partial reduction: in this case the translator does not eliminate anything
from the original material. There are two techniques called condensación
or concision that consists in rephrasing a long sentence into a shorter one
without changing the main sense or idea.

Total reduction: In this case, the translator eliminates part of the original
material without changing the main ideas. There are two techniques
called: eliminación or supresión that consists in eliminating irrelevant
words or phrases, and does not anything to the audience. (Díaz Cintas,
2001, p. 124)
Firstly, the translator has to eliminate what is irrelevant and meaningless phrases
or expressions in the original text. Secondly, s/he has to transform the most
important or essential information in a concise manner. However, s/he must not
omit information which will be important in a posterior part of the video. The
subtitler needs to be aware of the semantic aspects in the text without changing
the syntax or original style. S/he has to be a master at summarizing in order to
produce an acceptable translation, and the style similar should be to the original
version.
1.4 Translation techniques
Vinay and Darbelnet (2000) in Munday, Jeremy (2001: 56-59) state that there are
two translation strategies: direct translation and oblique translation. The direct
translation covers three strategies:
1.4.1 Borrowing
The SL word is transferred directly in English to the TL. Some examples of these
words are the following:
 Chip
 Hardware
 Software
 Online
Examples: (Montero, 2007, p. 44-45)
1.4.2 Calque
This is ‘a special kind of borrowing’ where the SL expression or structure is
transferred in a literal translation. Here are some examples:
 Suporte (form support)
 Paquete ( from package)
 Comando (from command)
Examples: (Montero, 2007, p. 47-48)
1.4.3 Transposition
Vinay and Darbenet, 1995 and 2000, in Munday (2001: 57) state this concept:
‘This is a change of one part of the speech for another without changing the
sense.’ Vázquez Ayora (1977: 271, 275, 277, 278, and 279) gives some
examples of this technique:
- Should eventually produce / se acabaría por producir (adverbio / verbo) (p. 271)
- Relying on / confiados en (verbo / adjetivo) (p. 275)
- Immensely powerful / inmenso poder (adjetivo / sustantivo) (p. 277)
- Was short-lived / duró poco (adjetivo / verbo) (p. 278)
- At the time / en esa época (cambio de partícula) (p. 279)
1.4.4 Modulation
This changes the semantics and point of view of the SL.
- Lo abstracto por lo concreto o lo general por lo particular: Asked to see my
papers / me pidió identificación.
- La causa por el efecto, el medio por el resultado, la sustancia por el objeto:
Blind flying / pilotaje sin visibilidad.
- La parte por el todo: Vote / votación.
- Lo contrario negativado: Don´t get so excited / tranquilízate.
Examples: (Vázquez Ayora, 1977, p. 294-301)
1.4.5 Equivalence
This term is used to refer to cases where languages describe the same situation
by different stylistic or structural means. Equivalence is particularly useful in
translating idioms and proverbs.
- What a hell of a fellow! / ¡qué tipazo!
- To pull somebody’s leg / tomar el pelo a alguien.
- God bless you! / ¡Salud!
- Excuse me/ ¡Permiso! o ¡Perdón!
Examples: (Vázquez Ayora, 1977, pp. 315)
1.4.6 Adaptation:
Vinay and Darbenet, 2000, in Munday (2001:58) give this concept: ‘This involves
changing the cultural reference when a situation in the source culture does not
exist in the target culture.’
 Yours faithfully: "Le saluda atentamente".
 You are welcome: “De nada”.
Examples: Lassaque (2012).
1.4.7 Compensation:
Vázquez Ayora, 1977, in González Hernández (2013: 13) states that the
compensation refers to the fact of introducing elements of information or stylistic
effects in another place in the target language because it cannot be reflected in
the same place as in the source language. For example, the personal pronoun
‘you’ in English when translating into Spanish, which has ‘tú’ and ‘usted’
compensates by expressing degree of formality in different ways.
As we have seen, the process of translating and subtitling a video involves many
parameters and translation techniques, so that the translator/subtitler can
produce a clear and understandable message. S/he firstly needs to use these
techniques above, so that the translation can be accurate. Once the translation
is done, s/he has to fulfil the subtitling’s parameters, which gives as a result a
quality work.
1.5 Audiovisual translation
Nowadays, technology plays an important role in communication due to the
variety of media we are exposed. A person can easily have access to any kind of
information thanks to the technological advances, one of them is the audiovisual
media. In the past centuries, people could only have access to written information
and most of the time it was expensive. Technology provides us with audiovisual
information, either social information or educational information, which is the case
of this project. Of course, the translation has helped the audiovisual media, so
that it could succeed. Due to this fact, we can enjoy some foreign audiovisual
material through internet, TV, DVD or BD, even if we do not understand the
source language.
The AVT includes some characteristics that no other type a translation has.
Chiario (2013), in her article entitled Audiovisual Translation, establishes the
following concept:
Audiovisual translation (AVT) is the term used to refer to the transfer from one
language to another of the verbal components contained in audiovisual works
and products…As the word suggests, audiovisuals are made to be both heard
(audio) and seen (visual) simultaneously but they are primarily meant to be
seen
(Retrieved from:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0061/abstract)
In the AVT, there are two main types of linguistics signs which are involved: audio
and visual sings. When a video is translated, we can listen to the actor’s voices
while we clearly see the video’s atmosphere, the actor’s gestures, and some
written information, such as announcements, headlines or titles. This is the main
characteristic of this type of translation. If one of these two linguistics signs (audio
and visual) were missing, it would not be called AVT. According to Díaz Cintas
(2003: 24), these two types of linguistics sings turn into four if we include the
communication channels: ‘If we have two types of signs and two different
channels of communication, we get four types of signs: audio-verbal (words
uttered), audio-nonverbal (all other sounds), visual-verbal (writing), visualnonverbal (all other visual signs)’.
This concept is supported by the Chaume:
As their name suggests, audiovisual texts provide (translatable)
information through two channels of communication that simultaneously
convey codified meanings using different sign systems: the acoustic
channel, through which acoustic vibrations are transmitted and received
as words, paralinguistic information, the soundtrack and special effects;
and visual channel, through which light waves are transmitted and
received as images, colours, movements, as well as posters or captions
with linguistic signs, etc. (Chaume, 2013, p. 2)
According to the definitions, we can conclude that the AVT is a combination of all
these linguistics signs mentioned above, and they conform the final project of the
AVT. The translator s/he must take into consideration each linguistic code, so
that the AVT can produce the same effect on the receiving audience as it did in
the source audience. There are important codes, which the translator needs to
consider when performing the AVT. Chaume, 2004, in González Hernández
(2013: 5) defines those codes:
1. Linguistic code: This code is the base of the audiovisual text. This code
is basically the written text (script) represented orally in the case of
dubbing or adapted for subtitling.
2. Paralinguistic code: Specially found in television, this code is the
adaptation of certain symbols that the translator will include in the
translation. This code considers basically supra-segmented features. For
example, in dubbing a laugh can be represented by (R), silence or a pause
with (/), etc. In subtitling we can see suspension points, italics, etc., giving
extra information.
3. Music and special effects code: Transmitted through the acoustic
channel, with this code the translation requires an adaptation whenever a
song appears; such as adaptation must be along with the four rhythms of
the music (rhythms of quantity, intensity, sound tone and voice tone). In
subtitling, songs come along with the change of subtitles, the lyrics appear
in italics. In dubbing, special effects not registered in the audio of the film
are sometimes represented explicitly between brackets.
4. Sound code: Transmitted through the acoustic channel, this can be part
of the story, it can be in off (from the narrator); it can be related to the
image or outside of it when you cannot see the origin of such sound. In
these cases the translator must make the appropriate adaptations with
certain symbols such as (ON) and (OFF).
5. Iconographic code: Transmitted through the visual channel, this code is
completely cultural. The general rule says that it should not be translated;
unless it is absolutely necessary for the comprehension of the story.
Therefore the translator can give a verbal explanation or give an indirect
reference of the dialogue. It is the representation of cultural icons and
symbols.
6. Photographic code: This are the adaptations the translation must make
according to the changes of the illumination, perspective, use of colour,
etc. For example, the usage of black and white in a colour film to represent
a change from the real to the imaginary world.
7. Planning code: …In subtitling it is only necessary if the story needs it. For
example if there is a close-up shot of a poster or a sign then the spectator
would expect a translation in order to have a better understanding of the
plot.
8. Movement code: …In subtitling, when the translator finds a superposition
of the dialogues between characters (two or more characters speaking at
the same time) he can select just one of the sentences for the subtitle. The
criteria used by the translator can be to select the sentence from the
character closer to the camera (and the spectator), considering that the
nearness may be related to the importance of the story.
The AVT represents a great challenge to the translator because s/he must be
aware of all the elements which are involved in this type of translation. As it
happens in any other translation: the quality of the project depends on the
translator. Therefore, s/he must not only take into account the linguistic aspects,
but also the non-linguistic codes, such as the ones mentioned above. Moreover,
the translator has to be able to use technological resources, such as software
that can be useful to perform this activity. And s/he must follow the established
parameters. Each element for the AVT needs to be fulfilled in order to present a
high quality work.
1.6 Subtitling
Due to the growth of media and technology, AVT has been developed during the
last years. Now, it is a branch of the translation, and has specific parameters and
rules. Subtitling is important in this age because most of the relevant audiovisual
information is found in English. Therefore, non-English speaking countries have
to seek the most appropriate manner in order to access to certain type of
information, and subtitling is one of the most common ones. A translator should
be able to perform this type of translation because his/her purpose is to provide
audience with wider information coming from all over the world.
Subtitling, as part of the AVT, involves two linguistic sings: hearing and seeing.
Díaz Cintas (2001: 23) states this:
It is a linguistic practice consisting in offering, most of the times on the
bottom of the screen, written text which shows actor’s dialogues, as well
as those discursive elements that are part of the photography (letters,
posters, captions, playcards…) or the soundtrack (songs). (Díaz Cintas,
2001, p. 2)
He also affirms that ‘a subtitled video is articulated basically in three main
elements: the oral word, the image, and the subtitles. And the integration of the
three elements, as well as the reading ability determines the subtitling’s main
characteristics.’ (Díaz Cintas, 2001, p.23).
Another definition for these practices is given by Gottlieb (1994). He compares
the subtitling to an amphibian, because it plays two roles when being projected
on the screen:
Subtitling is an amphibian (sic): it flows with the current of speech,
defining the pace of reception; it jumps at regular intervals, allowing a
next text chunk to be read; and flying over the audiovisual landscape. It
does not mingle with the human voices of that landscape: instead it
provides the audience with a bird’s-eye view of the scenery. (Gottlieb,
1994, p.101)
According to this author, when the public is watching a subtitled video, they
should be able to watch the image, which is projected on the screen, read the
subtitles in their mother tongue and listen to the actor’s original voices. By doing
this, they will surely understand the whole work, as well as enjoy it.
So that the subtitles can be understood and coherent, the subtitler must add each
of them at the precise time; it means that they have to be in harmony with the
scene, images, and actors dialogues. If this parameter is not followed, the
audience may get confused because what they are reading would not make
sense with they are watching. Díaz Cintas (2001: 23) talks about that: ‘Subtitles
need to be in synchrony with the image and the dialogues; they also need to
remain on the screen enough time for the public to read them’
It is truly important to know how long the subtitles will remain on the screen. Most
of the times, in cinema’s films, we can notice that there are some subtitles which
appear and disappear quickly, and we can hardly read them, or vice versa: there
are subtitles that remain on the screen for a long time, even when the speaker is
no longer speaking. Díaz Cintas (2003) in González Hernández (2013: 9)
establishes this parameter:
Subtitles mean a change from the oral to the written channels and involved
the omission of some elements from the original linguistic message. The
special synchrony has to be represented, in the sense that the delivery of
the message comes predetermined by the width of the screen (TV formant
or Cinema screen), which normally allows 32-37 characters per line for a
maximum of two lines (there are exceptions of three of four lines for the
hearing impaired), and the temporal synchrony –subtitles appear when the
character on the screen speaks and disappear when she/he stops talking.
(González Hernández, 2013, p. 9)
This definition provides the most important parameter when subtitling a video.
First of all, the subtitles do not represent the actors’ original message because it
would impossible due to the lack of time on the screen, and most of the times,
the translation is longer than is the original version. The subtitler usually needs to
paraphrase or condense the source text. Another important aspect in subtitling is
the synchronisation: what the audience is reading must be in harmony with what
they are watching, either actors’ gestures or images. Díaz Cintas (2001:24)
affirms this: ‘…what it is said and projected on the screen does not have to
contradict what the characters are doing.’
According to this definition, Díaz Cintas proposes that the number of characters
per line should be between 32-37; however, some cinema and TV companies
allow till 42 characters. It depends on the screen wide; the subtitles should be
neither too long, because the public would be more focused on the subtitles than
on the video, nor too short because the public would think that something is
missing. The subtitles should take 3/4 parts of the screen.
Two lines for a maximum should be presented on the screen. The most
recommendable thing for the subtitling is to add, in most of the cases, two lines,
so that the public can do a fluent reading. Studies reveal that if it always appear
just one subtitle, the public will get bored more easily because they will not have
a fluent reading. Of course, it is not incorrect to add just one line; but the subtitler
should determine when it is more convenient to add just one subtitle.
It is crucial to determine the appropriate time to add the subtitles and the time
they will remain on screen. Subtitles are recommended to be added on the screen
a fraction of seconds after the speaker has talked. Regarding with the time, Díaz
Cintas (2001: 112-113) suggest that ‘it is recommendable between 5 to 8 seconds
if there are two lines on the screen and if it is really short because it expresses a
greeting or answer, 1 second.’ Subtitles should not remain more than needed,
otherwise the audience may think that they are still receiving a message or there
is some image which is being translated. Subtitles have to disappear immediately
after the speaker stops talking.
Subtitling, as part of the translation, is exposed to a wide number of people. This
is why it must fulfil all the established parameters, so that the audience may
receive it as the source audience did. The subtitler should be aware of each
subtitling’s aspect if s/he wants her/his work to be well-received. Gottlieb (1994)
in Alarcón Bailleres and Chávez Cruz (2004: 5) states the subtitler’s qualities by
saying this: ‘The subtitler must possess the musical ear of an interpreter, the
stylistic sensitivity of a literary translator, the visual acuteness of a film cutter, and
the aesthetic sense of a book designer.’
The subtitler, when performing this activity, needs to have not only abilities as
translator, but also s/he needs to have a broad knowledge about other study fields
because the subtitling practice requires it.
1.6.1 Types of subtitles
Subtitles are classified according to the linguistic aspects. Some authors have
classified them into three main categories. Díaz Cintas and Remael (2007:14)
proposed the following classification:
(Díaz Cintas and Remael, 2007, p. 14)
According to these authors, intralingual subtitles, as all subtitles is a
transformation from the oral channel to the written channel. However, they remain
in the same language. They are useful to provide audience with a specific
information, and reaffirm what the speaker is speaking.
According to Díaz Cintas and Remael, (2007: 14), there are five types of subtitles.
However, in this project I only used the following:

Intralingual subtitles for language learning process: These subtitles are
those specifically devised as a didactic tool for the teaching and learning
of foreign languages…We familiarize ourselves with the foreign language
through the soundtrack (vocabulary, intonation, pronunciation), and the
images bring us into contact with the mannerism and behaviours of other
cultures (gesticulation, way of dressing, interpersonal relationships,
geographical spaces). It is precisely this unique possibility of having
access to the original and compare it with its translation…
The other types of subtitles are the following, and they are used in different
linguistic contexts. For instances, they can be used for deaf people to access the
media, in multilingual countries or to and to provide further information to the
audience.

Intralingual subtitles for the deaf and the hard-of-hearing (SDH).

Intralingual subtitles for karaoke effect.

Intralingual subtitles for dialects of the same language.
 Intralingual subtitles for notices and announcements. (Díaz Cintas and
Remael, 2007, p. 17)
1.7
Subtitling parameters
As any type of translation, subtitling has established parameters, which need to
be followed when performing this process. It is important to take into account
each one of them, so that the final product can succeed in the target audience.
In general terms, these are one of the most essential parameters when subtitling.
According to Ivarsson and Carroll (1998): ‘Subtitlers must always work with a
copy of the production and, if possible, a dialogue list and glossary of atypical
words and special references.’ This is an important step in the process of
translation: to have the whole text which will be translated. It is with the objective
of reducing the time of the process. If the translator/subtitler is not given a copy,
s/he must transcribe the dialogues. Most of the time, it is a long and laborious
work. In addition, the translator/subtitler must do a glossary containing the
unknown words and look up the most appropriate meaning, according to the
context. It will facilitate the translation and guarantee the product’s quality.
‘Translation quality must be high with due consideration of all idiomatic and
cultural nuances.’

‘When it is necessary to condense dialogue, the text must be coherent.’
The subtitled text is always limited to the established number of characters.
Most of the times, the subtitles’ content is not the integral translation. Díaz
Cintas (2001: 123) states about that: ‘…the main characteristic of subtitles is
based on the reduction that the original version oral content suffers in its
metamorphosis in written material of the subtitled version.’
The subtitler has to make a decision on what should be reduced. However,
the main idea must remain in the subtitles. What are usually condensed in the
subtitles are filler, redundant or irrelevant utterance.
‘All important written information in the images (signs, notices, etc.) should be
translated and incorporated wherever possible.’ Carol and Ivarsson (1998).
In AVT, the images play an important role because they are closely related to the
translation in the subtitles. When they provide information, they ought to be
translated. The rule is that the images’ translation must appear on the screen in
capital letters. It differentiates them from the actors’ dialogue.
‘The language should be grammatically correct since subtitles serve as a model
for literacy. Carol and Ivarsson (1998).
The subtitles appear on the screen as a written text; therefore, they must respect
each grammatical rule of the target language because it will be exposed to many
people.
‘Each production should be edited by a reviser/editor.’ Carol and Ivarsson (1998)
Subtitling, as any other translation, needs to be edited in order to correct any
mistake that the subtitler could not notice. Another subtitler has to perform this
work, and s/he corrects subtitles of any grammatical mistake, bad-segmented
subtitles, some out of time subtitles or even a translation mistake.
1.8 Spatial parameter/ layout
Karamitroglou, Fotios (1998) establishes the following 5 parameters when
subtitling in order to produce a quality video.
Position on the screen: ‘Subtitles should be positioned at the lower part of the
screen because the lesser information for the audience in found in the bottom of
the screen. It is recommendable that the lowest line of the subtitle appears at
1/12 above the bottom of the screen. In some extreme cases, when vital
information to the comprehension of the video is found on the bottom, subtitles
should be placed towards the upper of the screen.’
Number of lines: ‘A maximum of two lines of subtitles should be presented at a
time. This would guarantee that no more than 2/12 of the screen image would be
covered by subtitles at a time. In the case of a single-line subtitle, this should
occupy the lower of the two lines, rather than the top line in order to minimise
interference with the background image action.’
Text positioning: ‘The subtitled text should be presented centred on its allocated
line(s). Since most of the image action circulates around the centre of the
screen… An exception is the case of “double text” (i.e. dialogue turns initiated by
dashes and presented simultaneously on a two-line subtitle) which should be
aligned to the left side of the screen…’
Number of characters per line: ‘Each subtitle line should allow around 35
characters in order to be able to accommodate a satisfactory portion of the
(translated) spoken text and minimise the need for original text reduction and
omissions. An increase in the number of characters, attempting to fit over 40 per
subtitle line, reduces the legibility of the subtitles because the font size is also
inevitably reduced.’
Typeface and distribution: ‘Typefaces with no serifs are preferable to fonts with
serifs. The most
recommendable one for performing this work are
Helvetica and Arial. It is also recommended to use word processor in order to fit
the desired characters per line.’
Font colour and background: Karamitroglou, Fotios in Alarcón, Miguel A. and
Chávez, Eduardo (2004:9) established this rule:
Type characters should be pale white in subtitles for movies,
considering that a cinema screen has a higher resolution and a dark
environment of movies theatres, although white with black contour is
being used now in DVDs and TV programs. Subtitles for television are
frequently in pale yellow or pale orange. Bright colours should be
avoided as they may produce an unwanted contrast.
1.9 Temporal parameters/ duration
Duration of a full subtitle (maximum): According to Díaz Cintas (2001: 123), ‘it
is recommendable that a single-line subtitle remain on the screen for 4 seconds,
while a two-line subtitles, 6 seconds. If the subtitles are really short, they may
cause re-reading of the subtitles, and breaks the viewers’ reading fluency.’
Duration of a single word subtitle (maximum): Díaz Cintas (2001:123)
suggests this: ‘In order to avoid that the subtitle appears and disappears so
quickly like a flash, and does not let the viewer read it, it is recommendable that
it remains on the screen for 1 ½ second.’ Karamitroglou (1998) states that
‘keeping the subtitle for more than 1 ½ second would cause automatic re-reading
of the subtitle, especially by fast readers.’
Leading-in time: According to Karamitroglou (1998), ‘subtitles should not be
inserted simultaneously with the initiation of the utterance, but ¼ of second later.
This is because, according to medical tests, the brain needs this period of time to
process the spoken linguistic material in order to guide the eyes towards the
subtitles.’
Lagging-out time: According to Karamitroglou (1998), ‘subtitles should not be
left on the image for more than 2 second after the end of the utterance. Subtitles
need to present the spoken text as faithful as possible, both in content and time
of presentation, and a longer lagging-out of time would cause distrust towards the
subtitles’ quality because the viewers would be reading something that has not
been said.’
Between two consecutives subtitles: According to Díaz Cintas (2001: 113), ‘it
is necessary to make a short and clear break between two subtitles (it should not
be longer than 1 second) in order not to disturb the sentence logical
comprehension, and to avoid the ‘effects of subtitles.’
1.10 Orthotypographical conventions
According to Díaz Cintas (2001:116-118), ‘a subtitler should not get rid of the
punctuation marks because they play an important role in the translation. They
can show the actor’s feeling, and help the audience to have a fluent reading
without having any misunderstanding due to the lack of them.’
Díaz Cintas explains how to use the punctuation marks correctly when subtitling:
Full stop (.): Its function is to indicate that a subtitle or idea is completed. It must
be used right after the last character of the subtitle.
Suspension point (…): They have two main function depending on their
position. If they are at the end of the subtitle, they indicate that the subtitles is not
completed, but continues in the next projection whose subtitles begins with
suspension points. However, they also indicates a pause, omission or interruption
in the characters’ oral speech. In this case, a space should be left after them.
Single quotations marks: (‘ ’): They are mainly used to indicate a concreted
quote within the subtitle. In this case, they should be added at the beginning of
each subtitle projection, so that the audience does not forget it is a quote. They
can also be used to stand out some words or expressions, such as nicknames,
grammatical inaccuracies and play on words.
Italics: Italics on the subtitled text should be used to indicate an off-screen source
of the spoken text. They should also be used when retaining foreign-language
words in their original foreign-language version. (Díaz Cintas, 2001, p.117)
Dashes (-): Karamitroglou (1998) establishes that dashes are used before the
first character of each of the lines of a two-line subtitle to indicate the exchange
of speakers’ utterances
Capital letter: Díaz Cintas and Remael (2007:127) state that capital letter should
be used in the following cases:

The title of the film or programme.

Road sign, graffiti, newspaper headlines, banners, writing on clothes,
messages on computer monitors, and inserts that are relatively short and
written in upper case themselves.

When it is felt that the situation needs extra emphasis, such as big banner
in a political march or street demonstration.
1.11 Target text editing
From a single-line to a two-line subtitle: According to Karamitroglou (1998), it
is better to segment a long single-line subtitle into a two-line subtitle, distributing
the words on each line.
Segmentation at the highest nodes: Based on Karamitroglou and Díaz Cintas
theories, “subtitled text should appear segmented at the highest syntactic nodes
possible. This means that each subtitle flash should ideally contain one complete
sentence. In cases where the sentence cannot fit in a single-line subtitle and has
to continue over a second line or even over a new subtitle flash, the segmentation
on each of the lines should be arranged to coincide with the highest syntactic
node possible”. A noun should never be separated from its article. In a composed
tense, the auxiliary verb should not be separated from the verb in past participle.
And in order to facilitate reading the subtitles, a conditional sentences can be
divided in two lines. Karamitroglou (1998) suggests this recommendation in order
to well segment a subtitle:
Well- segmented subtitle. Karamitroglou (1998).
This images shows the correct way to segment a subtitles and what the subtitler should take into
consideration.
Segmentation and line length: ‘The upper line and the lower line of a two-line
subtitle should be proportionally as equal in length as possible, since the viewers’
eye is more accustomed to reading text in a rectangular rather than a triangular
format […] the segmentation of subtitled text should be a compromise between
syntax and geometry.’ Karamitroglou (1998)
Altering syntactic structures: Karamitroglou (1998) establishes that ‘simpler
syntactic structures tend to be both shorter and easier to understand than
complex syntactic structures; therefore, they are preferred.’
Díaz Cintas and Remanel, Aline (2007:152-153) proposed the following cases:

Using simple rather than composed tenses: E.g. ‘Her father had thrown
her out’. => ‘Her father threw her out’

Changing word classes:
Verb into noun
I started working =>I found a job.
Verb into noun
When General Pinochet => After the arrest of
was arrested in London
Adjective into verb
Pinochet…
That’s an expensive => That costs a lot.
weapon.
Adjective
into I was in a deep sleep. => I slept soundly.
adverb
Adjective into noun
I don’t want it to be => I don’t want transparency.
too transparent.

Short forms and contractions: Some languages allows some kind of
abbreviation and/or contractions in set words. When translating into
English, short verb forms like ‘it’ll’ or ‘I’d’ will come in handy.
Polite requests can be turned into more direct form and address when using the
imperative tense. Karamitroglou (1998)
Acronyms, numerals and symbols: They can save precious characters space
by abbreviating signs. However, they have to be recognisable and
comprehensible. For example:

Acronyms: use like ‘USA’ and ‘NATO’; but avoid acronyms like ‘PM’
(Prime Minister) or DC” (Detective Constable).

Apostrophes: Use apostrophes for abbreviations of auxiliaries like “I’d
like”
and
“You
can’t”
but
avoid
abbreviations
like
“Mid’bro”
(Middlesborough).

Numerals: For numerals, the conventions of printed materials should be
followed.
Symbols: Use symbols commonly used and immediately recognised on printed
materials like “%” and avoid less common symbols like “&” or “@.”
Karamitroglou (1998)
Omitting linguistic items of the original: The subtitler should attempt to keep
a fine balance between retaining a maximum of the original text and allowing
ample time for the eye to process the rest of the non-linguistic aural and visual
elements. The following linguistic items can be omitted when subtitling:

Padding expressions (e.g. “you know,” “well,” “as I say” etc).

Tautological cumulative adjectives/adverbs (e.g. “great big,” “super
extra,” “teeny weeny” etc). These words can be transformed into a singleword equivalent (e.g. “huge,” “extremely,” “tiny”).

Responsive expressions (e.g. “yes,” “no,” “ok,” “please,” “thanks,” “thank
you,” “sorry”). (Karamitroglou, 1998)
These are the most important and relevant parameters in the process of
subtitling. Therefore, the subtitler must take into consideration each one of them,
so that the final edition will be well-accepted in the target audience. S/he needs
to perform an efficient role by performing this work because her/his duty is
providing the audience with a quality work. I think each parameter will be useful
for anybody who wants to subtitle a video because they deal with translation and
subtitling aspects. In order to have a high quality subtitled video, each one of
these parameters should be followed.
2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 The process of subtitling the video Instituciones de la Unión Europea.
Unificación de las Instituciones y composición actual’ part 1 of 4
In September, 2014, I was given a video so that I subtitled it as part of my social
service. Since the very beginning, I noticed that it would mean a great effort for
me to perform this activity due to the specialised vocabulary. This chapter is a
description of the process of subtitling the video Instituciones de la Unión
Europea. Unificación de las Instituciones y composición actual. Part 1 of 4.
First of all, the video was about political management and Institutions’ names;
therefore, it was challenging for me because I was not used to this terminology,
and I had not further studied about those issues. Secondly, I had to translate it
form Spanish into English. The most common thing is translating form the
translator’s mother tongue (Spanish in my case) into the second language.
Therefore, I faced some difficulties, for instance: the speaker spoke quickly, and
most of the times she did not conclude her ideas. Due to this fact, there were
many words which I did not know how to translate into English. In order to
overcome these difficulties, I first wrote a word list including the difficult words;
then, I consulted some monolingual English dictionaries, specialized books on
European Institutions, and the European Union official website1. After that, I
chose the most appropriate translation according to the video’s context.
Once the translation was concluded, I checked it carefully in order to correct any
mistakes. When editing the translation, I realised that I had to modify it. Most of
the mistakes were related to the length of the subtitles because some of them
were either too long or bad segmented. Other problems were related to
semantics: I used some words which were not the most suitable ones.
In regard to the theoretical framework, I would say that it was difficult since there
is not enough available information on audiovisual translation at the Universidad
Veracruzana, due to many reasons: subtitling is not a formal subject in the School
of Languages’ syllabus, and therefore at UV’s libraries we can hardly find useful
1
http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
information about it. Another important aspect: in Mexico there are not many
subtitling companies from which we can receive established parameters and
rules about the subtitling process.
2.2 Translation-subtitling process
During this process, the most important part is the translation because the
project’s quality depends on it. The process of subtitling has a general scheme
which should be followed in order to obtain a correct translation. Nevertheless,
translating for subtitling is a little different from other translation processes. In this
research, there is a description of what I performed when subtitling this video and
what I did in order to solve every difficulty I faced.
2.3 Script
The first step in the process of subtitling is to have access to the script of the
video. Hence, I had to watch the whole video so that I could obtain the speech in
written form. By doing this, I faced some difficulties, because the speaker spoke
very fast or she did not conclude an idea. In order to solve these difficulties, I
changed the video’s speed. It means that the video was played slower than
normal. Although it seemed to be an easy work, it required much time, especially
because of the video’s length. In this process, I noticed that I spent around ten
minutes to have the script of one minute. When I had obtained the whole scrip, I
read it carefully in order to remove some irrelevant words. Then, I edited the
Spanish version in order to work on the translation.
2.4 Translation
The following step in the process of subtitling is to read the whole text. It is to get
used to it and identify the difficult words and concepts in order to be aware of the
type of terminology. When I finished reading, I noticed that I had to eliminate
some irrelevant words which the speaker pronounced, such as fillers and
needless repetitions. The original text would never lose an important part without
these words.
After having read the whole text, I started doing a glossary including the words
and concepts whose meaning I did not know. I realised that this texts had many
European Institutions’ names, some specialised phrases related to this topic, and
sometimes cultural aspects such as imageries and Mexican politicians’ or
institutions’ names. A good translation of an informative text must cause the same
effect that the original text caused in the target language. In order to achieve this,
the translator does not have to overlook the text’s main characteristics, and s/he
should maintain the same register, sense and coherence in the target text. It must
seem as if it was written in the original language.
The process of looking up unknown words was important because I could choose
what the most appropriate meaning for the translation was, taking into account
context and sense. Newmark, 1998, in Anderman, Gunilla and Rogers, Margaret
(1999:25) stresses that ‘the bilingual dictionary is the translator’s single, first and
the most important aid, and a translator who does not consult one when in doubt
is arrogant or ignorant or both’.
Nonetheless, dictionaries do not provide you the final translation. It is essential to
carry out a further investigation to translate some words or phrases correctly.
Since the video is related to the European Union, I consulted the official website
and checked the institutions’ names and the terminology used within them. Then,
in order to be sure about the first translation proffer, I read some books about the
EU and its institutions, and I watched conferences on Youtube about EU as well.
Due to the variety of languages in the EU, institutions’ and political function’s
names are already established in English. This facilitated the process of
subtitling.
What was difficult to translate were the imageries and the cultural aspects.
Sometimes, these words should not be translated literally because they can lose
sense. In order to solve this situation, I first performed a further research, so that
I could find an equivalent word or phrase which suited correctly in the translation.
Most of the times, I consulted to my project assessor and she gave me some
translation proffers.
2.5 Subtitling process
Once I had finished the process of subtitling, I added the subtitles in the video. It
is essential to mention that before starting this process, I needed to take into
consideration the established parameters on subtitling, so that the video’s quality
was accurate.
I realised that in many cases the integral translation could not be added in the
subtitles just as it was because, according to Díaz Cintas (2001:112), a subtitle
line should not surpass more than 42 characters. In order to solve this situation,
I had to use grammatical strategies such as omission of fillers and redundant
words, use of synonyms or sentences transformations in order not to exceed the
number of characters. I also used the translation techniques to solve each
problem I faced, and I realised they were efficient. The techniques I used the
most during this process were transposition, modulation and equivalence.
Once I had finished adding the subtitles, I synchronised them. It was the hardest
work for me to carry out because there are strict parameters to follow in this
section. One of these parameters is to add a second fraction to the subtitle after
the speaker had talked, and end it when the speaker finishes talking or
immediately after that. Unfortunately, the program ‘Media Subtitler’ does not
facilitate this process because it is not a sophisticated program. Therefore, I had
to do this process calculating the most appropriate synchronisation for each
subtitle. However, it affected neither the video’s quality nor the subtitles’
synchronisation.
After having concluded this work, I reviewed all the subtitles one by one taking all
the parameters into account. I noticed that the first version had many mistakes.
Most of the subtitles were too long, some others were neither well-segmented nor
well-synchronised. Therefore, in order to fix the long subtitles, I changed long
words for short synonyms. Regarding the not-well segmented subtitles, I used
the example that the translator Karamitroglou (1998) proposed. Finally, I started
from scratch so that all the subtitles were well-synchronised.
2.6 Software for subtitling
Nowadays, the translation market has developed many important tools to
facilitate this process, and subtitling is not the exception. In recent years,
specialists in the translation area have provided us with useful software to subtitle
a video, some more sophisticated than others. To subtitle this video, I used the
Media subtitler program version 2010. Although it is not a very sophisticated
program, it allowed me to perform this practice with no problem and without losing
any kind of quality. Moreover, this program is easy to use and I could download
it for free2. I am familiarized with it because I used it several times in my previous
translation classes. After having finished the translation, I used the Media
subtitler program in order to add the subtitles to the video; however, I recorded
the final version in MVC program. The following screen image shows the
different parts and applications people can find if they want to use the Media
subtitler program to perform the process of subtitling. There is an image below
that shown the main window of the program, which was used in the process of
subtitling.
Image 1. Main Window
This image shows how the main window of the program Media Subtitler is composed.
Own elaboration.
2
http://www.softonic.com/s/media-subtitler
2.7 Final edition
Once I had finished subtitling, I revised the whole work taking into account the
parameters, which I mentioned in the theoretical framework. I noticed that most
of my subtitles were out-time, so I had to fit them so that they appear in the correct
time. Also, most of them were too long and difficult for the reader to read easily.
What I did was to omit irrelevant information, condensate and summarise the
sentences to shorten them. Moreover, some subtitles were either wrong-written
or unclear or senseless. The final revision was useful for me to correct them.
When I finished my work, I drove test the final subtitled video with native
speakers, so that they could give me their comments about it and to know what I
should change or correct. At the end, I delivered the subtitled video to my adviser.
3. SUBTITLES ANALYSIS
In this part of the project, I chose the most notable subtitles in order to analyse
them, according to the subtitling parameters. I explained the reason why I decided
to translate in this manner. In all cases, I wrote both the original version in Spanish
and the final translation in English. The aim is to demonstrate that I have fulfilled
the subtitling parameter by performing this work.
3.1 Analysis of the translation techniques used in subtitling
I decided to analyse the following 17 subtitles because in the process of this
research, they were difficult to be translated and subtitled. In each analysis, I
explained carefully how I solved the lexical and semantic difficulties, and also the
way in which I followed the parameters exposed in the theoretical framework.
3.1.1 Number of characters:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
1:15-1:18
Entonces imagínense
According to the ECSC,
que…según el tratado de la
there was a High Authority.
CECA teníamos la Alta
Autoridad.
As I mentioned in the theoretical framework, taking into account Díaz Cinta’s
propose, a good subtitle should have around 40 and 42 character per line, no
more than this. It is to guarantee that the audience may assimilate both the
video’s scene and the information in the subtitles. In this case, there are two
lines in the subtitles. The first one have 22 characters; the second one, 25. The
main idea remains in the subtitle and irrelevant information was omitted in order
to follow the parameter.
3.1.2 Displays:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
00:1-00:4
Instituciones de la UE
INSTITUTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Unificación de la
ITS UNIFICATION AND CURRENT COMPOSITION
Instituciones
y composición actual.
When subtitling a video, the subtitler should take into consideration extralinguistic
elements, such as images, titles, headlines, etc. All of them have to be in capitals
letters, so that the audience can be able to differentiate between an utterance and
one of these extralinguistic elements. In this case, we have the video’s title at the
beginning, this is why it is in capital letters.
3.2.3 Use of italics:
Time
Original (Spanish)
4:23-4:25
Muy disperso, cada quien en su
tema.
Subtitle
It was very dispersed:
everybody had their own theme
The italics are used when a voice comes out from the TV speaker or when
someone is telling a narration during the scene. In this case, I used italics letters
because someone, out of TV, was giving his personal opinion about the topic that
the speaker was developing.
3.2.4 Subtitles in dialogues:
Time
8:28-8:32
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
–Alguien encargado en
-Someone from External relations.
relaciones exteriores.
-How many representatives can you have?
-¿Cuántos encargados puedes
tener?,
The orthotypographical parameters for subtitling indicates that the subtitler has to
use dashes at the beginning of the lines when there is an exchange of words
between the characters. I used dashes in this case because it is a dialogue
between the speaker and someone in the audience. This is a special manner to
distinguish a dialogue in the subtitles.
3.2.5 Use of acronyms and abbreviations:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
3:01-3:04
¿Cuál fue el tratado que
What treaty did the EEC establish?
instituyó la CEE?
In this case, I decided to write the acronym of the European Economic Community
in order to condensate the subtitle. Moreover, the complete name was written in
the previous one. Therefore, the audience would catch the acronym’s name easily.
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
1:06-1:09
y con el Dr. Saucedo van a ver
Dr. Saucedo will teach you
el Banco Central Europeo,
about the European Central Bank,
In this case, I decided to use the abbreviation of the word Doctor (Dr.) in order to
save characters in the subtitles. And not to exceed the total number, which the
parameters establish. The word ‘Doctor’ has six characters, whereas ‘Dr.’, 3
characters.
3.2.6 Segmentation:
Time
Original (Spanish)
3:24-3:27
El de Roma se acuerdan que
creó la Comunidad Económica
Subtitle
The Treaty of Rome created
the European Economic Community
Europea
Taking into account Karamitroglou’s and Díaz Cintas’ on segmentation
parameters, I divided this sentences in two parts. I left the subject and verb above,
and the direct object in the bottom. Moreover, the inferior subtitle is longer; it is
because the audience can read easily a triangular shape text rather than a
rectangular one. I also eliminated some irrelevant information. The final translation
is the subtitle is shorter, but coherent and remains the main idea.
3.2.7 Omitting items from the original (padding expression):
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
0:48-0:52
Y en algunos casos...eh, mmm,
Then about the Court of
por ejemplo…posteriormente el
Justice.
Tribunal de Justicia.
In this case, I decided to omit the padding expression ‘eh’ and ‘mm’, which in
Spanish do not mean anything; but they are used when the speaker is doubting
or does not know what to say. These expression do not provides relevant
information and there is no point in translating them into English. I also omitted
items, which did not fit in the discourse. This was done in order to shorten the
subtitle and leave it just with the most important part of the speech.
3.2.8 Addition:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
3:21-3:23
-El de Roma.
–The Treaty of Rome.
-El de Roma.
–That’s right.
The context of the phrase is about the treaties, which were established in the
European Union. In the original version, it only mentions the city where it was
signed. I decided to write the treaty’s whole name in the translation; otherwise,
the audience would not understand a literal version because the nature of the
English language requires further information in each sentence. This addition
did not affect the allowed number of characters, which the parameters indicate.
3.2.9 Reduction:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
0:59-1:05
y el jueves vamos a ver lo que es
On Thursday, we're going to study about
el Tribunal de Justicia, lo vamos
the Court of Justice in more detail;
a ver más a detalle.
I solved this case using the reduction technique: I eliminated part of the original
version because the same grammatical structure had been said previously, and
it would be disgusting for the audience to read the same thing in just one
subtitle. I also took the most essential information and condensate it without
changing the author’s original idea or style.
3.2.10 Modulation:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
6:23-6:25
y sus competencias eran muy
and their competences weren’t equal.
dispares.
In this case, I performed the modulation technique, which consists in changing
the semantics and points of view. I changed a positive sentence into a negative
one. The purpose was to use less characters in the subtitling. In addition, the
time that this subtitle remains on the screen is very short (2 seconds), and a
literal translation would give as a result a long text, which the audience could
not read completely. The semantic aspects remains in the subtitle and it is
quick-reading.
3.2.12 Transposition:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
11:53-
Porque no le alcanzaría.
due to its low population.
11:54
In this subtitle, I performed the transposition technique, which mean changing
one part of the speech for another without changing the sense. The context is
about the number of seats, which a country can have according to its
population. Therefore, I change a verb for a noun in the final translation.
Although this phrase seems to omit information, it can be understood because
of the context. I chose this technique because if I had translated it literally, the
final translation would have been senseless. This translation preserves the
main idea and it is quick-reading, taking into account that lasts one second on
the screen.
3.2.13 Adaptation:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
23:41
¡Aguas con los nombres!
Be careful with the names!
In this subtitle, I used the adaptation technique, one of the most difficult one in
the process of subtitling. It is about changing a reference when it does not exist
in the target language. The expression ‘aguas’, in America Latina, is used as a
warning or for demanding someone to be careful. The principle of this
technique is to replace a cultural or social reality in the target language.
Therefore, it cannot be translated literally because it would be ‘waters’ in
English. This word does not have the same meaning that the Spanish word
does. Then, the most appropriate translation is the phrase in English “Be
careful” because it plays the same role that the Spanish word “aguas”.
3.2.14 Equivalence:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
21:20-
Por ejemplo, el Partido Popular For instance, the People’s Party
21:23
se considera de Centro derecha. is considered a center-right party;
I decided to use the equivalence technique in order to give a clear translation
to the receiving audience. In this sentence, there are two words which may be
considered difficult for translating because one is a party’s name ‘Partido
Popular’ and the other one is a political mainstream ‘centro derecha’. As this a
party of the European Union, the parties’ names are established in each
language. In this case, the corresponding translation for ‘Partido Polular’ is
People’s Party. In the case of the political mainstreams: ‘centro derecha’ the
corresponding translation is center-right party.
3.2.15 Borrowing:
Time
Original (Spanish)
Subtitle
25:38-
y nada más es una reunión ad
25:42
hoc.
and it’s just ad hoc meeting.
In this case, I decided to use the borrowing technique which consists, as I
mentioned in the theoretical framework, in transferring directly a word or phrase
in the target language. In this subtitle, there is a Latin expression (ad hoc) and
these ones should not be translated because they preserve the same meaning
in all the languages. The meaning of this Latin expression, according to the
Cambridge
Dictionaries
online3,
is
made
or
happening
only
for
a particular purpose or need, not planned before it happens.
3.2.16 Calque:
Time
Original (Spanish)
7:14-7:16
Elegidos por Sufragio Universal The members were elected
Directo,
Subtitle
by universal direct suffrage.
In this case, I performed the calque technique because, according to Vinay and
Darbelnet, it is a type of borrowing and literal translation. The example is the
word ‘sufragio universal directo’, which is translated literally into English as
universal direct suffrage.
3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/ad-hoc
3.2.17 Compensation:
Time
Original (Spanish)
28:02-
- eventualmente, lo ideal sería - Eventually, it’d be ideal
28:05
que
se
pudiera
Subtitle
elegir
Sufragio Universal Directo
28:0728:08
por to elect the President of the EU
- by universal direct suffrage.
- al presidente de la UE.
In this case, I used the compensation technique taking into account Vázquez
Ayora’s concept. I chose these two subtitles because I had to omit some
information and replace it somewhere else to fit the subtitles parameters. Then,
I changed the place of some sentence components, so that the translation
could be clear and natural in the source language. First of all, I omitted the
phrase ‘que se pudiera´ in the target language because it does not give relevant
information and does not affect the sentence sense. Therefore, I decided to
only use the verb ‘to elect’. Moreover, the nature of the Spanish language
allows speaker to combine the sentence parts in whatever part within the
speech. However, it does not happen in English; this is why I decided to
reorganise the sentences. In the original one, after the verb ‘to elect’ was the
complement agent; hence, I remove it to the end of the sentence and in its
place I put the direct object: the president of the EU, so that the sentence could
sound natural in the target language.
CONCLUSION
This research was an edifying experience as a student of the School of
Languages at UV because I could put into practice what I learned during the four
years of being here. It prepared me professionally and strengthened my
knowledge about the field of translation, specifically the AVT, which is one of the
most important translation field nowadays, due to the technology’s growth. I also
learned more about the parameters within this area of the translation, which most
of the times are ignored by audiovisual translators, giving as a result a low-quality
subtitling.
After having done this research, I realised that the AVT was not as easy as I
thought before. This activity gave the opportunity to perform different abilities. My
level of English was put into test because I performed an inverse translation,
which means from Spanish into English. Firstly, the main purpose was to produce
a text similar to the original one. Secondly, this is a kind of translation in which
the translator should take into consideration not only translation issues, but also
cultural and idiomatic aspects. The main reason is because we have to change
the linguistic channel: the message in the source language is produced orally
whereas the translation must be in writing form. As this is a different process, I
had to follow the established parameters and rules within this area in order to
produce an accurate version to the audience.
Throughout this investigation, I was able to better comprehend the process of
subtitling a video and how to solve the main difficulties. At the beginning, I faced
a great challenge: translating from Spanish to English. The most difficult part in
this process was to find an appropriate phrase or word that correctly fix according
to the context. Therefore, I decided to make a glossary which contained these
unknown words; then, I surfed the internet and looked up in monolingual
dictionaries in order to find the best option for the translation. Also, I received help
from my thesis adviser and native teachers. Fortunately, I could achieve an
accurate translation for the receiving audience.
Regarding the process of subtitling, I can say that it meant a great effort for me
because it was the first time I did an activity this by myself. First of all, I realised
that the translation do not play the most important part in the subtitling process
because the audiovisual translator should take into consideration the parameters,
and it means that the translation is modified, without losing the main idea. In this
process I played the role of translator; therefore, I had to use any material which
were useful for me to obtain a good translation. As the video was about the
European Institutions, I checked the European Union Website in order to find the
main website of the European Union. Moreover, I watched conference on
YouTube about this topic in order to get used to the technical vocabulary. This
procedure did help me when translating because I was able to know which the
best translation would be. I realised that the process of translation becomes
easier when the translator is familiar with the topic, and it gives as a result a
quality and faithful work. What I do recommend for further investigations is to
study the source text’s topic, so that the translation could cause the same effect
at the receiving audience.
While I was doing the theoretical framework, it was difficult to obtain the books,
which could help me. It is because it has not been written much about this topic.
Furthermore, in Mexico there are few school where AVT is taught; there are not
enough scholars who are continually investigating about this field of the
translation. In spite of this barrier, I was able to download some books and
articles. Also, my adviser provided me with several books, which helped me to
support what I was performing. However, what really helped were the thesis
related to the AVT, which my former classmates had made. I finally could achieve
my theoretical framework, explaining each point I covered in my whole research
paper.
After the subtitles’ final edition, my assessor sent my final project to iTUNES UV,
so that the coordinator could upload the video on the official website. I can only
say that this work was pleasant for me to carry out, because I was able to put the
knowledge which I acquired at the UV into practice. It was exciting because now
this video is available and useful for everybody all over the planet.
In conclusion, I accept that this research has widened my knowledge about the
AVT. I also learned to be critical with each subtitled video I watch because some
translators do not give the importance that this activity requires, and now I am
able to detect if there is any mistake in movies’ or videos’ subtitles. This process
made me know that subtitling is not only translating, but also it is complex process
in which the translator should take into account relevant aspects, such as images
and voices. I do hope that this paper can help those who are interested at this
field of the translation, and it may contribute to the development of the AVT in
Mexico.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderman, Gunilla and Rogers, Margaret (1999). Word, Text, Translation.
Clevedon, Buffalo, Toronto, Sydney: Multilingual Matters.
Alarcón Bailleres, Miguel A. and Chávez Cruz, Eduardo (2004). Subtitling and its
Parameters: A Practical Case of Subtitling of the Movies American History X.
(Unpublished Bachelor’s thesis). Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.
Bell, Roger T. (1991). Translation and Translating: Theory and Practice. New
York: C.N. Candling.
Campbell, Stuart (1998). Translation into the Second Language. New York: C.N.
Candling.
Crystal, David (2003). English as a Global Language (2nd edition). Cambridge,
New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Mexico
City: Cambridge University Press.
Díaz Cintas, Jorge (2001). La Traducción Audiovisual en los medio
audiovisuales. Salamanca, España: Ediciones Almar.
Díaz Cintas, Jorge and Remael, Aline (2007). Audiovisual Translation: Subtitling.
New York: St. Jerome Publishing.
González Hernández, Elia Areli (2013). Comparison Between the Subtitled and
the Dubbed Versions of Chapter 5 “Run” in Season 4 of the TV Series
“Smallville”. (Unpublished Bachelor’s thesis). Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa,
Mexico.
Gottlieb, Henrink (1994). Subtitling: Diagonal Translartion. Copenhagen:
Museum Tusculanum Press.
Munday, Jeremy (2001). Introducing Translation Studies: theories and
applications. London, New York: Routledge.
Nord, Christiane (2005). Text Analysis in Translation: Theory, Methodology, and
Didactic Application of a Model for Translation-Oriented Text Analysis. New York:
Editions Rodopi B.V.
Snell-Hornby, Mary (2006). The Turns of Translation Studies: New Paradigms or
shifting viewpoints. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing.
Vázquez Ayora, Gerardo (1977). Introducción a la Traductología. Washington, D.
C.: George Town University Press.
Articles:
Chaume, Frederich (2013). The Turn of Audiovisual Translation, New audience
and new technologies. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing.
Online references:
Carol, Mary and Ivarsson, Jan (1998). Code of good subtitling practice, [online].
Berlin: European Association for Studies in Screen Translation. Available in:
http://www.esist.org/ESIST%20Subtitling%20code_files/Code%20of%20Good%
20Subtitling%20Practice_en.pdf [2015, May 4th]
Karamitroglou, Fotios (1998). A Proposed set of subtitling standards in Europe,
[online]. Manchester: European Association for Studies in Screen Translation.
Available in: http://translationjournal.net/journal/04stndrd.htm [2015, May 14th].
Lassaque, Luisa Fernanda (2012). Un procedimiento de adaptación: la
traducción, [online]. Argentina: Clarito y Castellano-Un blog argentino. Available
in:
http://claritoycastellano.blogspot.mx/2012/08/un-procedimiento-de-
traduccion-la.htm [2015, May 22th]
Montero, Begoña (2007). Terminología científica: préstamos, calcos y
neologismos [online]. Valencia: Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Available in:
http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/aepe/pdf/congreso_39/congre
so_39_07.pdf [2015, May 22th].
http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
http://www.softonic.com/s/media-subtitler
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles/ad-hoc
ANNEX: TRANSLATION COMPARISON
In this project, the object of study are the script and the final translation.
Therefore, I present a two-column table which shows the original text in Spanish
and the translation into English in order to compare the two versions.
SPANISH (ORIGINAL VERSION)
SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH
Vamos a hablar un poco sobre la unificación
de las instituciones…
We’re going to talk about the unification of
Institutions a little bit;
y luego ya la composición actual del sistema
institucional.
then about how the current institutional
system is formed.
Vamos a hablar a grandes rasgos, es un
curso muy pequeño: nada más son dos horas.
We’re going to studying it in broad terms; it’s
a very short course: just two hours.
Este curso normalmente por cada dos horas
doy una sola institución,
I often spend two hours to teach just one
institution,
y ahorita en dos horas vamos a verlas todas.
and now, we’re going to study all them in just
two hours.
Entonces es realmente para que a grandes
rasgos tenga una idea de qué es la institución,
cómo funciona,
It’s for you to know, in broad terms,
cómo está organizada, cómo se eligen…
how it is organized, how members are elected.
Y
en
algunos..eh,
ejemplo…posteriormente
Justicia.
…After a while, the Court of Justice.
mmm
,
por
el Tribunal de
what the Institution is, how it works,
La próxima clase vamos a empezar a ver los
principios generales del derecho europeo,
Next class, we’re going to begin with the
general principles of European Right.
y el jueves vamos a ver lo que es el Tribunal
de Justicia, lo vamos a ver más a detalle.
On Thursday, we're going to study about the
Court of Justice in more detail.
y con el Dr. Saucedo van a ver el Banco
Central Europeo,
Dr. Saucedo will teach you about the
European Central Bank,
la parte económica un poco más a detalle.
and the economic issues in detail.
La que sigue, por favor.
Next, please.
Igual, si tienen dudas o preguntas, me
detienen por favor.
Let me know if you have any doubt or
question, please.
Bueno, ahora, imagínense: como les decía la
clase pasada:
Well, as I mentioned last class:
cuando se firma el tratado de la CECA son 6
países.
The ECSC was composed by 6 countries
when the treaty was signed.
Se sientan 6 países, se ponen de acuerdo,
Those countries used to meet, agreed
la mayoría de las decisiones eran por
unanimidad
and most of the decisions were approved by
unanimity.
No había ningún problema.
There was no problem.
Entonces se crearon una serie
instituciones cuando eran 6 países
de
A set of institutions were created when there
were 6,
y son prácticamente las mismas instituciones
ahora que son 27.
and the same institutions work today with
twenty-seven.
Entonces hay un problema grave y lo vamos
a ver.
There is a big problem, and we'll analyze it.
En el caso de las instituciones
It had to be with the institutions.
y una de las cosas que sucedía es que, más
o menos, según los tratados
What happened: according to the treaties,
se creó un sistema institucional propio por
cada tratado.
an own Institutional System for every treaty
was created.
Entonces imagínense que…según el tratado
de la CECA teníamos la Alta Autoridad.
According to the ECSC, there is a High
Authority.
¿Se acuerdan quién fue el primer presidente
de la Alta Autoridad?
Do you remember who the first president
was?
Lo vimos en la declaración de…bueno
cuando les presenté a los fundadores
Europeos.
We studied it…by talking about the European
founders.
El genio: Jean Monnet.
The Genius: Jean Monnet.
Bueno, el Alta Autoridad…
The High Authority…
¿se acuerdan cuáles eran las características?
do you remember the main characteristics?
Independiente, que iba a tener a su cargo la
producción del carbón y el acero
Independent, he had coal and steel production
under his responsibility
de los países que se adhirieran al tratado, ¿se
acuerdan?
of every country in the treaty.
Do you remember?
También se creó un consejo, se creó una
asamblea parlamentaria y un tribunal de
justicia.
A council, a Parliamentary Assembly and a
Court of Justice were created too.
Entonces estas eran las instituciones que se
crearon
As a Socioeconomic Consultative Function,
there was a Consultative Committee.
que era únicamente para dar opinión sobre
algunos temas que eran relevantes.
This one just gave its opinion
La que sigue, por favor.
Next, please.
Después
tenemos
el
Tratado
de
la
on some relevant issues.
Here, we have the European Economic
Comunidad Económica Europea,
Community treaty.
¿cuál fue el tratado que instituyó la CEE?
What treaty did the EEC establish?
El primero fue el de la CECA,
Firstly, the ECSC...
el segundo la Comunidad Económica del
Carbón y del Acero.
the European Coal and Steel Community.
La de la Comunidad Económica Europea
¿cuál fue el tratado?
So, What treaty did
the EEC establish?
Ayer lo vieron con el Dr. Saucedo.
Yesterday, you studied this
with Dr. Saucedo.
–El de Roma.
–The Treaty of Rome.
-El de Roma.
–That’s right.
El de Roma se acuerdan que creó la
Comunidad Económica Europea
The Treaty of Rome created
y crea el EURATOM, ¿se acuerdan?
and also the EURATOM.
Y ahí ya no hay Alta Autoridad, se le llama
Comisión,
There is no High Authority;
Consejo, Asamblea Parlamentaria, Tribunal
de Justicia
the Council, the Parliamentary Assembly,
Court of Justice
y también tenía como función consultativa
socioeconómica el Comité Económico y
Social.
And the Economic and Social Committee
played the Socio-Economical Consultative
role.
These Institutions worked concurrently ECSC
Institutions and EEC Institutions,
These Institutions worked concurrently ECSC
Institutions and EEC Institutions,
y tienen el EURATOM, que tiene su comisión,
and the EURATOM,
the European Economic Community
they are ruled by the Commission,
which has its own Commission,
consejo, Tribunal de Justicia, Asamblea
Parlamentaria.
Council, Court of Justice
¿Cómo creen que en la práctica funcionaba
esto?,
How do you think it worked?
¿había 3 diferentes comisiones,
Were there 3 different Commissions,
3 diferentes Parlamentos, Asambleas
Parlamentarias, 3 Tribunales de Justicia?
Parliaments, Parliamentary Assemblies, and
Courts of Justice?
¿cómo se imaginan que funcionaba esto?
How do you think it worked?
–Muy disperso, cada quien en su tema.
It was very dispersed:
and Parliamentary Assembly.
everybody had their own theme.
–En realidad no porque eran las mismas
Not really because the same people
personas que estaban en los 3 tratados,
worked in each treaty.
o sea, la Alta Autoridad lo único que hacía
era…imagínense visualmente:
The High Authority just …
se pone el sombrero de la CECA y hoy voy a
tratar temas de la CECA,
the High Authority wears the ECSC hat and
only focuses on ECSC issues;
se quita el sombrero y se pone el de la
Comisión Económica Europea
then he wears off that hat and takes
y ahora voy a tratar asuntos de la CEE.
and just focuses on themes about it.
Sí era muy complicado porque cada tratado
tenía su propia legislación y sus propias
reglas.
It was really difficult for each treaty
Entonces tenía que asumir ese roll y esas
reglas a la hora de tratar esos asuntos.
He had to focus on the specific fuctions and
rules by making decisions.
Entonces no era muy funcional, ¿por qué?
So, it was a little useless.
Imagine:
the European Economic Community hat.
had its own legislations and rules.
Why?
Porque eran las mismas personas que tenían
3
diferentes
tratados,
3
diferentes
legislaciones,
because the same people had to bear
3 diferentes papeles que desempeñar ellos
mismos, depende del tratado…
and they had to play 3 different roles
lo que se tratara y entonces, la que sigue por
favor,
…Next, please.
lo que decidieron fue unificar las instituciones.
They decided to unify the Institutions.
No tenía sentido tener una para cada tratado.
There was no point having
with 3 different treaties and legislations
by themselves according to the treaty.
one treaty for each Institution.
Dijeron: tenemos una sola
They decided to have just one,
y ,en función de los temas que trate,
and according to the addressed issues,
es el papel que va jugar o desempeñar o la
competencia que va a tener.
it'd play different roles
Entonces el…la unificación de las otras
instituciones fue muy sencilla,
The unification of other institutions
la del Tribunal de Justicia no fue muy
complicado;
so was the Court of Justice.
pero lo que tocaba a la comisión y el consejo
However, regarding to
or have competence outside.
was very easy;
the Commission and the Council,
fue un poco más complicado,
it was a little difficult.
sobre todo en el caso de la comisión.
Especially the Commission.
La comisión era la Alta Autoridad,
The commission was the High Authority;
pasó a llamarse Comisión Europea.
then, became the European Commission.
En un principio se conocía como la Alta
Autoridad,
In the beginning,
ahora ya lo conocemos como la Comisión
Europea.
Now, it's known as
¿Cuáles eran los retos que tenía?
What did it have to do?
Pues ya había 3 instituciones que ya estaban
funcionando.
Well, there were already
Además, los periodos de mandato eran
distintos según los tratados
Moreover, the mandatory periods
y sus competencias eran muy dispares.
and their competences weren’t equal.
Entonces se requirió de unos esfuerzos muy
notables
So, it got great efforts
para unificar las instituciones que es como
conocemos actualmente en el Sistema
Institucional de la Unión Europea.
what we now know today as
¿Alguna duda o pregunta?
Do you have any doubt or question?
La que sigue, por favor.
Next, please.
Bueno, como les decía la vez pasada:
Well, as I said to you last class:
cuando vean TUE es el Tratado de la Unión
Europea,
when you see EUT,
el artículo 13 dice cuáles son las instituciones
Europeas:
The Article 13 says what
El Parlamento Europeo, El Consejo Europeo,
el Consejo,
The European Parliament,
la Comisión Europea, el Tribunal de Justicia
de la Unión Europea,
the European Commission,
el Banco Central Europeo y el Tribunal de
Cuentas.
the European Central Bank
Esas son las 7 instituciones de la Unión
Europea.
These are the 7 institutions
La que sigue.
Next, please.
Vamos a hablar primero del Parlamento
First of all, we’re going to talk
it was called the High Authority.
the European Commission.
three institutions acting.
were different according to the treaties;
to unify the institutions,
Institutional System of the EU.
it means European Union Treaty.
the European Institutions are.
the European Council, the Council,
the Court of Justice of the EU,
and the European Court of Auditors.
that are involved in the EU.
Europeo.
about the European Parliament.
Elegidos por Sufragio Universal Directo,
The members were elected
by universal direct suffrage.
¿Cómo era antes?, ¿cómo era cuando se
crearon las instituciones?
How were they elected
Era totalmente distinto:
It was totally different:
como apenas se estaban firmando los
tratados
because they first signed the treaties,
y apenas estaban iniciando los que
conocemos como proceso de integración
europeo
and then agreed what now we know
Anteriormente no eran elegidos por sufragio
universal directo,
Previously, members weren’t elected
fue a partir de 1976 que se toma esa decisión
This decision was made in 1976,
y las primeras elecciones fueron en 1979.
and the first elections
before the institutions were created?
as the European Integration Process.
by universal direct suffrage.
took place in 1979.
¿Antes cómo era?, ¿cómo se imaginan que
se elegían a los miembros del Parlamento
Europeo en un principio?
How were the members of
–Los designaban.
–They were appointed.
-¿Quién?
–By whom?
–Los representantes de los estados.
-By representatives of the Member States.
–En función ¿de qué?
-What did they take into account?
¿Nada más decían: a ver tú te vas al
Parlamento?
Did they only say:
–Los ministros.
- Ministers…
–Los ministros no pueden ser porque…
-They couldn’t.
acuérdate que los ministros deben cumplir
funciones dentro de los países.
Remember: ministers must perform
Entonces tiene que ser alguien que puede
estar en la institución
So, it must be someone available
y no necesariamente…no puede
obligaciones en el estado miembro,
and mustn’t have tasks
tener
pero tienes razón, está algo relacionado.
the Parliament elected at the beginning?
"I want you to be in the Parliament"?
actions within the countries.
to be in the institution
in the Member State.
You're right;
your answer is quite good.
Imagínense.
Imagine!
–Alguien encargado en relaciones exteriores.
-Someone from External relations?
-¿Cuántos encargados puedes tener?,
-How many representatives can you have?
¿cuántos miembros encargados vas a poder
tener?,
How many seats
¿uno por cada estado miembro?
One for each Member State?
– ¿De acuerdo a la población?
–According to the population.
can you have in the Parliament?
–It determines the number of seats.
–Por la población tiene que ver el número de
miembros del Parlamento, sí.
but who were they?
Pero, ¿quiénes eran?,
¿han
oído
hablar
Latinoamericano?
del
Parlamento
Have you heard about
the Latin American Parliament?
Bueno, lo que se hacía era lo siguiente:
Well, they did this:
cada estado miembro, dentro de sus
diputados en el congreso, lo equivalente a
México en el congreso de la Unión,
each Member State chose
elegía a algunos diputados para que fueran a
representar a los ciudadanos en el
Parlamento Europeo.
For instance, the congress in Mexico.
para que fueran a representar a
ciudadanos en el Parlamento Europeo.
so that they could represent the citizens in the
European Parliament.
los
some deputies form their own Parliament,
Entonces no fueron elegidos directamente por
las personas para cumplir esa función,
They weren’t elected directly
fueron elegidos por los ciudadanos para
cumplir otra función que es defender sus
intereses a nivel nacional o legislar a nivel
nacional.
but to do other tasks such as
Entonces, indirectamente fueron elegidos por
el pueblo europeo, pero no directamente,
So, they were elected indirectly
Entonces había un déficit democrático
There was a democratic deficit
porque no había una institución en ese
momento que fuera elegido por el pueblo
because there was no
y que defendiera los intereses del pueblo
europeo en las instituciones europeas.
There was no institution that defends
Entonces se enviaba un grupo comisionado y
allí estaban.
A commissioned group
to perform that task,
defending national issues and legislating.
by the people, but not directly.
institution elected by the people.
European issues in European Institutions.
was sent to be there.
Bueno, a partir del ’79 que fue la primera vez
que hubo elecciones, ya se hace de manera
directa.
The first election was held in 1979;
El tratado establece un mecanismo; sin
embargo, como les decía…
The treaty establishes a mechanism.
se acuerdan de los principios de respetar las
costumbres y maneras de funcionar de cada
estado miembro.
each Member State’s costumes
Todavía en este caso sí cada circunscripción
se determina según cada estado miembro.
The circumscription is still determined
Todos los estados miembros tienen diferentes
sistemas políticos
As every Member State
y diferente sistema electoral,
and different electoral system,
entonces cada estado es el que decide, según
sus usos y costumbres,
each one decided how the election
cómo se va a llevar a cabo la elección de
diputados europeos.
according to
Claro, el principio general es el mismo:
Of course, the general principle
from that date it is done directly.
However, as I said:
and policy must be respected.
according to every Member State.
has different politic system
of European deputies is held,
its customes and traditions.
is the same:
el Sufragio Universal Directo,
universal direct suffrage.
pero cómo determinan los distritos y la
circunscripción,
But the way in which the circumscription and
districts are determined
pues de acuerdo a cada país…
is according to each country's rules.
Entonces son diferentes las elecciones en
Francia, España…
There are different elections
lo único que es igual es que es al mismo
tiempo y mediante Sufragio Universal Directo.
But they are held
La siguiente, por favor.
Next, please.
Bueno aquí está, aquí están los números de
los diputados
Here, we have the number of deputies;
que son electos por 5 años
they are elected for a 5-year period
y así están repartidos los escaños.
And this is the distribution of seats.
Esta es una fórmula que establecieron más
proporcionalmente al número de la población;
This established formula is more
sin embargo, si somos muy estrictos,
However,
in Spain, France…
by UDS in the same day and time.
proportionate to the population;
if we're very numerically strict,
si queremos hacer el cálculo entre Malta y
Alemania, no corresponde:
this formula doesn’t tally
los malteses están sobrerrepresentados
comparados con los alemanes.
Malta is overrepresented
Pero como les decía: si fuera realmente
numérico estricto,
But, as I said,
entonces Malta no tendría ningún miembro en
el Parlamento ni representante
Malta wouldn't have any member
porque no le alcanzaría,
due to its low population.
sin embargo, se trata de que todos los países
puedan participar
But it’s important
y tengan los mismos derechos y obligaciones.
and have the same rights and duties.
Entonces se buscó esta fórmula que es lo que
hasta ahora ha permanecido.
This formula was established
Actualmente son 752 diputados.
Currently, there are 752 deputies.
Alemania es el que más tiene, tiene 99
diputados,
Germany has more seats:
luego el grupo de los 3 grandes,
then, the group of the 3 big countrie
dijéramos por el número de población, pero
también en economía,
not only for the population
Que son Francia, Reino Unido, Italia.
France, the UK and Italy.
Luego España y Polonia.
Then, Spain and Poland.
Había muchas discusiones porque cuando
entraron, en el 2004 cuando fue la ampliación
de los 10 miembros más,
There were a lot of discussions in 2004
se dieron cuenta que Polonia, por el número
de población,
They realized that Poland,
iba a estar con el mismo número de escaños
que los países grandes.
would have the same seats
¿Qué implicaciones tiene?
What implications does it have?
Pues tiene un peso muy importante en la toma
de decisiones.
Poland would play an important role
-¿Qué factores determinaría eso…
Which other aspect
neither with Germany nor with Malta.
compared to Germany.
if we follow the formula strictly,
in the Parliament or representative
for each country to participate
and keeps working today.
99 deputies;
but also for the economy:
when 10 countries were added.
according to its population,
than the great countries.
by making decisions.
could be taken into account,
aparte del número de población?, ¿no sería
instead of the population?
más el PIB?
What about the GDP?
–No, no son factores económicos.
No, it isn’t about economic issues.
Tiene más que ver con que pueda ser
representado
It’s more about being represented,
y en función de la población.
according to the population.
Pero económicamente no.
But not economically.
Los
más
pequeños:
Luxemburgo, Eslovenia
Malta,
Chipre,
The smallest countries are
Malta, Cyprus, Luxemburg, Slovenia…
e inclusive si comparamos a Malta con
Estonia, pues es mucho más chiquito
even Malta is much smaller than Estonia.
pero, ¿qué hacen?, ¿lo dejan con un solo
miembro en el Parlamento?
But they can’t have
¿qué representación tendría?
because they’d have
just one Member at the Parliament
no representation.
No se ha creado una fórmula perfecta. Ésta
es la fórmula que hasta ahorita ha funcionado.
A perfect formula isn’t found out yet,
porque ¿qué le van a decir?
Well, what can they do?
O sea, van creciendo y va creciendo el
número de diputados
The more the population increase,
y llega un momento que no se puede: son
muchísimos diputados para ponerse de
acuerdo
until they can do nothing:
para poder legislar y tomar decisiones y
ciertos tipos de cosas.
in order to legislate and make decisions, and
solve some other issues.
Pero, ¿qué le vas a hacer?
What can you do?
Le vas a decir a Alemania, que de por sí no
está representado como debería…
Germany isn’t really
¿le vas a quitar porque es el que más tiene?
do you remove her some deputies
this one has worked so far.
the more deputies there are;
they can’t agree for there are too many
represented as should be,
just because has more seats?
Entonces crean fórmulas para tratar de
solventar el problema,
So, formulas were created
pero no hay una fórmula perfecta todavía.
but there’s no prefect formula yet.
Esto es lo que hasta ahorita ha estado
funcionando,
These ones have worked so far.
pero como les digo: estas instituciones fueron
These institutions
to solve the problems;
creadas desde la CECA
were created since time of ECSC,
y el la CECA sólo eran 6, ahora son 27.
in the ECSC, there were only 6;
now, 27.
Entonces se han intentado hace reformas
institucionales
It has been tried to make
para tratar de adaptar a las instituciones a la
situación actual que está viviendo la Unión
Europea,
in order to adapt the institutions
pero es difícil porque hay resistencia de los
Estados Miembros
But it’s difficult because there’s opposition
from member states.
porque es difícil encontrar una fórmula que
sea justa, representativa
It’s also difficult to create
y hasta el momento es lo que más o menos
ha estado funcionando.
and it has worked so far.
La que sigue.
Next, please.
¿Cómo se
Parlamento?
organiza
internamente
el
institutional reforms
to the current EU situation.
a fair and representative formula,
How is Parliament
organized internally?
Parlamento tiene un presidente. Actualmente
es Martín Schulz,
There’s a president.
a partir del 17 de enero de 2012, es el PPE.
He’s president of the European Parliament
since January 17th, 2012.
¿Cómo lo eligen?
How is he elected?
Es el mismo Parlamento que lo elige por
mayoría absoluta.
Parliament himself elects him
También se
coestores,
A Vice-President and questers
eligen
vicepresidentes
y
The current one is Martin Schulz.
by absolute majority.
are also elected.
y todos ellos: tanto el presidente como el
vicepresidente y coestores
All of them, both the president,
son electos por un periodo de dos años y
medio.
are elected for
Anteriormente era por 5 años,
Previously, it was a 5 year-period;
pero empezaron a ponerse de acuerdo dentro
del
Parlamento,
los
miembros
del
Parlamento, los partidos grandes
but the members of the Parliament,
para que fuera mitad y mitad: 2 ½ para uno y
2 ½ para otro,
so that it could be half period
Y se intitucionalizó: ya no es por 5 años sino
and it was institutionalized.
Vice-President and questers
a 2 and half-year period.
and important Parties had to agreed
for each one: 2 and half years;
es por 2 años y medio
It isn’t 5 years, but 2 and half years.
Entonces, en una misma legislatura habrá
dos presidentes.
So, there will be 2 presidents
2 ½ para el primer periodo y 2 ½ para el
segundo periodo.
2 and half year for the first period
La que sigue.
Next, please.
¿Cuáles son los poderes que tiene el PE?
What are the powers
in the same legislation:
and the same time for the second one.
of the European Parliament?
Bueno, básicamente éste ya se los había
comentado en la clase pasada:
Well, I taught you this last session.
el Parlamento Europeo comparte el poder con
el consejo,
Parliament works together
el poder legislativo con el consejo en pie de
igualdad.
the Legislature and the Council
Quiere decir que es codecisión:
it's called co-decision:
ambos deciden acerca de la legislación
europea,
they decide on
la aprobación o no de la Legislación Europea.
the issues about approving
legislation of the EU legislation.
También ambos poseen la autoridad en
cuando al presupuesto;
They also have the power
ellos son los que aprueban o no el
presupuesto de la UE.
They approve or don't
Entonces están muy de la mano, muy ligados
el Parlamento y el Consejo.
The Parliament and the Council
Uno es elegido por el pueblo y el otro
representa los Estados Nacionales,
Parliament is elected by the people
y el Parlamento Europeo ha ido adquiriendo,
a medida que pasan los años,
By the course of the years,
unas competencias muy importantes en
cuanto a control.
has acquired important competences
Antes no lo tenía, antes el Parlamento era un
Órgano Consultativo.
which didn’t use to have
Ninguna decisión que tomara era obligatoria
ni era obligatorio pedirle su opinión.
No decision made by them were mandatory.
There was no point asking their opinion.
with the Council,
works equally
the content of European Legislation,
to decide on the budget.
the European Union budget.
are really linked.
and Council represents National States.
the European Parliament
related to control,
because it was a Consultative Organ.
Y si daba su opinión tampoco era obligatoria
seguirla.
and if they give an opinion,
Sin embargo, a raíz de que empezó a adquirir
más poder
However, it was getting
por ser la institución que encarna el Principio
Democrático, empezó a adquirir más poder
that possesses the democratic principle, from
that time it was getting power.
y una de estas competencias…estos
poderes…es el poder de legislar,
One of these powers and competences is
legislating,
el poder del presupuesto porque, claro,
the budget....of course,
ahí hay un Contrapeso: para poder negociar
porque también tiene que aprobar el
presupuesto.
there’s a counterweight to negotiate
Pero también tiene Competencias de control,
They also have control competences.
¿qué quiere decir?
What does it mean?
Que las instituciones tienen que rendir
cuentas ante el Parlamento,
Institutions must account
que si el Parlamento lo solicita
If Parliament wants
there was no point following it.
more power for being an Institution
for they have to approve the budget.
before the Parliament.
institutions to be presented,
tienen que presentarse ante el Parlamento
para rendir informes acerca de lo que se está
realizando en la Unión Europea.
they must do it to account
y eso es muy importante: es parte del
ejercicio, de lo que dijéramos, democrático.
This is very important because
. – ¿Dentro de las instituciones de un país?
–Within country’s institutions?
–Europeos.
– European countries.
–No, ¿dentro de las instituciones de Unión no
de un país.
-I mean EU institutions, not countries.
for what they’re doing in the EU.
it’s part of the democratic exercise.
-No, it only rules European countries.
–No, no…su poder es a nivel europeo.
No puede llegar y decirle al Parlamento de
Dinamarca y decirle: “ven acá a rendirme
cuentas
They can’t arrive in Danish Parliament
o preséntate Dinamarca a rendirme cuentas.
or demand them to be present
to ask for accountability
in Parliament to account.
No, sólo cuando se trate de temas europeos.
Parliament only attends
European issues.
La que sigue.
Next, please.
Lo que les contaba de Control Democrático
que ejerce el Parlamento, por ejemplo,
As I said about the
el presidente de la Comisión y los Comisarios
constantemente
the President of the Commission
tienen que ir ante el Parlamento a rendir
informes de lo que se está llevando a cabo
normally go to Parliament to account for what
they're carrying out;
y además se va a pronunciar sobre los
trabajos que se hacen en la Comisión,
moreover, they pronounce
va a decir, va a dar su opinión con respecto al
trabajo que se está realizando la Comisión
Europea.
and give opinion in regard with
Además, el calendario legislativo lo pacta con
la CE el Parlamento
and they agree the Legislative Calendar along
with the European Commission.
También el presidente del Consejo rinde
informes ante el Parlamento.
The president of the Council
Puede hacer preguntas, interpolaciones,
It may be by questions, interpolations,
es decir, tiene varios mecanismos para pedir
la rendición de cuentas de otras instituciones
europeas,
there’re many ways for others
y una de las más importantes que tiene es la
Moción de censura de la comisión.
One of the most important
El Parlamento puede votar y decir: “hemos
perdido la confianza en la Comisión
Parliament can vote and say:
y vamos a pedir que sea censurada.
and let’s ask it to be censured".
Quiere decir que tienen que demitir los
miembros de la comisión
It means, the members
y se convoca a nuevas elecciones para crear
una nueva comisión europea.
and it's called for a snap election
Cuando veamos la Comisión Europea, cómo
se eligen los miembros,
When we see the European Commission, how
the members are elected,
van a ver el poder que ahora tiene el
Parlamento
you’ll see that Parliament
que antes no tenía,
that didn’t use to have.
que poco a poco ha ido adquiriendo,
It has grown little by little.
que tiene la capacidad de decir: esta persona
no puede ser comisario
It can say: “I don’t want that person
o si hay algún tipo de desconfianza puede
Or if there’s any distrust, it can say:
democratic supervision of Parliament:
and the commissioners
about Commission tasks,
the European Commission tasks,
also accounts before Parliament.
European Institutions to account.
is the motion of censure.
“We don’t trust in the Commission,
of the Parliament have to resign,
to form a new European Commission.
has a great power
to be commissioner".
decir: dimitan todos
“Let all members resign,
o tiene que demitir uno de ellos.
or one of them have to resign".
La que sigue…
Next, please.
¿Cómo se agrupan los diputados?
How are the deputies grouped?
Esto es muy importante.
It is very important.
No es por nacionalidad,
They’re not grouped by nationality.
no es que los 99 diputados alemanes se
sientan y están juntos, están aquí
Don’t think that the 99 German deputies sit
down together
y así se va viendo por países los diferentes
diputados, no.
and they’re group by nationality.
Es por afinidad política.
They’re grouped by political affiliation.
Entonces hay grupos o partidos políticos
dentro del Parlamento Europeo
There’re groups or political parties
y éstos son los que actualmente existen:
These ones exit today:
el Partido Popular que es el de los
demócratas cristianos,
People’s Party, it’s a
dijéramos que es un poco difícil explicarlo
porque nosotros no tenemos…
It’s a little difficult to explain it
porque nosotros no tenemos…
tenemos menos partidos políticos.
because there aren't
bueno
in the European Parliament.
Christian democratic party.
many politic parties in Mexico.
y no es tan claro…en un abanico si vemos de
qué lado están
So, it’s not that clear.
porque aunque digan que el PRD es un
partido de izquierda,
While PRD is said to be a left party,
comparado con los partidos europeos, no es
realmente un partido de izquierda.
it isn't a left party at all
En cuanto a los otros, si es un poco más
marcada la diferencia.
Regarding other parties,
Por ejemplo, el Partido Popular se considera
de Centro derecha.
For instance, the People’s Party
El Partido de Grupo de los Socialistas sería
centro izquierda.
the Party of European socialists,
Ahora, cuando vemos, por ejemplo, el grupo
de los Conservadores y Reformistas
Another example, the group
We can’t see their affiliation clearly.
compared to the European parties.
the difference is a little more notable.
is considered a center-right party;
is center-left
of conservatives and reformists
nos estamos inclinando más la derecha
is much more inclined
towards the right.
y la Confederación de la Izquierda Unitaria o
la Izquierda Verde Honorítica
Then the confederation of greens
es todavía más hacía la izquierda.
is even more inclined towards the left.
Entonces básicamente no hay como aquí que
se dice que el PRI es del centro,
There’re no center parties;
aquí se ve un poco más hacía la derecha o
hacía la izquierda.
Here, we can see the affiliation clearly,
Pero básicamente esos son los partidos que
actualmente existen,
Basically, these are
tienes derecho a no inscribirte a ninguno
You can have
or Nordic Green Left Alliance
for example, the PRI in Mexico.
inclined towards right or left.
the political party in the EU.
no political affiliation.
así que hay 30 diputados que no están
inscritos
There’re 30 non-enrolled members,
y como pueden ver predomina.
as you see, there’re many.
Como ha habido una ola recientemente en las
votaciones europeas
There’s has been plurality
que la derecha ha estado ganando elecciones
y dominado.
and the right has won
Pues se ve bastante claro aquí en el grupo del
PPE que tiene ahora sí una gran mayoría de
número de diputados que son 270.
It is seen really clear here,
La que sigue.
Next, please
Bueno, esto fue a grandes rasgos lo que es el
Parlamento Europeo.
This was roughly
Ahora vamos a ver lo que es el Consejo
Europeo.
Now we’re going to study
¡Aguas con los nombres!
Be careful with the names!
sobre todo éste: CE y Consejo de la Unión
Europea
Especially these ones: European Council and
Council of the EU
porque son dos cosas distintas.
because they are different.
Entonces traten de mantenerlo en mente para
no confundirse.
So, bear it in mind
¿Cómo está compuesto?
How is it composed?
Son los jefes de estado o de gobierno de
It’s composed by the head
in the last European elections,
and domain the Parliament.
the EPP has a great number of seats: 270.
the study of the European Parliament.
the European Council.
in order not to get confused.
todos los países.
or states or government of all countries,
¿Por qué se dice Jefe de estado o de
gobierno?
Why are they called
Porque no
presidente.
Because there isn’t
es
todos
los
lugares
hay
head of states or government?
president everywhere.
A veces, en algunos casos, el que representa
es el primer ministro o el cansiller.
Some countries are represented
Entonces se le dice jefe de estado o de
gobierno.
This is why there are called so.
El presidente del Consejo Europeo que es
elegido por dos años y medio
The President of the European Council,
elected for a 2 and half years period;
y el presidente de la comisión
The Commission President...
que es otra institución que participa en el
Consejo Europeo
...he's another person involved
y también participa en sus trabajos
The EU’s High Representative
el Alto Representante de la Unión para
asuntos exteriores y política de seguridad.
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Quedó que les comentaba que debería ser
una figura más reconocida por todos
The High Representative
porque se supone que es quien representa en
el exterior a la UE.
because he’s supposed
by a Prime Minister or Chancellor.
in the European Council.
also takes part of it.
should be a recognized person
to represent the EU outward.
However, we keep seeing
Sin embargo, seguimos viendo a Zarcosi, a
Merker seguimos viendo a Rajoy…
to Sakorzy, Merkel, Rajoy…
otros primeros ministros y presidentes más
que el Alto Representante.
Others Prime Ministers and Presidents,
instead of the High Representative.
En este caso la Alta Representante es
Catherine Ashton.
Nowadays, the High Representative
La que sigue.
Next, please.
¿Cómo funciona?
How does it work?
Bueno un poquito…les voy a hablar un
poquito del antecedente de esta institución
Let me give you a little background
porque hasta hace poco se institucionalizó,
because it was institutionalized lately.
antes era una reunión periódica de Jefes de
Gobierno,
It used to be
así como lo están viendo en la composición
As you can see here, it was composed
is Catherine Ashton.
about this Institution
a regular heads of States meeting.
como venía: Presidente de la comisión,
by the Commission President,
el Presidente del CE, los jefes de Edo.
the President of the Council,
Heads of State or government;
No existía la figura del Alto Representante
que participara ahí como existe ahora.
There wasn't High Representative
Pero no era una institución,
But it wasn’t an Institution.
¿qué implicaba?
What does it mean?
Pues nada más se juntaban los Jefes de
Estado con…
The heads of State or Government,
el Presidente de la Comisión
Presidente del Consejo
the Commission President,
y con el
to participate as it happens currently.
the President of the Council
a tomar decisiones y a decir acerca del rumbo
que iba a tomar la UE.
used to meet to decide
Pero no existía propiamente como una
institución. ¿Qué implicaciones tiene?,
But it wasn’t an official Institution.
¿por qué la institucionalizaron?,
Why it was institutionalized?
¿por qué creen que fue importante
formalmente crearla como una institución
Why was it so important
y no quedar como era que era una reunión
periódica Intergunernamental?
instead of keeping being
Por el poder de tomar decisión
Because of the power of decision,
porque lo que se llagaba ahí era como un
consejo, una recomendación.
perhaps what they agreed
was a kind of advice or recommendation,
o tal vez algún miembro, jefe de estado no
pudiera con un asunto…
or an issue that a Prime Minister
no se daba el caso,
It didn’t happen.
lo mismo que era antes es ahora, o sea, van
los mismos, o sea,
It’s exactly the same as it was before:
eso no ha cambiado mucho.
it hasn’t changed at all.
Los que estudian derecho,
Law students,
ustedes deberían saber qué pasa si no está
institucionalizado
you should know what happen
y nada más es una reunión ad hoc.
And it’s just ad hoc meeting.
Los tratados, ¿quién te rige?,
What about the treaties?
and make decisions about EU’s issues.
What implications does it have?
to make it as a formal institution
an intergovernmental meeting?
or Head of State couldn’t solve.
they are all the same,
if it’s not an institution,
Who are you ruled by?
¿qué reglas sigues?
What rules do you follow?
Si estás institucionalizado dentro de una
institución hay reglas que debes respetar y
seguir…
When you are within an institution,
you must follow and execute rules.
y hay un seguimiento, rendición de cuentas y
hay toda una serie de derechos, pero
también de obligaciones.
There are follow up, accountability
and a set of rights and duties.
Si no se está Institucionalizado,
If it’s not institutionalized,
nos reunimos los cuates para platicar a
decidir…
it’s just a buddies meeting
claro, eran los jefes de estado y de gobierno,
They are the heads of state
to talk and decide.
and government,
¿quién no le iba a hacer caso?
who would disobey them?
Claro que le iba a hacer caso…o sea no era
cualquier persona,
Nobody, of course.
sino jefes de estado o de gobierno,
but heads of State or Government.
Se institucionalizó a partir del último tratado
It was institutionalized
They aren’t simple people,
after the last treaty,
y ahora se establece.
and now it’s established.
It was the same before:
It was the same before:
se reunían dos veces por semestre por
convocatoria de su presidente,
there are around 4 meetings a year,
si se necesita una extraordinaria se realiza.
it can convene a special meeting
chaired by a permanent president;
if needed.
Por ejemplo, ahorita con el problema de la
crisis económica, del EURO,
For instance, now normally,
se reúnen extraordinariamente más seguido
para resolver eso tipo de asuntos.
to solve the Eurozone crisis
Asimismo, casi siempre se pronuncia a favor
por consenso.
Also, it’s pronounced mostly
Como le decía, en un principio era casi todo
por unanimidad,
As I told you in the beginning,
ahora es por consenso…
now, it is decided by consensus.
there’re special meetings
and issues about it.
in pro by consensus.
most things were decided by unanimity;
y eligen a su presidente por Mayoría
Cualificada
The President is elected
por un periodo de 2 ½ años.
for a period of 2 and half years.
Antes, el que tenía la Presidencia del Consejo
de la Unión,
Before, the president
era también el presidente del CE,
was also the President
by a qualified majority
of the Council of the EU
of the European Council.
o sea, el mismo país.
It means, the same country.
Si ahorita, por ejemplo, que le toca a
Dinamarca la presidencia dentro del CE,
For instance, the president
el Presidente era el Primer Ministro de
Dinamarca.
so the President would be
Ahora no,
Nowadays, it isn’t so.
Ahora no, ahora hay una persona que es
elegida por los miembros
Now a person is elected by
por mayoría cualificada de los miembros de la
CE y son elegidos por un periodo de 2 ½
años.
by qualified majority
¿Por qué creen que se hicieron ese tipo de
cambios?,
Why do you think
¿qué diferencia hay entre tener a alguien
cada 6 meses
What’s the difference between
o alguien cada 2 ½ años?
or having a president
of the EC is currently Danish
the Prime Minister of Denmark.
the members of the European Council
for a 2 and half year period.
these changes were made?
having a president every 6 months
every 2 ½ years?
Que no es mucho tiempo tampoco, pero sí
hace diferencia.
Actually, it’s not much time
Imagínense cambiar las prioridades cada 6
meses,
Imagine changing priorities
tienes 6 meses para trabajar.
But, there’s a big difference.
every 6 months,
you have 6 moths to work.
Para dar un poco más de estabilidad y
seguimiento 2 ½ años por lo menos es un
periodo…
2 ½ years is a good period to give
eventualmente, lo ideal sería que se pudiera
elegir por Sufragio Universal Directo
Eventually, it’d be ideal
a little bit of stability and tracing.
to elect the President of the EU
al presidente de la UE.
by universal direct suffrage.