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Studies & Degrees in Audiovisual Translation: Subtitles

Audiovisual translation is the translation of films, series, documentaries, advertising, online video and video games. The translator works with image and sound as well as words, and the text has to fit the time and space available on screen.

The main techniques are:

  • Subtitling: written text on screen that follows the dialogue, within strict limits of length and reading time
  • Dubbing: a translated script that actors record, adjusted to the lip movements and timing of the original
  • Voice-over: a translated voice heard over the original, common in documentaries and interviews
  • Accessibility: subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing, and audio description for blind and partially sighted audiences
  • Newer areas: video game translation (localisation) and respeaking, in which live subtitles are produced with speech recognition

Students learn to spot and time subtitles with professional software, to adapt dialogue for dubbing, to translate humour, songs and cultural references, and to work to the style guides of broadcasters and streaming platforms.

Qualifications and levels

Audiovisual translation is a specialisation. There is normally no separate bachelor's degree in it.

  • Bachelor's degree. The usual base is a degree in translation or modern languages. In Spain the bachelor's degree (grado) in Translation and Interpreting has 240 ECTS credits, and many programmes include one or two optional subjects in audiovisual translation.
  • Master's degree. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. One example is the University Master's Degree in Audiovisual Translation of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). According to the university, it was the first academic programme in audiovisual translation and accessibility in Spain. It offers 50 places, can be followed in the classroom or online, and is taught in Spanish (40%), English (30%) and Catalan (30%). Students choose to translate into Catalan or into Spanish. The public price for the 2026-27 academic year is €19.37 per credit for EU citizens and residents and €75 per credit for other students.
  • Short courses. Private training centres teach subtitling, dubbing and accessibility in courses of a few weeks or months, often online. They end with the centre's own certificate, so students should ask what recognition it has.

Whatever the level, a very high command of the target language is essential, because translators normally work into their mother tongue.

Where to study it

Our directory lists two schools for this subject, both in the Madrid region of Spain.

Cálamo & Cran, in Madrid, offers an online course in audiovisual translation that covers subtitling, dubbing and accessibility and also teaches how to deal with the usual clients of the sector. Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UAX) is a private university with its main campus in Villanueva de la Cañada. Applicants should check with the university which translation programmes it offers in the current academic year.

Points to compare between programmes:

  • the language pairs, and the language students translate into
  • the software used in class and whether students keep access to it for practice
  • whether accessibility (subtitling for the deaf, audio description) and video games are included
  • teachers who work in the industry, and placements or real assignments
  • whether the qualification is an official degree or the centre's own certificate

Careers

Most audiovisual translators are freelancers who work for subtitling and dubbing studios, localisation companies, broadcasters, streaming platforms, film festivals and video game publishers. UAB gives freelance translator and agency staff translator as the main career options, with specialisation in dubbing, subtitling, voice-over, video game translation, audio description and subtitling for the deaf.

Accessibility work is supported by law. In Spain, the 2022 General Audiovisual Communication Act requires free-to-air linear television services to subtitle at least 80 per cent of their programmes and to broadcast at least five hours of audio-described programmes a week. For public service broadcasters the minimums are 90 per cent and fifteen hours.

There are no official employment figures for audiovisual translators alone. For interpreters and translators as a whole, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 73,900 jobs in 2025, 28 per cent of them self-employed. It projects growth of 2 per cent from 2025 to 2035, slower than the average for all occupations, with about 6,000 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

Is a translation degree needed to work in subtitling?

There is no legal requirement, but translators typically need at least a bachelor's degree, and studios test candidates before giving them work. A master's degree or a specialised course gives the technical training in timing, software and conventions.

Can audiovisual translation be studied online?

Yes. The UAB master's degree can be followed in the classroom or online, and Cálamo & Cran teaches its audiovisual translation course online.

What is the difference between subtitling and dubbing?

Subtitling adds written text and keeps the original voices. Dubbing replaces the voices with a recorded translation that matches the timing and lip movements of the actors.

What does accessibility mean in this field?

It means making audiovisual content usable by people with hearing or sight loss, mainly through subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing and through audio description.