HBKU partnership takes The Idol to new audience

Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII), part of the university’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), has collaborated with the Doha Film Institute (DFI) to screen the inspiring Arab film, The Idol by Hany Abu Assad.
It was screened to an audience that included members of Qatar’s hearing and visually impaired communities  as part of the fourth Ajyal Youth Film Festival.
Students in CHSS’s Master of Arts in Audiovisual Translation programme developed the additional content used in audio descriptions and subtitles for a special ‘trans-adapted’ version of the film.
The special screening was presented in Arabic with Arabic audio descriptions, pre-recorded Arabic sign-language interpretation, and enriched subtitles in Arabic and English.
Visually impaired audiences were able to fully experience the film through sound alone, thanks to the inclusion of audio descriptions of the film’s visual elements.
Attendees who were hard-of-hearing, or who had difficulty processing speech, were able to enjoy the film through subtitles enriched with detailed information about sound effects and music.
Dr Amal Mohamed al-Malki, dean of CHSS, noted that inclusivity is a cornerstone of translation and interpretation services.
“The idea that something should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to understand the language of origin or whether they have a visual or hearing impairment, is a frequently cited reason for why people get into the field of audiovisual translation.
“Our Masters of Arts in Audiovisual Translation students have done a tremendous job ensuring The Idol can be enjoyed by all members of the community in Qatar, and we are very grateful to DFI for giving us the opportunity to collaborate with them for this special Ajyal Youth Film Festival screening.”
Fatma al-Remaihi, chief executive officer, DFI, has thanked, “Dr  Amal al-Malki, and the wonderful team of students and faculty at TII for their whole-hearted efforts in delivering an uplifting experience of The Idol, a real-life story of hope and positivity that we are proud to have supported.”