Subtitling for films: 5 films about translators and interpreters

Subtitling is the transcription of translated material into another language — a practice that’s essential for expanding the reach of audiovisual content and making it accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Here are five films that put translators and interpreters center stage.

1. The Interpreter. A thriller starring Nicole Kidman as Silvia Broome, a UN interpreter. Her knowledge of a rare dialect puts her somewhere between witness and suspect in a political conspiracy investigated by an agent played by Sean Penn.
2. Silence. Martin Scorsese’s historical drama, starring Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield, follows Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan who depend on an interpreter to communicate with the local population amid religious persecution.
3. The Interpreter *(O Tradutor)*. A Cuban film starring Rodrigo Santoro, based on a true story, about a teacher called on to interpret for children who survived the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and were sent to Cuba.
4. Quo Vadis, Aida? A Bosnian war drama. Aida, an English teacher, works as an interpreter for the United Nations during the Bosnian War, fighting to save her family amid an internationally recognized genocide.
5. Arrival. A science-fiction film starring Amy Adams as a translator and professor recruited by the military to decode an alien language.

Subtitling professionals. At Fale Alfa, we’ve offered translation services with qualified professionals for more than 27 years, across a wide range of languages and formats.