Sur-Titling Project Receives a Mini-Grant from the Italian Government

The MAECI – the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation – has granted 2,000 euros to the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies and the Italian Program at Montclair State University for the further expansion of its sur-titling project (2015 and 2016), conducted by students and faculty on our campus in collaboration with the Italian sur-titling agency Prescott Studio and ICAMus (The International Center for American Music).

After two years of synergetic work with Prescott, including the creation of sur-titles for the Piccolo Teatro (Milan), the Opera di Roma, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Terme di Caracalla (Rome), and a summer internship in Florence, students of Italian at MSU now have further opportunities to learn about the art of sur-titling for live theater and to strengthen their translation skills thanks to this translation incentives program.

The grant has been used to finance specific productions included in the 2016-17 calendar of the prestigious Opera di Firenze and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, which were presented to an international audience with both English and Italian sur-titles. The project included the following operas:

Opera di Firenze:
– Semiramide by Gioachino Rossini, debuting on Sept. 27, 2016
– Rosmonda d’Inghilterra (Rosamund of England) by Gaetano Donizetti, debuting on Oct. 9, 2016

Opera di Roma:
– Maria Stuarda (Mary Stuart) by Gaetano Donizetti, debuting on March 22, 2017
– Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano, debuting on April 21, 2017

For documentation of the completion of the project, click here.

“This is a meaningful recognition for two reasons” – said Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair), one of the two co-PI’s. “On the one hand, it marks a first time in the funding of surtitles within the translation grant program run by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. They had previously funded subtitles for cinema but not surtitles. This is an expression of trust for the important work of internationalization of Italian culture provided by surtitles. On the other hand, the mini-grant is also a recognition of the two-year-long project carried out in the field of audiovisual translation by the Italian Program with the support of the Inserra Chair.”

Co-PI Dr. Marisa Trubiano concluded:  “We are thrilled that the Italian government has recognized the work being done at Montclair State University in the field of Italian and audiovisual translation. This is a growing and dynamic field for our majors, and they are getting the unique pre-professional experiences needed to excel in it.”

The Translating Voices Across Continents project was also included in a recent video presented by Prescott Studio in Florence. It features interviews with Dr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair) and Dr. Marisa Trubiano (Associate Prof. of Italian) among those of major artists and experts in the field ranging from acclaimed Orchestra Director Zubin Mehta and Prescott director Mauro Conti.

For a comprehensive recap of the partnership between the Inserra Chair, the Italian Program and Prescott Studio, click here.