Viaggio nel media interpreting: dall’allunaggio alla pandemia

Journeys and interpreting practices have always been inextricably linked: Dona Marina, Hernan Cortes’ interpreter during the conquest of Mexico, is one eloquent example. More specifically, the present paper offers an historical journey in media interpreting. The history of televised interpreting started in 1969 with the Apollo 11 moon landing. Since then, Italian television has broadcast several virtual journeys giving televiewers the possibility to live these great media events also thanks to the interpreters’ performances. The Covid-19 pandemic deeply impacted on interpreting services, radically changing even the communicative dynamics of media interpreting. The 2020 edition of the Giffoni Film Festival is a case in point. Distance interpreting and live streaming are the keywords of the digital turn boosted by the pandemic. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities posed by this turn: the festival management had to organise and broadcast these unexpected digital events; interpreters had to get familiar with distance interpreting, taking on the role of coordinators of the interaction; and Hollywood stars opened the doors to their homes to virtually welcome live streaming users.