Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the semiotic complexity of audiovisual productions of conversion testimony videos that are available on the internet: the type of audiovisual translation, the extent to which nonverbal signs accompanying translated speech convey the sacred and the response from viewer comments.

Paper long abstract:

The contents of South Asian audiovisual religious materials now available globally extend much beyond that of written or spoken languages. They increasingly include sounds effects, images, colour and perspective along with language to produce sacred effect on consumers. This paper seeks to explore the role of translation in such multimodal forms of communication and the effect of multimodal texts in new forms of global media on consumers of the sacred. I will examine the plethora of short recordings of conversion 'testimonies' given by South Asian converts to Christianity uploaded either on church websites or on Youtube. Audiovisual translation of these testimonies, given to attract viewers to Christianity, entails either subtitling or consecutive interpretation of the conversion testimony often undertaken by non-professional interpreters. I investigate the semiotic complexity of audiovisual production of such conversion testimonies that are available on the internet: the type of audiovisual translation undertaken, the extent to which nonverbal signs accompanying translated speech convey the sacred and the available response from viewer comments. I focus on two videos in particular that involve the conversion of Hindu sadhus to Christianity. I argue that this category of converts deploy a combination of dislocated verbal and nonverbal signs to indicate the transference of religious affiliation and that it is important to take into account this interaction between text, image and sound to fully analyse how these audiovisual texts function in the global conversion context.