©Rundle, Christopher (2008) “The Subtitle Project. A vocational education initiative” in The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 2(1): 93-114. This manuscript copy may not be copied or distributed in any shape or form without written permission from the author. The final and definitive version is available online at: https://www.stjerome.co.uk/tsa/abstract/440/ The Subtitle Project. A vocational education initiative. Chris Rundle Università di Bologna, Italy Abstract: In this article I account for the pedagogical relevance of a research project into professional subtitling practices in Italy which I coordinate at the University of Bologna. The key feature of this initiative relates to its collaborative dynamics: research is carried out by students writing their final dissertations, working together as a team and pooling their resources and findings. This paper contends that taking part in this collective enquiry-based experience is as important for the students as the actual results of their investigation and discusses in detail the pedagogical benefits of this approach. The article begins by describing the inception stages of the project, conceived as an attempt to capitalize on the traditionally high weighting of the final dissertation within Italian degree programmes  and hence on the important amount of effort that students are likely to put into it. After describing the pedagogical and research tools used in this project, the paper goes on to present the results achieved in the first 2-3 years of the project’s life; illustrate how the student’s work has influenced my own teaching practices as a subtitler trainer; and evaluate the implications of this experience for translator training in general. Keywords: project-based learning, empowerment, practitioner research, vocational education, subtitling, translator training This article reports on the Subtitle Project, a training initiative which sets out to fulfil two broad objectives. In the first instance it seeks to enlist students to carry out field research on the subtitling industry in Italy, documenting its current status and the professional practices it favours. The results of this ‘fact-finding’ exercise are envisaged to serve as a springboard for the design and delivery of well-informed subtitler training  i.e. tuition that is specifically tailored and attuned to the needs of the market in which these students are most likely to operate. In the second instance, the project aims to provide students with a unique opportunity to work as part of a research team. Ultimately, it is expected that their participation in this collaborative learning experience will contribute to their academic growth, equip them with valuable professional expertise and provide impetus for the development of their own professional character and profile. The first part of the article examines the range of institutional constraints and contextual opportunities whose combination has shaped and driven the Subtitle Project. Two factors are singled out for particular attention in this overview. On the one hand, there is the circumstantial availability of a group of students keen to write their final dissertation on subtitling in order to gain a deeper insight into the demands of the profession. On the other hand, there is the relative youth of the Italian subtitling industry, which has enjoyed a period of growth but has yet to consolidate a set of best subtitling practices and secure a reliable supply of well-trained professionals. Following a comprehensive account of the didactic and research tools that this training initiative draws on, the article focuses on the first 2-3 years of the project’s life. Specifically, it