Reception studies in live and pre-recorded subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

This chapter aims to provide an overview of reception research in the field of subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH). Given that the development of reception research in this area is closely linked to the development of SDH as a professional practice and academic field of study, a historical approach has been adopted here. It starts from the origins of pre-recorded and live SDH in the US and Europe and continues with the first and often overlooked classroom-based experiments and large-scale user surveys that substantiated the introduction of TV subtitles in the 1970s and 1980s. The focus is then turned to the more specific parameters studied in the 1990s, followed by the first eye-tracking studies and the development of SDH as a field of study in Europe in the 2000s and, finally, the internationalisation and specialisation of the recent experimental (re)turn experienced by reception studies in SDH. The chapter concludes with a section on the scarce reception research conducted to date in the area of live SDH and with some final thoughts on the features, challenges and requirements of experimental research in this area.