The seminar focuses on a range of theoretical aspects of translation. The instruction begins with an overview of the discipline's history, followed by discussions of equivalence, functional theories of translation, discourse and register analysis approaches as well as the notions of untranslatability and invisibility in translation. Special attention is given to issues related to audiovisual translation in general and audio description (making audiovisual media accessible to the blind and the visually impaired) in particular. During the course numerous empirical studies and theoretical models are discussed and the students are strongly encouraged to conduct their own small-scale research projects.