Before Beginning Any Work IELTS Reading Answers

Aug 28, 2023

Before Beginning Any Work IELTS Reading Answers is a topic of the IELTS academic reading topic which includes 13 questions. The specified IELTS topic generates 3 types of questions: choose the correct option from the given options, true/ false/ not given, and match the correct options. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. Candidates can further enhance their reading skills by going through IELTS reading practice papers available on the website. Candidates can use IELTS reading topics like Before Beginning Any Work IELTS Reading Answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

Check: Get 10 Free IELTS Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for FreeTrial Class Now

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Before Beginning Any Work IELTS Reading Answers

When movies made in one language are shown to speakers of another, the two methods of resolving the language barrier are subtitling and dubbing. Subtitling is the written translation of the words, usually appearing discreetly at the bottom of the screen, while dubbing is the recording of voices in the target language.

Dubbing, although seemingly more accessible to movie watches, comes with many disadvantages. For a start, it is expensive, hence it needs a large audience to justify the cost, yet even big films carry no guarantee of such commercial success. In addition, the dubbed voices may seem detached or inappropriate to the characters, or otherwise, the absurdity of having an undereducated American ranffian saying. 'Je voudrais déclarer un vol' becomes too much, affecting appreciation of the film. Finally, films and TV programs now have an increasingly rapid turnover rate, and subtitling is faster and more practical in such situations.

However, one should not assume subtitling is easier than dubbing. Subtitling requires careful strategies, and here I will outline some of them. In order to do this, a sample movie is needed, and the one examined here is an Italian movie subtitled into English. Comprehension of subtitles will always be affected by lack of familiarity with the values, beliefs, and interactive differences between the host and viewing cultures. The subtitlers need to be aware of this in order to translate the true meaning. Thus, before beginning any work, a brief 'cultural audit' is absolutely necessary, involving a comparison of the two cultures in relation to the storyline of the movie.

The movie is set in the late 1960s, at a time when the wealth and materialism of American society was very high, contrasting the relative poverty of Italian village life. The plot tells the story of a poor couple who dream of winning large sums of money by gambling in a card game against a wealthy elderly American woman, who occasionally visits Italy just for that purpose.

The final thematic assertion that there are more important factors than money reflects the warmth and solidarity of the Italian village in the face of adversity. Although these themes are universal, one could speculate that a Western audience might not like or identify with them as much, given the increasing urbanization and materialism of their own society.

The most immediate translation issue relates to the movie's title, 'Lo Scopone Scientifico', translated as 'Scientific Scopone', whereas the English title is, 'The Scientific Card Player'. 'Scopone' is the name of a traditional Italian card game of great antiquity. Obviously, the translators could not use this name, obscure to the Western viewers, but they inserted a blender and inappropriate term. An even clearer subtitling lapse is that the betting is always done using, apparently, ludicrously high figures. Subtitles such as, '

Let's start with a million' regularly jump out. This is a literal translation of the figures (in Italian lira), yet it is the dollar with which the English-speaking audience would associate. The result is an apparent lack of plausibility, changing the comedic nature of the film.

With respect to the specific subtitling used, there are five. Let us begin with the subtitle, 'The old bag's here. This is idiomatic in English, being an insulting term for an elderly woman. However, it is a simple expression comprising only two words, one of which is literally intended ('old'). I would speculate that the same idiom occurs in Italian (that is, the direct translation of 'old' and 'bag' in Italian carries the same idiomatic meaning).

This is the strategy of Transfer, where the full expression without time or space consideration is given. Otherwise, there could well be a closely aligned idiom, in which case the strategy would be Imitation, where there are similar lexical elements between both languages.

Continuing with idioms, we read, 'Catches win matches'. This derives from certain ball games, such as cricket, where catching the ball after it is struck by the batsman contributes towards winning the game. There are no such sporting cultures in Italy. Thus, one can be certain that other words were used in the original Italian, but that these have a similar pragmatic effect (in meaning and idiomatic nature). The strategy used is Paraphrasing, where different expressions specific to the source language (Italian) and target language (English) are required.

Later on, we read, 'A sign of destiny'. When this subtitle appears, there are actually two to three people speaking with equal force at the same time. Space and time constraints render it impossible to have them all translated, so only the quoted subtitle appears, using the strategy known as Condensation. Finally, we read scopa - an Italian word referring to a variation of the central card game.

Being unique to Italy, there is no equivalent word in English, so the strategy used here is Resignation, where the subtitler leaves the word in the original language. The meaning remains obvious from the context, and only in such minimal and unlikely situations does this strategy become acceptable.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 14 - 17
Choose the correct letter.

Question 14: Dubbing can

appeal to larger audiences
seems silly
increase appreciation of the film
be faster

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...In addition, the dubbed voices may seem detached or inappropriate to the characters,…”
Keywords: dubbed, voice, detached, inappropriate, characters
Keyword Location: para 2, line 3
Explanation: According to the writer, the dubbed voices may seem detached or inappropriate to the characters.

Question 15: Cultural audits

look at one culture
Bare long and involved
help comprehension
are not normally required

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...a brief 'cultural audit' is absolutely necessary, involving a comparison of the two cultures in relation to the storyline of the movie…”
Keywords: brief, cultural audit, necessary, involving, comparison, cultures, relation, storyline, movie
Keyword Location: para 3, line 5
Explanation: According to the writer, cultural audit is absolutely necessary, involving a comparison of the two cultures in relation to the storyline of the movie.

Question 16: The movie which was examined

has common human themes
has a surprising ending
is set in an Italian city
involves two main actors

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...a brief 'cultural audit' is absolutely necessary, involving a comparison of the two cultures in relation to the storyline of the movie…”
Keywords: cultures, relation, storyline, movie
Keyword Location: para 3, line 5
Explanation: According to the writer, cultural audit is absolutely necessary, involving a comparison of the two cultures in relation to the storyline of the movie.

Question 17: Scopone

A is a relatively new game.
B is known to the Western audience.
C is a bland term.
D has a variation called scopa

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “...The most immediate translation issue relates to the movie's title, 'Lo Scopone Scientifico', translated as 'Scientific Scopone'…”
Keywords: immediate, translation, issue, Lo Scopone Scientifico, translated, Scientific Scopone
Keyword Location: para 5, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the most immediate translation issue relates to the movie's title, 'Lo Scopone Scientifico', translated as 'Scientific Scopone', whereas the English title is, 'The Scientific Card Player'.

Questions 18 - 22
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.

TRUE - if the statement is true
FALSE - if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN - if the information is not given in the passage

Question 18: The English title is a subtitling lapse.

Answer: true
Supporting statement: “...An even clearer subtitling lapse is that the betting is always done using, apparently, ludicrously high figures. …”
Keywords: clearer, subtitling, lapse, betting, ludicrously, high, figures
Keyword Location: para 5, line 4
Explanation: According to the writer, the most immediate translation issue relates to the movie's title, 'Lo Scopone Scientifico', translated as 'Scientific Scopone', whereas the English title is, 'The Scientific Card Player'. Obviously, the translators could not use this name, obscure to the Western viewers, but they inserted a blender and inappropriate term. An even clearer subtitling lapse is that the betting is always done using, apparently, ludicrously high figures.

Question 19: Transfer and imitation are interesting strategies.

Answer: not given
Explanation: No relevant information has been provided in the passage in order to support the said statement. Therefore, we can clearly conclude the statement as an invalid one.

Question 20: Paraphrasing is often used.

Question 21: Resignation can be used in many situations.

Answer: false
Supporting statement: “...Being unique to Italy, there is no equivalent word in English, so the strategy used here is Resignation, where the subtitler leaves the word in the original language…”
Keywords: unique, Italy, equivalent, English, strategy, resignation, subtitler, original, language
Keyword Location: para 11, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, being unique to Italy, there is no equivalent word in English, so the strategy used here is Resignation, where the subtitler leaves the word in the original language. The meaning remains obvious from the context, and only in such minimal and unlikely situations does this strategy become acceptable.

Question 22: Almost all Italians love scopa.

Questions 23 - 26
Match the translation example with its associated fact.
Write the correct letter, A-D, next to the questions.

a practical decision
clarified by the situation
using other words, but with the same meaning
probably exists in the source language

Question 23: The old bag’

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “...Let us begin with the subtitle, 'The old bag's here. This is idiomatic in English, being an insulting term for an elderly woman. …”
Keywords: subtitle, 'The old bag's, idiomatic, english, insulting, elderly, woman
Keyword Location: para 7, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, 'The old bag's is idiomatic in English, being an insulting term for an elderly woman.

Question 24: 'Catches win matches'

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...Continuing with idioms, we read, 'Catches win matches'. This derives from certain ball games, such as cricket…”
Keywords: continuing, idioms, 'Catches win matches', derives, certain, ball, games, cricket
Keyword Location: para 9, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the idiom, 'Catches win matches' is derived from certain ball games, such as cricket, where catching the ball after it is struck by the batsman contributes towards winning the game. There are no such sporting cultures in Italy.

Question 25: 'A sign of destiny'

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...Later on, we read, 'A sign of destiny'. When this subtitle appears, there are actually two to three people speaking with equal force at the same time…”
Keywords: A sign of destiny, subtitle, two, three, speaking, equal, force, same time
Keyword Location: para 10, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the idiom, 'A sign of destiny means there are actually two to three people speaking with equal force at the same time. Space and time constraints render it impossible to have them all translated, so only the quoted subtitle appears, using the strategy known as Condensation.

Question 26: 'Scopa'

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...Finally, we read scopa - an Italian word referring to a variation of the central card game…”
Keywords: Finally, scopa, italian, referring, variation, central, card, game
Keyword Location: para 10, line 4
Explanation: According to the writer, ‘scopa’ is an Italian word referring to a variation of the central card game.