Dr. Laurena Bernabo

Assistant Professor, Entertainment & Media Studies

About: Dr. Bernabo teaches undergrad courses in global and domestic media industries and representations. Her primary research focus is global television flows, with an emphasis on translation.

View Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Communication Studies, University of Iowa
M.A., Communication Studies, University of Iowa

B.A., Gender & Women’s Studies and Economics, University of Illinois

Research Interests and Activities

Dr. Bernabo researches the Spanish-language translation of popular U.S. television programs for Hispanic audiences, as well as other international programs like “Squid Game.” Her approach to this research considers translation as both a process — a professional activity governed by industrial norms and constraints — and the text produced by that process. She has spent time at dubbing studios in Mexico City and Miami, FL in order to observe the translation process and interview Spanish-language script writers, directors, and dubbing actors. Her focus on translation as texts emphasizes the construction of gender, race, sexuality, and other forms of identity. When she is not traveling for research, Dr. Bernabo’s secondary area of scholarship considers the construction of these identities in U.S. programs.

Dr. Bernabo has presented her work at national and international conferences including Console-ing Passions, OSCLG, IAMCR, and ICA. Her research is published in peer-reviewed journals such as Critical Studies in Media Communication and Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.

When Fixing One Failure Begets Another: New Concerns with AI in Dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Laurena Bernabo will be giving a presentation titled “When Fixing One Failure Begets Another: New Concerns with AI in Dubbing” at the annual conference of the Organization for the Study of Communication, […]

UGA Arts Lab Faculty Fellowship Laurena Bernabo

Laurena Bernabo was a recipient of a UGA Arts Lab Faculty Fellowship which supports faculty in the creative arts as part of the newly established Arts Lab Cluster with support […]

2023-24 Sarah H. Moss Fellowship Laurena Bernabo

Laurena Bernabo, recipient of a 2023-24 Sarah H. Moss Fellowship that will fund her attendance at MIPCOM in Cannes, France, in October to continue her research into international dubbing practices […]

Annual Conference of the International Communication Association Charlotte Norsworthy Varnum, Yan Jin, Juan Meng, Michael Cacciatore, Hye Jin Yoon, Youngji Seo & Laurena Bernabo

Grady faculty and graduate student presentations and involvement at the Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) in Toronto, Canada, included: Charlotte Varnum did a pre-conference presentation on, […]

So You Think You Can Parent: Dual-Screen Responses to Single Fathers Tropes in Single Parents Laurena Bernabo

Bernabo, Laurena, and Jennifer Turchi. “So You Think You Can Parent: Dual-Screen Responses to Single Fathers Tropes in Single Parents.” Men & Masculinities. Abstract: As the U.S. single-father population expands, we explore how […]

Copaganda and Post-Floyd TVPD: Broadcast Television’s Response to Policing in 2020 Laurena Bernabo

Laurena Bernabo, “Copaganda and Post-Floyd TVPD: Broadcast Television’s Response to Policing in 2020.” Journal of Communication 72 (4):488-496. Abstract: After George Floyd was murdered in 2020, U.S. police procedurals faced increased scrutiny […]

“(De/Re)Constructing LGBT Characters in Latin America: The Implications of Mexican Dubbing for Translating Marginalized Identities.” Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: This article responds to calls for more detailed analyses of localization around the world (E. Castelló, 2009; E. Levine, 2009; S. Waisbord & S. Jalfin, 2009) by examining a Mexican dubbing […]

Media Imports and the One-Inch Barrier: Translation Debates in the Pose-Parasite Era Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: This chapter aims to explore popular discourses surrounding Parasite and other media imports in the U.S. vis-à-vis translation practices like dubbing and subtitling. I use Parasite as an entry point to critically examine […]

(De/Re)Constructing LGBT Characters in Latin America: The Implications of Mexican Dubbing for Translating Marginalized Identities Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: This article responds to calls for more detailed analyses of localization around the world (Castelló, 2009; Levine, 2009) by examining a Mexican dubbing company and its translation of LGBT […]

Whitewashing Diverse Voices: (De)Constructing Race and Ethnicity in Spanish-Language Television Dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Abstract: When television programs are translated for global audiences, languages are changed, but so too are constructions of diverse identities. Characters who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) […]

Whitewashing Diverse Voices: (De)Constructing Race and Ethnicity in Spanish-Language Television Dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Whitewashing diverse voices: (De)constructing race and ethnicity in Spanish-language television dubbing Laurena Bernabo

Teaching Specialties

Dr. Bernabo’s teaching specialties include global media flows, productions and industries; U.S. media industries; and mediated representations of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and other forms of identity.

Awards and Fellowships

Anita Taylor Outstanding Published Article Award, 2020
Cheris Kramerae Outstanding Dissertation Award, 2018
Ballad & Seashore Fellowship, University of Iowa, 2017
ICA’s Top Paper Award for Media Industry Studies Division, 2016

Email:

Laurena.Bernabo@uga.edu

Office:

Journalism Bldg, Room 122

In the News

TV as a lens into race and gender issues, with Dr. Laurena Bernabo

Diverse identities are often lost in translation when movies and television are dubbed for other languages

Bernabo recognized with Outstanding Published Article Award at 2020 OSCLG conference