7．3．1 A Brief Introduction简要介绍
In this fast technologically developing world，multimedia，used for advertising，entertainment，public information，training and education，plays a vital role in bringing the world closer．The applications of multimedia are constantly growing．They are becoming more domestic and millions of people are going to be affected in the way they communicate with one another．Almost everybody by now has heard the word“multimedia” ．Everybody reads about it，talks about it and wants it．Unfortunately most people hardly define the term multimedia exactly．Actually，multimedia has a very simple definition．It involves any combination of two or more of the following elements: text，image，voice，speech，video，and computer programs．For instance，the combination of voice and speech are used on the radio，newspapers use a combination of text and images，and film and television combine all these elements and use it to relay a message to the viewer．These mediums are digitally controlled by a computer(s)．In order to get an idea across，one can use multimedia to convey his or her message．Multimedia enhances the information for better communication and understanding．
Multimedia translation is one of the most important changes that have taken place in recent years in the realms of communication and entertainment due to new technology and globalization．Translation no longer restricts itself to purely linguistic elements because this would not reflect the true nature of many transfer processes．Multimedia translation has a broad coverage．Multimedia translation services are applied in subtitling，dubbing，DVD，CBT(Computer-Based Test)and e-learning，games，flash movies，interactive voice recognition，voice-overs，etc．Dubbing，subtitling，and film translation are mainly discussed in this section．