Foreign Subtitling: Getting it Right

Thanks to the growth of the internet, the world seems to have become smaller. Whilst twenty years ago, a company with international clients and offices would be something to be hold, nowadays working with foreign clients, companies and content is just part of the day-to-day.

More and more, companies are looking to translate video and online content in order to reach out to a global audience. Whilst there are some obvious factors to consider in producing high quality textual translations, when it comes to subtitling, it’s a whole new board game. So if you’re looking at subtitle translation services for your content, check out our comprehensive list of things you should consider to make sure you get it right!

Accuracy

Over recent years, there have definitely been developments in linguistic technology and translation software. But however far AI has come, when it comes to translation services, still nothing beats professional trained, experienced linguists. Whilst Google Translate or other translation programmes can provide a word by word translation of texts, there are many nuances within spoken and written languages.

Without being able to truly understand what a writer or speaker is intending to say, it’s impossible to be able to create a truly comprehensive, well written translation. Translators with linguistic knowledge not only replicate text in their own language, but they will work to filter out, amend or discard grammatical errors present in the source text. Translation software is unable to do this, and therefore, in many cases, errors rather than being fixed, are actually amplified.

Sync and Timings

When translating videos from one language to another, sentences can either expand or contract. Sometimes the change is subtle, but sometimes the impact on readability of subtitles can be huge. Whilst it’s important to include as much as possible in subtitle translations, expanding text too much can mean readers don’t have time to digest and comprehend the subtitles.

This is where timings comes in. Using software and strict quality control procedures, foreign subtitlers will revise translations to ensure both a perfect sync with the source language and adequate time to read the new captions.

SDH or standard foreign subtitles?

Much like English subtitles, when commissioning foreign subtitling and translations, it’s important to understand whether SDH (subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing) is required. Unlike subtitles, closed captions contain speaker identifications, sound descriptions and very specific formatting and guidelines to ensure accessibility for all viewers.

So there you have it, a quick guide to foreign subtitling, the do’s and don’ts and where you can get it right and make a difference. If you’d like more information on our subtitling services, closed captioning services or video transcription services check out our main services page.