Localizing Subtitles
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Have you ever wondered why every major television and streaming service has subtitles? Many services even have subtitles in multiple languages. Subtitles are also used in employee training, education, and many other areas. Subtitling is the process of transcribing content, timing it, and placing it over the video in question. To go a step further in subtitling would be subtitle translation, which localizes the subtitles into a different language for a wider variety of audiences to enjoy.
Some of the difficulties of subtitling include:
- The subtitles must match what is happening on screen, therefore they must be timed to the original.
- The text must fit on screen, which can be a concern for languages that expand or contract when translated. This means that the art of transcreation—writing new material for a translation—must often be employed to keep the meaning while still fitting the screen.
- In the same vein, translating creative content means that localization is often needed. For example, jokes are often difficult to translate due to the nature of needing cultural context.
- Subtitles must remain authentic to vocal characteristics of the actor, like accents. Accents must often be localized to maintain the authenticity of the character.
Despite all the difficulties, it’s often worth going through the effort of translating subtitles. It will allow you to reach a wider audience. Only 25% of Internet users speak English. Translating your video content means boosting engagement in the other 75% of users. There are other ways to increase foreign engagement of your video content, such as dubbing, but subtitling is more cost effective and accessible in most cases.
There are also benefits to subtitling in English, like allowing accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing users. You can keep costs low by subtitling in English first, and then using the timed files to subtitle to a different language.
No matter what your specific needs are, TLC can help. Contact us today for a free quote on your translation project.
