Numerous individuals within the United States who indulge in foreign cinema find solace in the presence of subtitled text on the screen, as it facilitates their comprehension of the film's content. However, it's worth noting that numerous films and various forms of programming also incorporate dubbing. Dubbing involves the recording of dialogue in a different language, which is then either superimposed or used in lieu of the original actor's speech. This approach grants viewers the ability to grasp the film's narrative without the necessity of reading subtitles. This method is preferred over subtitles in numerous countries and by a considerable number of viewers. Our clients often opt to dub their original English programming into various other languages, thereby expanding their audience globally.
I frequently encounter inquiries regarding the individuals responsible for orchestrating the entire voice dubbing process, and a multitude of questions arise pertaining to the role of the director. The team engaged in voice-over dubbing typically comprises a director, talented voice actors, an engineer, a producer, and often, the client themselves. Prior to the recording session, the native director undertakes a comprehensive review of the material. This involves identifying sections within the script that might pose challenges and bringing attention to these aspects before the recording commences. The producer is thoroughly briefed on the project's nuances and expectations, subsequently assuming the role of session facilitator alongside the director.
The talented voice actors are the individuals tasked with delivering the voice-over performances. The director wields authority over the script, ensuring that the guidelines are lucid for the voice actors and the engineer. Additionally, the director serves as an intermediary in translating interactions between the producer, client, and the voice actors, particularly if the voice actors are not proficient in English. The director is entrusted with guaranteeing that the voice actors deliver lines with precision, encompassing proper intonation, pronunciation, articulation of specific words, and accurate rendering of proper nouns, all while preserving the essence of the original language's style. The director might propose alterations to the script, rectify any mistakes made by the voice actors, and offer suggestions for re-reads should the producer or client seek a distinct interpretation.
Essentially, the director's role is pivotal in upholding the caliber of the voice-over, as their familiarity with the original language is crucial. This collaborative ensemble functions as a cohesive unit to generate top-tier dubbing, whether it's for full-length features, corporate training videos, promotional content, educational series, and more.
Looking for voice dubbing services, captioning, or file delivery services? Click here to send us a note as to how AberLingo, Aberdeen Broadcast Services' Languages department, might be able to help you.
Since the implementation of FCC mandate for internet closed captioning, producers, TV stations, and video websites alike are looking for the best options. These days, HTML has evolved to be more functional with standardized guidelines for video rendering and captioning guidelines. In the past, there were no standards for playing a video on a web page. To play videos on a website almost always required plugins; such as QuickTime, Silverlight, RealPlayer, Flash Player etc. HTML5 has now improved and standardized accessible video and provides captioning to be displayed together. Companies like Aberdeen have incorporated this advancement in their day-to-day operations and provide the most up-to-date technical services to their clients.
As mentioned above, HTML5 is a major leap for standardizing video across web browsers and devices, and consequently simplifying closed captioning. The idea is that web video should be based on an open, universal standard that works everywhere. HTML5 natively supports video without the need for third party plugins.
There are two groups collaborating on HTML5 closed captioning standards: the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Each group has its own CC standard. WHATWG has developed WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) and W3C has developed TTML (Time text markup language). These two standards are of different origins. WebVTT is basically a modified SRT; and TTML is a modified XML. However, I found that the old fashion .srt and .xml files will work just perfectly fine for subtitling and/or closed captioning.
Believe it or not, the code is very simple to incorporate in all types of videos and cc files. Below is a sample of HTML5 code to show how to incorporate the videos and closed caption file:
<video width="320" height="240">
<source type="video/mp4" src="my_video.mp4" >
<track src="cc_file.srt" label="English captions" kind="captions" srclang="en-us" default >
</video>
Here are the attributes of the track elements:
src: specifies the name and location of the cc or subtitle file
label: specifies the title of the track
kind: specifies the type of time-aligned text. The options are: Captions, Subtitles, Chapters, Descriptions or Metadata
srclang: specifies the language
default: specifies that this track is enabled by default. Note that multiple track elements can be used simultaneously.
The next question that comes to mind would be if HTML5 can handle multiple languages. The short answer is YES, definitely. We just have to modify the code to include the track for different subtitle language files. If you subtitle multiple languages, just contact a company like Aberdeen and they will surely help you get your subtitle project going with files that work seamlessly for HTML5!
About the Author
Arif Kusuma is the Chief Technical Officer at Aberdeen Broadcast Services. He has his Bachelor's degrees in Chemical Engineering and Computer Information Systems, as well as a Masters of Business Administration. He has a passionate drive for technology, both hardware and software, and like many people, loves to be the first to get the latest gadgets.
With a growing awareness of the importance of closed captions and subtitles, there is a need for universal consistency and standards of excellence. Here are a few key guidelines, proposed by Mary Carroll and Jan Ivarsson in their 1992 book, Subtitling, that Aberdeen implements to achieve quality subtitles.
Video Copy and Glossary: Subtitlers should indeed work from a video copy of the production. Providing a glossary of unusual words, names, and specialized terms ensures accuracy and consistency across the subtitles.
Compression of Dialogue: When dialogue must be compressed for subtitling, it's essential that the meaning remains clear and coherent.
Translating On-Screen Text: All critical on-screen text, like signs or notices, should be translated. It's also beneficial to include what might be considered "superfluous" information, such as off-screen voices and names, to assist hearing-impaired viewers.
Subtitling Songs: Songs should be subtitled when they are relevant to the content or contribute to the understanding of the narrative.
Timing of Subtitles: Subtitles should align closely with the rhythm of the dialogue, editing cuts, and sound bridges in the film. They should appear and disappear in sync with the audio to preserve the natural flow of conversation.
Emphasizing Key Elements in Subtitles: Subtitles should effectively convey elements of surprise or suspense without undermining them. This involves careful placement and timing relative to the visual and auditory cues in the content.
Reading Rhythm: The duration of subtitles should accommodate the average viewer's reading speed—generally not appearing for less than one second or more than seven seconds, except in the case of songs.
Synchronization: There should be a close correlation between what is spoken in the film and what is subtitled, with efforts made to synchronize the source and target languages as closely as possible.
Legibility of Subtitles: Subtitles must be easy to read, with clear lettering and a suitable font. Techniques like adding a drop shadow or background box can enhance readability.
Consistency in Positioning: The placement of subtitles should be consistent throughout the production, aiding in viewer comprehension and minimizing distraction.
Character Limit: The number of characters per line should be compatible with the subtitling system and should be legible on any screen size.
Do you ever wonder how international businesses keep their branches in different countries on the same page with the same goals, visions, and company outlook? Well, there are many ways this is done, but one simple way is the use of corporate training videos ... subtitled in multiple languages. This is a manageable and cost-effective way for companies across the globe to communicate selling techniques, company updates, new product releases, safety training, and company outlook and vision just to name a few.
Most multi-national corporations either have their own production department or outsource to post-production houses specializing in the creation of corporate training videos. Usually, each post-production house specializes in a sector, for example, retail or construction.
Commonly, these post-productions companies will outsource to a subtitling company to create the translated subtitles for their corporate training videos. Subtitling companies specialize in subtitling multiple languages, even exotic and not-so-common languages, which is often too much of a hassle for the post-production house to handle.
The complicated part about translating corporate training videos is, for one, the industry-specific jargon. The translator will usually be provided with a company-specific lexicon for the given language. For example, a product might have the name, "Super-duper AirTight Duffel" but in Japanese, there is no product name. The multinational corporation will need to decide whether they want to keep product names in English or if they want the translator to create equivalent names in their respective language. It is common for large multinational corporations to have teams of translators in multiple countries who, among other things, dedicate themselves to these types of issues. In this case, the subtitling company will use the clients' translations to do the subtitling.
Creating DVD or Blu-ray Disc subtitles is not as simple as putting a translation into software and spitting out files. It takes adaptation for subtitles, timing, and placement of the subtitles, as well as special subtitling software capable of exporting files for DVD or Blu-ray Disc, like specially formatted .stl files, .son files, .xml files, .txt files, .srt files to name a few. These file types are often accompanied by .tif images. These files are later ingested into the client's or post-production house's DVD or Blu-ray Disc authoring system and added to the DVD or Blu-ray Disc menu.
One thing I have learned from subtitling thousands of corporate training videos is that when we are handling the translation, to always, without fail, get the translation and the subtitles proofed by the client. What we tell the company's international branches via translated subtitles is very crucial to the company's bottom line abroad, and making a mistake with one sentence or even one word could compromise the progress of the overall training. Successful translation and subtitling of corporate training videos come down to having all the available lexicons from the client, a translator who specializes in the sector (retail, construction, hospitality, et cetera), a proofer who also specializes in the given sector, and a final client proof of the subtitles.
All in all, international companies have found the importance of creating videos for training employees abroad, and with these videos, the easiest and most cost-effective way to adapt the video for multiple countries at one time is by the addition of multi-language subtitles.
It's an Art.
A first-rate translation requires the know-how that cannot be rated by a translation program or a computer-assisted translation tool. Accuracy is not the only point of measurement. It's about immersing in another culture and offering words that wholly speak to the viewer.
What's fascinating about audio-visual translation is the creative authority the translator has. You must adapt the original dialogue to another culture through language. The translation turns into a new creation. This being said, the translator usually adheres to the original narration, but sometimes the translator will actually create their own dialogue to convey the same message in a better way. This new creation communicates more effectively than if the text were translated literally. If drastic changes are to be made, the translator will usually ensure to get authorization. For audio-visual translators, they usually find enjoyment in conjuring up the best way to adapt a song, a pun, or a joke into another culture, and another language.
Many subtitle viewers often complain that portions are missing in subtitles. The truth is, everything cannot be translated as subtitles are limited to around 40 characters per line. It doesn't matter how much is written in the subtitles if the viewer doesn't have time to read them. The subtitler's job is to shorten what is being said. This creates some tough decisions. They must decide which parts of the dialogue are important and which parts can be left out. If everything seems important, the extremely creative and challenging part is determining how to fit three ideas into one sentence.
I talk to people often about what kind of work I do. The general public has no idea what translation subtitles are all about. Typically, they say something like, "Isn't that for free" or "I thought that just happened by the TV or a computer." The people behind them (if they are good subtitlers like Aberdeen Captioning's team), are highly educated and markedly cultured individuals. They are usually people who have parents from two different countries or who have grown up in two or more countries. In addition to being multi-cultural, they are linguistic superstars. They have not only been brought up in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual environment, but they are extremely gifted and highly trained in writing. Take if from me, a person who bilingual in Spanish and English, but is not a translator: It takes much more than knowing a language to create a subtitled masterpiece.
