Still, the subtitles can not stand out for some unnecessary reason. Therefore, it is necessary that the text is legible enough so that someone can follow the video even without sound. Subtitles are only part of the magic – they should not be the whole show. To whom is the video talking? How can you make an impact on these people? Does the targeted public use any type of slang? How do they communicate on a daily basis?Īnswering these questions will make the life of a Subtitle Translator much easier.
Luckily, nowadays there are a number of software that can help a translator to find out the perfect speed for subtitles. That means that they can not be too fast or too slow – appearing at the right speed on the screen. In order for people to understand rightfully the subtitles of a video, they should appear on the screen at the right time. Of course, this depends on the media in which the video will be presented, but a good rule to follow to maintain the high quality of your subtitles is to keep them short. The length of the subtitle translationĪs a general rule, video subtitles should be short.
The professional should also be aware of the variants of each language – so he or she can engage properly with the audience and can adapt the content to other groups. For example, how they write dates or time. When localizing content, the translator should be aware of other aspects related to the target audience’s culture. Therefore, an excellent Subtitle Translator must be able to localize the content in question. Writing subtitles is much harder than doing a rough translation of what is being said in a video. As there are many people who are fluent in more than one language, how can someone stand out as a Subtitle Translator? We gathered here a few important points to pay attention to in order to master this profession! Localize the content Now that we have proven the importance of Subtitle Translators, it is time to understand the best practices that a good professional needs to follow. Since the written text varies plenty from the oral one, the translator must be an expert on that matter as well. More than that, a good Subtitle Translator is also familiar with the format (i.e. Thus, he will make the best possible adaptations so that all messages present in the video come through the audience, despite their mother tongue. This is because the translation of a video into subtitles is not a mere “copy and paste” (from Google Translate ) of what was said, since jargon and idiomatic expressions may occur.Ībove all, a good Subtitle Translator will be an expert in both languages in question, as well as in localization. The role of a Subtitle TranslatorĪ common mistake people make is assuming that anyone can do the work of a Subtitle Translator. That way, the professional is capable of getting the nuances of the language into the written text. The best way to do this successfully is through a translator and linguist specialist who is fully fluent in language “A”. Afterward, the written subtitles are synchronized with the images, making it possible for a person who does not speak language “A” to understand the content. Those can come from dialogues, classes, or any type of video format there is. In a few words, subtitle translation is the translation of a video, which is in language “A”, into written subtitles, which are in language “B”.
Do you want to know more about the subject and how to excel being a Subtitle Translator? So keep reading this text! What is Subtitle Translation Luckily, many professionals are available on the market to do such work.
Therefore, translating subtitles should be done by experts who understand the language and all its cultural context to localize the content and avoid mistakes like what happened with the Netflix series Squid Game. It is much more than “just” roughly translating what is said in a video. Captions and subtitles are exploding all over the place.Īnd as time goes by, the companies are realizing that translating subtitles is not a simple thing to do. Several studies show that around 85% of people that watch videos on Facebook or Tik Tok view them with the sound off.
Thus, they have to translate their material in order to capture audiences in different locations. As the world is turning fast into a digital environment, many companies are relying on videos to communicate. Nowadays, subtitle translators are being more and more requested by a number of different companies.