Technical Considerations

Prof.ssa Laura Liucci

Subtitlers generally require:
- A computer
- A subtitling program
- A digitalized copy of the audiovisual product to be subtitled

One of the most serious obstacles for the subtitlers has traditionally been
the prohibitive prices of these subtitling programs…

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 71)

…but lately the prices are dropping and many companies

are starting to offer temporary licences (1 year, 6 months, 1 month)
which are a lot cheaper and allow the translators who do not regularly work
in subtitling to only pay the software when they use it
 The functions of subtitling programs are constantly revised
by the developing companies to maximise subtitler’s productivity

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 71)

These programs generally incorporate functions such as:

- Showing changes in soundtrack volume

- Detecting shot changes
- Calculating the reading speed

…which make the cueing a lot easier and less time consuming!
 Technology and computers had a direct impact upon subtitling praxis
and have made life easier for all those working in the field of subtitling.
But it is also true that they have changed the professional profile expected of
subtitlers. Linguistic competence and socio-cultural and subject knowledge
are no longer sufficient in order to be able to co-operate effectively in this
profession. It is now expected that they should be fully conversant with the
information and communication technology

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 72)

 A good dialogue list is a key document that facilitates the task of the subtitler,
helping to dispel potential comprehension mistakes.

Subtitlers can be provided with:

- Dialogue lists (e.g. as-broadcast)

- Screenplays / scripts
- CCLS (“Combined Continuity, Dialogue and Spotting List")
- Etc.

We will refer to all of them with the umbrella term of dialogue lists!

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 74)

 A dialogue list is essentially the compilation of all the dialogue exchanges
uttered in the film and it is a document usually supplied
by the film distributor or producer

Besides a verbatim transcription of all the dialogue,

the ideal list offers extra information and implicit socio-cultural connotations

Although dialogue lists are essential to carry out a good job,

they are (still) not very common in the profession

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 74)

 Dialogue lists, like dictionaries, are not infallible
and neither are their compilers. So subtitlers ought to be careful
since this documents usually forget to include texts that are not dialogue
- i.e. newspapers, captions, songs, radio voices, and the like.

Sometimes they transcribe phonetically terms and expressions

that have not been fully understood, and the spelling of loan words
that come from a language different to the two in play
can also be a source of problems

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 78)

 In addition to a dialogue list of the program to be translated,
subtitlers ought to receive a style guide, or equivalent,
from the broadcasting or subtitling company, in which they can find
the main parameters to be applied in their subtitles

Some companies do have their own guidelines,

but they tend to be for internal use only and are not very detailed

Both the BBC and the Ofcom in the UK have very detailed guidelines
for subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 79)

 There is a general lack of consensus and harmonization
when presenting subtitles on screen. Conventions are not always
systematically applied and variations can be observed at a technical level
as well as in the layout of the subtitles

Subtitling conventions applied in many countries have come to be

what they are after a long period. They have been socially sifted, are the result
of a long tradition, and viewers are now familiar with them

Díaz-Cintas grouped them under three categories:

- Spatial dimension
- Temporal dimension
- Punctuation and other conventions

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 80-81)

There is no uniformity in the way subtitles are positioned on the screen,
but there are certainly a number of trends

We will consider subtitling as it appears on TV, on cinema screens,

on videotapes and DVD. Newer forms like subtitling for Internet, funsubs,
and computer games usually derive their guidelines from existing styles.

It is usually NOT the subtitler

who makes the final decision in these matters.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 81)

 MAX NUMBER OF LINES AND POSITION

Subtitling is a type of translation that should NOT attract attention to itself

INTERLINGUAL SUB  max 2 lines**

SUB FOR THE Deaf and HoH  up to 3/4 lines

** which occupy no more than 2/12 of the screen

Written text and graphics shown on screen may get distorted

if they appear too close the edges, because TV manufacturers deal with
the screen edges differently. This is why all text must be
centrally positioned within a SAFE AREA.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 81-82)

SETTING THE SAFE AREA
(in WinCAPS Quantum)
The standard position for subtitles is horizontal at the bottom of the screen, since
this limits the obstruction of the image, and this part of the screen
is usually of lesser importance for the action.

The positioning of a two-line subtitle at the bottom of the screen

does not offer any options since both lines are in use. The situation is different
when dealing with one-line subtitles, with the companies using the first line
and some others preferring the second.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 82)

 MOVING THE SUBS TO ANOTHER POSITION

Subtitles can be moved from the bottom of the screen to another position
if the need arises. Such a move can occur if:

1. The background at the bottom of the screen is so light the subtitles are illegible.
2. Some important action is taking place at the bottom of the screen.
3. Some essential data are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 83)

 MOVING THE SUBS TO ANOTHER POSITION

When the decision is taken to displace the subtitles in a film,

they are then placed at the top – the most common practice –
or in the middle of the screen, but this is extremely rare!

Since the viewers expect subtitles to appear at the bottom of the screen,
it is better NOT to move them around unnecessarily.
Besides, there are a limited number of alternative solutions to avoid
collision with other textually rendered information.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 83)

 Most subtitles are white, although occasionally yellow is use
when subtitling black-and-white films, so that the contrast between
image and text is sharper.

Fonts without serifs are preferred.

The font we recommend to use is Arial 32 (pixels, not points).

The characters are almost always shadowed or black contoured,

which solves legibility problems even if the letters appear against
a very light background. Should this not do the trick,
you can encase them in a black box.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 84)

 For the Roman alphabet the maximum number of characters allowed
on a one-line TV subtitle is usually 37, including blank spaces
and typographical signs. Occasionally, clients will ask for a maximum of 33
or 35 characters per line or allow up to 39 to 41.
(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 84)

The Italian standard is a bit higher than that,

around 39-42 characters (but it is always up to the client).

A higher number of characters per line often results in more image

being covered by text, or in a smaller font being selected,
which again hampers legibility.
(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 85)
 There is no fixed rule as the minimum number of characters
a subtitle must have, but subtitles counting less than 4 to 5 characters are rare.

Any subtitle should ideally remain on screen for at least 1 second

so that the eye of the viewer can register its presence,
although it is not uncommon to come across subtitles that stay on screen
for as little as 21 of 22 frames.

Extremely short subtitles must be used for a good reason and timed carefully.
In some cases a one-word subtitle can just as well be incorporated
into the preceding or following one.
(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 85)
 With two-liners, a recommendation based on aesthetics is to keep
the top line shorter whenever possible in order not to pollute the image.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 86)

 However, sense blocks and readability
should be the most influential aspects in subtitle positioning.

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 87)

 SPOTTING (also cueing/timing/origination)

DETERMINING THE IN AND OUT TIMES OF SUBTITLES

The spotting of the dialogue has to mirror the rhythm of the film
and the performance of the actors…

…and so be mindful of pauses, interruptions and other prosodic features

that characterize the original speech

The golden rule for ideal spotting is that subtitles should keep
temporal synchrony with the utterances

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 88)

 SPOTTING (also cueing/timing/origination)

Studies show that when a subtitle remains on screen longer than the time
the viewer needs to read it, there is a tendency to read it again

To avoid this…
THE RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM EXPOSURE TIME  6 SECONDS

When spotting a dialogue, periods longer than six seconds

should be reconsidered and split into smaller units

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 88-89)

 SPOTTING (also cueing/timing/origination)

When spotting a dialogue, periods longer than six seconds

should be reconsidered and split into smaller units

At a time when the male population of London of all ages was one and a quarter
million, the prostitutes were receiving clients at a rate of two million per week
(from The French Lieutenant's Woman)

SUB 1: 04:19
At a time when the male population of London of all ages was one and a quarter million

SUB 2: 03:18
the prostitutes were receiving clients at a rate of two million per week

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 89)

 SPOTTING (also cueing/timing/origination)

At the other end of the scale, to avoid flashing subtitles […],

the ideal minimum exposure time for a subtitle is commonly agreed
at one second

What if the timing of a brief subtitle falls under 1 second?

Use a subtitle presenting Allow for a certain margin

two people of asynchrony

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 89)

 SYNCHRONIZATION

Temporal synchronization between subtitle and soundtrack

is arguably the main factor affecting the viewer’s appreciation
of the quality of a translated programme

Poor timing, with subtitles that come in too early

or too late […] are confusing!

However, perfect synchronization may not always be attainable

and a certain degree of flexibility can be observed in the professional practice

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 90)

 MULTIPLE VOICES

As opposed to oral speech, written texts, including subtitles,

are sequential and can only present dialogue exchanges one after the other

How do we handle overlapping dialogues?

We have to make the difficult decision of deciding

which information will make it to the target language
and which will have to be deleted

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 91)

 SHOT CHANGES

Another golden rule in spotting recommends

that a subtitle should NOT be maintained over a cut

The subtitle should leave the screen just before the cut occurs
and a new subtitle spotted after the cut

This recommendation is based on studies on eye movement!

Some subtitling programs come with an additional shot change detector that
automatically analyses a video file and identifies the shot changes

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 91-92)

 DELAY FUNCTION BETWEEN SUBTITLES

A clear pause has to exist between two consecutive subtitles

if the viewer is to register that a change of written material has taken place

If a subtitle is immediately followed by another one

without leaving any frames between the two, the eye finds it difficult
to realize that new information has been presented

It is recommended to leave a minimum gap of two frames

between consecutive subtitles (back-to-back)

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 92)

 ONE OR TWO LINES?

Studies on the reading speed of viewers seem to indicate that we need

proportionally more time to read short subtitles than longer ones
(Ivarsson and Carroll 1998: 64)

It would seem more appropriate

to resort to two-liners whenever possible

(although some authors prefer the use of one-liners

as they believe they are easier to read)

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 93)

 READING TIME

Two basic principles in subtitling:

1. The subtitle has to appear and disappear in synchrony

with the original dialogue
2. The exposure time has to be sufficient
for the viewer to read the content comfortably

What if people on screen speak too fast

for the target viewer to be able to read the translation?

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 95)

 READING TIME

What if people on screen speak too fast

for the target viewer to be able to read the translation?

Two parameters can be manipulated:

1. The degree of condensation to apply to the original dialogue

2. The speed at which the information is to be presented

 IT IS DIFFICULT TO AGREE ON A READING SPEED

THAT IS COMFORTABLE FOR “ALL” VIEWERS

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 95)

 READING TIME

The reading speed cannot be assessed on an absolute basis. It is conditioned by

such factors as vocabulary, and the presence or absence of action
(Derasse, 1987: 12)

…but also other factors:

- The use of a convoluted syntax

- The degree of familiarity of the TL viewers with the SL
- The familiarity of the TL viewers with consuming subtitles
- The distribution channel (TV, DVD, cinema…)

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 95)

 SIX-SECOND RULE
According to this rule, an average viewer can comfortably read in six seconds
the text written on two full subtitle lines, when each line contains a maximum of
37 characters (i.e. a total of 74 characters)…

…this calculation implies a rather low reading speed

of some 140/150 words per minute (commonly used in the past for TV)

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 96)

 SIX-SECOND RULE

Arguing that regular

exposure to subtitles
has the benefit of
increasing viewer’s
reading speed,
some broadcasters
rely these days on
reading speed of
around 160 words per
minute (180 for
DVDs), using lines of
39 spaces

(Díaz-Cintas 2007: 97)

DÍAZ-CINTAS, JORGE and ALINE REMAEL. 2007. Audiovisual Translation:
Subtitling. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.