Audiovisual translation – les 1

The audiovisual translation industry

 Dubbing
 Subtitling
o Intralingual subtitling (for the deaf and hard-of-hearing)
o Interlingual subtitling
o Audio description  for blind people; guest lecture
 Voice-over

Paradox of subtitling
 A good subtitle is unnoticeable to the viewer
o E.g. spelling errors, timing issues, …

There is also a translation service in between. You will never work directly for vrt, vtm, ..
LSP: preferred vendors (booming business)  you can best contact them if you want to work as a
subtitler

Technology

Offline
 Freeware: Aegisub, Subtitle Edit/Workshop, Jubler
 + free
 - lack of formats, inaccurate timing, not suitable for professional purposes

 Professional suites: Spot, SWIFT, FAB, Wincaps

 File formats, accurate timing, suitable for professional purposes
 Price from 2,000 euros

 Online: cloud-based systems: Sfera/Deluxe, Pixelogic, Netflix Originator

o Not paid very well

Tips
 Let go of the original text and think about how you would say it in your own language.
 6 second rule:
 If the word is in Vandale (like joie de vivre), you don’t need to put the word in italics.

Getting started: reliability

 CPS is too low/high  aim for perfect readibility
 Colours is SWIFT: green means good
o 11-13 CPS for interlingual subtitles
 o Up to 17 CPS for intralingual subtitles
 In-time: at the exact moment a character starts speaking
 Out-time: not at the exact moment a character stops talking (+/- 15-20 frames)
 Mind intervals: 4 frame interval
 If a person says something, the subtitle should be on screen
 Keep grammatical units together