subtitle training class for spanish translators – beginners

Reel Fun: Improving your Subtitles

Ana SalottiMA in Translation and Interpreting Studiesana.salotti@gmail.comanalistranslations.comCrash Courseon Subtitling

Crash Course on SubtitlingAna Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.comSome SW Settings

Crash Course on SubtitlingAna Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.comSome SW ShortcutsCtrl-Spacebar =Play/Pause videoCtrl-Backspace = Stop videoInsert = Insert new sub afterShift-Insert = Insert new sub beforeAlt-C = Set start timeAlt-V = Set End timeAlt-M = Move selected subtitle without modifying its durationAlt-Z = Insert a subtitle with an initial time equal to playback timeAlt-X = End a subtitle with the final time equal to playback time, and add itCtrl-K = Join selected subs into one (first select the subs you want to join)Ctrl-Shift-D = Divide subAlt- =Back secondAlt- =Fwd secondCtrl- =Back 5 secondsCtrl- =Fwd 5 secondsTab = cursor moves from box to box below video& = Up & Down linesF7 = Spellcheck

Crash Course on SubtitlingFive Aspects to Pay Close Attention to Improve Quality: Reading speedTimingLine breaksSubtitle dependency on AV contentConsistency with clients guidelinesAna Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Crash Course on SubtitlingLINE BREAKS Dont divide any which way Break lines logically

Helps understandingDont end a line with: * prepositions* articles* pronouns*conjunctions* verb to be

Ana Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Grammatically bound structures that form a unity should stay together

Crash Course on SubtitlingBad line breaksBetter

Ana Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com1)No hay nada de sangre ni dentroni fuera del cuerpo.

2)Buscamos a undesgraciado ladrn traficante.

3)Es Doakes al nico quele provoco escalofros?

4)La vctima masculina estabaparada aqu.1)No hay nada de sangre ni dentro ni fuera del cuerpo.

2)Buscamosa un desgraciado ladrn traficante.

3)Es Doakes al nicoque le provoco escalofros?

4)La vctima masculinaestaba parada aqu.

Crash Course on SubtitlingBad line breaksBetter

Ana Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com5)Entonces pasar yjugaremos cartas. Pquer?

6)La polica arrest ami valet favorito.

7)pero cuando sellega al acto puntualsiempre me parece tan......indignante.5)Entonces pasary jugaremos cartas. Pquer?

6)La polica detuvo a mi valet favorito.

7)pero cuando se llegaal acto puntualsiempre me parece tan......indignante.

Crash Course on Subtitling4. SUBTITLE DEPENDENCY ON MEDIAwritten text that supports AV materialAV gives subtitles their context Ana Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Never translate subtitles without watching the video

Crash Course on SubtitlingTwo examples where the AV info was neglected1)ProblemNot paying attention to AVMaybe missing youSolutionAna Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Deberas aprender

Crash Course on SubtitlingTwo examples where the AV info was neglected2) Short video clip

Ana Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Crash Course on SubtitlingTwo examples where the AV info was neglected2) ProblemNot considering AV context for be on my backSolutionAna Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Dicen que el nico modoen que puedo cerrar un caso

es boca arriba

Crash Course on Subtitling5. Clients subtitling guidelinesDifferent clients,different guidelines Max. characters per line Min. gap between subs Deal with n-dashes and ellipses differently Deal with swear words differentlyPrefer or not acronyms and abbreviations

The bottom line: Read and understand guidelines wellAna Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com

Crash Course on SubtitlingWhat if I dont have clients guidelines available?

Best practices:Length: 36-38 characters per lineDuration: At least 1 sec & no more than 7 sec on screenGap between subs: 2 framesLine breaks, as mentionedN-dash for dialogues followed by spaceNo ellipses at the end of each sub; only for pauses/interruptionsAbbreviations/acronyms, at own discretion (only most common ones)Italics for voiceover/metallic voices/foreign wordsNeutral Spanish or according to clients market shareSwear words, at own discretion

Ana Salotti ana.salotti@gmail.com