conversis - audio dubbing and subtitling
TRANSCRIPT
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Subtitling, Voice-overs, and Audio Dubbing Guide
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• Language Service Provider founded in 2003
• Dedicated internal project manager
• Fully integrated quality systems
• Support 100+ languages
• Harness human and technological resources
• Multilingual, one-stop-shop localisation company
About Us
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• TranslationProcess of translating words or text from one language into another.
• LocalisationProcess of adapting a product/service or content, including non-text elements, to a target language and culture. It covers translation, but also takes into account cultural, social, and political differences.
• TranscreationProcess of adapting a message from one language to another, while maintaining its intent, style, tone and context. It is the recreation of a concept in another language, generally for marketing purposes.
Some definitions of the Translation Industry
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Hey! Our quick guide will help you
understand more about subtitling, audio dubbing, and voice-overs and it aims to show you what you need to take in consideration when using these services for a video, film, TV
program, or other media tools.
Subtitling, Audio Dubbing, and Voice-overs
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Some Definitions
The term Dubbing most commonly refers to the replacement of the voices of the actors shown on the screen with those of different
performers speaking another language.
Voice-over is a production technique where a piece of narration in a film or broadcast is not
accompanied by an image of the speaker. It is usually pre-recorded with a specialist voice
talent and placed over the top of a film or video and commonly used in documentaries or news reports to
explain information.
Subtitling is a translation ofthe dialogues of a foreign
language film/video shown as captions, usually at
the bottom of the screen.
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• 1st steps:• When we receive a request for subtitling a video, our first step is to watch the video the client has sent
and ask if the video has been transcribed already or if there is any script available.
• Script available: If the content of the video has been transcribed or if there is a script that we can access, we then proceed to time-coding. Once the time-coded script in English is ready, it is sent to the client for approval and then sent to our linguists to be translated.
• No script available: If the client has not transcribed the content of the video yet, we first transcribe the content ourselves and after client approval, we proceed with the time-coding and subsequent translation.
Time In Time Out English Script Character Count Translation Character Count
00:10 00:12 We have a history in innovation. 32 Unsere Geschichte ist gepägt von 33
01:15 Fuel is that electrical charge, 31 Ein Auto fährt 15
01:22 the petrol, the gasoline in the tank. 37 mit Strom, Benzin oder Diesel. 30
Example of a time-coded script with German translations:
SubtitlingWhat you need to know
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SubtitlingWhat you need to know
• Reading speed: The average reading speed for subtitles is around 12 cps (characters per second), equivalent to approximately 144 wpm (words per minute).
• 6-Seconds-Rule: According to industry research, it is believed that, in 6 seconds, an average viewer can comfortably read the text written on two full subtitle lines, when each line contains a maximum of 42 characters (a total of 84 characters). A subtitle should not be displayed on screen for longer than 6 seconds.
• Subtitle length – character length restrictions: Subtitles in languages with Latin script should run no longer than 2 lines of 38 characters each. Depending on the subject of the video, a line can technically include up to 42 characters, but this should be the maximum. Anything above 42 characters per line is not recommended. For Asian languages the limit is generally 20 characters per line.
• Important! Due to the character length restriction and the standard reading speed that we need to follow, for some languages, the subtitles cannot be an exact translation of what is being said on the video. This happens because, in some cases, the translators need to choose shorter words (that still express the same meaning) in order to make the speech fit on the screen.
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SubtitlingWhat you need to know
• Fonts: There are standard subtitling fonts, but sometimes a client might prefer a specific font which may require more space or be more “economic” than the normal fonts. This needs to be considered based on the character length restriction. For example: Helvetica font supports 38 characters per line while Arial supports 42.
• Subtitling Software: Normally, professional subtitles are created in software packages like Swift Create, Aegis Sub or WinCaps, where a linguist can easily measure the reading speeds and check the character length limits while translating and editing the subtitles. Therefore, the software allows the translator to make sure that the audience will be able to comfortably read the subtitles without missing anything, but also without the subtitles dragging around on the screen for too long. Amongst other things, such software enables the person embedding the subtitles or the linguist to access the video frame by frame and create a subtitle file according to the standard parameters mentioned above.
• Important! Formats supported to be burnt-in as subtitles in videos: .rtf, .vtt, .xml, .srt
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• Quality checks: Ideally, it is always useful to review the subtitles in-situ after their implementation and this step should always be carried out by the translator, who is capable of viewing the subtitles on screen and determining whether they are comfortably readable. In many cases, the operator who implements the subtitles is not a native speaker of the target language, so he/she cannot analyse the readability of the subtitles or easily spot any mistakes that may have occurredwhen implementing the subtitles.
• Embedding Subtitles in a Video: It is possible to do a "hard-burn" where the subtitles are written permanently on the images on the video, or you can choose to keep the subtitles as a separate file which enables you to turn them on and off. In the latter case the file containing the subtitles and the actual video file need to be kept in the same location.
SubtitlingWhat you need to know
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• Context of the video: it is very important that the client specifies the context in which the video will be used and its target audiences in order for us to select the appropriate translators and voice talents.
• Receiving the scripts and translating: Once we receive the scripts or have transcribed the video ourselves, we proceed with translation + revision by a second independent translator and send for client’s approval.
• Adequate Voice Talents: Once the translation is completed, we proceed with the recording of the voices. In both cases, for dubbing and voice-overs, the client can choose the type of voice that should be used in the videos (male or female, younger or older, children, soft and tender voice, accent, etc.). We can also propose to try matching the tonality of the English voice (or whichever language the source video is in).
• Good to know! We will send the client samples of voice talents, usually a choice of three for every voice in the video/audio, and a short description to why those voices selected are good and suitable.
• Is lip syncing required? Do we need to make sure that we match the lip movement onscreen with the voice?
• In most cases, our clients settle for syncing on the sentence level (phrase-sync dubbing) as 100% lip sync is very expensive and it also requires a lot of studio time to get it right. Usually the aim is just to match the visuals or talking heads.
Voice-over and Audio DubbingWhat you need to know
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• Checking the source script: We always check with the client if we have doubts about any terms that might be problematic to pronounce (especially English words that are not translated) and we clarify the pronunciation of brand names both with the client and with the voice talent.
• For ambiguous terms/possible issues around pronunciation, a call involving the voice artist, sound engineer and the person responsible for approving the video might help.
• During the recording session: We always recommend that a linguistic director (who ideally would have also done the translation) is present at the recording, as he/she is capable of directing the voice talent and sound engineer on tone of voice, accent, pronunciation, etc., based on the brief received from the client. The client can also be present at the recording session or call the studio and listen to the recording live to make suggestions.
Voice-over and Audio DubbingWhat you need to know
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• Usage Fee? We need to consider what the usage of the recording will be. If it is for restricted online use then there
are no usage fees. If it will be in public use online or via TV or other public broadcast then a usage fee is typically charged.
• Quality checks: For voice-over/dubbing it is very important that the translation of the script is approved by the client
prior to the recording session. Any matters on pronunciation (brand, product names, etc.) will also need to be clarified. This is important as having to reorganise a session will be expensive, including additional studio and talent fees. Therefore we always recommend that the client dials-in or attends the recording session. For any uncertainties we can always produce additional takes for the client to select from but re-recording will always add time/costs to the project.
Voice-over and Audio DubbingWhat you need to know
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• Charges involving voice-overs and dubbing:
• Translation and Revision of the scripts/transcription (if required)
• Voice talent
• Studio Facilities: Studio time required to prepare for recording, record, edit and mix in order to create the final files
• Voice-over Director
• Project Management
Voice-over and Audio DubbingWhat you need to know
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• Conversis Quality Management System (QMS)
• Conversis is ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17100:2015 certified
• Linguist recruitment and monitoring - our active resources database contains over 1500 professional translators
• QA check includes translator and project manager’s checks
• Revision by an independent linguist
Quality
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Our Clients
