Do you know that in this digital world people spend 100 million hours watching videos on social media each day? All these videos are not with sound. Therefore, 80% of people watch marketing videos without sound. How can they watch videos without sound? They can watch videos with subtitle translations. Therefore, we cannot ignore the significance of subtitles, it is an integral part of videos.
What is Subtitle Translation
The art of translating video into another language is called subtitle translation. For this, you need a service of highly effective and proficient translators because they know how to handle the problems of different translation content. Subtitle translators need to work in different categories so that they can integrate the sound in the video and the video can sync with the sound. Moreover, they have to retain the meaning of the original text while providing them with foreign subtitles. If you are from a global brand and want to open your subsidiaries in developing countries then no matter what the size of your company is, subtitle translation will help you in tapping into foreign countries. Read This: The importance of subtitle translation
Creating Subtitles
Creating subtitles is one step ahead of translation. It not only includes doing a straight translation of the dialogue and placing it in the lower part of the screen. But It also includes time and space restrictions that affect their quality. The translators need to understand the context of the translation so that the original message of the video is not altered and is conveyed to the target audience properly. Moreover, it is not restricted to the text of the script but also considers images and audios that have to be placed at defined time and space. After the translation of the subtitles, they have to be edited so that they comply with all the subtitle parameters. The translators have to keep in mind space and positioning. Moreover, they also have to keep the number of characters and reading speed in mind.
Subtitling Versus Dubbing
Subtitling is an affordable and faster procedure than dubbing. At present, you can view videos and films from all around the world despite language barriers. Many streaming sites are working online that provide subtitle translation for a global audience. If you want subtitle translation for commercial purposes then you need to hire a professional translation company. The professional translation company will provide you with robust subtitling translation and you can confidently distribute your videos globally. Read More: Some Points for Video Subtitles Translation
Limitations of Subtitling
There are the same limitations in the subtitling work. The translation has to be accommodated in two lines of subtitle. Generally, the subtitles are placed in the center, at the bottom of the screen. There is a limitation of 35 characters in a line with spaces and symbols. Moreover, you can place 70 characters in two lines. It is its maximum limit. Subtitle translation also has time restrictions. The challenge comes when some languages expand after translation. Moreover, the maximum time the users can view the subtitle is six seconds. These limitations are not strictly followed. They are the basic points that have to be taken care of while providing subtitle translation. Deviations from these points are expected. Although there is a limitation of minimum, maximum characters, and time, there is also a direct relationship between them. This depicts that there is always a probability based on how well and quickly the subtitles are read.
The Significance of Subtitling in Different Industries
E-learning Subtitling
In this unprecedented time of the pandemic, people are shifted to eLearning. For this reason, e-learning modules and web applications add subtitles to their videos so that learners can learn better from audio-visuals. E-learning subtitling is important because if your video is of bad quality, you can understand it by reading translated subtitles. Deaf people can take the most advantage of this art. Moreover, the subtitles files can be indexed easily by search engines based on appropriate keywords.
Technical and Engineering Industry Subtitling
At present, you can access information everywhere because of technological advancement. Apart from PCs and laptops, you can easily access data from cell phones. Here the question is how you can make your data accessible and understandable to people living in different parts of the world. The answer is to use their native language. If you want to tell how the machine is working then more of your work is showing the process instead of telling. Sometimes, viewers get so focused on the process that they miss the instructions in the video. Subtitling engineering will help the viewers not to miss the important information and understand the complete information.
The Medicine & Health-Care Industry Subtitling
The medicine and health care industry uses visuals of a video to know the development that is taking place in the healthcare industry. Moreover, the life sciences and government use the videos to promote awareness of health and pandemics among the masses. Videos are the best medium to create awareness about health issues. Subtitling in the video helps the people to know the information well no matter in which language the video is in.
Travel & Hospitality Subtitling
The travel and hospitality industry uses videos about food culture and ambiance on social media to attract potential clients. The travel and hospitality industry further promotes some brands like travel accessories. Sub-industries that are taking leverage from subtitling are railways, airlines, travel agencies, hotel accommodation, and reservations. If your brand is related to the travel industry then you have to target diverse customers from different cultures and ethnicities. Therefore, If you add multilingual subtitles to your video then you can easily target people that speak multiple languages.
Entertainment, Advertising, & Media Subtitling
One of the most important industries that are taking leverage from subtitling is the entertainment industry. They use subtitles to increase the ethnicity of the video. They further translate it to convey their message to the masses. Many advertising companies are using subtitles on social media and employing many translators so that they can get high-quality subtitles.
Subtitling is a Form of Art
Subtitling is considered a type of art. It is not as simple as it looks. Translators have to go through many challenges while creating subtitles. It is a form of art that helps the videos to convey their message globally. The film industry is globalized. Filmmakers get inspired by the movies of different countries. Subtitle’s translation helps them to understand the theme and content of the movie from around the globe.
Challenges of Subtitling
The movies are the best source of entertainment and they can convey your message to different types of cultures and convey your story theme from one country to another. You can find a video with subtitles better than a video without subtitles.
Expressing Emotions
A movie is about stories and it expresses emotions. This is the most challenging part of subtitling. The translators have to translate the dialogues with the same emotions as the people see on the screen. The translator has to pick the words with utmost care and then edit them. The subtitling translation should provoke the same emotions in the people as it is expressed by actors. If the translators are unable to choose specific words, then the viewers will not interpret the movie properly.
Use of Appropriate Words
We use different words in our communication to convey our message. When it comes to translation then there are many words in English that don’t have equivalent words in other languages. While translating English words to other languages will expand the length of the text. For example, the English word water when translated into French becomes peu profond . Moreover, some words have several meanings like cake, pastry, and batter. On the other hand, there are some words that translators find difficult to translate in other languages. In this case, they use the same words with meaning written in brackets.
Use of Space and Time
The subtitling is a tedious task. The translator should make sure that subtitles appear on the screen with the act of the actor. Translating the dialogues in another language requires linguistic proficiency. The translator should know how to reduce the length of the dialogue according to the text limitations. For this, they have to know the cultural and regional differences. Moreover, if the translator is good at paraphrasing, then it is an additional advantage.
Wrapping Up
Subtitle translation is the best way to convey your message globally. Are you looking for professional subtitling services then opt for CCJK? At CCJK we have a team of native, experienced translators. They can provide you with professional subtitling services at a fast turnaround time and economical rates. For further details, contact us. For More Information: Forex Seminar Video Subtitle Case Study