Alpha Omega Translations Audio and Video Translation www.alphaomegatranslations.com Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Video 3. How Subtitling Localization Works 4. The Dubbing or 5. Video Translation “Revoicing” Made Easy Process www.alphaomegatranslations.com 1. Introduction We have gotten to a point in our world where translators cannot ignore the fact that there is so much more to translate besides text. Ever since the very first radio show was broadcast, we have had words needing to be translated that were not necessarily written down. The same goes for the first television shows and movies, though with many there was still a script to work with. However, audio and video content have something else added into the mix: timing. Since radio shows only last a certain amount of time, a translator can’t simply take the script and translate it. It has to be done so in a way that it fits with the show and takes up the same amount of time. Television and movie translation works similarly, but is even more complicated since the translation has to match the visual part as well as the audio. Now, with the advent of YouTube, Vine, SnapChat, and all number of new ways to connect with people, many companies have realized the importance of knowing how to connect with potential clients and customers. Putting an ad in a magazine or on a billboard is not enough anymore. Short videos, podcasts, and even games are starting to become the most popular types of marketing This doesn’t mean that text translation is soon to die out, though. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and tons of other social media sites are still important tools to harness for getting more customers The most common way to do marketing on social media is to share posts that are mostly text However, all of these sites are also equipped for sharing videos, which could then be translated into tons of different languages. With audio and video translation, the possibilities are almost endless, as the technology continues to change and develop. Companies that want to reach more audiences need to step up and take control of their marketing, and the best way to do that now is to have a good understanding of how to translate audio and video content. www.alphaomegatranslations.com 1 2. Video Localization If your production was a success at home you may be planning to take it to an international audience. Localizing a video can be tricky, however; few companies are equipped to handle the translation, pacing and editing, let alone find talented voice actors in the target language. Having worked with top companies in both the media and entertainment industries, we have developed unique expertise in multimedia translations. The need for high-quality multimedia translations is a must for the entertainment and media industry. Furthermore, multinational corporations and government organizations are relying more and more on multimedia platforms to train and educate their target audiences. Alpha Omega Translations has developed a specialized process dedicated to handling all types of multimedia translation services, including subtitling, dubbing /lip syncing and voice-overs. www.alphaomegatranslations.com 2 Subtitling One of the core multimedia translation services is subtitling. Almost every form of video requires subtitling in multiple languages. International markets are of critical importance for the success of educational and entertainment video content, thus subtitling is an essential part of reaching these international markets. Subtitling involves much more than a simple translation; it involves a highly technical and precise process to ensure that the audience is able to understand every scene with spoken or written content. Voice-Over A close cousin to dubbing, voice-over multimedia translation services are commonly used in video productions to replace audio content not spoken by an actor in a particular scene. Documentaries commonly use voice-overs, as there is usually a voice in the background describing a scene. Voice-over services do not require the precision involved in dubbing or subtitling; however, they still need to follow a time sequence. This requires the proper equipment and expertise. Dubbing Another core multimedia translation service is the precise dubbing of spoken audio content in video productions. Dubbing is widely used in markets where subtitling doesn't fully accomplish the producers' objectives and is a more universal method of converting video productions for international markets. As it does not require reading, it is ideal for children and markets with lower levels of general education. Many companies prefer dubbing as it more closely reflects the experience of the original production. Despite the increasing popularity of simple voice-overs and subtitling, the process of dubbing and lip synchronization is still one of the preferred methods to watch video content in another language. In order for video content to be properly dubbed, the dialogue must be translated by a team of linguists in this area to ensure that the translated text, once spoken, will match the lips of the original actor. www.alphaomegatranslations.com 3 Lip Sync Lip Synchronization, used synonymously with dubbing, is a process where the insertion of audio attempts to match the lip movements of the original actors. This process is critical in many feature length films as it helps the audience better understand the content and create the illusion that the content was originally filmed in the dubbed language. Lip Syncing and Dubbing go hand in hand as it is critical to match the re-recorded audio with the lips of the live actors or animation. Otherwise, the production is viewed as second rate. Often, it may be necessary to modify the original translation to shorten the time it takes to speak. This can be a problem when dubbing between English and French, Spanish, or Portuguese as normally more words are used to convey the same meaning in Romance languages compared to English, and vice versa. www.alphaomegatranslations.com 4 3. How Subtitling Works Watching a movie in a foreign language is not something new for anyone I don’t think. If you live in the U.S., you have access to tons of foreign films if you know where to look or are willing to do a bit of digging. On the other hand, the U.S. film industry may just be one of the biggest in the world, and so you have people from all over the world watching the latest blockbuster, even if it’s in English. How does this work though? How do we manage to bridge the language gap and share in the cultural phenomenon that is the cinema? www.alphaomegatranslations.com 5 One method filmmakers use to get around the language barrier is to add subtitles to their work. To anyone who may not be familiar with them, subtitles are the sentences you see at the bottom of the screen when watching a movie in a foreign language that hasn’t been dubbed. They can also be used for same language productions, to help those who are hard of hearing or who have trouble understanding certain accents. The most common use, however, is for the translation of a film into another language. Subtitling actually dates as far back as the early 1900s, when silent films had frames between scenes to explain what was going on or provide dialogue. These were easy to translate into a different language, as you only needed to change those particular frames rather than modify the whole movie to accommodate the subtitles. Nowadays, there are entire software programs and other technology devoted to creating subtitles and working them perfectly into the film. Still, most filmmakers want to work with a certified translator who has experience with subtitling. The actual process of creating translated subtitles today has been streamlined thanks to modern technology, but it can still be a rather tedious process. It’s actually very different from translating a written document, as you have to keep in mind several things. First, people can only read at a certain speed, so you can’t put a lot of text when it will only be seen for, say, three seconds. This means translators have to get the meaning and main idea of the original six lines of dialogue, for example, into two lines that will fit on the screen without covering up the scene and can be read and understood in the time they are up on the screen. This is why if you are bilingual and are watching a movie in one language you know and subtitled in another, you will notice some differences in the dialogue that may annoy you. To further complicate matters, many translators who work with subtitles do not have a copy of the original dialogue to work with. They are just sent the original film and have to either copy down the original text as they watch it to use for later reference, or replay scenes again and again until they figure out the best way to translate it into subtitles. Though it may seem like a lot of work, creating subtitles for a film is the cheapest and most effective solution if you want your film to be appreciated by speakers of other languages. www.alphaomegatranslations.com 6 4. The Dubbing or “Revoicing” Process The film industry is probably one of the most influential industries based on a form of creative expression. With that expression, filmmakers are constantly conveying to their audiences a unique view of their own culture or an interpretation of another. However, it’s impossible to cross a lot of cultural boundaries when the film is in a language that the audience doesn’t understand.