Subtitling in foreign languages
Translation, subtitling and on-screen text insertion in all languages
SMG Languages provides professional multilingual translation and subtitling services, carefully adapted for international audiences. Originally developed for the film industry, subtitling now makes it possible to produce highly effective audiovisual content, including corporate presentations, demonstration videos and training films for international staff in multiple languages.
SMG offers its clients extensive experience in translation and state-of-the-art publishing technology. We provide high-quality audiovisual services designed to meet the needs of today’s global communications environment.
Types of subtitling: the difference between captions and subtitles
- Captions are primarily intended as captions for deaf viewers and render all relevant audio content in written form, including dialogue, identification of the speaker and manner of delivery, music and sound effects relevant to the scene (background music, a telephone ringing, etc.).
- Subtitles reproduce dialogue in written form and are intended for viewers who can hear but do not understand the spoken language or accent. They may also be used when parts of the dialogue are unclear.
This distinction is commonly made in the US and Canada, while in other countries the term subtitles is generally used for both types of on-screen text.
When captions are visible only after being activated by the viewer via a remote control or menu, they are called closed captions. If they are displayed automatically on screen, they are called open captions.
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How subtitles are created
The following technical and linguistic aspects must be taken into account to ensure that foreign-language subtitles are easy to read:
- Subtitles must remain on screen for at least 1 second (otherwise they would be impossible to read) and for no longer than 4 seconds for a single line of text or 6 seconds for two lines.
- Each line may contain a maximum of 35 characters – a character is any letter, symbol or space.
- A maximum of two lines of text may be displayed on screen at any one time.
- The area occupied by the subtitles must not exceed 15% of the total screen height or 66% of the width.
- When there is dialogue, the subtitle text must be preceded by a dash (–), with speech by different characters placed on separate lines.
Subtitling process
One of the main challenges in subtitle production is that no single procedure is universally applicable. The most appropriate solution must be determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the type of recording to be processed, its purpose and the medium used. For example, TV subtitles require 30% more reading time than subtitles intended for the big screen. This has a significant impact on how subtitles are produced, particularly on the management of timing and sentence length.
That said, subtitle creation generally involves the following four stages:
Creating the template
The template stage involves defining the correct timing and placement of the subtitles within the video, taking into account when the text appears and disappears. In other words, the subtitles must be synchronised with the audio and aligned with scene and shot changes.
Translation
This consists of translating the original text while complying with the technical requirements of subtitling, such as the maximum number of characters per line. Subtitle translation also requires text adaptation to ensure that sentence length fits the available on-screen space and the pace of scene changes. Whenever possible, it is best to avoid splitting sentences across several screens, which often requires skilful adaptation, especially where lip-synchronisation is required. Another crucial consideration is finding the right balance between the synchronisation requirements of the translated text and its readability, without altering the original meaning.
Simulation
This consists of checking the accuracy of the translated subtitles and the synchronisation between image and text. Reading should feel natural; this is achieved when the subtitles have been translated and adapted effectively and timed correctly.
Correction
This final stage consists of eliminating any errors in the translation, positioning or synchronisation of the subtitles. It requires the participation of translation revisers and subtitle technicians.
Audiovisual translation: uses and differences between subtitling and dubbing
Today, audiovisual subtitling and dubbing are used in a wide variety of fields that require written or spoken translation to be incorporated into video content. Thanks to simplified production processes and lower costs, subtitling and dubbing are no longer the exclusive preserve of the film industry, but are accessible to a wide range of businesses. For example, they can be used in corporate videos, documentaries and multilingual online training courses.
Subtitling
Subtitles are text displayed over the image on screen, generally to translate dialogue or make content accessible to deaf viewers.
Dubbing
Dubbing involves recording speech after filming to produce dialogue in a language different from the original. Dubbing may be performed in voice-off mode, where the voice actor’s words replace the original speech, or in voice-over mode, where the original audio remains audible in the background. Voice-over dubbing is used, for example, in many films and videos in Eastern Europe, where the original dialogue remains audible beneath the translation.
We offer subtitling, voice-over and dubbing services in more than 160 languages, including:
A
- Albanian
- Arabic
B
- Bulgarian
C
- Chinese
- Croatian
- Czech
D
- Danish
- Dutch
E
- English
- Estonian
F
- Farsi
- Finnish
- French
G
- German
- Greek
H
- Hindi
I
- Italian
J
- Japanese
K
- Korean
L
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
M
- Macedonian
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Interesting historical facts about subtitling
From around 1919 to 1930, cinema transitioned from silent films to increasingly complex productions combining images and captions. This development led to synchronised sound in 1927 and, in 1932, to the dubbing of films for export to foreign markets. The era of captions thus gave way to the era of subtitling.
Since then, numerous techniques have been developed for reproducing subtitles on film. These include chemical processes, laser techniques, caption generators and digital technologies introduced with DVDs, followed by new software such as After Effects and Camtasia.