Audiovisual
A picture is worth a thousand words,
or is it the other way around?
Audiovisual contents have a place in our day to day life and we're so used to it that they sometimes go unnoticed: short films, feature films, TV commercials, series, music videos, etc. Often, we forget that the original content was created in another language, and that is a good indicator. Behind the unnoticed linguistic transfer, we can find, at the center,
the translator.
Audiovisual translation
One thing that characterizes audiovisual translation, and makes it stand out from the rest of the disciplines is that the texts that are generated ultimately make up a whole with the image they supplement and accompany. In this type of translation, there are difficulties that arise and that are inherent to audiovisual translation. Among these we can find the different types of registers, cultural references of the source language and humor, along with its play on words and stereotypes. However, other factors are to be taken into account: time and synchronization, whether in dubbing where lip synchronization is needed, or in subtitling so that the content matches the reading speed and the reduced available space on screen.
It is important to take into account the fact that audiovisual translation is used mainly in dubbing, voice over, audiodescription and, as further explained in the next section, in subtitling.
At Sublime, we're specialized in translation of dubbing scripts and thus adapt the text to this endeavor.
Subtitling
Subtitling is used when there is a video in a foreign language that the audience, because of a lack of knowledge of said language or simply because of a hearing impairment, can't understand. Through this process we achieve connecting said audience to a content which by other means, wouldn't be able to access to.
Subtitling consists in translating and adapting the information which is broadcasted in a video format and displaying it at the bottom of the screen while the audio output is in the original language: not only dialogues but also narration and other additional elements such as songs, on-screen text, etc. The aim of subtitling is transmitting the meaning as accurately as possible while respecting specifications and coping with technical obstacles inherent to this type of service. It is a meticulous adaptation job that unifies the work of a translator and a technical team whose task is to timely adjust subtitles and correctly embed in the video if necessary.
The whole subtitling process itself can be broken down in distinct tasks which can be requested separately. These are: spotting, known as the step where time codes are created, translation and proofreading of subtitles, quality control and adjustments and finally, the "hard" burn in of the subtitles into the video.
Among the most common subtitling request, we can name company presentations, corporate videos, series, documentaries, films, etc.
Transcription
A transcription's basic purpose is to transfer content that is in oral form to written form. Thus, through the transcription process, whatever information that can be found in an audio or video format will be put in writing.
The transcription process is a meticulous task where numerous constraints exist and aren't necessarily obvious at a first glance. Among these, we can name diction and pronounciation issues, background noises and interferences, the number of speakers and even the quality of the recording. Other main difficulties for the transcriber include the lack of context and non verbal communication. Taking into account these factors can greatly facilitate the task to avoid risks when transferring oral content to a written format. All these small obstacles explain why transcription isn't a task that can easily be automated and why professionals should be the ones manually performing said task.
Among the cases where it is more commonly used, we can mention trials, expert evidence in court proceedings, conferences, job interviews, phone conversations, security recordings, as well as a wide range of audiovisual content broadcasted on radio or television.
Sublime offers different types of transcriptions so you can choose which better suits your needs. Similarly, if desired, audiovisual translation and subtitling can supplement this type of service.
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