Subtitles may be subtle, but they are an integral part of our daily viewing experience. With the explosion of digital content, subtitle translation services have become a vital tool in ensuring that everyone can understand and enjoy your film or video. Whether your aspirations are to win an Oscar for a foreign language film or to create a global corporate video, translated subtitles are the key to unlocking the message of your work for audiences around the world.
Subtitle translation services
Subtitle translation servicesWhat would you like to know more about?
Subtitle translation services, what choices do I have?
Each unique form of video content calls for a tailored strategy. Thankfully, there are a plethora of methods to convey the message of your film or video to your audience. For instance, young children often enjoy dubbed series like ‘Dora the Explorer’, ‘Bob the Builder’ and ‘Pieter Post’ where the original voice actors are replaced by voice actors for the target audience, known as voice dubbing. Programs such as ‘Masterchef Australia’ make use of a voice-over in many countries. However, the most prevalent way to translate spoken text in films and videos remains to be subtitling. After all, video subtitling is less time-consuming and more cost efficient.
Streaming films and series is a common pastime for many, and as you delve deeper into the world of subtitles, you may have come across the “(CC)” option. This stands for ‘closed captioning’ and while it may seem similar to traditional subtitling, it holds crucial differences. Closed captions provide a verbatim translation of spoken dialogue, and also indicate sound effects like “[the phone rings]” or “[jazzy background music]”, which can be useful for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Want to know even more about the choices you have when translating subtitles? Then read the article ‘The importance of proper subtitles’ where we go into even more detail about the different types of subtitles.
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Take for example the Dutch language, 23 million voices echo Dutch as their mother tongue across the globe. Though it may seem impressive, those millions of native speakers is but a drop in the ocean of 8 billion people on the planet. Therefore, if you aim to reach a global audience with your digital content, translating your subtitles is a must.
Subtitlers face the daunting task of fitting a vast amount of information within a limited time and space. While preserving the original’s beautiful phrases is desirable, it’s not always possible. It’s up to the subtitler to discern the essential elements and convey the core message effectively. This is where subtitiling services come in.
“Furthermore, it’s crucial for a subtitler to find clever and creative ways to convey puns and cultural references. Not everyone is well-versed in for example the Dutch culture and customs, for example, Sinterklaas (sort of second Santa) might be a familiar figure to them, but it can be a perplexing “strange version of Santa Claus” to foreign audiences. A good subtitler must always keep the target audience in mind and try to put themselves in their shoes.”
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Elevatorpitch
ElevatorpitchWhat makes working with The Translation Collective such a delight? Our project managers are amiable, our translators are linguistic enthusiasts, and our writers are creative geniuses. Many of our experts also have backgrounds in the cultural industry. Plus, we’re real people who collaborate with you, immerse ourselves in your book, watch your film, and enjoy being invited to your social gatherings.”
How we roll in translating subtitles
The art of subtitling can be broken down into three simple steps:
- Transcribing: transcribing every spoken word verbatim
- Spotting: determining the appearance and disappearance of subtitles, by adding time codes, using specialized software that generates a file (often in .srt format) containing all this information.
- Translation: condensing the essence of the spoken text, within the constraints of time and space, all while staying true to the spotting of step 2.
With these steps, your subtitles are ready to be added to the video file. There are several ways to do this. One way is to request the subtitle file separately, where you will receive a .srt file and can attach it to the video separately, giving the viewer the option to turn it on or off. Another way is to have the subtitles embedded within the video, thus making them permanent and uneditable. For any of these subtitle translation services you can count on The Translation Collective.
Many cultural patrons communicate with their visitors and audiences in multiple languages. For subtitle translation services, I work closely with the Translation Collective. Working with them feels like a partnership. They have a feel for context, target groups, tone of voice, but also what ‘usual’ word choices are in certain sectors. The quality is high. The deadlines are always certain. The price absolutely proportional to quality and professionalism.
Janine Fluyt
Our working method & pricing
Our working method & pricingAt The Translation Collective, we collaborate with seasoned professionals and offer prices that are both fair and competitive. We work diligently and with precision, adhering to the four-eye principle: every text is translated by a translator, then reviewed by our in-house editors. This ensures that your translations are of the highest quality.
Unveiling Tales
Looking to gain a deeper understanding of subtitling? Delve into our unveiling tales, filled with valuable insights.
- Het belang van goede ondertitels bij een (bedrijfs)video
- Het vertalen van ondertitels
- Interview met freelance ondertitelaar Jurriaan Ritzer
- Hoe SEO zorgt voor een groter bereik van je digitale content
- Ondertiteling in de praktijk: hoe is het gesteld met de ondertitels bij streamingdiensten?
- De edele kunst van het ondertitelen
- Let’s get technical: de software voor jouw ondertiteling
For this media behemoth, we seamlessly translated the summaries of films and series into both French and Dutch.
Growth hacking done easily with translating subtitles
Closed captions were crafted with the intention of providing a comprehensive viewing experience for the deaf and hard of hearing. However, as more and more individuals watch videos without sound, the inclusion of subtitles and closed captions becomes even more crucial. Not only do they enhance the viewing experience by allowing for better retention of information, but they also cater to the needs of those watching videos on-the-go or in public spaces.
But the benefits of adding subtitles to your videos don’t stop there. They also significantly boost your visibility on search engines like Google. While Google can’t comprehend the footage itself, it can index the written text in your videos, resulting in higher search rankings and increased views. In other words, incorporating subtitles or closed captions into your videos is a surefire way to skyrocket your online visibility. A clever move, wouldn’t you say?
Have subtitling services done by The Translation Collective
Unleash the full potential of your digital content with the expert subtitle translation services offered by The Translation Collective. Subtitles and closed captions can greatly enhance the reach, comprehension, and discoverability of your videos and films. That’s why it’s essential to ensure that your subtitles are top-notch.
The Translation Collective is here to help you achieve that. Our translators are not only skilled in their craft, but also have a creative approach to ensure that the message of your film or video is conveyed accurately and effectively. We also abide by the guidelines set forth by the Subtitling Section of the Authors’ Association, guaranteeing the highest quality service. Let The Translation Collective bring your content to a global audience, with seamless subtitling services.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questionsAny pressing questions about subtitling services? Read all the answers to the most frequently asked questions below.
What file formats can I receive subtitles in?
From our software, we can export your subtitles in all the most commonly used subtitle formats, including .SRT, .STL, .TXT, .XML, TTML (also known as DFXP). Please contact us if you require a different file format.
Can subtitles be delivered directly to the video?
Yes! This process is called ‘hardcoding’. We deliver the video to you with the subtitles burned directly into the video. If you wish, we can provide you with the subtitles in a Word file first, so that you can judge whether the wording is entirely to your liking. If you are happy with the subtitles, we will burn them into the original video(s).
What standards are used to create subtitles?
We use our own subtitle standards, which are very similar to the standards used by Netflix for their subtitles. All of our subtitles are optimised for maximum sentence lengths and playback times in order to process the subtitles correctly. If you have specific requirements in this regard, we will be happy to discuss them with you.
Can I also provide my own subtitle file for you to translate into other languages?
Of course. In this case, we will use your original subtitle file as a base template to create the subtitles for the other languages.
Do you also translate the text that appears on screen in the video but is not spoken?
In fact, many videos have on-screen text that is relevant to the viewer. We always try to include short texts that are on screen for a long time in the subtitles. Sometimes longer texts appear on screen and there is not always room to translate them in the subtitles. We are happy to provide the translation of these texts in a separate .docx file, along with the times at which these texts appear in the video. This allows the video editor to insert the translation directly into the video if necessary.
Can I also come to you for help with subtitles in the top of the screen?
Of course, we regularly help to create and translate subtitles in the top of the screen for a play, for example. Our translators and subtitlers are often big theatre fans themselves, so they know better than anyone how important good subtitles can be.
