Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Advice, please: creating subtitles in source or target language?
Poster: Max Deryagin
Post title: Very interesting
[quote]Joakim Braun wrote:
[quote]Max Deryagin wrote:
I cannot imagine translating a play on-the-fly. What would be the workflow?
[/quote]
Not sure what you mean by on-the-fly... but back when I did subtitling, this used to be the typical workflow for a talkshow (where scripts are usually not provided):
1. If possible, watch the entire programme to get a feeling for content and timing. With proper software you can also do rough subtitle division at this stage (in real time).
2. Translate as-you-go, doing subtitle divisions following the natural rhythm of the conversation.
3. Time code by watching your own translation and spotting the subtitles (editing the text as you go).
Back then the subtitles were usually cued language-for-language after each translation, which is the only way to get a good result.
Occasionally we got pre-cued subtitles from some other language. The quality was uniformly atrocious and it was always a nightmare to fit your text into some other semi-competent translator's idea of subtitle timing.
Perhaps this procedure is now standard? The downward momentum of the subtitling industry in both quality and pay rates has been a 20-year trend.
(José usually knows his stuff, by the way.)
[Edited at 2015-02-10 18:34 GMT] [/quote]
Thank you for the insightful info :)
Topic: Advice, please: creating subtitles in source or target language?
Poster: Max Deryagin
Post title: Very interesting
[quote]Joakim Braun wrote:
[quote]Max Deryagin wrote:
I cannot imagine translating a play on-the-fly. What would be the workflow?
[/quote]
Not sure what you mean by on-the-fly... but back when I did subtitling, this used to be the typical workflow for a talkshow (where scripts are usually not provided):
1. If possible, watch the entire programme to get a feeling for content and timing. With proper software you can also do rough subtitle division at this stage (in real time).
2. Translate as-you-go, doing subtitle divisions following the natural rhythm of the conversation.
3. Time code by watching your own translation and spotting the subtitles (editing the text as you go).
Back then the subtitles were usually cued language-for-language after each translation, which is the only way to get a good result.
Occasionally we got pre-cued subtitles from some other language. The quality was uniformly atrocious and it was always a nightmare to fit your text into some other semi-competent translator's idea of subtitle timing.
Perhaps this procedure is now standard? The downward momentum of the subtitling industry in both quality and pay rates has been a 20-year trend.
(José usually knows his stuff, by the way.)
[Edited at 2015-02-10 18:34 GMT] [/quote]
Thank you for the insightful info :)