Subtitle translation is a very useful way to relay information, as subtitles are shown alongside videos. Like all media, it can range from simple entertainment, to scientific, political, or anything. We’ve collected some best practices for subtitle translations below.

First, be mindful of the length of translations. You have to remember that subtitles only have a set amount of time and space to be displayed on screen. You should try to be as concise as possible while also staying as true to the speaking character as possible. If you think you need more space to say something, consider how long the character is talking for. Would it be possible to separate the sentence into two or more parts? Let’s say that a character is talking for ten seconds. You could possibly split a line into two five second segments. That should ensure that you get the viewer has enough time to read the entire line without being too distracted by the length of the line.

Furthermore, do not ever exceed two lines on the screen at a time. Standard practice is at most two lines, but any more than that and it becomes a huge distraction and an eyesore to the viewer. The aim of subtitling is to avoid being intrusive while providing viewers a way to comfortably enjoy the media.

Also be sure to use the right kind of software. There’s a lot of different programs out there that subtitlers use, and it really depends on how you’d like to go about it. For example, while not industry standard, many people enjoy using AegiSub for its easy use and features that aren’t too heavy on resources. Other people may use other programs such as Adobe Premiere or even MemoQ. It all really depends on how you work and if your employer has a preference.

Most subtitlers come across a dilemma between “soft” and “hard” subtitles. Soft subtitles are subtitles that aren’t hard coded to the video. The best way to think of it is to imagine a picture. If you try writing on it, the writing will be permanent, unable to be removed. With soft subtitles, however, imagine taping your text onto the picture. It’s not permanent, and you can remove it whenever you like. The advantage to soft subs is that you can give the user more freedom. If they want to turn off the subtitles, then they can. If they want to use a different language subtitle, they can easily swap them out.

Hard subtitles on the other hand are hardcoded to the video. Once you use hard subtitles, they are not coming off of that video unless you manually edit them out. The advantage to hard subtitles is that people won’t have to go through any extra steps to load subtitles. They can easily just use one file to and enjoy the subtitles. Of course, they will lose the freedom of being able to turn them off, but that’s what the tradeoff is.

The last thing to be mindful of is that subtitling is, in most cases, localization. You are not expected to do a 1:1 translation of what characters are saying. You are expected to give characters their voice in another language. That being said, you should be careful of over-localizing to the point that the character is completely different than what they sound like in the original version. This is where it’s useful to have editors and QAers to help review your subtitles and make sure that they’re good to go.

There’s a lot to keep in mind while subtitling, but one good way to keep in mind what best practices are is to review other websites’ guidelines. For instance, many people follow Netflix’s guidelines for subtitling when doing their own, even if they aren’t employed by them.

Subtitling is fun, but it takes time to become familiar with the process. The good news is once you get it down, it’ll be second nature.

Insurance Companies

Insurance companies are being pushed out of business, and reacting with panic. In particular, Worker’s Comp providers have been hard hit as it becomes increasingly difficult for companies to rule out or prevent employees’ exposure to Covid-19. Some providers have begun cancelling Workers Comp coverage at just the suggestion that employees could be at risk of exposure.

Media

In a situation like the current one, it’s important to stay up to date and have access to information from trusted news sources. Unfortunately, media outlets are not immune to the effects of the outbreak, and in its wake publishers across the country have been forced to reduce their print schedule, or stop printing altogether. According to the New York Times, local media outlets in particular have been crippled by the outbreak.

Translation and Interpretation

The effects of the outbreak on the T&I industry have been unmistakable to both translators and interpreters themselves, as well as language service companies.  With business across the country screeching to a halt, and more and more areas ordering citizens to shelter in place, last week saw a string of cancellations from clients across the board – depositions, business meetings, tech presentations, medical appointments have been postponed indefinitely, and freelance translators and interpreters face an uncertain future.

We are all being affected by the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, and for our part, Monterey Language Services will continue to keep an eye on developments across industries as the situation progresses. Stay safe and keep healthy!

The expected readers for the Chinese version of The New York Times are the, according to the Times, “educated, affluent, global citizens” of China’s fast-growing middle class. The site will feature about 30 articles a day, two-thirds of which will be translated articles originally published for the English version of the paper, and the other third being original articles from Chinese journalists and freelance writers. The articles will range from international news to editorials.

Although China has some strict laws against what can and cannot be published, the Times will side-step that by not sourcing the physical site in China. The paper’s foreign editor Joseph Kahn said, “We’re not tailoring it to the demands of the Chinese government, so we’re not operating like a Chinese media company. China operates a very vigorous firewall. We have no control over that. We hope and expect that Chinese officials will welcome what we’re doing.”

This new translation service also has brought jobs to about 50 writers, translators, and editors. Chinese-based readers should enjoy the new various forms of media produced by the Times and all of the articles they would have normally not been able to read.