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How do I have video materials translated?
Translating a video may begin in much the same way as translating an audio recording – with a transcription phase. Unless you can provide your translation team with a source script that corresponds to the words spoken in your video, those words have to be pulled out into a document for translation. If your video includes graphics with embedded text, you may or may not want those words translated. If you do, they’ve got to come out, too.
The next step is up to you: will your video be subtitled or dubbed? Either option has its pros and cons. Subtitling will be the less expensive option, and the project likely won’t take as much time to turn around. Be aware, though – because the video comes with a fixed run-time and a limited amount of space on the screen, each line of the script for translation should be marked with timecode and an indication of character count. Translation almost always leads to language expansion; for instance, an average English phrase translated into French is liable to be almost half again as long in translation as it was in the original. With those time and space indications, the translation team will know how much room they have to work, and when to rein in the verbosity!
For making your video’s target audience feel welcomed and understood, an audio track in their own language variant is pretty hard to beat. Yet as was mentioned in last week’s transcription how-to, creating a dubbing track can run into serious money. Once the script is translated, it goes to professional voice artists in the target language; like on-site interpreters, these can be difficult to source locally, and if they can’t work over the phone or through the computer, transportation may be necessary. This recording will require studio hours, and editing time after that.
Whichever option you choose, at the end of the process you’ll receive a script of subtitles or a new translated audio track for your video. The choice of subtitling or dubbing comes down to your budget, and to your market research. Audiences in some cultures prefer to read subtitles, and some want to hear their own language. If your audience responds best to a dubbed viewing experience, make room for it in your budget!
