Poorly translated or dubbed films and videos can be incredibly frustrating to watch, and depending on their application, detrimental to businesses. When translating video, a range of problems can arise if the content is not well translated and localized.
Issues that frequently occur in poorly translated video content include bad translations that lack nuance, out of time lip synching and video editing, inappropriate voice actors and unsuitable dubbing.
As a business, you have invested a lot of time and money in creating video content to reach your intended consumer. Whether it be marketing content to engage with a wider audience or an eLearning program, your video content deserves high-quality translation by experienced translators.
With video now a proven and effective tool — not only for marketing, but across many industries in many applications — an experienced video editing team can help businesses to influence, entertain and educate international audiences and build their brand overseas.
Subtitle Translations
Subtitle translation is the art of translating one video language into another through written text subtitles. This technique allows viewers to follow what is happening within the video content with ease.
Subtitle translators are highly efficient and trained linguists who understand the complexities of translating many different kinds of content. A subtitle team recognises the importance of translating your subtitles from an original language to a target language, while retaining the essence of what is being conveyed.
Voice-over Translation
Voice-over translation is an audiovisual translation technique in which a voice-over artist works with a video editor to record translated content over original audio. This method of translation is most often used in documentaries and news reports of foreign-language interviewees in countries where subtitling is not the norm.
Voice-over translation involves dubbing as well as lip-syncing, both of which are distinct and require professional services.
Lip-Sync Dubbing
When we refer to lip-synching, badly dubbed movies such as the old Chinese Bruce Lee films may jump to mind, but things have moved on a lot since then. Lip-sync dubbing is just a more technical way of referring to dubbing. The technique creates a new language script, voicing it with new voice actors, and then matches this new soundtrack to the lip movements of the people on screen.
This method gives viewers an immersive viewing experience, and allows us to recreate the full experience of content such as live musical performances in a new language.
UN-Style Voice-over
UN-style voice-over is a technique best used to translate content that features real-life situations or people. This technique involves dubbing the original content while simultaneously playing the original voice in the background, making the speech feel more genuine and impactful. The source language is really low volume allowing you to hear the translated version.
The viewers listen to the original audio for a second or two (to absorb its tone and emotion) before the translator’s voice comes in. This delay serves to highlight the fact that a translation is taking place.
Real-time Video Translation
Even more exciting than traditional video translation, real-time video translation is an innovative process which allows consumers to access real-time translations of subtitles, voiceovers, on-screen text and characters. This is all done by clicking directly on the screen to choose the language the consumer prefers. It couldn’t be simpler.
Language Department will soon be able to offer clients real-time translation services thanks to a collaboration with Makers of Media, a creative agency in Barcelona.
Makers of Media innovates by using technology to solve key problems in society. They create training and learning videos to help democratize education, and translate content into any language to give people access, worldwide.
Stay tuned to find out more about our future collaboration and for more information about how real-time video translation works
Want to know more? Contact us today!
Language Department is a trusted language translation company with over 30 years of experience. Don’t entrust your high-quality video content to auto-translators that provide low grade translations. Grow your audience by translating your videos into any language with Language Department’s professional video translation team, and make your content accessible to everyone. Add translated content to your business today.
Want to deep dive into the process of subtitling, from the moment you upload your video to when our team adds subtitles? We go behind the scenes with expert subtitle translator, Cécilia Allain, here.
