What is subtitling? This presentation describes the unique constraints in translating subtitles for TV.

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Subtitling
Unique constraints
in subtitles translation
in Israeli TV
Zehavit Ehre - March 2010
Linguistic consultant for The Israel Educational TV

2. 2
Definitions
Subtitles
A written representation of the audio channel in a
tv programme, a film or a video which is time-
coded in sync with the audio.
Subtitles are timed-transcription (closed
captioning) or translation.

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Definitions
Subtitles translation
Is an inter-lingual and inter-semiotic transposition:
From one set of signs to another
From one medium to another
From spoken to written text.

4. 4
Subtitling production process (in TV(
Broadcasting
body
Post
production
studios
translator
TC
Time-coder
QC
Quality Control
Video editor
proofreader

5. 5
Translation process
The process of subtitling involves controlling
three key elements: Content, Time & Space
The Source text is called Script or Dialog
Samples:

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MGM - ONE MORE CHANCE 1983

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Extra-textual elements shown in red
CHANNEL E! BEHIND THE SCENES #1068
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
FILM AND TV CLIPS ARE IN ITALICS
OPENING
JAMES GANDOLFINI:
(CAROL) YOU ARE NOW THE KING. AND YOU WILL BE
A TRULY GREAT KING.
FOREST WHITAKER:
(IRA) “WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE” WAS ONE OF
MY FAVORITE BOOKS AS A KID.
JAMES GANDOLFINI:
(CAROL) WHAT'S YOUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS?
MAX RECORDS:
(MAX) LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!
[ CHEERING ]

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BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL – DURAN DURAN
Script
Title: Duran Duran Interview Code:
Producer: Liisa Lunden Prebuild #:
Length: 00:29:20 Master #:
Video: Audio:
Lynn
Hoffman
and Duran
Duran on
screen
A Block
18:13:39
Lynn Hoffman: My guests today are pop super group Duran Duran who have sold over 70 million albums and have
had at least 18 American hit singles to date. Welcome, you guys, to the show it is so great to have you here.
John Taylor: Where do you get these numbers from?
Roger Taylor: I want to know why we are stuck on 70 million. It must be 71 by now.
JT: It has been on 70 million for the last years it feels like.
LH: I say we just say 100 million! Ok?
ALL: OK!! I like that!
LH: 100 million albums sold. The song you just played was off of the new album Red Carpet Massacre it’s called Falling
Down. I heard that that song almost didn’t even come to be. It was kind of an after thought after the album was made?
Simon Le Bon: Yea, you often have that. You often get pressure off tracks, which uh, you think you finished the album
and something happens and you go back and you do another one. This time what happened was I went up to see
Justin Timberlake who co-produced Nite Runner, and um, we were having a drink after his show up in Birmingham, and
he said I think we ought to do another song together somehow. I said you do? That’s great! We’ll do it. And we did. We
all got into a truck and went up to Manchester and had the thing written and recorded within a day and a half.
END OF SEGMENT

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MegaDisasters:
Mega Tsunami
Final Script
Supervising Producer: Kevin Fitzpatrick
Producer: Rebecca Ratliff
Writer: Rebecca Ratliff
TEASE
VIDEO & TC NARRATION / DIALOGUE / SOT
01:00:00 A WALL OF WATER, MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED
FEET HIGH.
01:00:05
OZKAN-HALLER OC
TUBA OZKAN-HALLER SOT: These are huge numbers. These
are just unbelievably large waves that we’re talking about.
01:00:10 EIGHT THOUSAND YEARS AGO, A MASSIVE TSUNAMI
DECIMATED THE MEDITERRANEAN.
01:00:15
BEHNCKE OC
BORIS BEHNCKE SOT: That is the big problem with the
tsunami – they just don’t stop.
01:00:19 PREHISTORIC VILLAGES OBLITERATED IN AN
INSTANT.

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Who are the subtitlers?
Required qualifications:
•Linguistic know-how
•Audio-visual sensitivity
•Access to various information
resources (texts and/or experts)

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Code of good subtitling practice
Endorsed by several subtitling companies in Europe
http://www.esist.org/Code.pdf

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constraints
technicallinguistic
Cultural-linguistic

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Linguistic constraints
•Register and genre in spoken language
•Shortening the text while keeping it coherent
– Initials and acronyms
– Shortened version of words
– Pragmatic omissions - exclamations, vocative
words, emotive words, and any sounds that are
evident from the audio-visual channel

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"‫דיי‬ ‫"רייני‬ ‫באתר‬
.‫רגליהם‬ ‫את‬ ‫מכתתים‬ ‫רייגארד‬ ‫צוות‬
"‫דיי‬ ‫"רייני‬ ‫באתר‬‫צוות‬
‫רייגארד‬.‫רגליהם‬ ‫את‬ ‫מכתתים‬
At the Rainy Day site, Rygaard
trudges on.
-‫ו‬25‫בשעה‬ ‫גשם‬ ‫של‬ ‫מ"מ‬
‫העבודה‬ ‫את‬ ‫מעכבים‬
'‫ואינץ‬‫שעה‬ ‫כל‬ ‫גשם‬ ‫של‬
‫את‬ ‫מעכבים‬.‫העבודה‬
And an inch of rain an hour is
slowing production.
‫בראד‬ ‫של‬ ‫הניסיון‬ ‫חוסר‬
.‫כסף‬ ‫הרבה‬ ‫לעלות‬ ‫מתחיל‬
‫בראד‬ ‫של‬ ‫הניסיון‬ ‫חוסר‬‫מתחיל‬
.‫כסף‬ ‫הרבה‬ ‫לעלות‬
Brad’s inexperience is starting
to cost real money.
‫הזמן‬ ‫שהגיע‬ ‫מבין‬ ‫קרייג‬
.‫ההכשרה‬ ‫את‬ ‫להפסיק‬
‫הזמן‬ ‫שהגיע‬ ‫מבין‬ ‫קרייג‬
‫לאימון‬.
Craig realizes it’s time for the
training wheels to come off.
‫אמר‬ ‫הוא‬ ‫שלו‬ ‫במילים‬
‫לחטוב‬ ‫ללמוד‬ ‫רוצה‬ ‫שהוא‬.
‫אמר‬ ‫הוא‬ ‫שלו‬ ‫במילים‬‫שהוא‬
.‫לחטוב‬ ‫ללמוד‬ ‫רוצה‬
By his own words, said that he
wanted to learn logging.
.‫הכול‬ ‫ללמוד‬ ‫רצה‬ ‫הוא‬ .‫הכול‬ ‫ללמוד‬ ‫רצה‬ ‫הוא‬ He wanted to learn everything.
,‫עצים‬ ‫על‬ ‫לטפס‬ ,‫לקשור‬ ‫לו‬ ‫נתנו‬
,‫הכבלים‬ ‫את‬ ‫לחתוך‬
‫לטפס‬ ,‫לקשור‬ ‫לו‬ ‫נתנו‬‫על‬
‫עצים‬,‫הכבלים‬ ‫את‬ ‫לחתוך‬ ,
He’s had the choker,
climbing trees, splicing line,
.‫יהיה‬ ‫שלא‬ ‫מה‬ ,‫יהיה‬ ‫שלא‬ ‫מה‬?‫מבין‬ ‫אתה‬ whatever it took, you know.
Syntactic sensitivity –
knowing exactly when to start a new line or subtitle
History Channel - AX MEN ‫היערות‬ ‫אנשי‬

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Technical constraints
•Time-coding (“spotting”)
•Length and number of lines
• Subtitle duration
•Unspoken text (written or shown on screen)
•Simultaneous speech of two or more speakers
•Translating from hearing when script isn’t
available

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Cultural-linguistic constraints
• Cultural nuances, metaphors and word games
• Conversions (weight, length etc.)
• Subtitles as a means for literacy
•Ability to use the right register/genre for the
specific speaker and/or context

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You are the best, man!
Translated “you are the best-man!” (at a
wedding)
Model Naomi Campbell threw a Blackberry on
her housekeeper
Translated: blackberry (the fruit, NOT the mobile
phone)
Errors as a result of a missing cultural knowledge:

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Cultural-linguistic constraints
Cultural nuances
Is it Dr Spock or Mr. Spock?!

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The reasons for common translation errors
are mostly:
•Misunderstanding the source text
•Inadequate acquaintance with the source
language culture
•Bad wording in target language
•Lack of professional tools and knowledge
• in subtitling No audio-visual sensitivity
•in subtitling bad spoken language orientation

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What should be done in order to
improve the quality of translation in TV?
1. Setting clear and defined rules for hiring and
training subtitlers
2. Always perform Quality Control: proofreading,
editing and professional feedbacks
4. Improving working conditions and motivators

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Thanks for watching!
Zehavit Ehre
March 2010
www.Gtranslations.co.il