The most popular way to localise video content is subtitling. Many people incorrectly assume that subtitles are just a word-for-word translation of a script; however, this is rarely the case.

Our specially trained subtitlers work hard to ensure their translation retains the meaning and the tone of the original piece, while respecting the strict limitations of the subtitle format. For example, where someone is speaking quickly, there simply wouldn’t be enough space to include all of the spoken text and there wouldn’t be enough time for the reader to read all the text before the frame moved on to the next picture sequence. Translation subtitles need to therefore be created using the sound and picture of the original material. To successfully convey an easily-readable message through subtitling requires technical skill and linguistic ability. Reading speeds, screen positioning and shot changes are all assessed by our subtitlers using professional subtitling software, which also allows them to accurately time-code their captions as they translate them.

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FAQs
Translators work with the written word, translating text-based file formats from one language into another. Translation subtitling is a lot more than just a word-for-word translation of a script. We use a team of dedicated subtitling specialists for all translation subtitling work. They use professional subtitling software to create precisely time-coded subtitles that are in sync with the audio and that take into consideration factors such as reading speeds, line breaks, number of lines, character limits and position on screen.
If you want your subtitles to be “permanently” part of the video, this is known as “burning in”. You might also hear this being referred to as “open captions” – subtitles that cannot be turned off. This option is ideal if you wish to publish your video on social media platforms. The appearance of burnt-in subtitles can also be customised. Closed captions are subtitles that can be turned on and off.
We can work with a variety of video files, including .mp4, .mpg, .avi and .wmv files.
We can provide subtitles in many different formats, with SRT being one of the most common file formats.
If you already have a transcript or script for your video, please do share it with us for our reference. A time-coded transcript will be accurate to the nearest second. This isn’t precise enough when it comes to subtitles. Creating subtitles involves a process called spotting, or cueing. This means capturing when a caption should appear on screen and when it should disappear – in sync with the audio – with frame-accurate or millisecond-accurate timings. In our experience, clients often find it very difficult to create their own subtitles based on audio transcripts, as these do not take into account constraints such as reading speeds, line breaks and per-line character limits.
There are a few options for handling on-screen text. Any unspoken on-screen text could be included as part of the subtitles, if this does not interrupt flow of the audio or narration. Alternatively, if you can provide us with the original project files used to create the animations or videos (these might be Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects or Avid files), we can localize the video to include translations of any on-screen text.
Subtitling rates are based on the duration of the video and are quoted in minutes. A minimum charge may apply for videos of very short durations.

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