E-ging Solutions is a world-leading Shanghai translation company with specialties in audiovisual translation.
Audiovisual Translation (AVT) is the translation of any audio, visual or audiovisual material , if you don’t master a language well you may not understand movies and TV programs well. AVT include dubbing, subtitling, localization. Subtitles help the audience understand a movie while listening to the original people. The widespread practice of fan-subbing made people think that subtitling is an easy job. The translator needs proper training, and the existence of degree courses on this subject should be a clear hint.Subtitling is not just mere translation (what is it after all?), and the subtitler has to pay attention to, for instance:
1.Character length – usually each line cannot exceed 40 characters, and two lines maximum can form each subtitle.
2.Duration – the viewer must have the time to read all subtitles appearing on screen. Average duration is 1.50 – 2 seconds for very short subtitles (one or two words) up to 6 seconds for longer subtitles.
3.Synchronisation – there must be a close correlation between film dialogue and the presence of subtitles on screen.
Dubbing is the translation and adjustment of dialogues – or better, adaptation – to the mouth movements of the actor (lip synchronization), which is also one of the major constraints of dubbing. Once I read that dubbing is like an illusion that the characters talk in the target language. The translation approach varies significantly from subtitling. For instance, the translator has to give as many indications as possible to the voice-over actor, such as:
1.Name of the character;
2Short/long pauses;
3.On-screen or off-screen dialogue – even within the same sentence.
