Subtitling & Dubbing Services Pave the Way to Spread out Audiovisual Materials around the World
It is said that arts know no barriers. However, the cultural and linguistic barriers remain a great obstacle. You will never enjoy a film, a show or any other video without a proper, engaging translation. This does not only highlight the significant role of translation in distributing arts as well as informative, educational and entertaining audiovisual materials, but it also raises a substantial question: which means of translation is the most suitable to introduce audiovisual materials to a foreign audience.
The translation industry relies on two main methodologies to deal with audiovisual materials; namely subtitling and dubbing. Each of the two techniques has its own merits and challenges and it remains a matter of preference to choose any of them. It is important to first understand the difference between them. Subtitling is a means that depends on translating the script uttered in a given video or alike through successive small lines, concurrent with the original lines uttered. While dubbing is the process of replacing the original language in a given video with the native language of the foreign audience to which such materials are introduced.
Producers and even the audience disagree among themselves about the translation method they prefer. As previously stated, each of them has their good and challenging sides. For instance, subtitling is way less complicated process; it depends on translating the script “concisely” and then inserting the lines of translation using one of the subtitle editing tools. However, there are some aspects need to be deeply considered while using the subtitle technique. First, translation should not exceed a limited number of characters and in many cases the meaning is somehow compromised to meet this challenge. Second, the pace of the lines should be concurrent with the speaker yet they should not be too fast so that the reader gets the chance to read and understand the lines perfectly. It is a challenge indeed that only professional translators are up to.
Dubbing, on the other hand, is no less challenging. In fact, dubbing is a multi-step process in which the script is translated first and then native performers are casted and recruited to do the voice-over process. There are different styles of dubbing, including lowering the original voice and introduce the translated voice in a louder form and the lip-sync technique where the translated lines should perfectly match the mouth of the speaker. The first is usually used in the news and other journalistic purposes, while the other is used with films, TV shows, documentaries and other entertaining and educational materials. No doubt, the latter is the more challenging technique not only in the lip synching process, but also the translation process, where the translator has to bear in mind to keep the same sentence length and rhythm. Therefore, dubbing is more costly than subtitling; however, large numbers of the audience, specially the old ones, prefer dubbed materials since they can be easily attentive to their native language. This explains why many TV channels around the world tend to air dubbed films and shows nowadays.
When dealing with an audiovisual material, it is critical to keep it as engaging during the dubbing process. And here rises the importance of the voice-over process. In all cases, the recruited performer should be talented with the perfect pronunciation and intonation. The nature of the materials should also be taken into consideration while recruiting the performer. For instance, if a video is about a sad event, it is necessary to choose a performer with a serious voice, while if a video is about a full-of-action competition, it is preferred to choose a performer with an enthusiastic spirit. In a nutshell, the audience should enjoy the incidents exactly as if they are watching the original ones.
We live in a digital fast-paced world that largely relies on visuals. In such a world, subtitling, dubbing, and voice-over services are irreplaceable. However, good results cannot be achieved without seeking the help of truly qualified professionals. Pick the right service provider and let your audience enjoy all genres of audiovisual materials with the perfect subtitling or dubbing services.