![]() Why can’t the software pick up the audio directly from the studio? Again, the technology is not advanced enough for that. You’re probably wondering why there’s a need for the middle man. And with a name like Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the results probably won’t be pretty! We prepare thoroughly for all output but it’s impossible to predict exactly what vocabulary we’re going to need. If there’s breaking news about the president of Turkmenistan and I’ve not entered it into my dictionary, the computer’s going to go with its best guess. Similar problems arise with tricky names and obscure vocabulary. If I didn’t, you could end up reading – ‘The finish athlete eight at a tie restaurant in soul’ instead of ‘The Finnish athlete ate at a Thai restaurant in Seoul’. Wherever possible, I use the software to create vocal commands which can get around these. Unfortunately, the English language is full of them. It particularly hates homophones – words of different meaning that sound the same. While the technology we use is impressive, it’s not quite as sophisticated as human language (yet!). I promise you that we subtitlers do know the difference between having ‘patience’ and ‘patients’. This accounts for the slight delay in the subtitles reaching your telly, and also for some of the mistakes you may notice. We also add in punctuation, move the subtitles’ position and change colours when there’s a new speaker. But the vast majority of us now use speech recognition software to repeat – ‘respeak’ – what’s being said on the TV in a computer-friendly, robotic voice to produce on-screen text. Some subtitles are produced by stenographers, who transcribe speech by writing in shorthand on a stenograph machine. Contrary to popular belief, live subtitling does not involve typing really fast. ![]() This is where voice recognition software comes in. Such a huge increase in subtitled output required the development of new technology. Sports channels like Sky Sports and ESPN have more live content, which means more real-time subtitling. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Red Bee Media now provides subtitles for 100% of programmes on both Channel 4 and the BBC. As a result of the 1990 Broadcasting Act, subtitling output increased on the BBC and in response to the growing demand from deaf and hard-of hearing audiences to see subtitles on network news programmes, the BBC set up a specialised live subtitling unit. In 1986, Blue Peter became the first programme with live subtitles. This also marked the first use of CEEFAX subtitles for the deaf in the world. Subtitling departments were established in the BBC in the early ‘80s, but the first BBC programme to carry subtitles aired back in 1979 – a documentary about deaf children called Quietly In Switzerland. I worked as an assistant in the subtitling and signing departments before becoming a fully-fledged subtitler. So on my return to London, when I saw a vacancy for a subtitling assistant, I didn’t think twice. I really enjoyed learning more about and interacting with the deaf community. It was amazing to see the classes being delivered in ASL. After graduating, I spent a year in Montreal and was offered a temporary admin role in a school for deaf and disabled children. I’d studied French and Spanish at university, and wanted to work with language in some way. My encounter with the world of subtitles was a happy accident. Anyone can apply, as long as they can prove they meet the requirements of the company.I have to confess – a career in subtitling was not a burning ambition of mine. Netflix periodically opens its online applications for professional subtitlers, depending on its needs. How do you become a subtitler for Netflix? However, subtitles still need to be aligned with the original text where possible, so that all of the information can be translated as accurately as possible. When it comes to documentaries, the narrator is off screen, so it is easier to modify the subtitles accompanying footage. Producing subtitles for documentaries varies slightly from subtitling for film and TV. Generating subtitles for foreign films and TV series is the most common career among subtitlers as this type of multimedia content is the most popular, and therefore the most produced. In addition, a subtitler can work remotely from anywhere and does not need access to a recording studio. Subtitling takes less time and resources than dubbing, so it is often preferred to dubbing. A degree in foreign languages or linguistic mediation is recommended, as is an understanding of the software required to create subtitles. Nowadays there is no specific course of study to become a subtitler. ![]() Working as a subtitle translator: what to study Of course, the more experienced a subtitler is, the higher their hourly rate will be. Subtitlers are freelancers, so they can agree on their own rate for each task.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |