Instruction: WHAT IS AUDIO MIXING IN DUBBING

Response:
Audio mixing entails blending recorded audio tracks together to create a channel. Aspects of volume levels and frequencies are put into consideration. Mixing in dubbing is putting the recorded audio together, matching the music and effects to create a complete movie that is the same as the original. This process puts into consideration the aspect such as volume levels and frequencies.
It is a very important stage in dubbing. This is the ultimate stage that gives you a final feel of the dub.
STEPS TO FOLLOW TO GET A GOOD DUB MIX.
A good professional mixer will follow these steps to ensure that the end product of their mix is amazing. These are the premixing steps.
PREMIXING STEPS
1. WATCH THROUGH THE ENTIRE FILM THAT YOU ARE MIXING.
Watching the original film before you start your mix is very important because this will give you an overview of what the entire film is about and what you should expect in mixing. This will help you know the techniques you will use to attack your mix.
2. CLEANING AND LEVELING.
This part is so important. Files or audio tracks recorded in the studio may have some breath, cough, or unwanted talks in the middle of the recording. Cleaning will give you clear audios, just exactly what you want to use.
As you clean, you also level your audio to ensure all of them are on the same level or the level you would prefer to use. This will help you have a balanced volume of your audios.
3. MARKING YOUR SESSION.
This is a very important aspect of mixing. When a session has a marker, it helps the mixer know the important places where what is required. This gives the mixer an easy time when mixing.
What do you check when marking? When marking your session you check on where events are happening, the outdoor events since they need to have a different feel from the indoor ones. Mark if it the rooms, halls, fields, the phone effects, television scenes…. Etc.
Once you are done with your premixing steps you are now ready to start your mix. Mixing a dub is not very hard though one can make it hard if they do not follow the following steps well. There are various things to check when mixing a dub.
MIXING STEPS
When mixing your dub ensure you still recheck your sync and ensure it adheres to the standards of your client. Sync during mixing does not just focus only on the recorded audio, but the audio clips plus the music and effect. Ensure they are all in synch that is events asynchronous with the sound or the vice versa.The levels. Ensure your levels are well balanced. The music and effects should not overwhelm your dialogue. Ensure your effects are not too loud for your audiences' ears. As you know every client has his or her own requirements of loudness, ensure you are meeting their requirements… when mixing listen and don’t depend on the loudness plugin. If you listen, you will be able to make a faster correction compared to if you look at your loudness metering, this will end up making you a slave to your plugins and a poor mixer. You can however use them just to cross-check your work.Effects. Ensure you have captured all the effects as needed. This will give your mix a test. Imagine a person watching and one is on the other side of a call but sounds the same as the one on-screen. Sounds bad, doesn't it? Putting effects to the sound will give your mix a test that will draw your audience closer, and even like to watch more. It makes your dub appear real.
WORKING YOUR AUDIO IN MIXING FOR DUBBING
Working on your audio in dubbing is making your recorded audio sound exactly as they are recorded where the event was happening. This may be challenging if you don’t know what you need in the end. This is also very important as it makes your audio clear and clean.
1. EQUALIZING (EQ)
This is removing unwanted frequencies in your audio. Equalizing removes the roominess in your recorded audio. There are various plugins that you can use to Equalize your audio.
2. COMPRESSION
This helps to bring your audio levels clear and leveled. As much as compression is important, ensure that your audio is not so compressed since when you over-compress your audio may sound muffled.
3. REVERB
This is important to add some reverb in your mix since you don’t want your audio sound flat. In any normal conversation, there is some reverb in every place you are in. reverb is the depth of roominess in your location. This varies with the location where one is.
4. AUTOMATION
This now is ensuring every location of an event has it own sounding. Distance in your dialogue. This is changing reverb regarding distance.  This is to ensure when one is in a hole and one on the field will sound different. Audio automation is very important. It will give the listener the feel to know where the event is happening. This may take you a lot of time to figure this and don’t rush to finish since wrong automation may change the whole feel of the whole dub.
When automating ensure you check:
a). The distance.- varied distance may have a different reverb. This is to mean someone on a cliff talking to someone down the cliff there is an aspect of echo in the dialogue because of the distance created. Putting this into consideration will give your mix a good feel.
b). location.- As I early said the location of where the event is happening matters a lot. An action happening in the room or hall will a different reverb compared to one happening on the field. This is very easy since all this are available on the pro tools and even other audio plug-ins
5. ROUTING YOUR MIX
This is channeling your dialogue and your m&e. this is the path you want your mix to follow. It varies with one choice of desire. Wrong routing may not give you a successful ultimate product.
Channel your dialogue on one route first since they need to go through compression and other audio cleanings such as EQ. this is where you will channel your dialogue into the automation track which must be an aux track for automation. Every audio must be automated.Channel your music and effect differently. This is where you send your music and effects for limiting before sending it to a final track of mix where it is now combined with the dialogue to give you a mix dub.Create a receiving channel for both the music and effect and the dialogue. This is now where you can add your loudness metering to check your final loudness if you meet your clients' demands.
CHALLENGES FACED IN DUB MIXING
1. LIP SYNCING
This is so challenging for a re-recording mixer if the recording casts are not around. During mixing the effect of lip-syncing is tightened. When the sync is off, it may be so hard for the mixer to fix and forced to use the Time Compression Expansion (TCE) tools to stretch or condense dialogue which might sound so unrealistic for a listener conversant with sound.
The sync in mixing is not just on dialogue only but also on the effects. This is so challenging especially if the m&e is a bit off synch. Synch the effect may challenge to the mixer and time-consuming.
2. LEVELS
Levels are all in mixing. They determine the end product of your mix. Well-recorded levels give the mixer an easy time in mixing but low and distorted levels are hard and demanding to deal with. For low levels, once the gain is increased the mix picks the white noise of the studio and thus giving poor sound in mixing. The loud or distorted ones can't be corrected, thus wasting the mixer's time as re-recording is inevitable.
3. MIXED CHARACTERS ON SAME TRACK
This is very challenging for a mixer to EQ two or more voices on one track. The EQ may not be to the standard and thus challenging the mixer at some point or even causing him or her to manually create tracks for each individual and then EQ them differently to get the best sound.
4. TIME
Time is always a challenging factor for mixers. When a dub is to be submitted mixers may not get enough time to do their mix procedurally as required. This challenges them and for them to achieve all the steps they might be required to work over the required time. Mixers' time is so important to get the best end product in a dub.
NB:  mixing is not hard one only needs to know what your client expects from you and make it happen.
Video transcription jobs are not the easiest jobs in the world but I can say for sure they are fulfilling and you get to learn a thing or two from time to time. Transcriptionists are the individuals who work on different video files and convert them into text/written format. Transcription is an in-demand profession that offers multiple perks that most people would want in a career. Flexible working arrangements and good remuneration are some benefits of working as a transcriptionist.
Video transcription is the process where all forms of spoken words in a video are converted into a text format. It is important to note that during transcription, an accurate verbatim of all the dialogues and spoken words must be included in a transcribed transcript.
A transcriptionist is a professional typist who listens to recorded or live audio files and converts them into text formats. There are specific personality traits that, transcriptionists need to possess in order for them to succeed in a transcription career. Having the right equipment is a plus but these traits will ensure that you have longevity in your career and have clients who are recurrent.
You might notice that some of these traits cut across all other professions, but they also are very specific to transcriptionists where a lack of any would either make your career not as enjoyable and you might even end up quitting and jumping on another one.
Below I have outlined a list of 5 career-specific traits for transcriptionists.
1. Speed and Accuracy
If you have worked in post-production or any industry that involves working with films, you already know that it is a super-fast paced environment where the turnaround delivery is fast. Clients want to work with an individual aware of this and can deliver without compromising on the quality of the transcripts. You need to be a transcriber who is fast enough to work on different files and accurate enough to avoid any unnecessary mistakes that may come because of your speed in typing. Since transcribing deals with typing, you need to be a fast typist who has incredible speed per second of typing. If you are not good at typing or you are the person who presses one letter at a time, then I’m sorry but transcription is not the job for you.
I won’t even lie, being able to type fast and still avoid spelling mistakes is a skill and trait that must be developed over time and that is why speed and accuracy go hand in hand. Great transcriptionists have excellent language skills, can decipher colloquial accents, and understand grammatical and punctuation errors.
To better this skill and trait, you can take up typing classes and work on your accuracy as time goes by. Be sure to note that clients will not work with you on a recurrent basis if they notice that you can’t really deliver as per their specifications.
2. Excellent Research Skills
As a transcriptionist, in order for you to produce incredible and conclusive transcripts for your clients, you must have excellent research skills. Audios are not always audible and you might come across jargon words that are technical and the only thing that will save you in such a situation is your ability to research and get more information. You can’t be the person who takes up a job whose audio is quite messed up and all you do is constantly calling the client to complain that It is hard to hear certain words or sentences. Being a good transcriptionist with amazing research skills means that you will have to do your research and come up with a conclusive script that your client can appreciate because you know exactly what you are doing. In an instance where the accents are not clear you should be able to put your research skills in the use and try to find out what exactly the speaker had said. Understanding the basic terminologies of the industry and quickly researching the topic will help you minimize indiscernible gaps and ensure your final transcript accurately captures the verbatim.
It’s not an easy task but if you understand what you are doing and have the capacity and range to do it, nothing will hinder you from being a sort after transcriptionist. Clients will end up recommending your services to their friends and before you know it you are a transcriptionist household name.
3. Proper Punctuation
Transcribing an audio/video file is like writing a whole new transcript that does not exist. Just like in writing, you must have an excellent grasp of grammar and punctuation rules. Remember the audio does not come with instructions on where you should put a comma, a full stop, a semicolon, or any other punctuation marks. You must know where these punctuation marks go and they must be placed in places which make sense grammatically. It would be such catastrophic for you to transcribe files professionally knowing very well that you don’t even have the slightest idea on how punctuation marks are used.
Remember point number one where we mentioned something about accuracy? Proper punctuation and correct spelling fall under accuracy. You cannot be putting full stops in places where a statement is continuous, be sure to avoid long sentences by breaking them with commas where necessary. Also, be sure to add quotation marks in places where speakers are making statements in present tense. Make sure you understand the context of a speech before you decide on which punctuation marks to use. This will also save you a lot of time when proofreading your transcripts. Punctuation rules are the same across the board and being able to understand them and know where different types are used will make your transcribing career smooth sailing.
4. Self-Motivation
Self-motivation is one trait that keeps many people going even when they feel like they can’t keep on doing something. As a transcriptionist, you will always need this trait because it is very easy to throw in the towel and call it quits. Depending on what your working environment is, you might end up not meeting your targets and we all know if you don’t meet your targets then you will be on the wrong side of a client. As much as working as a transcriptionist means that you can work on your own schedule and still deliver on the client’s schedule, sometimes you will have to work overnight because the schedules are tight and you still have to deliver quality transcripts.
A lot of people who lack self-motivation might easily give up and lose on a great opportunity. When you are someone who is self-motivated, you will keep up with the work and even push yourself harder knowing very well that you will benefit in the long run. Discipline and self-motivation go hand in hand and one cannot exist without the other. When you have an agreement to deliver on something at a particular date and time then, discipline and motivation are the only things that will make sure that you stay true to your word. You will also meet a couple of challenges here and there and to overcome them you need to push yourself even harder.
5. Commitment and Confidentiality
Sometimes you will receive very high classified documents that your client wants you to work on and they should count on you to keep them confidential. Making sure that the information will not leak or form while ensuring that they are secure is very important in the transcription industry. You cannot be the person who works on a client’s documents and goes around telling other people how he or she is working with the said client and going into details about what they are doing for the client. For starters word will spread that you are that kind of person and clients wouldn’t want to work with you anymore.
If you don’t have the range to commit to a said project and remain confidential about it, then you will face legal repercussions from time to time. Clients want to work with someone who they will trust with their files and one who they are sure won’t go around letting out their secrets to the first person who gives them an ear. For example, legal and medical transcribers have to abide by strict privacy rules when transcribing content to protect both themselves and their clients. You must practice minding your business and not letting others in on other people’s businesses because that’s exactly how you practice confidentiality.
With that said, there very many other personality traits that would come in handy for any person who is trying to get their foot into the transcription industry. The ones I have mentioned above are the ones you should give first priority to because as I said they are the most important.
Have you ever wondered why businesses and individuals opt to add closed captions to their audio/ video files? Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore because in this article we will look at some of these reasons.
Closed captioning is the process of displaying texts on a television, video screen, or any other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information. They were developed specifically to aid hearing-impaired people when interacting with audio/video content. Below we will look at some benefits that closed captions bring in our day-to-day life.
1. Inclusivity & Accessibility for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing Viewers.
For most of the part, Film production companies did not have a way in which they could create films that would cater to every individual inclusive of the people with disabilities. As much as they had incredible film ideas, with good scene shots and sound, they always tried to make their films accessible to the Deaf community. Over time, they came up with Closed captions which worked really well and brought inclusivity for the deaf community. Closed captions were made possible because of transcriptionists and the service they offer which is transcription. Transcription is converting audio/video files into text or written format.
This process enabled film production houses to have their video files converted into written format and later on synchronized on the original film videos in order for the deaf community to interact with them easily. Simply the closed captions allow viewers to consume your content granting them access and simultaneously increasing your audience.
2. Better Comprehension
I find it quite easy to understand a video or an audio file that has closed captions than one that doesn’t. Human beings don’t sound the same when they speak and this is influenced by factors like speed, intonation, accent, mother tongue influence, and so-and-so forth. Trying to comprehend an audio file of a man with an Indian accent would be really hard for someone who is not an Indian and that is exactly where closed captions come into play. Research has shown that it is easy to interact with an audio/video file that has closed captions because it makes it easier for individuals to comprehend. It's more like a cognitive reinforcement on how the human brain works because when you read and listen at the same time, it makes it easier to grasp and remember the information.
3. Legal Compliance
As I mentioned on point number one, the deaf community had been sidelined for a long while and a law was passed to make sure that all service providers complied with ensuring that inclusivity for all people living with disability was paramount. People hard of hearing are in the workforce and in an educational setting which means making resources accessible to them should be as important as anything else. So, using closed captions will definitely make sure you are complying with a law which means you will not be on the wrong side of the law if push comes to shove. Many organizations have been sued for not including closed captions on their online content so will follow the law and do the right thing. Closed captioning standards for television and media broadcasts in the US are strictly regulated by the FCC.
Closed captioning requirements are written directly into Section 508, and are often applied to Section 504. Many states have “mini 508” laws as well. The Section 508 refresh was released in January 2017, and now references WCAG 2.0 guidelines as the accessibility standards to meet, which includes both captioning and audio description requirements.
4. Enhances the viewers' experience.
The use of closed captions has really enhanced viewer experience for viewers who are not Native speakers of the language in play. Depending on what language is being used in a film, it is very easy for a viewer to learn the language without necessarily having to take classes for it. It is very possible for a viewer to 100% understand a foreign language if they take it upon themselves to watch foreign films which have closed captions of languages they actually understand. A study by Michigan State University concluded that “captions are beneficial because they result in greater depth of processing by focusing attention, reinforce the acquisition of vocabulary through multiple modalities, and allow learners to determine meaning through the unpacking of language chunks.”
5. Flexible Viewing in Sound-Sensitive Environments
When audio/video files have closed captions, it makes it very easy for someone to interact with them when in a sound-sensitive environment. A good example would be, if you are in a library and you so happen not to have your headphones, any content that has closed captions will be really simple to interact with. You can simply mute the audio and enjoy the content through the closed captions. Captions will always be in place to convey the speech when the sound is obscured.
6. Increased SEO and Video Views
In a world where the world is a global village and everyone is trying to introduce their business to the internet world, we all know how important search engine optimization is. We are all quite aware that search engines cannot search audios or videos and that is why adding closed captions to your content will boost your SEO. Including a script on your video files will make it easier for search engines to peruse through your content, which will make indexing really easy and fast. An increase in search engine optimization will see an increase in video views which will later transform into either passive income for your online content or more sales for any products and services that you might be selling. Research has shown that videos with closed captions on YouTube receive way more views than those without.
7. Video Search and User Experience
I am sure everyone has experienced how hard it is to get information on a specific topic when searching on YouTube. This is because search engines can’t really crawl through videos and get information. What I simply mean is that video content that has no type of text is not as searchable as video content that has transcripts on them. When you include closed captions on your videos that are extensive and inclusive, it makes it easy for individuals to search for a particular kind of content and be directed to your video. Users are able to search for keywords where search engines pick them up and suggest different video files. If there is a particular spot in the video a user wants to jump to, all they have to do is click the word, and the video will start playing at that spot. You can also search for a specific word on a video by scanning the whole video library for the keyword using a playlist search. That seamless user experience boosts user experience and overall customer satisfaction.
8. Easy Creation of Derivative Content
When it comes to content creation, content creators have ways in which they can use one content to come up with derivative content from one specific video. One can use an already recorded audio or filmed video to create clips, reels, and montages. It would be really hard to know what clips you need to form an hour-long video without the aid of closed captions or any form of a transcript. To make this less daunting and tiresome, it is very important to include some form of a transcript on your audio/video files so that you can just search and get the scenes you want to use for your derivative content. These transcripts can later be turned into blog posts which will create some form of passive income for your business in the long run.
9. Easy Translation into Foreign Languages
Film production companies who deal with film dubbing, always have a need to translate their scripts into different languages in order to make the dubbing process possible. Imagine trying to translate a film that doesn’t have a script. It is very possible to do this but this process usually ends up being very long and tedious for translators. This is because they have to create the script by transcribing the video file and then translating it. Creating closed captions for your video files that you plan to dub into other languages is very important because it lessens the workload and the budget you have to set aside to have them transcribed and then translated. Video dubbing and translation are in high demand now more than ever because foreigners have access to content that they wouldn’t have access to had it not been for the internet. So be sure to include closed captions in order to make the translation a bit more pleasing and comfortable. Apart from helping your content reach a greater audience, translating your videos will also help boost your search engine optimization ratings. These are but some benefits that using closed captions on your audio/video files brings. When you start using them, you will start noticing more benefits that I haven’t mentioned but one thing I know for sure is that they will boost your business to the next level.
Translation is converting audio/text content from one language into another. The content might change from an audio format into a text format or a text format to a text format and lastly from audio to an audio format. Subtitling is the translation process that involves translating an audio format content into a text format content while Dubbing is translating one audio content into another audio content. The text to text translation is the common form of translation that many people know and are aware of.
With that said, it is also very important to know the two dominant types of translations we have out here. We have machine translators and human translators.
Machine translators - Normally referred to as MT, this is a sub-field of computational linguistics that investigates the use of software to translate text or speech from one language to another. They usually work by using computer software to translate a source language into a target language.  There are different types of machine translators namely, Statistical machine translation, Rule-based translation, Hybrid translation, and Neural translation. We will look further into these types in another article.
Human translators – Normally referred to as HT, these are individuals who take up translation works which entail translation audio or text content from one language to another.  They are the opposite of machine translators. This kind of translation relies purely on human intelligence and emotions to convert one way of saying things into another without changing the context of the original statement. It is the main form of translation that offers perfectly accurate translations. There are so many types of human translators that are divided across different fields. I will talk more about them in another article.
From the sound of it, people might conclude that text to text format translation is the easiest form of translation and that all you need to know is the source and target language. To some extent, it is true because all translators must have a solid understanding of the languages they are working with. A lot of clients prefer working with Native speakers because they at least understand how languages are affected by their cultural, linguistic, and technical aspects.
These three factors usually affect how a language is translated into another language. An example would be when a translator factors in the cultural aspect of the language they translate to, they avoid offending their target market by using words that mean a totally different thing when translated into another language and so on and so forth. You can only know this if you have a deep understanding of the languages you are working with as a translator.
Many people might think this is a natural flowing process but the truth of the matter is that it is not. Translators are usually faced with challenges from time to time. How a translator handles these challenges determines how good and professional they are. Translation is difficult, a lot of Common challenges in translation include knowing about a variety of features such as the language structure which differs between languages. For example, a simple English sentence has a subject, a verb, and an object, such as ‘She eats chicken.’ However, not all languages share this structure, so the Farsi language has the subject first, followed by a verb and then lastly the object. In Arabic, subject pronouns become a part of the verb. Because of these differences’ translators have to frequently add, rearrange, or remove words to communicate effectively in the targeted language.
Grammatical Challenges You Will Face As A Translator
Below we will look at some grammatical challenges translators go through.
1. The use of 2 Word Verbs
In the English language, the use of 2-word verbs is very common and acceptable. These words are commonly known as phrasal verbs, which are usually used to create emphasis in sentences. Now the reality of the matter is that this doesn’t apply to a lot of languages out there. When translators have to translate 2-word verbs which are also known as phrasal verbs from the English language into another language, it becomes hard because they then risk changing the context of a statement. Doing this requires a translator who understands how the grammar of their target language works to come up with perfect translations.
2. Expressions and Idioms
Idiomatic expressions are very common in the English language. These are expressions that are formed by the use of different grouped words which only make perfect sense when grouped. If you are a translator and translate idioms, word for word into another language then the meaning and context of how it was intended in the original content, will be distorted.  Also, it is important to note that certain expressions are used differently in different cultures and be sure to factor that when doing translations.  Imagine how hard it would be for a human translator to translate content that has a plethora of idioms and expressions and then further imagine how a machine translator would fair on when putting them head to head. A machine translator will be totally off and so it is not advisable to work with one on such an occasion. Anyone who is trying to localize a product by translating its characteristics into other languages needs to avoid the use of idioms as the message when translated may be distorted and even be offensive to other cultures.
3. Compound Words
Compound words are because of joining two words to create a new word. It is important to note that these words usually have a different meaning when presented individually and bring a new meaning when brought together. A good example of a compound word to illustrate that point is “cupboard”. The word cupboard is brought about by the two English words cup and board. A cup and a board mean two different things but when put together they bring on a new meaning. A translator who doesn’t understand this concept might end up translating those words individually which brings in a different meaning and context. Translators must always be ready to deal with such words head-on and that’s why being a Native speaker will come in handy in such a situation. When you are a Native speaker, you are aware of the common terms used in your language to mean a certain thing in another language. If these posses a challenge to a human translator, imagine how hard it would be a machine translator.
4. Words with Multiple Meanings
There are words that usually have different meanings and this depends on how they have been used in a statement or sentence. The English language is very vast and I would understand why this could be a challenge. Unlike other languages that may have words that mean a single thing, the English language has a plethora of words that usually have different meanings. Imagine being a translator and trying to translate a particular word from one language to another when you don’t really know which context the word has been used in. You can only be able to do translations for such words when you understand the context the words have been used in and then translate them into your target language. A good example of such a word is “Scale”. The word scale can mean a weighing scale and can also mean a fish scale. The only way to work around such a word is understanding the context in which it has been used and that is exactly why having a great understanding of both the source and target languages you are working with, is important.
5. Sarcasm is Difficult to Translate
When you translate sarcasm word-for-word then it loses its meaning completely. Sarcasm is not necessarily in the words being used but, in the emotion, and feeling the words used to evoke in someone. Sarcasm is a bitter, sharp, or cutting expression that typically means the complete opposite of any literal meaning. It becomes hard to translate a sarcastic comment made in one language into another language. This is because there is no one way in which a sarcastic statement might be received. It might be received as a sarcastic statement by one individual and a normal statement by another individual. Therefore, a sarcastic remark should not be lost in translation because it is very easy to misunderstand it. A publisher will try to eliminate sarcasm from a source text before it’s translated. This can’t always be done as the tone and style of the content may need to include the sarcasm to get the required message across. Therefore, translators usually opt to use expressions that bring out the same emotion or mood being set by a sarcastic statement in the source language into the target language. You should understand the intended emotion before translating it into the other language.
Linguistic Challenges You Will Face As A Translator
Everybody gets into this career, and sometimes they end giving up because, truth be told, it is not as easy as it is made out to be. You will come across translation jobs that need you to do a word-for-word translation, but you will also come across the ones that will need you to apply the cultural, linguistically, and technical aspects of your language pairs to come up with conclusive translations. All I’m saying is that you will meet challenges from time to time and you must be a translator ready to go above and beyond the challenges and come up with perfectly done translations.  Below are some linguistic challenges that you should be ready to face ones you got into the translation world
1. Humor
With the world being a global village, everything is now widely available through the internet and people can interact with different content across the seas and still understand it and enjoy it. One thing that is not easily understandable across the board is humor. You might wonder why I say this, but the reality of the matter is that one language’s humor will not be received the same way in another language. Have you ever interacted with an individual from another country who speaks a totally different language and every time they tell a joke you just don’t seem to understand it? That is usually affected by the cultural, linguistic, and technical aspects of specific languages.
This is why translating humor from one language to another is an extreme challenge that translators have to face now and then. What usually happens when humor is being translated from one language to another, is that the meaning usually gets lost in translation. The translated version might end up being totally off context and off meaning. Something might be funny in the English language and offensive in the French language and as a translator, you should avoid offending your target audience. It takes a lot of skill and confidence to do great humor translations and only the very best translators will pull it off well.
2. Language structure
Language structure is another very important issue that has to be looked into by translators before they work on a project. You might wonder why, but it is because the structure of a language determines how sentences are created and whether they make sense or not. I will tell you this for free the essence of creating translations is so that people from other countries and who speak different languages may enjoy the content you are sharing and understand it. There is no reason to waste time translating an entire website into another language and risk the complete translation not making sense or being completely off context.
Different languages have different language structures and this is something that all translators should know. You must be a linguist translator to know exactly how language structure affects content being translated from a language with a particular structure to another with a totally different structure. You don’t want to have your content translated in another language and risk it not making sense or having words that are totally jumbled up. When you are moving from one original language to a different, or even not so different, target language, it's difficult to not just translate the words. It's always important to know not just the language, but also how and why things are worded in certain ways.
3. Missing words


Instruction: If you are a linguist, you already know that there are words that would be available in one language and totally miss in another language. It doesn’t mean that the other language is not good or has a problem it just means that certain words are not translatable into their languages because they don’t exist.  A linguist is a professional who immerses themselves in the scientific study of different languages. Not all words are translatable into other languages and as a translator, know this and avoid forcing words to take up certain spaces and risk the translations not making sense. Have you ever realized that there are words in the English language that you can’t possibly translate into your Native language? That time the words make perfect sense according to the English language but you just can’t figure out what these words would be in your Native language

Context: Learning resources on media production, voice acting and audio-visual translation, dubbing, subtitling and transcriprion

Response:
It is a very normal phenomenal for translation and translators can tell you for sure how hard this usually is.  Imagine trying to translate a word that exists in the source language but doesn’t exist in the target language and remain in context and meaning. While most languages will have words and phrases for most things, there are always certain words and phrases that are just either different or missing entirely from target languages. Missing words don’t make translation difficult; it just makes it challenging for translators.
4. Multiple meanings
In the point above we have mentioned how challenging it is for translators to perfect translations for words that exist in a source language but don’t exist in a target language. Imagine the opposite where one word might have five different meanings and as a translator, you must know all these different meanings in order for you to come up with conclusive translations. This is something that is very common in most languages where you get certain words having multiple meanings. It is not a surprise per se, but it becomes a challenge for translators when they have to translate such words.
This doesn’t happen for all languages because others are straightforward. Languages like Japanese and English different in a large spectrum of linguistics, you will get a couple of such case scenarios. The only way for a translator to work around this challenge is for them to the kind to research on the different contexts in which certain words are used in different languages and how they might translate into other languages. Words in each of these languages (Japanese and English) can often have a double meaning. For example, in English, scales can either mean a part of a fish or a kitchen utensil, wherein Japan writing the kanji is not enough, because things can be written one way and said differently. Both are common issues in their languages, and each needs an expert at hand at all times to find effective and accurate workarounds.
5. Cultures
If you are taking up translation as a career, you should always be ready to study and extensive research on the cultural, linguistical, and technical aspects of the pair languages you are working with. This doesn’t just happen overnight, rather it is because of fully immersing yourself in the study and research of different languages, in order for you to understand them fully.
During translation, it is very easy to just do a word-for-word translation and ignore the cultural aspects of your target language. If they could, a lot of translators would because it would make translation easy and straight to the point. This is not possible though because ignoring the cultural aspect of a language might end up causing more damage than anything else. You might risk offending your target audience or even losing the original context of your content. The Arabic language is the most common because its cultural aspects differ totally from all other languages out there. Considering the fact that it is a language is because of two languages merging, it is important to be very keen when translating anything into it. The Arabic language cultural differences in spoken terms have leaked over repeatedly into regional variants of the written Arabic language, this means that anyone who is looking to translate it needs to make sure they are taking time to not only start translating but also working out who the original speaker was, where specifically they come from culturally, and then the same again for the speaker of the target language.
Translation is a really great career choice but you won’t miss these and many other challenges when you start on it. I won’t promise you a rosy ride but I can promise you a great career opportunity if you will go hard and make sure you are armed and ready to take on all the challenges you will definitely meet along the way. The only way to take on these challenges as a translator is to do a lot of research to ensure that you have knowledge of the language pairs you want to work with. It will not be easy but it is worth it.
Ever wondered what a transcription career would look like? Have you been sitting in your house during this pandemic and thinking of whether you can actually get a side hustle as a transcriptionist? These are questions that a lot of people ask themselves before they decide to take on any skill and make a career out of it. It is not easy to jump into a career that you know nothing about. It is also very daunting when you have to invest and get skills in a career that you are not certain of getting your investment back. Transcription is one of those careers that have been gaining popularity of late and every Tom, Dick, and Harry is deciding to try their hand on it. In this article, we will look at some things that you need to know before you make that big decision of getting yourself into this career. With this, you will be able to make a sound decision on whether the transcription career is one that you would love to focus on and how you can possibly make it work for you like the thousands of professional transcribers out there.


Instruction: Will I Like Transcription

Response:
It is very important to know whether you would love doing transcription work. We live in a society where people do all kinds of jobs just to get by and there is no passion put into what they do. I’m not trying to discourage anyone but there are certain careers that if taken on without the slightest of passion, then the result will not be good. Being a transcriber requires one to be discreet confidential and always be able to work with deadlines. If you are a person who doesn’t possess these personality traits, then I will let you know that this is not the best career choice for you.
You will be required to work on documents that are highly classified and if you can’t keep them confidential then your clients won’t trust you with more work. If you are someone who is willing to work discreetly with efficiency while hitting targets and beating deadlines and still coming up with conclusive and quality scripts, then you will do amazingly well in this career choice.


Instruction: What Skills Do I Need

Response:
If you are already a professional in a particular field, then you know that you must possess a certain number of skills before you can take on a job. Let no one lie to you you will work in any profession without a set of skills. The same applies to the transcription profession, you need to research and know what kinds of skills you need to be a good transcriber. Being a transcriber mostly involves one to type audio out and create a script from it. This means that you need to have top-level typing speed. The typing speed should be backed up with accuracy, efficiency, and the ability to always meet deadlines.
You should also possess some researching skills. From time to time, you will find yourself working on audio files from an industry you are not used to and find scenes that are inaudible or with distorted sounds. In such a scenario your research skills will help you research the jargon of that particular industry. You don’t want to be that transcriber who is constantly calling your client to make complaints. You should try your best to research before you think of calling your client. Your spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills should be finely honed. You should also be proficient in both phone and office etiquette.


Instruction: What Are The Pros And Cons Of Working From Home

Response:
More times than not, being a transcriber mean that you will work from home. Unless you are working for a service provider who would want you to work a 9 to 5 as a transcriber, you will most definitely be working from home. Before taking up a career as a transcriber you should know the pros and cons of working from home and weigh out which ones are more. Working from home means you will work in your own space at your own pace and according to your schedule. This is a perfect setup for someone who is efficient and diligent enough to hold themselves accountable.
Working from home allows you the freedom to take breaks as they are needed, allowing you to relax and return to work refreshed. This would only be a problem for someone who doesn’t know how to plan their time.  Be sure to take this into consideration.
Earning Potential
For some people earning potential would have been the first thing and for other people not so much. The reality though is that everyone wants to get paid for any kind of work they do. No one in the universe would work diligently on anything for free. When it comes to transcription the same is applicable. Depending on your level of expertise, you can expect to earn anywhere from $20 to $45 an hour as an at-home transcriptionist. You should note that you don’t start making such amounts immediately you get into this career. You must fast horn your craft and be good at what you do and then start asking for what you deserve.
Career Opportunities
Everyone wants to get into a career that will help them grow and not stay stagnantly in one position. Regardless of which career you choose to work in, be it medical, corporate, Public service, or any other type of career you should always look out for career opportunities. The good thing about a career as a transcriber is that you can choose to work in other industries and still benefit fully from it. You can decide to work in the Legal, medical, or corporate industries as a transcriber and this will definitely guarantee your career growth.
Becoming A Transcriptionist
There is a lot that goes into actually being a transcriber. It is not just a simple typing job and you should be aware of this simple fact. You need to sign up for a training program that will assist you in knowing all that goes into the making of a good professional transcriber. This training usually backs you up with a certificate if you perform well in your tests. Being a certified transcriptionist in your state will come in handy when you try looking for transcription jobs. You can go on YouTube and learn how to do transcription work but it won’t be enough proof of your skills when you are ready to start looking for jobs.


Instruction: Where Do I Look for a Job

Response: This is one of the most important points you should take into consideration before you decide to take on transcription as a job. There is nothing as disappointing as acquiring skills in a particular career, not knowing where to get a job to use them on. A lot of people do this mistake and I’m writing this so that you don’t end up doing the same mistake. Transcription jobs are not your traditional jobs where companies advertise vacancies on their websites and all you have to do is send in a copy of your curriculum vitae and resume, but the jobs are literary available everywhere and you should know where to search.  Search local listings. Provide your information to local professional groups, like the Chamber of Commerce. Ask professionals that you transcribe to refer other people to you. Word of mouth is the best advertising and it's free. Put your name on local job boards. Hand out business cards at professional offices. Introduce yourself to meetings and social events.


Instruction: How Do I Pay Taxes on a Home-Based Transcription Business

Response: If you choose to be a freelance transcriber then you should know that you will be responsible for paying your own taxes. Paying taxes is every citizen's civil right and to avoid being in bad terms with the government then you should make sure to pay your taxes diligently. You need to know how to do this and it is very simple really. It begins by you keeping a highly detailed record of your payments and making an arrangement on how you would like to pay your taxes. It can be on a quarterly, semi-annual or annual basis.


Instruction: What Equipment Will I Need

Response: Being a transcriptionist doesn’t require a lot of equipment. So, this wouldn’t be such a hassle as long as you have a good functioning computer with a working keyboard. You will need a recording system as well as a printer, and other office equipment. You will want a comfortable desk and chair that makes working long hours tolerable.


Instruction: Can Transcription Be a Side Job

Response:
Finally, if you already have a fulltime job and would love to work as a transcriptionist, you should try find out if you can work as a transcriber on part time basis. I’m glad to tell you that it is very possible to work on part time basis as a transcriptionist. The downside is that you won’t make as much money as you would working on a full-time basis.
Being a transcriber is a really good career choice if only you do your due diligence and get into it knowing all the important information you need.
Have you ever wondered if what you would miss out on when you constantly ignore foreign films and watch Hollywood Films? For the longest time, it was impossible to interact with foreign films and it was only possible for people who understood the foreign languages used in the films. Those days are long gone and because of the introduction of film subtitles, it is very easy to interact with foreign films and join in the fun. There very many reasons you should be watching foreign films with subtitles in 2020 if you are not doing so already. Below we will look at some reasons why you should be watching foreign films.
1. Imaginative
Am I the only person who always feels like normal films have become redundant?  These films have the same story-line from start to finish and they always have the same actors and actresses. In an action film movie, if you don’t find the lead actor being James Bond then it is very possible that you will find another famous actor as the lead. It gets boring and repetitive, to the extent that the audience doesn’t have that imaginative feeling that films are supposed to evoke. Watching foreign films will guarantee you this imaginative feel that we all go looking for when we watch films. Watching foreign films will take you on a roller coaster of imaginations on the ending of a film or on how character roles change from episode to episode. You should get out of your comfort Hollywood films and start embracing foreign films with subtitles and I promise you, you won’t regret it. You will even be surprised by how intriguing foreign films will be.
2. Discovery
Another reason you should watch foreign films is because of all the discoveries you will make. For the longest time, Hollywood movies have always been our go-to, and it reached a point where they stopped trying hard enough to write intriguing stories. For the longest time, they have opted to write repetitive story scripts that are not worth exploring and there is nothing new to discover from them. Watching foreign movies with subtitles will have you on a wanderlust journey of discovery. You will learn about the different cultures in different foreign movies. You will get to discover their way of life and also amazing monuments that you would love to visit if ever you visit those countries. After watching foreign films with subtitles for close to a year now, I have realized how these films give their cultures great importance and that is how I know you will definitely discover a thing or two about different foreign countries by watching their foreign films. Apart from discovering all these good things about these different foreign countries, watching foreign films will help you discover your likes with films and whatnot.
3. Language Learning
Are you taking up lessons in a foreign language? If yes, how are you finding the journey? Is it intriguing? Is it captivating? If your answer is yes, then there is something you do that is very right and you should not stop it. If your answer is no, then there is something that you are not doing, that you should take up. Learning a foreign language can be very daunting and annoying if you don’t have a prior engagement or understanding of that language. I took French lessons in high school and I can tell you for sure there is nothing I regret in my life like that. I ended up failing and 9 years later I can’t even account for all the lessons I took. Watching a foreign French film with subtitles would have made my experience a little enjoyable and exciting because that is what I do nowadays. You won’t believe how better my French Vocabulary has been since I started doing this. What I’m saying that, watching a foreign film in the language you are trying to learn will help you immensely. This is because you will experience how the language is used in it is entirely by observing the dialogues in the film. Depending on what language you are taking up, you will definitely enjoy the process more by watching foreign films in that language. Foreign movies give you a great opportunity to pick up language skills. Subtitles allow you to learn unfamiliar words, and listening to the dialogue helps you grow accustomed to the sound of the other language. It can also be useful to watch English-language films subtitled in a second language.
4. Inspiration
As I mentioned in point, number one a lot of Hollywood films are usually inspired by a lot of foreign films. If you thought Hollywood comes up with their film scripts, then I will have to burst your bubble because that is not the case. They are not as original as you thought. The remakes rarely add a new angle, so they are bound to seem derivative. If that is the case imagine how inspired you would be if you watched foreign movies instead of English movies. The thing with foreign films is the mere fact that they are an inspiration and if you are a person who is planning to get into the filmmaking industry, they will really come in handy in giving you great ideas.
5. Varied
Foreign films vary so much and the reality is that you will have a lot of genres to choose from. The thing with English language films is that they all vary in genre but there are only so many production companies and scriptwriters can do. You will find thriller, romance, drama, science fiction movies, and so-and-so forth. It is very easy to feel like you have various choices for your enjoyment but the reality is that you will be watching the same storylines time and again. It honestly will get boring for you. If you decide to venture into foreign films with subtitles then you will have a plethora of different kinds from the many possible foreign languages there are out there. Korean films will vary from Chinese films or French and Spanish films. This is because they all have different ways in which they story-tell and so you will be exposed to film ideas that are captivating and interesting because they vary from each other. I will tell you this for free, if you are the kind of person who is adventurous and love finding new films to watch, you will get variety in foreign films. There is so much to discover with foreign films.
6. Unusual
Foreign film production companies have this tendency of creating films that are not the norm. By this, I mean that they come up with film scripts that are not normal. I don’t mean that these films are abnormal, but they are unusual and very intriguing. For people watching these films from those countries, they might conclude that the films are boring and repetitive but for the rest of us, the films are usually really exotic and captivating. You see the same way we say that Hollywood films are not exciting and usually have repetitive storylines, is the same way foreigners find their films. I will be sure to let you know that they find Hollywood films as amazing as we would find their foreign films. It is very normal for people of a particular locale to dismiss something that is local and get mesmerized with something that is foreign because they find it unusual. So, if you're bored with the cookie-cutter movies produced in English, see what foreign cinema has to offer instead. There are so many amazing movies out there that we'd miss if we stuck to English.
7. Bolder Than Hollywood
Have you watched “Money Heist” or “Elite”? These are some trending foreign films of 2019/2020.  Maybe it is because I love me some Spanish movies but I can tell you for free, I have never watched a Hollywood film as brilliantly written as these two films and many more that I haven’t watched yet. Foreign films produce bold films that are exciting and captivating, while Hollywood is still playing safe with their films. It is 2020 and we all want to watch films that are all rounded. Films that are interesting, exciting, educative, inspiring, and any other thing that you might think of. Foreign films will offer you this, and more.
I believe after going through all these reasons, you are now ready to start watching foreign films and enjoy some benefits that come with it. There are a plethora of foreign films that you can start watching. Imagine all the possible films that you have been missing from all the countries in the world and then choose one that you would love to explore. I will promise you one thing, you will not regret and as you get deeper and deeper into them, you will thank me for putting you on to them.
If we could, we could all opt for in-house options as a way of dealing with some projects we have to carry out as cooperates or business owners but it is usually impossible to be a jack of all trades. This is the sole reason there are service providers who offer unique services at a cost. In this article, we will look at some benefits of outsourcing transcription services.
Transcription is the process of converting audio files into written transcripts. A lot of businesses usually need transcription services for easy data collection and keeping. Below are some benefits of outsourcing transcription service.
1. Free Time To Concentrate On Important Matters
Have you met people who are constantly doing everything and anything? Where do you think they get time to focus on any other thing that would be beneficial for their business or personal growth? It is impossible for such a person to get any free time to do anything else that would benefit them. The same concept applies to businesses who feel the need to carry out their transcription in-house, they end up using all their time dealing with something that they could easily get assistance in and spend the time they would have used to develop their business further. Outsourcing a service like transcription which can be really time-consuming will help you get free time to concentrate on other important matters that need your prowess.
2. Save Time
Transcription is a process that is really time-consuming and at times you might end up using so much time on a project that would take less time had you decided to outsource the services. A good example would be a cooperation that deals with a high number of audio files that they would love to transcribe into transcripts for easy data collection. If such a cooperation decided to do their transcription in-house, they will need to set aside a lot of time to do it to completion when they could simply hire a professional service provider who has professional transcriptionists who have the capacity and prowess to finish a project in a short time. Transcription service providers offer resources that a lot of cooperates would not have access to which would save them a lot of time.
3. Access To Experienced Staff
When you hear the words, professional service providers, you already know that you will have access to experienced staff who will be working on your projects. At a time when everyone is trying out their hand in the transcription career, it is very easy to get an inexperienced individual working on your projects without even knowing. This will end up with you receiving transcribed transcripts that are not per your company’s quality. Instead of risking all this, it is important to get a professional service provider who is certified and legit. They will guarantee you amazing transcription services that will end up boosting your business to greater heights. They can even match the transcriptionist knowledge to your subject so that you receive quality transcripts within a short period of time. If you decide to go the in-house route then be very ready for incomplete and imperfect transcripts.
4. Reduce Burden On HR
If you have been a Human Resource manager once in your life or know someone who is one, you might know how hard the process of recruiting new employees can be. Having to call for interviews, sift through resumes, and then take different potential employees through a couple of interview processes and eventually pick the best employee can be very daunting and stressful. You might conclude, well it is their job description and that they shouldn’t complain but let’s be real, transcription is not a common skill in normal office set up and there is no course that you can go and learn transcription. This makes it harder for human resource managers to find the best candidate for your in-house transcription works. Outsourcing these services from a professional service provider at an affordable cost will save your company a lot of resources going back and forth looking for the best transcriptionist.
5. Customer Support And Help
The biggest downside of handling any project in-house is the fact that you have to deal with any issues that might come up. Dealing with issues from all the other departments in your company is one thing now imagine having to deal with more issues from the transcription department. It can get really daunting at times and that is why when you outsource the transcription services you are guaranteed customer support and help. This means that any issue that arises during a transcription process will be dealt with promptly and easily and you are assured of quality and accurate transcripts.
6. Growth Strategy
For a lot of people outsourcing any kind of service is a way of taking money out of the company money pot into another, so they see it as a loss. Reality is that outsourcing professional services that you wouldn’t really be able to carry out in perfection and accuracy is an incredible benefit for your company. Be sure to choose a transcription service that prides itself in quality first, and has many years of experience. Leave the price as the third factor, because lower transcription rates will not necessarily translate to lower costs. Think of all the time you will lose cleaning up poorly transcribed material. If you think of it really hard, it is more of a company growth strategy than anything else.
7. Save Money
Imagine a scenario where you have spent at least a month doing in-house transcription for important audio files using transcriptionists who are not really professional, and they end up doing a bogus job. Further, imagine the money you had to spend to bring them in thinking they were the real deal and the money you used to pay them. All that will be money wasted which will be a loss for your company. Now you will have to outsource services from a professional and use more money on the same. You can avoid all these losses and save lots of money by hiring a professional service provider from inception.
8. Increase Ability To Handle Sudden Influx In Work
It is incredibly hard to deal with an influx of work when you're dealing with everything in-house. In a scenario where you have a specific level of work that needs to be carried out by internal transcriptionists every other week or month, then it is advisable to work with an in-house team. It becomes really complicated when you constantly have an influx of work to be done and the in-house team doesn’t have the capacity to handle it and accurately in that case. Outsourcing for these services will make it easy for you to deal with any sudden influx in work and in the most professional way possible.
10. Objectivity/ Impartiality
Transcripts produced by a specialist transcription service are likely to be viewed by a third party as more professional and impartial than those produced in-house. This is because an outsourced transcriptionist is less likely to be affected by listener bias (where a person subconsciously hears only what they want or expect to hear). Independent transcription is especially important in cases where the organization commissioning the transcription could be seen as having a subjective interest or benefit from certain content. Objectivity is particularly critical for certain industries such as the legal domain, however, it is invaluable to all organizations.
11. Expand Your Transcription Needs
Once you have a trusted service provider who has done absolutely best transcription work for your audio files and at an affordable rate, you can later expand your transcription needs. This can be viewed in two different ways. You can expand your transcription needs by increasing the number of audio files your business needs transcribing monthly to a higher number. You can also do this by introducing a new category of audio files that will need transcription. If before you were dealing with the communication department files, you can step it up and add the marketing department files. This is made possible because of the help you will get from service providers which means you won’t have to deal with all the work by yourself.
Audiovisual translation is a process that involves the translation of video files from one language to another. You might wonder why anyone would want to translate videos, instead of creating new videos from scratch for the other language. First, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are two dominant types of audio-visual translation and that is Dubbing and Subtitling.
Dubbing is the form of audio-visual translation that involves, translating the audio of a video from one language into another while Subtitling is an audio-visual form that involves translating the audio of a video into a text format. Both processes involve audio and translation. Therefore, we call them audiovisual translation methods.
A lot of content creators are now jumping on the wave of audio-visual translations and below we will glance at the two major benefits of audio-visual translation.
Global reach - With the world being a global village because of the internet, everybody has access to content that they wouldn’t have access to earlier on. A lot of businesses, content creators, and production companies have taken this and turned it into a benefit by creating inclusivity for their content. By translating their videos, they can reach different markets and get a profit from these foreign markets. They have to consider the cultural, linguistic, and technical aspects of their intended language but with this being taken care of, there is nothing stopping these content creators from experiencing global reach.Passive Income - Everyone is trying to make an extra coin at every turn. Show me someone who isn’t trying to and I will believe that the world is changing. Audio-visual translation is not a simple process and best believe that if anyone takes it up for their business, then they have an endgame. Most businesses are trying to make more money and get profits out of their businesses. Translating their content to reach a wider audience, guarantees them exactly that. If they can get passive income even better. It is all about numbers for these businesses and that is why they take audio-visual translation as important as they do.
Audio-visual translation is not a 123 kind of process, there are very many challenges that are faced and that is why we will look at some challenges of audio-visual translation for both dubbing and subtitling. These are challenges that you should consider before you shoot a film for translation.
1: Text expansion and Contraction
Subtitling: Text expansion and contraction are very vital for subtitling. As we mentioned above, subtitling is a process that involves translating an audio file into a text format that appears at the bottom of a screen. There are standard rules and guidelines that will guide you in creating subtitles. It is very important to expand your translated text in a scenario where it is too short compared to the original audio and contract it when it is longer compared to the original audio. This will allow you to create subtitles easy to read and the kinds that don’t go against the number of characters and lines that are needed for a single subtitle. Dubbing: When it comes to dubbing, expansion, and contraction of translated texts is very important. You can get away with a short text for subtitling but you can’t do the same for dubbing. The essence of dubbing is to create translations that perfectly synch with the original audio and failure to this, your dubbed film will be a total fail. You cannot have a translated text that needs a long time saying it out loud, compared to the original audio. In such a scenario, you must contract the translated text to make it fit the intended time when being read out loud. The vice versa also applies in a scenario where the translated text is shorter than the original audio.
2: Consider the target audience.
Subtitling: During subtitling, there are specific steps you must take to ensure that your audience is considered and that however, the translated audiovisual comes out, the audience will enjoy and appreciate it fully. The reason there are contraction and expansion of subtitle texts is for the mere reason of considering how fast and how slow some of your audience would be in following the subtitles. In a scenario where the text is too long, the audience will have a hard time keeping up with them. Be sure to also use easily understandable vocabulary for your audience. If it’s a children’s film, use child-friendly vocabulary. Anything you will consider your audience. Dubbing: When doing audio-visual translation for dubbing, consider your audience. How do you do this? We are all aware that different languages have different statements that mean something different. In some languages, certain statements might be offensive and vice versa. Therefore, it is important to consider the cultural, linguistic, and technical aspects of a language when translating. You do not want to offend your audience by using statements that would rather offend than educate them. Work with translators who are Native speakers to avoid this from happening. Always consider how your audience will receive your project.
3: Dialogue clashes can kill translation
Subtitling: Have you ever seen films where you have characters speaking over each other? Well, my answer is yes, and I have seen them one too many times. The challenge comes first when you are creating timestamps for the different scenes, for easier translation. You try as much as possible to fit the clashing dialogues but it ends up making your time stamps hard to work with. When translating such dialogues, you really need to be keen and find out, which character said what and vice versa. When creating a film scripts, it is very important to script it in a way that there will be no dialogue clashes because I will tell you this for free during translation for subtitling, this will be a big challenge. Dubbing: The same thing applies to dubbing. When trying to create a dubbing script for an audiovisual that has clashing dialogues, you will need to be very keen and specific. After you have your timestamps, trying to tell which character said what and when is another challenge you have to face. Now imagine trying to voice for a clashing dialogue, if the timestamps are not done correctly then it will be hard to create perfect synching for such scenes. It is important for scriptwriters to try as much as possible to avoid, creating scenes where dialogues have to clash when creating films that they will further translate.
4: Video translation can be distracting
Subtitling: The main reason films are subtitled, is so that the target audience can watch it and enjoy it. It is important to note that not all films can be subtitled. There are some films that can lose their intended meaning and context when subtitled and thus not being able to be perceived in the originally intended way. This usually happens if you don’t get the right translators for your subtitling processes. Not all translators are excellent translators and that is why strive to get professional translators for your films. Choosing the right form of audio-visual translation for a specific film also comes in handy. The whole translation process can distract the audience and that is why settle on the best one. Dubbing: When dubbing a film, there are a lot of things you have to consider before the entire process becomes a success. It is very important to know the nitty-gritty that goes into ensuring this. Depending on your intentions for dubbing the film, then you will conclude whether dubbing is the right form of audio-visual translation you want to use or not. You need to decide whether a dubbed film is more appealing to your audience or not, whether they will enjoy it or not and so many other questions. The sole reason you are translating your films is so it can appeal to your audience and at all times you should make sure that it will not distract your audience from the message you intend to pass to them.
Have you ever wondered what really makes a good transcript? For starters, a transcript is usually derived from audio through a process known as transcription. A transcript is the written form of an audio. In a nutshell, transcription is creating a transcript from any audio or video file. The process is usually carried out by a professional know as a transcriptionist or a transcriber. There are very many factors that determine whether a transcript comes out well-formulated or vice versa and that is exactly what we will look at today. We will look at some factors that determine the quality of a transcript and a further look at some ways in which one can create transcripts for their audio and video files.


Instruction: What Are The Factors That Determine The Quality Of A Transcript

Response: Good audio: Since the whole transcription process is because of an audio file, to get a formulated transcript, the audio must be of top quality. As someone who has worked in the transcription industry for a while, I can tell you you won’t always end up working with good quality audio and this will always affect the quality of the transcripts you formulate. You will get audio which has accents that you don’t understand, you will get audio that is distorted, you will also get audio that is inaudible. As much as this will affect the quality of your transcript, try your best to come up with conclusive transcripts. Clear, high-quality audio will definitely guarantee you a smooth transcription process which guarantees the client great quality transcripts. When you receive not so great quality audio, be sure to request your client to offer you one that has great quality to avoid a back and forth with them.  Multi-speaker labels and timecodes: When creating transcripts for audio that has more than one speaker, it is very important to label all your speakers. This will help in identifying who said what and also differentiate between the interview and interviewer in an interview kind of transcript. Imagine being cast for a film where there are more than 15 actors and being given a script that doesn’t have actor labels. This will make it hard for you to know which script scenes are yours and which ones are for your cast members. Now with the actor labels available, it will be very easy for all the cast members to know which script scenes belong to them. Another important point on the same is the time codes. A good transcript must have timecodes that show precisely what time a particular speaker spoke on audio and how long they spoke for. Time codes make it easy for someone to determine how long the dialogues are and where exactly to fall. Paragraph breaks: Going back to the grammar lessons we received in school years ago, it is usually advisable not to have super long paragraphs for any form of writing. Since a transcript is writing, it is important not to have long paragraphs, and that is why paragraph breaks are a thing. You will meet speakers who have long statements that don’t have full stops or commas and do your best to insert them in the best way possible. This will help you in breaking your paragraphs correctly. A transcript with paragraph breaks is easy to read through and also super neat to look at. The reason one of the personality traits of being a transcriptionist is great grammar and punctuation skills. You should be able to create transcripts that follow grammatical rules.Accurate spelling and grammar: You create transcripts from existing audio so it is very hard to ascertain where the spelling and grammatical errors are. Depending on the accents in your audio, it's hard to tell what is being used and you might come across statements that don’t make any grammatical sense. In such a scenario, as a transcriber, it is your duty to make sure that your transcripts don’t have the same mistakes. As a transcriber, you are the author of your transcripts and make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors. A great transcript is one that has great constructed sentences and statements that make full sense and also words that are error-free. The opposite of this is definitely a terrible transcript so be sure to note this. Details: Details are very important when creating transcripts. A lack of detail will make your transcript either conclusive or inconclusive. This is determined by the client you are working for. At times clients want you to create transcripts and remove all the filler words and do as requested. Other times clients want you to create transcripts and include all filler words. There are transcripts that will not make sense if the filler words are removed and there are some that would make sense without the filler words.  There are filler words that help in creating emphasis for statements being mentioned on audio and they should be included so as not to lose context. Things like interruptions, false starts, ums and ahs, can all affect the audio production and how you edit. So, if these are important for context, you’ll want a verbatim transcript.


Instruction: Ways In Which You Can Have Transcriptions Done

Response:
Now that you know the factors that affect the quality of a transcript, we will further look at the different ways in which you can have your transcriptions done:
In-House: Depending on the budget you are working with; you can always transcribe your own video files. It is very easy to do your own transcriptions considering the fact that there are a lot of free transcription software’s that you can use. You can get on YouTube and search for the easiest software to use and how to use it and you will be well on your way to a successful in-house transcription process.  In-house transcription can end up being inefficient for someone with large files to transcribe but very cost-effective for someone with a tiny project to work on and a lot of time before deadlines. Professional Transcriptionist: Many people prefer outsourcing their transcription services and rightly so. As much as you will have to set out a budget for this kind of transcription, you stand to gain fully from it. Big companies and cooperates are the ones who usually use professional transcriptionists because they have the financial muscle to see it through. With professional transcriptionists, you are guaranteed perfectly formulated transcripts that are grammatically correct and error-free. You are also paying for research services for your transcripts which means the transcribers will do vast research in order for them to come up with great transcripts for your audio files. If that is not enough, professional transcribers will ensure that you get your money’s worth. They ensure to proofread the transcripts before they hand them back in order to ensure that they are in perfect form. You have the option of working with a professional freelance transcriptionist or a service provider that offers transcriptionists for hire. Again, depending on your financial muscle, both are great options.Automatic Speech Recognition: This is another way in which you can create transcripts for your audio files. Normally known as (ASR) it is a software that helps in transforming your audio files into transcripts. As much as this is an easy option to take, it doesn’t guarantee you perfectly formulated transcripts. You will have to deal with grammatical and spelling errors because the software does not proofread the transcripts it formulates and so-and-so forth. This is an option that only works for files that are not professional or important. You cannot use this software to formulate transcripts for a court hearing or a medical audio file. Typically, ASR programs can yield an accuracy rating of 60 to 70%. But that’s still one out of three words wrong and the accuracy goes down dramatically as the number of words per sentence increases. It also has trouble dealing with background noise, multiple speakers, and any un-clear audio files. Human-based Transcription Service: These kinds of transcription services are greatly recommended, but they are usually on the higher price range compared to the automated ones. They are greatly sort after because they guarantee you accurately transcribed transcripts which are grammar and spelling error-free. There are very many of these in the industry, so doing your research and ensuring you get to work with one that will create great transcripts at an affordable price, is very important.
In conclusion, the process you choose to formulate transcripts for your audio files also determines the quality of transcripts you will get. All these points work together closely to determine great transcripts and if one is lacking, then your transcripts won’t be as perfect as expected.  It is very important to get a form of transcription that will guarantee you perfectly formulated transcripts.
A lot of business owners have this fascinating notion that getting three-quarters of their issues internally solved is way cheaper than having them outsourced. I have always felt that this is a flawed notion, and the opposite is actually true. Outsourcing certain services, is more often than not, more beneficial than solving them internally. In this article, we will look at why it is important to outsource translation work to professional translation service providers.
Translation has become a fundamental service, sought after by many businesses, especially in this era of globalization. It is the process that involves transforming written, audio, and video files from one language into another to offer inclusivity, to the different languages of the world. There are different ways in which one can get their translation needs satisfied, either by hiring translators to do translations internally or by outsourcing it to a translation service provider.
The difference between the two is clear. Hiring internally means you won’t be hiring professionals, but rather, people who claim to be good translators, only because they understand the target and source languages. Understanding these languages is great, however, it is not enough to make someone a professional translator. On the other hand, translation service providers work with professional translators, who are extensively skilled. They have many years of experience and know exactly what they are doing.
Benefits Of Outsourcing Your Translation Work
You stand to gain way more, by using a professional translation service provider for your translation needs, rather than opting for internal translators. Why should businesses work with professionals? It is for this exact reason; PROFESSIONALS GUARANTEE PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES FROM THEIR SERVICES. Your company is a professional entity and should always work directly with other business entities for any secondary services it needs.
It would be in terrible taste, for a multinational company to rely on bilingual employees, or individual translators, for its translation needs, and risk getting badly done translations. You can get the same services done perfectly, by a good translation service provider.  Therefore, using a professional service provider will guarantee you greater benefits.
We will now look at the importance, and benefits of outsourcing your translation services, to a professional translation service provider.
LOCALIZATION: Localization is the process of transforming a website or any other platform into another language while considering the cultural, linguistic, and technical aspects of that language. It is for this reason that it is imperative to use a professional translation service provider. They will offer top-notch localization for your company. For a while, people thought that translating their online content into another language without fully taking into consideration these three factors, was enough. Note that it is very easy to mess up and end up offending your target audience whenever you do a face-value translation. In localization, you ought to adapt everything to conform to the local culture of your target consumers. From language, design, colors, images, and other aspects. This is in order to conform, not only to the preferences of the consumer, but also to abide by the culture, laws, and regulations, of that foreign country. Professional service providers invest in native translators who are aware of all the factors that should be considered when translating, ensuring the perfect translation process.
VALUABLE MARKETING SOURCE: All business owners know that marketing is as important for a business as anything else that you might think of. Working with a professional service provider means that you are working with an entity that has the capacity to boost your business to greater heights. During their localization process, a professional service provider knows how to curate the localized content, to appeal more to the target audience. Since they use splendid native translators, they know exactly what the consumer would love to see, and how they would love the content presented. This will 100% help with marketing.
QUALITY TRANSLATORS FOR YOUR PROJECT: Professional service providers are companies that have been working in different industries for a while and they know the nitty-gritty that goes into coming up with the best services for their customers. When you work with a professional translation service provider, you are assured that top-notch translators will work on your project. These are translators who have years of experience under their belts, the kinds that will not disappoint you. Service providers make sure that they handle your project with high regard and the results are always pleasing and accurate.
CAN HANDLE BULK PROJECTS: If you are a company that constantly has lots of files that need to be translated, a professional translation service provider would be the best option to help you work on these files. They can handle bulk projects because of the number of translators they have. Hiring one or two translators to work internally is also an option, but it would take them almost a month to finish something a service provider can finish and hand in, in a week. This means you can meet your targets on time and won’t have to worry because the service provider will handle everything for your business.
AVAILABILITY OF A WORKFLOW PROCESS: Service providers usually have a strict and stringent workflow process. This means all professionals in the process know exactly what they are supposed to do and what is required of them. You won’t have to worry because your files are being handled by extremely professional people. Different professionals have different roles in the translation process. Some deal with editing after the translations have been done, and there are those who do proofreading to ensure that the translations have been perfectly done. There is a project manager who takes care of the entire project, ensuring that the quality and accuracy meet the standards set by the company, and are in accordance with the client's requirements. The project manager is the person you typically communicate with throughout the duration of the project.
SAVES YOU MONEY AND TIME: Have you ever wondered how much you would save if you didn’t have to pay internal translators a monthly salary, by paying a service provider a one-time fee for your translation services? Well, I can tell you for free that you will save a lot of money and time. Depending on the size of your organization you might roughly have 6 internal translators who still don’t offer the human resource to reach your monthly targets. This means you always have to carry forward your monthly targets. Deciding to hire a service provider will be more convenient, and you will always meet your targets, within the set deadlines as they will offer you the adequate workforce that will ensure this is done.
ACT AS A BRIDGE AMONG CULTURES: Professional translation companies usually hire translators who are native speakers. This means that translators understand the intricacies of the language and know how to deal with cultural and local aspects. Because they are native speakers, they have an in-depth knowledge of the culture and the language, which helps them to translate the content and deliver the exact message it wants to convey correctly.
NETWORKING AND BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS: When companies work together on certain projects, more times than not they always end up being business partners in new and proceeding ventures. A translation company with extensive experience in localization most likely has worked with companies that have entered the global arena, this can be an asset to you. It can help you expand to new markets and get valuable information that would help your business break through different markets.
COVERS ALL FACETS OF YOUR BUSINESS: Opting for a service provider means that you are collaborating with a professional entity that will take care of all the facets of your business. They will offer more than just localization. The translation company ensures that all your personal, and legal concerns pertaining to the translation work are catered to, professionally. For example, they will help to avert any impending copyright infringements, or plagiarism claims, in your translated content.
With that, it is clear why you should work with a professional translation service provider in your translation projects, and the many benefits you will experience by doing so. The only essential thing to do is to get a professional translation service provider who understands your needs and will offer you exactly that. It is very easy to end up with a translation service provider who will frustrate you, rather than assist you. Therefore, be sure to do thorough research, on the best translation service provider for your business, in order to fully enjoy these great benefits.
When you think of translation what really comes to your mind?


Instruction: Is it the language pairs


Instruction: Is it the source or target language


Instruction: Is it the translation technique that will be used


Instruction: Is it the translation method that will be used

Response:
I bet no one really asks themselves these kinds of questions unless you are the one Carrying out any form of translation. A translator is someone who helps in transforming content from one language into another language. The content might be in written, audio, or video form.
It is important to note that the methods used to translate these three formats vary from each other. You might do a word-for-word translation or you might do a literary translation. One thing you must note is that there are a lot of things that go into ensuring any kind of translation is done and done into perfection.
There are people who have this flawed notion that to be a translator, one only needs to know the target and source language and they will be perfect. Being a translator requires so much more than the mere understanding of a language.
I'll give you an example of myself, I speak French fairly well and I speak the English language fluently. This does not make me qualify to be an English to French translator or vice versa, this only means I know the languages and that’s all. For me to be qualified as a professional translator I must be able to offer translations that align with cultural, linguistical, and technical aspects of the languages I'm dealing with. This is the most important thing to factor in when trying to be a translator.
In this article, we will closely look into some things you have to consider when trying to translate a video for dubbing.