Instruction: What is Voice Over Recording in Film-Making

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

Response: Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice that is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, film-making, theater, or other presentations.


Instruction: What Is The Difference Between Voice-Over And Dubbing

Response: Voice-over should not be confused with the process of replacing dialogue with a translated version, which is called dubbing or re-voicing. It constitutes an additional soundtrack to the original.  Voice-over is mostly narrative in nature, does not lip-synch and does not transmit the tonality and overall richness of what is being said in the original footage. It works best for shorter segments of content, such as footage from in-the-field reporting, or conference proceedings, and it risks becoming distracting for longer-form content.Voice-over is frequently utilized in news-related segments, digital learning or documentary clips where translation is the primary objective. It has less emphasis on the nuance of tone and emotive content.


Instruction: Who is a Voice-over Artist

Response: A voice-over talent is responsible for recording the off-camera narration or dialogue that accompanies many video productions. Voice-over artists read scripts out loud in order to create an overlaying recording that will provide the video's audience with additional information that is not revealed through the visual shots.  The specific role of a voice-over recording varies depending on the type of video it accompanies. In infomercials, commercials and promotional videos, voice-overs can be used to provide additional information on or create excitement about a product or service. Television shows and movies often employ voice-over artists to narrate important plot elements, while documentaries and news broadcasts can use voice-over talent to add commentary and context to video and images. The key requirements for successful voice-over talent are a good speaking voice and the ability to read a script with the appropriate tone, emotion, clarity, and enunciation.


Instruction: What Is The Voiceover Recording Process

Response: Voice over typically entails the actor, or artist, recording in a studio while reading from the script. The artist must study the script beforehand to perfect their tone, voice, and emotion to ultimately match the production—which can be a brand’s tone or a character’s personality. Timing is also a major consideration, in video or animation productions, as the voice-over recording must match up with the accompanying video, whether that be commercials, documentaries, or the movements of characters. While much of the work is performed by the audio engineers, the voice over artists themselves are also an important piece.


Instruction: What Are The Attributes Of A Good Voice Over Artist

Response:
Voice over artists, no matter their area of expertise, are highly trained within voice acting, and quite often are also trained actors. Before anyone can become a professional and successful voice artist, they must learn proper techniques, perfect their voice, and know how to act. A professional voice-over artist has the ability to read a script, consider the required voice and tone, and project exactly that.Enunciation is the manner of pronouncing words correctly and clearly. This is very crucial as it can make or break the entire recording project. A great voice actor should be able to pronounce all the words correctly and to enunciate them in a clear and confident manner.While voice artistry is something that any talent can develop over time, a certain natural articulateness is always an advantage. This quality comes from being a native speaker of a specific language and also stems from years of experience. Working with a naturally articulate narrator means it won’t take long for him or her to master the script and deliver the lines clearly and interestingly.Pacing is another ability to look out for in a voice artist. A narrator who has perfect pronunciation and enunciation will still fail at his performance without proper pacing. By employing the right rhythm and tempo during voice-overs, the talent will be able to bring the needed personality and creativity into the entire narration.
Complete article on [the qualities of a good voice over artist...]


Instruction: What Is The Importance Of Voice-Over Recording To The Film-Maker

Response:
Filmmakers use voice-overs to provide quick exposition, tell stories, narrate, and provide an intimate look into the mind of a character. Without the use of the voice-over, the filmmaker would be hard-pressed to establish such a direct connection between the audience and the film. To clearly convey information to the audience. The information presented through the voice-over should supplement the information being presented on the screen. A skillfully executed narration “occurs adjacent to the story” rather than in opposition to it.The inclusion of a voice-over allows a filmmaker to efficiently provide information to the audience in a way that is easy to understand.  Providing visual aids to accompany the voice-over basically helps the audience to better envision the action as it takes place.Documentaries often use a voice-over to provide the viewer with relevant information through the film’s soundtrack. Often, they are also paired with important visual aids (ie, battle footage, photographs, or images of artifacts relevant to the subject matter).Voiceovers provide filmmakers with a range of abilities in storytelling that they otherwise would not have. The real power of a voice-over is its ability to communicate directly with the audience. Because there are so few tools available to the filmmaker that allows him to speak directly to the audience, the voice over is an invaluable asset to anyone who wants to establish a direct connection with the audience.
What Are Some Examples Of Voice-over Recording Methods
Off-Screen Voice-Over / Off-Screen Narration
Off-screen voice-over is the most cost-effective video translation solution because, as its name indicates, it doesn't require synchronizing to any speakers on-screen. It is used when the character is in the scene location, but not currently on screen.  In fact, it's often called off-screen narration, since the voice-over generally narrates or acts as a counterpoint to the image, as in marketing or instructional videos. Translations don't have to be edited match any on-screen vocalizations, therefore they can be much more accurate.Because off-screen voice-over does not have to synchronize with any speakers, it's less labor-intensive than any other kind of voice-over for video.
UN-Style Voice Over
UN-style voice-over is often used for interviews or for someone who is recognizable, mainly because this option does not replace the speaker's sounds, but records over it. In the beginning, you hear the speaker's voice and as it lowers in volume, the target translation voice will crescendo so that the viewer comprehends and relates to the genuine voice. It is critical that the sync points are timed perfectly at the start of the dialogue, which lowers the degree of difficulty to sync. In UN-style voice-over cases, you need no more than one male and one female talent to speak for all speakers in your video.
Dialogue Replacement
It is used when you have eLearning, corporate, or informational videos, where content accuracy is paramount, but where lip-sync isn’t critical. It entails muting the voices in your video and replacing it with the target language. It is a higher level of difficulty because the voice talent has to work to match the voices with the original language. Ultimately, the sound will match closely, but will not be a full lip-sync. For this option, you would need one talent per each speaker in the video.  It really is critical to note that dialogue replacement is not lip-synched. More importantly, no lip movements are synchronized.
In-studio Interpretation
This is a very different option because there is no script involved in the session. Rather, a professional interpreter records a simultaneous interpretation while watching the English-language source content, and then the studio engineer mixes it to picture. This is a good option for projects that have large amounts of content, like for example suites of webinars (especially ones that have lots of pauses, starts, and stops, or even conversational spots).
What Is The Impact Of A Good Voice Over On The Audience
Emotion and Human Touch.  Only a professional voice talent can make you feel happiness, compassion or excitement over a video. The voice sets the particular mood of the video and adds a human touch to the story. Other options (such as software-generated voice-overs) are a no go. Besides, professional voice actors know exactly how to add the right highs-and-lows, pauses, and flow to the story, so they’ll always lead emotions the right way.  Credibility.  Potential customers have to trust in the voice talent explanation. Then a native voice-over (of the same Country of the target audience) is the right choice to make them feel more comfortable and receptive to the message.  Personality. Dull and monotone voices can’t represent any brand the right way, because they tend to push people away instead of growing confidence and identification within them. A professional voice talent adds a strong personality and makes your video stand out every single time.
Conclusion
Voice-over translation is an important aspect of sharing information with audiences around the globe. Depending on the original video, different styles of voice-over translation may be utilized. No matter which technique is used, voice-over translation offers clear benefits. In addition to presenting information in a manner that is much clearer and more authentic, voice-over translation can also ensure that mood, tone, and other indirect messages are preserved.The key requirements for successful voice-over talent are a good speaking voice and the ability to read a script with the appropriate tone, emotion, clarity, and enunciation.


Instruction: What is Subtitling in Film-Making

Response: Subtitling is the process of translating the spoken dialogue into written text on the screen. It is a type of audiovisual translation, with its own set of rules and guidelines.


Instruction: What Are The Most Common Universal Specifications, Of A Good Subtitle

Response: Ideally, a subtitle should have a minimum duration of a second and a maximum duration of 6 or 7 seconds on screen. The subtitles should appear as the characters start speaking and should disappear when they stop so that they are synchronized with the audio.Subtitles should be attuned with the audio, in such a way that they sound natural and fluent, so much so that the viewer is undisturbed by the subtitles and almost unaware that they are even reading. Montreal says, “The eye reads slower than the ear hears”; so while translating, the subtitler must condense the dialogue spoken on screen.The space which we have in our translation is limited to 2 lines of subtitles which are usually placed and generally centered at the bottom of the screen.  Each line cannot contain more than 35 characters (i.e. any letter, symbol or space). The subtitle (formed by 2 lines) can have up to 70 characters.  In terms of the limits of time, a subtitle has a minimum duration of a second and a maximum duration of 6 seconds on screen. But, there is a direct relationship between the duration of a subtitle and the number of characters that it can contain so that it can be read.  These parameters are based on an average reading speed. We cannot read the same amount of text if we have 6 seconds or less. It is estimated that the current average reading speed is 3 words a second. So to read a complete subtitle of 2 lines and 70 characters, we will need at least 4 seconds, which house some 12 words. If we have less time, we must calculate fewer characters.


Instruction: What Standards Should Good Subtitles Meet

Response:
They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added information to help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing to follow the dialog or people who cannot understand the spoken dialogue or who have accent recognition problems.    Good subtitles convey to the viewer as much of the experience of watching with sound as possible. The text needs to be readable, match the dialogue as closely as possible, be well-timed and not obscure important parts of the video. Achieving all of this at the same time isn't always possible, so the subtitler needs to make an editorial decision about the best balance. Here are some things to consider:
Choosing the best font-style for subtitles:
When choosing the font subtitles, pick a color other than white, and use an outline. Subtitles are traditionally black or white, but this is just because films used to be black and white. There's no real reason that they can't be a different color, preferably one that stands out or is uncommon in nature, like yellow
For choosing the best font for subtitles, I'd like to recommend using:
Helvetica: it has distinct vertical and horizontal lines you can use against the background.Arial: this subtitle font is very popular nowadays, and it is the forefront of our lives.Verdana: it looks clean on film or video.


Instruction: What Is The Technical Process Of Subtitling

Response:
Subtitles may be provided in the source language of the video only, or in one or several other languages, together with time-codes indicating the exact time at which a subtitle appears and how long it remains on screen. The process of subtitling consists of the following phases:
Spotting: The process of defining the in and out times of individual subtitles so that they are synchronized with the audio, and adhere to the minimum and maximum duration times, taking the shot changes into consideration.Translation: Translating from the source language, localizing and adapting it while accommodating the characters permitted according to the criteria.Correction: sentence structure, comprehension and overall flow of dialogue. The text must be a natural text, which flows with the same punctuation, spelling rules, and language conventions. The subtitles must be split so that the viewers can easily understand them. Above all, they must not distract the viewer. Some of the basic principle criteria are punctuation, line breaks, hyphens, ellipsis, and italics.Simulation: After spotting, translation, and correction, the film must be reviewed in a simulation session: screening with the subtitles on the video screen just as they will appear on the final product. Modifications of text and timing can be made during the simulation.


Instruction: What Is The Importance Of Subtitling In Film

Response: SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of hearing) is vital for people who are deaf and struggle with hearing. Subtitles provide them with access to important information as well as means of entertainment.Subtitles are used for movies and TV shows so that a wider audience can appreciate and enjoy them. Viewers can understand the dialogue and relate to it better in their own language.Sometimes, a movie or TV show may have some dialogue in a foreign language. Subtitling such movies can help the viewer understand the context better.


Instruction: What Are Some Examples Of Subtitle Script Types

Response:
SubRip
The most common and basic of all subtitle formats is the SubRip caption format also referred to as the .srt caption format. Most online video sites accept .srt captions including and not limited to YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, etc. Here is an example of a .srt caption file.
WebVTT
WebVTT captions or .vtt caption format is recommended on Vimeo and for most HTML 5 players. WebVTT captions are similar to .srt captions with only minor differences. The captions have to start with an introductory line - WEBVTT.
Scenarist Closed Captions
The Scenarist Closed Captions normally abbreviated as .scc is another common format. It is a recommended caption format for Amazon Direct, a new video service from Amazon. .scc caption formats are also used for DVD. Below is a screenshot sample of this caption format.
Timed Text Markup Language
TTML. TTML stands for Timed Text Markup Language. It's a general-purpose format for describing how the text changes with time. It's based on XML and is a bit like HTML.
STL
STL. A widely used legacy format designed for broadcast. It's a binary format so not easily editable by a human. It has limited styling and positioning options
Internet Media Subtitles and Captions
IMSC.  IMSC stands for Internet Media Subtitles and Captions. It's a profile (subset) of TTML specifically for subtitles and is being adopted worldwide.


Instruction: What Is The Process Of Creation, Delivery, And Display Of Finished Subtitles

Response:
The finished subtitle file is used to add the subtitles to the picture, either: directly into the picture (open subtitles); embedded in the vertical interval and later superimposed on the picture by the end-user with the help of an external decoder or a decoder built into the TV, or converted (rendered) to tiff or BMP graphics that are later superimposed on the picture by the end user's equipment. Subtitles can also be created by individuals using freely available subtitle-creation software.Some programs and online software allow automatic captions, mainly using speech-to-text features. For example, on YouTube, automatic captions are available in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. If automatic captions are available for the language, they will automatically be published on the video.
Some Important Points To Note About Subtitling
It is important to understand that subtitling is not related to closed captioning, which is the text of a video aimed toward the audience of the deaf and hard of hearing. Closed Captioning is more specific in nature than subtitling because it includes references as to who is speaking and relevant sounds such as a doorbell, dog barking, or music being played. These are generally displayed in a black box near the bottom of the screen appearing a second or two after the spoken words. In contrast, subtitles are targeted toward individuals who can hear but may not be able to understand what is being said, either because the dialogue is garbled and unable to be understood, contains a dialogue in a foreign language, or is being targeted toward a foreign audience. For all of these reasons, it is of vital importance that the transcription and/or the translation be precise and accurate. Otherwise, the subtitles will not properly reflect the dialogue of the video, and the message that the video is trying to convey will not be understood by the target audience. Notably. Subtitles, as the name suggests, are usually placed at the bottom of the screen. Captions, on the other hand, may be placed in different locations on the screen in order to make clear to the audience who is speaking. This is especially useful for deaf individuals who can’t rely on voice distinctions to pinpoint the speaker. Subtitles and captions have some of the same hurdles to overcome, such as the vocabulary and reading skills of the target audience (see challenges faced during subtitling).
That said, the primary goal of captions and subtitles is expanding audiences. By adding appropriate subtitles or captions to a company’s YouTube channel, for instance, audiences that would otherwise not be able to fully comprehend the videos, whether because of a linguistic barrier or hearing impairment, can then enjoy them. This means a larger audience — and better business. For example, foreign language films that include subtitles in multiple languages have been able to break into global markets, and top foreign films sometimes achieve high honors in Hollywood. Without subtitles, such films would have had great difficulty gaining such vast popularity (and making so much money!). By expanding the audience, subtitles and captions can boost business while opening up new cultural horizons to a greater number of people.
Subtitling is the process of translating the spoken dialogue into written text on the screen. It is a type of audiovisual translation, with its own set of rules and guidelines.
The process of subtitling consists of 4 major phases. These are Spotting, Translation, Correction and Simulation.
The most common and subtitle formats include  SubRip, WebVTT, Scenarist Closed Captions, Timed Text Markup Language (TTML), STL and Internet Media Subtitles and Captions ( IMSC).
SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of hearing) are vital for people who are deaf and struggle with hearing. Subtitles provide them with access to important information as well as means of entertainment.


Instruction: What Is The Definition Of Audio-Visual Transcription

Response:
Transcription involves listening to a recording of something and putting it into writing.
Film transcription is particularly useful for subtitling purposes. Subtitles are an essential part of making your films accessible to wider audiences, such as those who are deaf or hard of hearing. They can also be used to help people who are in the process of learning a foreign language. Having a transcript to accompany your film means that you can easily document and archive the contents of your film for future reference. This can be especially useful if you are making a factual film or documentary.


Instruction: What Does A Transcriptionist Do

Response: A transcriber requires the skill of literacy. Because there is the opportunity for just about any word in a given language to be used during the course of a meeting or session that will require transcription, the transcriber must have the ability to transcribe what is heard accurately. This includes understanding colloquialisms that may be employed by various speakers, being able to use punctuation in such a way that the inflection of the speakers are captured as much as possible, and being able to record the dialogue exactly as it occurred.


Instruction: What is the importance of transcribing videos & documentary films

Response:
Whether your video is for your own
personal audience or being produced for a distributor, there are a ton of
reasons to have your video content transcribed and translated:
Promotes wider reach and accessibility. In the absence of fully-translated video content (which is costly and time-consuming), transcribing and translating the subtitles can act as a perfect interpreter for those speaking different languages. Additionally, viewers who are either deaf or hard of hearing can benefit from having accurate closed captions that they can read from and follow along with as the video is playing. Aids more clear and concise recall. Transforming voice from a video into actual text allows you to reap the benefits of having ALL of the original information well within reach. With a full video transcript, every bit of fieldwork or key interview quote will always have the full context in which it was provided, so you don’t have to worry about the fuss of pulling sound bites and piecing them with the right part of the video or film. It provides easier fact-checking (and re-checking). Hand-in-hand with aiding in a more simple recall of information, transcribing and translating a video or film makes it miles easier to check the accuracy of every statement made. With every piece of information available digitally, fact-checkers can read through the “script” and triple-check every part of the narration, interviews, and conclusions for total accuracy. Makes content more available to consume. Closed captions to your videos, people (and potential customers!) can watch your video content anywhere, even in situations where audio isn’t ideal, like standing on a busy street or commuting on the train. Wherever sound is obscured, closed captions are able to share the speech that is happening. SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Without some help, Search engines can't tell much about your video aside from the title and tags that you provide when you upload it. By having your video transcribed and captioned, then uploading that transcript and closed caption to Video Sites, you're giving Search engines specific information about the content of your video. When someone searches for a phrase mentioned in the video, Search engines will be able to include your video in the search results, and may even start the video playing at the point where that search phrase is used by analyzing your time-coded captions.
Complete article on [why you should transcribe your audio and video
...]


Instruction: What is the process of writing a transcript for video or audio

Response: Listen to the recording. Listen to the recording once through before you begin transcribing. This can refresh your memory about the content of the recording, understand the flow of the conversation, and identify all of the voices on the recording. You can also compare the recording to the notes that you previously took.Change the speed of the audio recording if necessary. Audio can be slowed down, stopped, and paused so that you can better understand the recording. Consider purchasing a foot pedal that will allow you to stop and start the recording with your feet. This will free up your hands and make the transcribing process quicker.Transcribe every single word. Transcriptions should be exactly the same as the recording. Do not add any words and do not omit any words with the exception of "ums" and "uhs."" Do not correct grammatical errors in your transcript either.Identify nonverbal communication. Conversations are filled with more than words. People often laugh, sigh, etc. during conversations. If someone laughs after they say something, put ""[laughing]"" after what he or she said. For example, "My dog is so funny. [laughing]"" is appropriate.Indicate pauses in the conversation. Conversations have ebbs and flows. Your transcript should reflect this. If someone pauses after he or she has said something, include this in your transcript using either ellipses or the word "pause."" For example, "My mother has been sick...it's been so hard on me."" or "My mother has been sick [pause] it's been so hard on me.Proofread the transcript. Use a dictionary or spell check on a computer to make sure everything has been spelled correctly. However, be sure not to edit the transcript for other errors, such as improper word usage or grammar. The transcript should reflect the exact language used in the proceeding.


Instruction: What are the types of audio-visual transcription

Response: The first kind is the verbatim transcription. This type of transcription is the most difficult, complicated and time-consuming. It is also the most expensive type of transcription because it involves ensuring that each spoken word, every laugh, every emotion, background noise, mumbled or garbled sentences or words is transcribed in the written format. In short, the written format of a verbatim transcription must be an exact replica of the audio or video file as recorded. It is of the utmost importance the transcriber pays very close attention to all of the sounds in the audio or video file. This includes the emotions expressed, the spoken words, the mumbled, garbled or half-sentences in the audio or video file, (which may or may not be grammatically correct), and where the transcriber is unable to understand what the speaker is saying or is not 100% sure. This type of transcription is most often used for legal proceedings or movies, films, videos, commercials, etc.The second type of transcription is edited transcriptions. Edited transcriptions are when the transcriber can omit parts of the audio or video file, so long as the meaning of the recording does not change. This type of transcription is also quite time-consuming because the transcriber must be able to differentiate between what is important and what is not important in the audio or video file. Edited transcriptions require the transcriber to understand the meaning and purpose of the audio or video file and basically, clean up the clutter, while still retaining the integrity of the audio or video file. These types of transcriptions are generally used for speeches, conferences, seminars, classes, etc.The third type of transcription is intelligent transcription. These transcriptions do not need to include the emotions, half-sentences, mumbled or garbled speech in the written format. The end result of this transcription is that it is straightforward, and the final written product reads intelligently. This transcription actually costs more and takes more time due to the “intelligent” nature of the transcription. It requires a more highly qualified, trained and experienced transcriber to do this kind of work because they need to have a complete understanding of what the speaker is trying to convey. It is a lot more about editing and less about the transcription itself.


Instruction: What is the future of film and audio transcription

Response:
With the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI),  you can automatically generate speech-to-text transcripts of videos. This technology will apply powerful neural network models to the videos using cloud technologies to get the best possible speech recognition results. The technology would support translating videos in almost any language. You will be able to get better results from your speech transcription by specifying the source of the audio. This allows Cloud Speech-to-Text to process your audio files using a machine learning model trained for data similar to your audio file to return accurate transcriptions.
A transcript is a text version of all of the words spoken in your audio or video. We create a transcript by carefully watching and listening to your video several times and typing out every word that is spoken. With the evolution of modern technology, including speech recognition, the task of transcription will become even easier and more accessible. Audio recordings will be made using more sophisticated tools for clearer sound, and files can be converted to different types and languages.


Instruction: What is Time-coding in Film-Making

Response:
Time-code is a reference number given to a specific point in time within a media file. They’re added to film/video in order to facilitate logging, file organizing, and make searching for specific elements more simple.
Timestamps are more often used to match up transcription text with a specific scene. This makes the job a lot easier for the editors to locate segments they want to edit during post-production.  Timestamps are placed based on the frequency requested by clients.


Instruction: What Does Time-Coding Involve

Response:
Time-coded transcripts are written with time-codes, thus allowing the end-user to locate the desired audio or video within the source media instantly. Using time-codes saves money, time, and resources. For searching through long media files for keywords and phrases, this allows the user to identify the location of critical aspects in their media. It increases overall efficiency and allows audio & video producers and editors to improve their workflow.
Timestamping, spotting, or time-coding involve inserting the time in hours, minutes, or seconds into a transcript at the necessary intervals. It works as a marker of where the particular text can be found in the audio or video. Some transcripts are stamped every five minutes while others are stamped every few seconds! This helps in the process of identification, editing, and subsequent synchronization. It is useful when captioning or subtitling is required for a video. It acts as a pointer to some particular scene as well.
Time-coding being a special feature is commonly utilized by law enforcement, legal, human resource, and government bodies for hearings, tribunals, witness statements, and evidence interviews. These transcriptions while being used for purposes of legal significance, duly time-stamped, assist judicial action.


Instruction: Where and why are time-codes used in film

Response:
Have you ever wondered how filmmakers and video production editors can take hours of video content and condense it down to a 3-minute clip in such a short period of time? Well, it’s likely that they use video-to-text transcriptions that include timestamps to help expedite the process.
Search engines can't tell much about your video aside from the title and tags that you provide when you upload it. By having your video transcribed and time-coded, and uploading that transcript to video sites, you're giving Search engines specific information about the content of your video. When someone searches for a phrase mentioned in the video, Search engines will be able to include your video in the search results, and may even start the video playing at the time-code where that search phrase is used.


Instruction: What is the importance of timestamps and time-codes in video production

Response:
Timestamps are often cited as the most important tool in a transcription for video editors and videographers. It helps in the process of identification, editing, and subsequent synchronization. Time-coding feature assists when captioning or subtitling needs to be provided for a video. Having a time-code for a video can also help to review and select the desired scene.
A researcher can use timestamps to help them jump to a specific point in an audio file so that they can listen to an interviewer’s tone. Was the comment sarcastic? Was the sentence stated as fact?  Often you can only tell through intonation in the voice. Using a timestamp speeds up the location process and allows the researcher to accurately understand what was said.
In legal dispositions, timestamps can also be useful when needing to refer to a specific part of transcription.  For example, an individual could use this citation during a hearing: “At [00:15:16]  they saw something. This enables anyone to quickly find the reference point stated in both the transcript and the audio file and listen to exactly what the interviewee said.
Timestamps can also be used when neither you or the transcription service provider can make out what the speaker is saying in the audio or video recording.  When this situation occurs, it is common practice to type the word ‘inaudible’ and include the timestamp.  For example: ‘We use hops and [inaudible 00:17:23] in our brewing process’.


Instruction: What is the importance of time-codes to transcriptionists

Response:
Time-codes for a video must be frame-accurate so adding the frames or milliseconds are important. This element is commonly used for subtitles, and video captions but it has other uses as well. Transcriptionists and editors greatly benefit from these time-codes as it allows them to use particular scenarios more easily and accurately synchronize subtitles with each scene.
To identify uncertain spelling. There are lots of English words that sound similar so distinguishing them from each other can be difficult. The same goes for similar-sounding names that are spelled differently. This certain type of time-code can be used if the transcriber isn’t sure of a particular word’s spelling. An example of this is shown below. E.g. I met with [ Stephen 02:43:01 ] last week to discuss our current goals. — The spelling of this word is uncertain since “Stephen” can also sound like “Steven”.
To identify garbled words. In transcribing, there are cases where it’s difficult to make out what the speaker is saying, especially when there’s too much external noise. In these situations, stating which parts have inaudible words can be useful as this helps the client identify which words can’t be understood. It also gives the transcriptionist a way to note inaudible sounds rather than just guessing what word it was. E.g. Our meeting will be held at [ inaudible 00:27:16 ] tomorrow morning.
Identify Overlapping Speakers. During meetings, speakers overlapping with each other is common especially when there are a lot of participants. This time-code can be used to identify who is talking at a specific interval. Most transcribing services simply mark the segment as [crosstalk] and then state the next parts that can be heard with the corresponding speaker.
Identify Speaker Change. A discussion doesn’t always have just one host — there are times when each topic is handled by different speakers. In order to identify this change, time-codes can be used every time a new host is heard to avoid confusion.
E.g.
[00:00] JM: What was your first impression when you use the product for the first time?
[00:09] DV: Well…honestly, at first, I was skeptical since the product was a lot cheaper than normal so I didn’t really want to use it but I’m glad I did.
Transcribing video outputs can be difficult since they need to coincide with the video content. However, knowing the different uses of time-codes and time-stamps and how to effectively utilize them will greatly aid in producing quality video transcriptions that meet client satisfaction.
Complete article on [The Importance Of Time Code In Video Translation...]


Instruction: What are the types of Time-codes and Timestamps in film

Response:
START and END Timestamps. Some videos and audios do not have any dialogues. Clients generally request timestamp at the beginning and the very end of the transcription. This also works when clients require a part of the video or audio transcribed. While this is not a common practice, it is the easiest to time-stamping time format to learn.
PHONETIC TIMESTAMPS. Let’s say, while you hear the audio recording, you come across a part where you (the transcriber) is unsure of the spelling. In this case, you spell it how you understand it to be and include a phonetic timestamp in the transcript.
Example
Both of us decided
to visit India but [ Daaku
00:00:09 ]
backed out. Daaku is the word you are not sure of.
INAUDIBLE
TIMESTAMPS. As the name suggests,
inaudible timestamps in English transcription are used when you cannot figure
out what has been said in the audio.
Instead of using what you hear (like in the timestamp
example above), you have to type in “inaudible” and include the timestamp.
Inaudible Transcription Example–Both of us decided to visit India but [ inaudible 00:00:09 ] backed out.
CROSS-TALK TIMESTAMPS. Again, the name “cross-talk” timestamps say it all. So, what is crosstalk transcription? You will use this time-stamping format when speakers are talking simultaneously (overlapping each other) in the audio recording. It becomes difficult to know which speaker is speaking in the case where 4-5 speakers are talking at the same time. Just type the word [cross-talk] in that section then proceed to the next parts that are audible.
SPEAKER CHANGE TIMESTAMPS. When there is more than 1 speaker, you use speaker change timestamps and insert timestamps and time-codes in a transcript every time a new speaker starts speaking. You do not have to worry about time intervals and you will only timestamp and insert time-codes only when the speaker changes A lot of podcasts and videos use this time-stamping time format.
Time-code is a reference number given to a specific point in time within a media file. They’re added to film/video in order to facilitate logging, file organizing and make searching for specific elements more simple.
Some examples of the types of timestamps in film include: start and end timestamps, phonetic timestamps, inaudible timestamps, cross-talk timestamps, speaker change timestamps.
Transcribing video outputs can be difficult since they need to coincide with the video content. However, knowing the different uses of time-codes and time-stamps and how to effectively utilize them will greatly aid in producing quality video transcriptions that meets client satisfaction.


Instruction: What Is The Definition Of Translation

Response: Translation deciphers the meaning of the written word from one language to another. Translators must capture the content, style, and form of the original text accurately and precisely and then render it into the target language.


Instruction: What Does Translation Involve

Response: The translator must read the text in the source language, decipher its meaning, then write, rewrite and proofread the content in the target language to ensure the original meaning, style and form are maintained. Depending on the context, the translator may need to apply thorough research and consultation techniques to the work at hand in order to widen his or her understanding of the subject. The final product should be polished, eloquently written and completely free of error.  Translators can take transcribed information and turn it into pristine prose in the language that you need. Translators may utilize technologies and reference materials to generate accurate, high-quality translations.Quality translation involves knowing the context and cultural background from which the words in the original text came, and then choosing words and phrases in the new language which will best convey the substance and meaning of the original in a new and different cultural context. Unless all this happens, the message may get misinterpreted or even lost.Translation is an interpretative act, as well as a creative one. Translators read the original piece and try to work out what it’s doing, what’s important that’s going on. They are constantly making choices about which elements of a text to preserve and foreground, and which to sacrifice.


Instruction: What Are The Different Types Of Translation

Response: Human Translation. Relying on pure human intelligence to convert one way of saying things to another. And while human translation comes in many different flavors, it remains the most widely-used translation method to this day. Human translation is your best bet when accuracy is even remotely important. When working with human translation providers, you can expect to get a much better quality output compared to machine translation or human aided machine translation. (For more on human translation check out An In-Depth Look Into Human Translation. Machine Translation. Machine translation (MT) is the automated translation of source material into another language. MT has greatly improved in speed and accuracy in recent years due to advances in software and hardware alike. Machine translation engines can process millions of words per hour and produce reasonably accurate, usable translations in nearly any language.Machine Translation Plus Post-Editing. Machine translation tends to be literal, missing the subtleties of intent. That is why human translation is still required when machine translation occurs. Machine translation plus post-editing is a hybrid of MT and traditional, human translation. As its name suggests, post-editing follows the MT process. First, a software produces an initial translation of the material, making short work of bulk translation tasks. Once this initial translation is complete, human translators take the text and edit it for accuracy, clarity, flow, and local resonance. In short, they check the machine’s work and infuse the copy with the qualities only a human can provide.This human touch brings a level of nuance that machines can’t match. This is especially important when content is highly technical, deals with sensitive cultural issues features jokes or wordplay, or captures an important particular tone. For clients, the benefits are twofold. This method couples the unparalleled speed of MT with the attention and sensitivity of a human translator.Most translators can work more quickly as editors than as from-scratch translators. Because the initial MT translation saves translators hours of work, MT with post-editing is one of the quickest (and most affordable) ways to get high-quality results.


Instruction: Which Translation Method is Best

Response:
Machine translation enables
lightning-speed translations, but they may lack the nuanced quality and
professional assurance of a human translation.  What should you do if you
need more than machine translation—fast?Machine translation with post-editing by a
human translator, while not quite as fast as raw machine translation, can give
your copy a more polished and professional feel.


Instruction: What Are The Features of Translation

Response: Unlike transcription, transcription only deals with one language. Translation requires handling two languages – the source language and the target language.Often, the translator deals with written content, although there are times when clients only have audio or video recording of the source materials. In this case, the media file has to be transcribed first before it can be translated.The translator has to be highly skilled in creative writing to accurately deliver the intended message of the source document.Due to globalization and multiculturalism, translation is very essential in facilitating mutual understanding and better communication among people speaking different languages. The availability of translated content increases its accessibility, thereby increasing the content's reach, potentially. From a legal point of view, delivering content in different languages shows acceptance of diversity.Translation deals with one type of format – written content (transcription deals with audio).Translation handles two main categories, literary and non-literary. As the name implies, literary translation involves the translation of literature such as poems, stories, and novels. Non-literary translation translates legal, scientific, technical and other specific documents.The translator must be very proficient in the target language, so it is vital to work only with translators who are native speakers. The translator also has to have a deep understanding of the culture of the target language as well as its nuances, grammatical differences, idioms, slang, and idiomatic expressions.


Instruction: What Is The Importance Of Translation

Response:
Translation services facilitate global communication, global reach and enhance diversity.
As it bridges the gaps of languages and people, it is a crucial process to
enrich globalization.
Growth of Multinational Companies. Translation is exceptionally important for companies and businesses which operate in multiple countries and often need to share and receive information from different global offices and branches across the world. In such cases, the shared information needs to be translated into a locally preferred language so that everyone involved is on the same page. Translation is also useful when companies need to tie up with local businesses or make governmental proposals.Cultural Interchange. Music, literature, films, and various other art forms transcend global boundaries because of the way they are effectively translated to reflect local languages and sentiments. Translated and subtitled films today generate more revenue than ever for the global film industry. And it's not only the film industry which has benefited from translation, as translated music and literature allow artists to earn more royalties and international fame as an added bonus.Accurate Transfer of News. Unless transferred and translated properly, world news would be nothing more than gibberish when received by news agencies. Whether it is news coming from local bodies, regional centers, or even countries with strict news censorship, translation serves as an effective tool without which news will remain ineffective and unreliable.
Complete article on [Why Multilingual Translation Is Vital For Your Business...]


Instruction: What Are Some Challenges Faced During The Translation Process

Response:
Slang. The use of slang is possibly the most difficult aspect of translating films. In the best of circumstances, cultural insinuations can be tough to describe - even in the same language - but these difficulties increase exponentially when translating into a different language. For your amusement, let’s consider this Dutch saying: ‘Da’s kloten van de bok.' It’s typically translated to be ‘that’s very bad’ or ‘that’s rotten’, but the literal translation is actually ‘that’s testicles of the goat’, which, when taken out of context, makes absolutely no sense at all in English! So, it’s because of these cultural differences that translators often take liberties when interpreting the meanings of certain phrases and words. Obviously, a translator’s ultimate goal is to convey the same idea, so, depending on the context in question, a number of phrases could be used to convey the same meaning.Nicknames. Film translators often find nicknames to be a tough aspect of translation because of the behavioral and cultural connotations involved. When we have a character known as ‘sticky fingers’ we would automatically assume it means that person is a kleptomaniac, while the Dutch version of ‘plakkerige vingers’ could fall very flat indeed. Some translators in cases like this simply use the original in the translated version, and while this is an easy solution, it’s not necessarily more effective than a literal translation. Film translators’ real challenge arises when it comes to nicknames in movies about organized crime or gangs, where almost every movie character has a name that’s been carefully crafted to describe their passion, predilection, or propensity. Perhaps the safest approach here is to take the use-it-as-it-is approach, which means that the translator maintains the integrity of the character’s name. Much less stress for the translator!Profanity. The use of profanity is another interesting area worth taking a look at. It’s often jokingly said that the first expressions and words one picks up from locals in a foreign country will always be connected in one way or another with swearing. However, it does very clearly show that swearing and profanity exist worldwide and that they’re unique to different cultures and different languages.Gestures. Gestures in film translation are extremely challenging. Perhaps the reason for this is that gestures mean entirely different things in different countries, which means that the translator must be aware of this.
Complete article on [Challenges Faced By Language Translators...]


Instruction: What is the difference between Translation and Transcription

Response:
The difference between translation and transcription comes down to two words—words versus meanings. So if a person has an audio recording that needs to be converted into written text, it is transcription. If he needs the meaning of words in one language converted into another language while keeping the meaning intact, it is translation. Despite these differences between translation and transcription, it is important to know that they both are essential parts of a translation agency’s business and are likewise required for lowering the linguistic barriers set by geographical boundaries in the world.In Translation, the source of this process has to be in written format only. In transcription, the source of this process can be an audio file, sign language or even a video recording.
Complete article on [Distinction Between Translation And Transcription...]
Translation requires intimate knowledge of both the source language and the target language to be effective. Otherwise, the translation risks being literal – or worse. A good translator knows how to turn one language into a usable version of another: a great translator makes an effortless piece of writing that the target reader would never guess was translated from another language. Translation is a necessity for the worldwide distribution and exhibition of films. No-one would ever say that film translation is an easy task – not even an experienced, professional film translator.
What Should You Choose? Dubbing or Subtitling
Did you know that the audio-visual translation method that you use to market your video depends on the market? Whether you are talking about a corporate marketing video, a webinar, an e-learning video or a documentary, deciding on which format is best and up-selling, is critical for the final success of your video.


Instruction: Now, If you have a video in English that you wish to translate to foreign languages, which choice should you go for

Response:
Fact check
First of all, let us get some facts straight.
For you to succeed in your video production, you need to consider what people in their countries prefer their most convenient way to watch their videos or films. That is to say if they like their media dubbed or subtitled. However, the truth is, both sides have their advantages and disadvantages. For instance, In the United States Of America, local audiences prefer watching foreign TV series, documentaries or foreign movies with subtitles as opposed to being dubbed. On the other hand, they prefer short clips of the news or magazine-style programs, either dubbed or subtitled. In European regions like Holland and Scandinavia, audiences also prefer subtitled movies whereas in Germany people prefer dubbed movies.  Let’s look at the key points to consider when deciding between subtitles or dubbing your video for a foreign audience.


Instruction: First of all, what is subtitling

Response:
Subtitling involves audiences hearing the original language and reading the script through written translations that appear at the bottom of the screen.
The text stays intact on the screen, as the audience hears the original inflections and tone of the actors, interviewees and the narrator. This enables them to experience the original video in a way that is real, at the same time, helping them comprehend what is being said.
Complete article on [what is subtitling...]


Instruction: Why prefer subtitling

Response:
One major advantage of subtitling overdubbing is its lower production cost. No recording engineers, voice talents or a professional studio are required.In addition, the turnaround is quicker and tends to be a standard for online video content in popular video sharing platforms like Vimeo and YouTube.Subtitling also stays true to the source language meaning and original content.Subtitling also respects the actor. One can say that the Godfather in a non-English language, however, would respect the integrity of the enormous performance at the film’s core. Subtitles take away nothing from the film, and this reason enough to prefer them to dubbing.Subtitling also maintains the ambiance. The characters may or may not do anything in a play. The point is mood. The ambiance opens a portal in time. And that ambiance hinges in part upon the whispered exchanges, the monologue ruminations. Dub over their voices, and the whole mood collapses. When you lose the mood the film loses its punch. So do yourself and the director a favor: watch it subtitled and choose subtitling over dubbingIn addition to preserving the audio track and giving some freedom of interpretation, subtitles can also serve as an aid not only for the deaf and hard of hearing but also for people who learn the language, who need visual aid aside from audio input.
Major setbacks of subtitling
Video subtitles usually keep to a maximum of two lines and appear on the bottom of the screen in sync with the spoken audio. They remain on the screen just long enough for the audience members to read them as they take what is happening.Only a human translations company, as opposed to machines, can properly subtitle a video due to the unique challenges involved in translating a video.The relatively short length of lines, the number of characters allowed and the estimated reading speed of the viewers are particular challenges posed to subtitles who translate from the original English.Often the target language runs long and can’t be fit into just two lines of the text within a few seconds. This obliges the subtitle to adjust the script into shorter lines while trying not to sacrifice meaning.This is usually done by reducing filler words or by shortening sentences by cutting out non-substantive bits of information.Bilinguals often complain that the translations of videos aren’t faithfully accurate, with a keyword or a section cut out entirely here and there. And yet the objective of the professional subtitle is to deliver the message across within a tight space and time frame.They can distract the viewer from the on-screen action of the film. If you have a video with a lot of visual action messages, then dubbing might better suit your purposes than subtitling.


Instruction: Now, what is a dubbing

Response:
Dubbing is an audio recording of the video script that viewers hear translated into their own language. It replaces the original audio.
The translations require significant adaptation in order to
suit depending on the target language, the complexity of the video and the
exact synchronization of the audio to the visuals on the screen.
Complete article on [what is dubbing...]
Why prefer Dubbing?
The advantages of dubbing to subtitles are many for the distinctive viewers: there are no distracting words on the screen, they understand the plot better by hearing it straight from the actors and they will not miss out on the subtitles when they briefly look away.In addition, when more than one actor is on the screen, the contrast of different voices makes it easier for audience members to tell the actors apart and understand the dialog.Dubbing stands out compared to subtitling in that when relying on subtitling, a viewer has to focus his/ her energy on keeping up with the words on the screen. In doing so, that same viewer may purposefully ignore or unintentionally miss other components of the video like background details, body language, and other information that is communicated visually.
Major setbacks of dubbing
Synchronization is the major element that needs to be taken into account and it poses considerable problems. When dubbing, the writer is not free to modify the text as he wishes to make the speech in the target language more natural. On the contrary, he has to strictly follow what appears on the screen and the dubbed dialogue should fit the lip movements of the actors. Even when the lip movements of the actors are well synchronized with the voice in the translated version, dubbing only creates “the illusion of an illusion”. Perfect synchronization is almost impossible as one-to-one substitutions are very uncommon. For instance, some words have only one syllable in English and two or more in French. This is the case for the English word hat, the French translation of which is chapeau. Dubbing a movie can be up to 15 times more expensive than adding subtitles. Thus, it is advisable to use subtitles for languages that are not commonly spoken because dubbing would not be cost-effective.
What Should You Consider Before Choosing Between Dubbing And Subtitling?


Instruction: After all that what factors would you need to consider before choosing between the two

Response:
What kind of content is it? What kind of video content you develop will determine whether you will end up dubbing or subtitling the content. Is your video a company video that shares technical information on a particular technology, service or product? Is it a training video series? Or a documentary Your original vision for the video you created will guide you as to whether dubbing or subtitling will better honor it in the end.  How will you publish distribute your video? Your dubbing and subtitling options depend on how your video is packaged. DVDs or programs like Netflix offer a menu option of both voice-overs and subtitles in more than one language.  Video-sharing platforms, in turn, allow you to cheaply keep adding translated versions of the video in a number of languages, either dubbed or subtitled.  You may also opt to develop a finished video with either ‘’burnt in’’ subtitles or dubbingHow complex is your video?Consider the complexity of your video in your translation decision-making process. If your video contains on-screen text and graphics that also need to be translated, subtitling may make the video too text-saturated.You may also have sound effects that you don’t want to be changed or eliminated in the process of dubbing. When you dub or subtitle, you add on to the audio or visual complexity of the video. Do you know your target audience? The way you deliver your translated information to your target audience will determine how well it will be received.  For example, business video audiences typically read subtitles whereas consumers or people being given support, advice or announcements, are more open to dubbed videos.Would either dubbing or subtitling give them the best understanding of the content? Which would give you the marketing result you desire in return for your investments?The more research you undertake in investigating the tastes of your target audience, the more likely you’ll be able to make an informed decision on whether you should end up dubbing or subtitling your video.
After looking at both processes of video production their advantages and disadvantages, now it is time to determine which one is best for you.As you select the best, ask yourself the following questions when picking the right translation layout for your video:
Overview Of Dubbing And Subtitling
Dubbing and subtitling in totality have been a controversial issue for more years than I and you can count. In my research work trying to get a clear understanding of audiovisual translation, I’ll be able to outline some pros and cons of each technique so you can get a clear understanding of the two.


Instruction: What is the difference between dubbing and subtitling

Response: Subtitles in a layman’s language is a form of abbreviated version of a dialogue which is projected on a screen for easy comprehension on the audience side and as for dubbing, it comprises an alternate, synchronized soundtrack of the complete dialogue in a film or any video format.


Instruction: Where and When is Dubbing and\or Subtitling used in Film Production

Response: Both techniques are used in different countries, but some countries prefer one over the other.  There are particular aspects of different countries that make them prefer subtitles over dubbing and vice versa and that is different cultural backgrounds, ideological clashes, and linguistical practices. Dubbing is used more for programs with small children as the target audience because they are not in a position to read and comprehend subtitles or cannot read as fast as possible and follow through with the subtitles.


Instruction: What Are The Pros And Cons Of using Dubbing and Subtitling in Audio-Visual Translation

Response:
Below I outline a series of advantages and disadvantages of these two techniques while still comparing their similarities to outline it for those of you who would like to stop getting confused when the words subtitling and dubbing are mentioned.
Advantages of Dubbing As An AVT (Audio-Visual Translation) Technique
When it comes to film censorship, dubbing is generally favored, this is made by the art of synchronization where if one is not keen enough on reading a character’s lips on the main version of the film before it’s dubbed they have a lower chance of understanding what exactly was said. This happened in Spain under Franco’s dictatorship, which stopped original film versions from being aired with subtitles, which were transcribed exactly like the original film, to promote and convey high moral standards in the film industry.In dubbing no abbreviation is needed for the dialogues because in theory there is no limit of space, however, the writer of a dubbed script will have to pay attention to the movements of the lips and synchronization.Viewers can focus more on the images and the words while enjoying the film at the same time unlike with subtitled versions it’s more of trying to read the wordings rather than enjoying the film and following the story in its entirety.
Disadvantages of Dubbing As An AVT (Audio-Visual Translation) Technique
Synchronization is the main thing that needs to be taken in account when it comes to dubbing, this means that the writer of the dubbing script has no freedom to add or erase words, on the contrary, the script words have to be enough and still carry the same meaning as the original version which is being dubbed. This only means that he/she has to strictly follow what appears on the screen, and the dubbed script dialogue should fit the lip movements of the actors.Regardless of how perfect the synchronization is, dubbing only creates an illusion of an illusion, even when the lip movements of the actors are in line with the voice in the translated version. This only means that getting a perfectly synchronized dub is next to impossible, as one-to-one substitutions are uncommon. For instance, one word in a particular language would be two words in another language and meaning the same thing. A great example would be a word like Thank you in English is Obrigada in Portuguese, which cuts out one-on-one substitutions.Dubbing is expensive as compared to subtitling a movie. Dubbing can be up to 15 times more expensive because cast voice-over artists need to be hired, sound engineers, recording material and so on and so forth whereas for subtitling it’s a single individual needed to carry out the whole job. For avid film watchers, dubbing can become very annoying and boring when production houses use the same cast talent in different movies. It becomes redundant and boring.Unlike subtitling which is a process that can take as less time as possible depending on the speed, dubbing is a slow and difficult process it’s not as simple as rendering word into another language it takes a lot of technical steps behind the scene before it comes out as a complete product.Being a native speaker of a certain language and finding yourself in a certain country where films are simply dubbed might frustrate most people who love unwinding with a good film after a long day.
Advantages of Subtitling As An AVT (Audio-Visual Translation) Technique
Subtitling is far less expensive than dubbing, this is why most countries prefer using subtitles over dubbing and it goes without mention that voice-overs, where both voices from the original and the translated versions are heard, is way cheaper than dubbing or subtitling so some countries also prefer that as an option such as Russia and Poland.Some countries have realized that listening to the original dialogue has made it easier for viewers to improve their language skills over the years. Research work has been done and the results have really shown clearly that most people who prefer subtitles over dubbing and listen to the original version of dialogue have better listening and comprehension skills than the vice versa. This is one thing that the Scandinavian countries take pride in.With subtitling everything on the original film stays intact and which means voices of the original actors stay in place. With Subtitles it’s easy to read and understand what the original dialogue is about in case one cannot understand the accents being used on a particular film without straining.It’s easy to learn new languages and access other cultures across the globe while still following through easily while enjoying the storyline of a film.Subtitles provide clarity and a great understanding of technical terminologies, full names and brand names which gives the viewer an easy time while watching the movie.Many people with learning disabilities like attention deficits and autism are provided with a better experience when watching films with subtitles.Subtitling is actually the cheapest and easiest way of introducing translation to film because it doesn’t really need a lot of workforces and it's very convenient for someone interested in translating a film but on a low budget.Subtitling is also the fastest way to adapt films into target culture languages from the comfort of their homes and using basic home equipment, and that’s why most are usually illegally copied films.When subtitles are done in one’s native language, then it is easy to understand the context of the whole film if the original dialogues are in a language that one is not 100% conversant to.
Disadvantages of Subtitling As An AVT (Audio-Visual Translation) Technique
Most time the audience doesn’t concentrate on the images which are the sole purpose of watching a film, rather they pay more attention to trying to read the translated text which is the subtitles. They always ignore the sound, the movie set or the characters.For someone who doesn’t enjoy being distracted when enjoying a film, subtitles that come already embedded in a film without the option of removing them always infuriate those viewers who care less for subtitles, some might even forego the film and not watch it.Poorly done subtitles always bring about confusion in meaning when in comparison with the original audio which doesn’t make the movie as interesting. Most times than not, subtitles get criticized for omitting the original elements of the original dialogue.It’s hard to detect mistakes on a subtitled film, making it even harder to improve them.
In conclusion, one can say that neither dubbing nor subtitling is a perfect model of audiovisual translation. Both of them have pros and cons depending on the preferences of the person using them. None is important over the other, but both are important in different circumstances. However, dubbing has to not only follow the written text but also articulation and gesture, mood and expressions and also the soul of the words so it should be placed at the top of the pyramid and be number one as the best form of audio translation.
For both the techniques before work begins it is advisable that the translator needs to have a deeper understanding of the source of the text and find out whether it’s for dubbing or subtitling before he starts anything. This implies analyzing the text sequence by sequence and watching the movie at least twice. Some authors even argue that it takes months for the target version to be original. Yet, the translator always has to rush so that the target version is released in due time.
Demystifying Subtitles And Captions
Many people do not understand that subtitles and captions are more times than not always classified in the same category, but for those who think, I’d like to inform you that these two are different things with different meanings and uses.


Instruction: What is the difference between subtitles and captions

Response:
Captions are transcriptions of dialogue that include audio cues like background noises and speaker identification.  Subtitles make an assumption of the viewer being able to hear and provide dialogue text in the viewer’s native language or any other language in that matter.
A great example would be if a video file is in Portuguese and an American would love to watch and understand what is being said, they would use English subtitles to understand it well. The Americans would not be the only ones with a need for English subtitles considering the fact that over 59 countries speak English as their national language and also almost half the world population also speaks English. This definitely opens up an opportunity for other countries to translate videos to English subtitles and widen the viewing audience.
Subtitling in filmmaking has been a growing phenomenon that filmmakers should take advantage of and be able to translate their videos to English subtitles.


Instruction: Why Should You Add English Subtitles To Your Film

Response:
There are a host of benefits to adding English subtitles to your video. Listing all of them would take longer than it would watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, so let’s look at the top 5 benefits that give your video content an immediate impact.
Improved SERP (Search Engine Results Page) RankingsSearch-ability is a big deal when it comes to video content because the more your video is easily accessible when being searched for only means more viewership from viewers. 100 million people watch at least one video every single day and 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Getting your video content discovered can be a challenge in this day and age where the market is highly saturated, it’s the same as trying to find a needle in a haystack when it is late at night in the dark, it is impossible. One can take action and make their videos more searchable on Search Engines by including English translated subtitles this enables your content to open up to the audience to include English-speaking searchers and therefore increase your ranking. Improved search ranking is beneficial for both businesses and individuals. It provides more traffic and bigger audiences–and organic search is still the most common way of finding content.Google owns 75 percent of the search engine market share, but appearing on multiple search engines will boost your audience in size. You’ll gain more opportunities to learn what your audience responds to most, which will help future video content perform well.Reach a Bigger Audience The world, as big as it is, has English as the most widespread language with almost 1.5 billion people speaking it and fluently in that matter. Not including translated English subtitles, these people are literally cut off from accessing your content or even comprehending it. Even if English isn’t their first language, they may appreciate the ability to practice following along with the subtitles on your video.Lack of subtitles may hurt a producer’s content in several ways. One’s videos may receive a low-performance rating resulting in stunted growth for the production house. A good example would get into a movie theater to watch a movie and it’s in a language that you do not understand would you keep watching or leave and try to get another movie of your liking? Chances are you would leave, and that’s exactly how everybody else would react to that. If you translate videos using English subtitles, you can ensure more of your audience is aware of what’s going on. And if they’re knowledgeable, they’ll be more likely to engage with your content.Many online platforms offer their content creators options to include subtitles while others go a step further to help creators create subtitles in a step-by-step tutorial. However, unless you provide your own subtitles, you’re at risk of showing inaccurate and distracting subtitles. Rather than rely on that, you can control your entire viewing experience with subtitles made by professionals.Act as A Resource for Non-Native Speakers Including English subtitles in videos makes videos more educational to their audiences. Remember now, 1.5 billion people speak English? It’s not the native language for all of those people, which means they can always use more practice with it. Subtitles on videos spoken in another language are the perfect way for these people to get additional experience. A video producer can become a trusted resource for classrooms across the globe if they include reliable, accurate translated English subtitles, with their videos being used both for learning English or their native language.When videos are translated into English subtitles, it opens up learning resource opportunities. This means that there is potential for more money, a wider audience, and people looking at you as an expert within the industry. All of that leads to a stronger overall brand.Better Engagement Around the World Every filmmaker or content creator loves first-class engagement on their content, and with English subtitles, one is guaranteed better and high engagement from viewers. A typical viewer will watch 91 percent of a video that includes subtitles and If your video doesn’t have subtitles, that amount watched drops to 66 percent. Other engagement will see a boost, too. More viewers will share like and comment on your video, which is all made by the mere fact of the viewer being able to understand what is being said. That higher engagement fits nicely in Facebook and YouTube’s ever-evolving algorithms, which promote videos that are well-received and interacted with more frequently, which means many people will have access to your content.If video performance and engagement are metrics that you’re tracking for your videos, subtitles will make those videos perform better. As your video picks up steam and gets more popular online, you’ll want as many people as possible to understand and enjoy your work. Otherwise, it’ll be like screaming into a well–it’s cool for you, but it is it really reaching anyone else? Create Different Content for Users The good thing about filmmakers and producers is that they are very creative and smart, and with that said, it’s very possible to create more content from simple subtitles that have been created for your videos. One can create blog posts, emails, info-graphics, social quotes, and other written content. With no subtitles, you’d have to do all of that work manually, and end up spending more time having to create all this other content which would have been avoided with the availability of English subtitles. The additional content will create several new opportunities for you and your company. Developing a blog post allows people to link to it, adding backlinks to your site, which boosts your SEO and website authority. With an email newsletter, you’re providing engaging content that can help boost subscribers and click-through rate. And with everything translated for you, putting together social graphics and info-graphics–things that people love to share and retweet–is a breeze.Now that I have given you the reason to use English subtitles, I will outline how you can translate your videos into English texts.There are a lot of companies out there who offer subtitling services, but they all differ from the quality of work to prices to the accuracy. This is one of the best ways to get your videos subtitled because we all know that help from experts is the best one you can get.If you a self-sufficient individual who loves doing their own work by themselves, there are a lot of applications that one can use to help them create subtitles but the thing with these apps one needs to be 100% keen to get accurate results.You can make sure that all the words on your video are written making sure everything is translated, but that is not a practical way and may take you more time than expected instead you might opt to use a subtitle translator out there, which is trusted by more different companies in the world. We can all agree that English subtitles offer more benefits to a filmmaker than losses from being able to boost your engagement to providing educational benefits, improving one’s ranking if you are not using English subtitles, then you should be able to jump on that bandwagon and start providing your viewers with that which will be beneficial to them more than anything.  People say if you can help others while still enjoying that then take that opportunity and run because it only comes ones in a lifetime. English subtitles are the new wave, so get with it.


Instruction: How Is Dubbing Done From Beginning To End

Response:
Cinema has long been an international form of entertainment, and this has been made possible through the innovation and the process of dubbing. While some films might receive international recognition for subtitles, many audiences prefer hearing dialogue in their native language, which puts quality dubbing in high demand.
Dubbing can also be used in a film’s original language. As much as technology has progressed over the past one-hundred years since the first audiovisual, unexpected circumstances can arise that make the original dialogue that was captured on set useless. In such cases, filmmakers may choose to dub dialogue with that captured in post-production to ensure better quality.No matter if it’s an aspiring filmmaker, sound specialist or Actor, anyone with a foot in the entertainment industry can more thoroughly acquaint themselves with dubbing processes as a means to better understand the practice and art of the technique, as well as how it can impact both the outcome and audience of a film.
In this article, we will take a close look into :
Dubbing versus voice-overScriptwriting for dubbingDeciding on cast talents.Recording the dialogueLayering the tracks
A Brief Synopsis Of The Art Of Voice-Over
Before jumping straight into explaining how to best use dubbing to enhance or diversify a film, it’s better to get a clear understanding of what dubbing is and what it is no in order to avoid confusion. Anyone who is the film industry or has an interest in joining the film industry should be able to understand the difference between dubbing and another found element referred to as voice-over.
Same as dubbing, voice-over can be employed in more than one way. For example, voice-over is often used as an internal dialogue for a character. Whether that dialogue is being relayed to an audience is up to the filmmaker. Regardless of the voice-over being used to enlighten audiences to the general knowledge of the audience or to communicate directly with them, it can help to inform the story and character arc.The difference in Dubbing and voice-over is normally noticed mostly in terms of their notice-ability. Voice-over is meant to serve a creative storytelling purpose, same as in a narrative film, or a more direct translation purpose like in documentaries. Conversely, the most effective dubbing is the kind that goes unnoticed by audiences. Whether it’s relaying dialogue in a native tongue or replacing unusable on-set sound, good dubbing is “invisible” to the ear listening to it.Dubbing being a more technical and thorough technique for film-audio translation, it’s normally advisable for the person tasked with handle the job to be an expert in layering dialogue to ensure the best possible outcome.
Complete article on [What is Voice Over Recording...]
Steps Followed in The Dubbing Process
It’s very important to keep in mind that even the most experienced and expert of experts in film making cannot dub a film by themselves. It’s an involved process that requires the expertise of several experts. So for any filmmaker who might require dubbing services for a project, the first step to success is collaborating with the appropriate professionals who can help to ensure the needed outcome.
With that being said the following is a clear step by step outline of how film dubbing happens.
1. Creating a Script
For instance, if the film being dubbed is supposed to be dubbed in a totally different language than the original one, the first requirement is to recreate dialogue for the film in the native language of the targeted audience. Of course, the script will then need to be translated into that language. This part of the dubbing process is however more involved than one might initially assume. This is Because in dubbing, timing is everything. The objective is not only to translate the dialogue but also to have it match in timing and/or sync up with that of the original language. The thing that makes this part of dubbing really tricky is that what is said in three words in one language can be said in one word in another. For a dub be the exact same to the original dialogue then one has to create time-codes for the beginning statement of dialogues to the end of the statement for easier dubbing for the cast talent. This is why experts are needed in order to ensure that the translated context is still within the meaning of the original context.
2. Choosing Voice Talent.
This is another critical part of a successful dubbing project which includes finding the right cast talent. Many creatives and performers specialize in dubbing for particular audience markets, which can be helpful for filmmakers looking for someone who understands the specialized needs of the process.Specifically, dubbing talent has to be able to adhere to timing requirements, have a voice that matches the one of the original cast and be able to bring out the emotions and mood relayed by the original cast. In many cases, they may be in a recording studio, watching the original performance, as they speak the translated dialogue to better ensure that they say their lines in sync with it.As mentioned earlier, the point of dubbing is to make it possible for an audience to follow the film in their native language. To help ensure that they can enjoy the experience without noticing dubbing efforts, it can be immensely beneficial to find performers who have similar vocal qualities to that of the film’s characters.
Complete article on [How To Get The Best Cast For Dubbing...]
3. Recording the Dialogue.
So far it’s very visible that every step of the dubbing process requires a certain level of professional expertise in order to ensure that the dubbed material comes out perfectly. This is especially taken with absolute seriousness when it comes to recording the dubbed dialogue, though it really goes without saying that, it’s important that all film-making professionals involved take every precaution to guarantee a successful session.This only means being able to get an appropriate location to do the recordings. Most if not all dubbing and voice-over professionals have high- caliber recording studios in their homes, filmmakers responsible or the dubbing process should be able to book a space that has the equipment to handle all dubbing needs for their clients. It’s always highly advisable to use a professional studio.Since the dubbing process involves many involved parties from the film-making professionals, to the translation specialist, dubbing talent and sound experts, are expected to organize more recording sessions can only mean a large expenditure of additional time, money and energy. So to ensure that the dub is successful the first time around, filmmakers should collaborate with those within their means who have the highest level of expertise.
4. Layering (Mixing) the Tracks
So far the script has been written, the talent cast hired and recording of the dubbed dialogue finished so what follows next you might ask. Now comes the final part of the dubbing process which is layering the new dialogue tracks into the film!Most filmmakers are known to taking this part of the process more seriously than the other parts, do not confuse that by thinking that they don’t take as much pride in the latter processes but layering of the tracks is taken more seriously because of its level of technicality which at times requires both the sound and editing experts to complete the job. Unless the filmmaker tasked with making a dubbed version of a film has considerable expertise in layering dialogue, it’s critical it’s important to hire someone who is an expert to ensure the best possible outcome. As with every other part of dubbing, layering dialogue tracks are usually done in collaboration with specialized professionals.Dubbing is a multifaceted practice which in its technicality, requires the input and collaboration of many film-making professionals. Whether an interest in dubbing stems from an ambition to translate, record or perform, it’s important to build a solid foundation of the technical and performance skills necessary to successfully carry out that particular aspect of the process. For the more technical side of dubbing, that might require formal higher education training or working up the ranks from Production Assistant to dubbing specialist. And for an Actor or performer who would like to enter or transition into dubbing, it requires not only a prior background in voice-over work but also an understanding of the nuances of dubbing performance. With the right training and education, though, any aspiring filmmaker or entertainment professional with a passion for dubbing can find success in it.
Complete article on [What Does A Re-Recording (Dubbing) Mixer (Film and TV) Do?...]
“To get into the dubbing world, you would need to get into the voiceover world in general. For starters, you would need a solid animation/video game VO reel which can be created by professional voiceover facilities throughout major metropolitan cities, especially Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Vancouver and pretty much any major city that is a friend to acting work in general.” — Edward Hong, Actor/Voice Artist


Instruction: What Does Voice-Over Involve

Response:
Voice-over recording is not all about getting a microphone and talking. It is about transmitting a message and making a listener feel something. Irrespective of whether you might be voicing a personality or marketing the newest smartphone, the most crucial objective of a professional voice-over is to get information across effectively while engaging with the listener and making him\her feel comfortable with your voice. This article will guide you through 20 tips to record professional voice-overs, even from the comfort of your home.
20 Tips To Recording The Perfect Voice-Over
Warm-up Your VoicePrior to grabbing your microphone and pressing the record button, there are some things you should do to make sure that your recordings will sound professional. I’d advise that you begin with some vocal warm-up exercises. Get started with some breathing exercises, and then sing musical scales. This will make your voice crystal clear, ready and all set for casting.The ScriptIt really is a great piece of advice to familiarize oneself beforehand, with what you are about to record. Odds are, the producers would have a very well-crafted script for you, but when you are working solo, you could generally be the one who has to write the script.Check with the client. What do they wish to say? Do they have a script for you, or would you have to write it your self? In case you have to write it, make sure you mail it to the client for approval before hitting "record"". This will help you save a lot of time, that you would have to spend re-recording the voice-overs, all over, afterward. Get a Pop FilterA pop filter, or pop screen, is utilized for monitoring voices and it can help avert the ‘popping’ sounds from getting into the recording. For instance, place your hand right in front of your mouth and say the word ‘bang’. Do you feel that air impact? Whenever a microphone picks this up, it doesn’t sound very nice, so be sure to prevent this in your voice-over recordings by using a pop filter. Watch the Video Several TimesLike I mentioned above, the sooner you begin getting familiar with what you are going to record, the better. Check with your client, if you can watch the video prior to getting into the studio. If you're able to talk them into watching the film a couple of minutes before you begin recording, well and good.This is a great time to start getting into character. Remember, performing voice-overs is just like voice acting. This is also an excellent time for you to practice your script.The Role of Your Voice - Your Tone There are two kinds of tones you could use when performing voice-overs; the ‘conversational’ or the ‘publicity announcer.’ The conversational tone is much more intimate, it speaks directly to the listener, and it is usually a relaxed, low-pitch tone. The publicity announcer, on the other hand, is much more joyful; it is usually trying to convince you of something, and typically speaks at a faster speed and a higher pitch. Decide on which approach you are going to use before you start recording.The mechanism for Your voice-oversIf you are fortunate enough to record your voice-overs at a professional studio, you don’t have to have to worry about the mechanism, because they probably have the very best equipment in the market. Having decent recording gear in your own home is very important if you want your voice-overs to sound professional, also to land much more paid gigs. You’ll need a decent microphone. It doesn’t need to be pricey. Seek out an inexpensive one and do your own practices.Also, you will have to have software to record or, better referred to as a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). If you're able to afford to pay for the professional kinds like Logic Pro or Pro Tools, that's incredible, go get them now! But if You are looking for a free option, Garage Band (Mac) or Audacity (Windows) will function just fine. Also, get a pop filter, XLR cables, and headphones.Take Care of Your VoiceYour voice is like your instrument so take excellent care of it. Steer clear of smoking for at least three days before the recording day and make sure that your body is adequately hydrated so your voice won't crack. Aim at producing something of good quality and marketable.Watch the Video While You RecordMake sure you can see the pre-shot video from your voice-over's recording spot. This will l allow you to follow the character and his\her voice inflections, bodily movements, therefore, helping you transmit the emotion that he is feeling, precisely at a particular part.Always Record Standing UpOne's body has extra potential for unrestricted airflow while you are standing up, as opposed to sitting down. This body posture will help you project your voice better and this will come across in your voice-overs. Record in a Silent Environment The very last thing you would like maybe the sound of a roaring plane in your voice-overs recordings! So, take into consideration your recording surroundings. Obviously, there are cases you can control with some isolation and sound treatment. Nevertheless, if you live beside a train station, I like to recommend you go record your voice-overs someplace else.Speak “Larger Than life” Imagine you are in a large room with a massive crowd, and you have no microphone but you will need to be sure the people at the back will hear your speech loud and clear. What would you do? You’d really have to project your voice! Which is just what exactly is required of you, when recording voice-overs.Voice projection is a solution to not talking loud enough. Now, get me right, projecting the voice isn't the same as yelling! When you project your voice, you press the air out of your diaphragm creating a loud sound. This can make your voice-overs sound wonderful. Less is moreIncorporating too many words in a video could destroy the flow. Imagine an earth documentary where the narrator never stops. So, keep in mind that less is more in your voice-overs, and keep the words to a minimum. Try Multiple Line Readings and Voice Inflections Don’t just stick with the first take, record, again and again, adding variation. Perhaps in the proceeding takes, try out adding a pause or alter the tone of your voice. See what results you will get from experimenting.Learn a Bit about Sound EngineeringIn the event, you learn how to play with equalizers and effects you can get your voice to sound way better by using a handful of tweaks here and there. Your voice-overs will be in high demand and you may absolutely get repeat bookings. Speak ClearlyRegardless of how fast you might want to go, clarity is vital in order to get the message across. Also, make sure you use the ideal pronunciation for each term. Be Confident – Mean What You Say Stay away from words that will confuse the meaning within your casting. Ensure what you're saying without stammering because nobody is going to listen to you until you begin sounding confident. Sounding self-assured in your voice-overs is very important. If you do not feel confident, fake it till you make it! Be HumbleSurround your self with wonderful people and to learn as much as you can from everyone and from every situation. If you get corrected by a producer, try not to take it personally. Instead, consider to view their point and correct them when needed. However, positive criticism is often valuable in relation to bettering your voice-overs. Never get offended when directed into different ways of performance, as it can get you where you want when you stay humbled.Read Out Loud Every DayThis is a every day habit that can help you enhance your voice-overs and also your speaking skills dramatically, so, get it in your routine. Do thorough practice frequently, and also have a transparent concept of what is required, because it will certainly pay off! Enjoy ItLove what you do and enjoy it as much as you can. After all, this is probably among the coolest jobs on the planet. Do not forget that not every person gets to do what they like. Recording voice-overs is fun, so make sure to take pleasure in it! Own it. Be comfortable with it and you will succeed. Not all people are privileged with great voices for acting, so when you find yourself in this sphere, focus on it, and perfect it.SmileLast but not least, the tip which you wouldn’t think could make a huge difference, nonetheless it does. To actually evaluate the impact of the smile in your voice-overs, consider saying something into the microphone and record it. Then, say it again, but this time having a huge smile in your face! Which recording sounds more appealing? Have you ever, at any time, asked yourself why several voices above demos are rejected? This is just because many voice artists just do the task, for the sake of doing it. For one to glow in this sector, go together with the mood of the movie, film or piece that you are presenting.