Video Translation
Our professional Japanese video translation and transcription services ensure that your productions are completed by stylish voice-overs or accurate subtitling. Both the impact of your messages and the visual appeal of your videos will always be retained.
When translating video content, the importance of choosing the right approach cannot be underestimated. You must decide whether your productions lend themselves to voice overs, subtitles or closed captions. We can help you to settle upon the best course of action and then deliver impressive results.
What are voice overs, subtitles and closed captions?
There are three possible approaches to video translation that you could consider:
Voice overs: these are audio tracks which are recorded using actors and then synced with video content.
Subtitles: here, translations of dialogue are added to videos in text form.
Closed captions: these are designed to assist the hard of hearing. They include both translations of dialogue and explanations of other audio elements. Such elements including explosions, thunder or phones ringing, could be crucial to a viewer understanding the content.
Which type of translation should you choose?
There is much to think about when deciding how to translate videos. The nature of your content and the needs or limitations of your target audience must be considered. We are always happy to discuss your projects and to help you evolve the most effective approach to translating any production into Japanese. However, here are the potential benefits and downsides of each translation method:
Voice overs
Voice overs enable your viewers to concentrate fully on the visual content of the production. There will be no possibility of them being distracted by reading text. Voice overs are particularly appropriate for videos featuring multiple speakers or complex dialogue. It can be hard for viewers to keep pace with this type of content if they struggle to read and assimilate text quickly. There can be confusion regarding who is speaking when there are frequent interruptions. Voice overs also enable you to preserve the tone of the original recording.
Voice overs have much top recommend them. But it is important to consider that it can be hard to recapture the chemistry between performers. In addition, creating voice overs can be costly and so may not be possible within your budget.
Subtitles
Subtitles are generally less expensive to create than voice overs. They enable you to ensure that the original style of your production is maintained. Subtitles also make it easier to translate your production into additional languages at a later date. But subtitles may distract your viewers’ attention away from the content, they limit the visibility of your footage and you can find that it isn’t possible to tackle conversations involving several people.
Closed Captions
Using closed captions will ensure that your videos are accessible to viewers with hearing issues as the translations will include explanations of audio elements other than dialogue. But closed captions will feature even more on-screen text than subtitles and can be distracting.
The video translation process
The first step in creating voice overs or subtitles is transcription. The content is then translated, speakers are identified, and times codes are added. Voice overs are then recorded and applied to your video. Alternatively, subtitles are created and added to your production to match the audio. Subtitles are embedded in the video and provided as a separate SRT file for use on various platforms including YouTube. This enables you to include or omit the subtitles where appropriate.
Translation in the spotlight
Netflix is currently under fire due to the perceived poor quality of its subtitles. The enormous popularity of the Korean series Squid Games has seen an upsurge in complaints and raised the profile of the translation industry in the process, read our blog and find out more in the link below.
