Subtitles are a great way to make your videos accessible, engaging, and global. But creating and managing subtitles in different languages can be a challenge, especially if you don't have the right tools and processes. In this article, you'll learn how to manage subtitle translation and localization for your video projects, from planning to delivery.
The first step to manage subtitle translation and localization is to choose the subtitle format that suits your needs and preferences. There are different types of subtitles, such as closed captions, open captions, burned-in subtitles, and embedded subtitles. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the platform, audience, and purpose of your video. For example, closed captions are optional and can be turned on and off by the viewer, while open captions are always visible and part of the video. Burned-in subtitles are also permanent and cannot be edited, while embedded subtitles can be modified and customized.
When I post short video content (90 seconds or less) on LinkedIn, I prefer to use burned-in captions, because that allows me to determine the font type, size, and color of the captions. However, when I upload videos to YouTube, I prefer to use closed captions, that the viewer can toggle on and off. Because closed captions are text files (ex. SRT or VTT) that text is scanned and indexed by the YouTube search engines. Making your videos more "findable" to YouTube viewers.
The next step is to prepare your source subtitles, which are the subtitles in the original language of your video. You can create your source subtitles manually, using a software like Subtitle Edit, or automatically, using a service like YouTube or Rev. The quality and accuracy of your source subtitles will affect the quality and accuracy of your translated subtitles, so make sure to proofread and edit them carefully. You should also consider the style, length, and timing of your source subtitles, as they may differ from the conventions and standards of other languages.
Once you have your source subtitles ready, you can translate them into the languages you want to target. You can either hire a professional translator, use a machine translation tool, or do a combination of both. Professional translators can provide high-quality and culturally appropriate translations, but they may be costly and time-consuming. Machine translation tools can provide fast and cheap translations, but they may lack accuracy and nuance. A hybrid approach can balance the benefits and drawbacks of both methods, by using machine translation as a base and then editing and reviewing it by a human.
When it comes to translating your subtitles one of the best programs I have found is Happy Scribe. You simply upload your video and can select all the different languages ?? you would like to receive subtitles for (ex. English, French, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, etc.). The nice thing about using Happy Scribe is that they do not charge any extra for providing multiple language subtitles.
Translating your subtitles is not enough to make them suitable for different audiences. You also need to localize them, which means adapting them to the specific context, culture, and preferences of each market. Localization can involve changing the units, currency, date, time, idioms, slang, humor, references, and tone of your subtitles, to make them more relevant and engaging for your viewers. You can use a localization tool, like Localize, or a localization service, like Transifex, to help you with this process.
Before you publish or deliver your subtitles, you should test them to make sure they work properly and look good on your video. You should check the technical aspects, such as the format, encoding, synchronization, and compatibility of your subtitles with the video player or platform. You should also check the linguistic aspects, such as the grammar, spelling, punctuation, and readability of your subtitles. You can use a testing tool, like Subtitle Workshop, or a testing service, like QA Distiller, to help you with this step.
The final step is to manage your subtitle files, which are the files that contain the text and timing information of your subtitles. You should organize, store, and backup your subtitle files in a secure and accessible way, so you can easily find, edit, and reuse them in the future. You should also name, label, and tag your subtitle files according to the language, version, and project they belong to. You can use a file management tool, like Dropbox, or a file management service, like Amara, to help you with this task.
This is probably the trickiest part of working with subtitle files. Most programs that create subtitle files provide a generic name. ex. subtitle1.srt Coming from a document management background, I know just how important it is to have a system for naming files. I like to only include a few words in my file names and include dashes between the words. ex. embedding-videos-vimeo.mp4 If I was to create subtitles for that video I would immediately give it the same name. ex. embedding-videos-vimeo.srt That way when I go to upload the two files I am less likely to get confused.