The provision of language services is a professional trade with a presence that spans all industries and markets. We are all aware of the need for language localization in the technical and scientific sectors. In fact, these fields bring about a high percentage of translation work, since the production of documents relating to knowledge in certain field, or the manufacture and use of specific products is quite high in this context. This is something that can lead many people to identify translation with a reduced number of potential applications. However, the aforementioned services are a reality within the reach of any sector, where each situation requires a specific translator profile and has specific needs belonging to business activity. To expand on this, we recommend browsing some of our former posts, such as: Translation in the insurance sector, Translation services for hotels and Language services for museums. Indeed, translation is closely linked to the world of the arts, an essential tool to make literature available beyond cultural borders and indeed, other forms of broadcasting and entertainment, such as audiovisual content. As expected, translation needs vary for each modality and the requirements for the translator will be different from one task to another, since literary translation requires higher levels of creativity than technical translation, where good research skills and terminology consistency are key. Thus, the translation industry is as varied as the number of translation modalities. Moreover, the nature of each of these services is in constant evolution, as the remaining sectors keep on moving forward to the future. Along these lines, in our post The subtitle translation sector, we delved into the fact that one of the up-and-coming translation modalities is audiovisual translation, based on the large amount of audio and video contents that are generated both in the film industry and the business sphere, where it has now been proven that videos with voiceover or subtitled text are a resource that causes a greater impact on the target audience. Moreover, it must be taken into account that audiovisual translation is a modality that covers various tasks, since audiovisual translation is featured in different formats, each with their own particular characteristics, which the translator must be aware of, as well as relevant software and technologies, to be able to perform their work correctly and deliver quality translations which meet the expectations of both the sector and the target audience. In particular, one could say that the three main focal points in audiovisual translation are subtitle translation, translation for dubbing and voice-over translation. Therefore, today’s article will explain the main features of these submodalities, in addition to analyzing the most suitable translator profile according to their requirements. Subtitling is a well-known process that we explained in detail in the last one of the aforementioned articles. Essentially, it consists of transcribing an audio track and displaying it on the screen during the reproduction of a video sequence, such that it can be read in conjunction with the viewing experience. Regarding the translation aspect, we explained that the task of the translator consisted in translating the language content, but paying special attention to the length of the text, since subtitles cannot exceed a certain number of characters. Moreover, as can be expected, it also requires the translator’s command over the different software programs for editing subtitles and their translation in accordance with time marks.
On the other hand, dubbing is a localization resource consisting of the hiring of voice actors so that they can render the translated version of a script, to be able to replace the original recording with this one. The most enticing advantage of this resource is that the audience does not have to read the screen while the images are being played, since the audio track in is their own language. And as studies demonstrate, this is especially relevant for specific audience brackets, such as children, who find it more difficult to view content that is subtitled rather than dubbed.
Likewise, it is also an ideal resource for the blind. In this case, voiceover is the available tool, which in audiovisual translation applies both to voices that are not directly correlated to a performer on the screen and to audio descriptions so that those with vision difficulties can obtain all the relevant visual information.
In the translation area, these processes involve a wide range of tasks in order to obtain the final product localization, such as the transcription of the original audio tracks or even the drafting of the audio descriptions, the translation of these contents (which is often performed in specific software programs including time marks) and their recording by dubbing actors. All of this involves a series of processes that require a number of technical and professional skills from the translator. In the case of dubbing, it is not sufficient to translate the textual content, but rather the type of image plane, as the closer it is, the more the translator will have to endeavor to create a visual correspondence between the movement of the lips and the sound in dubbing, as well as highlighting the emphatic moments in the original in the translation. Therefore, it can be said that audiovisual translation is a modality that is not limited to interlanguage correspondence, but rather that it contemplates the product to be localized as a whole, paying attention to extra-linguistic factors to create a much more precise effect, for which conscientious and professional translator profiles are required.
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