Discover how audiovisual translation (AVT) can help your business reach global audiences with culturally adapted content. Contact us for expert AVT services.
Remember the iconic song “Video Killed the Radio Star”? It captured the shift in the ‘60s, when video changed how American households consumed media. Back then, video found its way into our daily lives. And that was just the beginning.
Today, with on-demand video, we consume countless hours of movies and series. A trend that extends beyond binge-watching TV. For example, in 2023, users worldwide spent approximately 28 hours monthly using the YouTube mobile app.
In the third quarter of 2023, about 92 percent of internet users globally watched online videos. As you can see in the graph below, the content ranged from educational videos to product reviews.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1254810/top-video-content-type-by-global-reach/
But how is this possible across different languages and cultures? The answer lies in audiovisual translation (AVT).
What is audiovisual translation (AVT)?
AVT adapts multimedia content, such as video and audio, to different languages and cultures. It’s also known as multimedia translation.
A key aspect of this branch of translation is syncing spoken words with nonverbal elements (i.e., sound effects and images).
What are its applications?
Audiovisual media is part of our everyday life, including:
- Movies.
- Series.
- Marketing videos.
- E-learning content.
- Theater shows.
- Ads.
- Websites.
- Mobile apps.
- Video games.
What are the main formats of AVT services?
Here are the most common formats you’ll come across when consuming AV content.
- Subtitling or “subbing”
Subtitles add translated text on the screen while keeping the original audio. They are designed for viewers who can hear the audio but don’t understand the language. They allow you to enjoy the original dialogue and read the translation when watching foreign films and TV shows.
- Closed captioning
Captions provide text versions of spoken dialogue and key non-verbal sounds for those who can’t hear the audio. That way, viewers can “see” sounds, such as:
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- Sound effects: gunshots, cars honking, birds chirping, etc.
- Music: lyrics, mood (e.g., upbeat or nostalgic), and musical cues (tempo and rhythm of the music).
Captions enhance accessibility for the 430 million people globally who are deaf or hard of hearing.
But they also allow you to enjoy content while on the move. Which may be the reason why captions boost video views by 12% (according to a Facebook study).
- Dubbing
Dubbing replaces the original audio with a new voice track in the target language. This technique is common in animated films, TV series, and live-action content. But now it’s also found in online education or content creation for influencers.
Here’s how it works:
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- A translator creates a localized script that matches the lip movements of the actors on screen (i.e., lip-syncing). This prevents the audience from splitting their attention between the original spoken text and the dubbing.
- Voice artists deliver the translated script with the same tone and emotions as the original actors.
- Sound engineers record and sync the dialogue tracks, ensuring each language version aligns with the original performance
So, as you can see, dubbing involves 3 parties working together to make the audience feel as if they were watching a video filmed in their language.
- Voice-overs
Voice-overs overlay translated dialogue over the original audio. The original sound is muffled slightly. This technique is popular in documentaries, news reports, and interviews.
In Poland, there’s a similar AVT format called lektoring, where one person reads the translated dialogue in a flat tone.
- Transcription
Transcription converts original audio into text. While it’s not a proper translation service, it’s used alongside non-visual content like podcasts.
Including transcripts increases your content visibility, since search engines can’t crawl multimedia files directly.
What challenges does AVT pose?
- Keeping dialogues natural.
Dialogue uses lively, spontaneous language, which means:
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- Exclamations and interjections.
- Rhymes.
- Jokes.
- Elliptical sentences.
- Slang.
- Local expressions.
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All these speech elements may lack a direct translation. So, the translator’s job is to find alternative wording that provokes the same emotion in the viewer and preserves spontaneity.
- Dealing with proper names
Think about places or references made in a story: events, brands, or businesses. They may not mean anything to a foreign audience. So, how they are translated has a major impact on the final result.
3. Maintaining feel and impact
The best example of this is humor. Some comedies rely on visual cues and timing. In other instances, humor is conveyed through irony and the speaker’s tone. Capturing these nuances requires precise wording and context to maintain the comedic effect.
- Overcoming technical challenges
Each type of AVT service has its own unique set of challenges. Let us focus on the ones faced during subtitling:
– Location: subtitles should be centred on the lower side of the screen so they don’t overlap with other visual information.
– Length: they shouldn’t have more than 70 characters split between two lines (35 each, including spaces).
– Grammatical integrity: each line should make up a meaningful speech unit (e.g., a line can’t end with a preposition).
– Timing and rhythm: subtitles should appear for a suitable duration so the audience can read them comfortably. The time shouldn’t exceed 6 seconds or be under 1 second.
How can AVT contribute to your international business?
Video is a powerful marketing tool, with 4 out of 5 companies using it. However, much of this content is not translated. Using AVT can open the door to new markets and gain an edge over competitors…
… as long as your audiovisual content connects with your audience. Contact us today to ensure your message resonates across cultures.
