Subtitling – translating inside the box
Every subtitler at least once engaged in a discussion with a viewer who criticized a subtitle translation because they believed some content was translated incorrectly, illogically or even not translated at all. To err is human; however, more often that happens because the viewer is unfamiliar with the nuances and limitations of this type of translation and the fact that the subtitlers have to think outside the box in order to be able to translate within it.
Subtitles are a series of time-limited text messages appearing on the screen for the purpose of understanding audio-visual content but with an emphasis on time limitation. When subtitling, conveying the message is essential. Nevertheless, in order for the viewer to follow the audio-visual content uninterruptedly, compressing the content is practically inevitable. There are a few reasons why it is necessary to compress or adapt the subtitle content to the audio content, since everything that is spoken should be displayed on the screen and must follow the audio content. That is one of the conditions that come with many challenges.
Limitations
First things first… Although every subtitle translation must meet certain criteria set by the client, there are guidelines translators should follow. Single-line and double-line subtitles must have a specific duration with a minimum time gap of two to four frames between subtitles, depending on the target audience and the client’s demands. For instance, in children’s shows and soap operas subtitles are usually displayed on the screen a little longer. However, the challenge arises when translating content with an extremely dynamic dialogue exchange with alternate interlocutors who often speak (too) fast. The Gilmore Girls series is a well-known example. Translators find themselves in a situation where they have to decide which content to translate and which to omit in order to convey the essence of the message to the viewer because readability and duration are more important than translating everything that is spoken. The speed of frame exchange can also limit the duration of a subtitle.
Furthermore, besides by duration, subtitles are limited by the number of characters as well. They usually contain a maximum of 36 or 37 characters per line, so it is not that hard to imagine the problem that arises if, for example, the spoken word “heir” is to be replaced by its Croatian equivalent “prijestolonasljednik” which takes up 20 of the maximum 36 characters in a subtitle line. As subtitles should be as readable and understandable as possible, translators should use shorter sentences, possibly within one double-lined subtitle. However, that is sometimes just wishful thinking and, in such cases, grammatical units must not be separated. For ease of understanding and clarity, units must remain coherent.
A clear message is more important than the exact translation
In addition to taking into account the above-mentioned technical aspects, the translated content must seem as natural and as simple as possible to the viewer. However, it should match the style, tone and register of the source audio-visual content because, for instance, the manner of expression or language often describe the personality of the characters in a film or series and that is why the style of the translation should be adapted accordingly. It is certainly important to consider the historical period of the content and adjust the style, tone and register bearing it in mind. The translator should be familiar with the target audience and culture and therefore take into account localization in order to convey the message and meaning of the original content. In that case, literal meaning falls into the background so that the target audience could receive a more clearly conveyed message. Although, at first glance, such translations may seem incorrect, the translator decided that the exact translation would be incomprehensible to the wider target audience. Instead, they decided to convey the message by means of localization, i.e. by adapting the translation to the target culture. The need to localize the subtitle content is common when translating jokes, culture-specific concepts and idioms from the source language. Since a literal translation in this case would be completely incomprehensible to the majority of the target audience, it is usually inevitable to replace the source content with a joke or idiom from the target culture carrying the same or similar message. On the other hand, when it comes to specialized content, the translator must use both standard language as well as accurate and verified terminology with an emphasis on consistency. It is also mandatory to convert units of measurement and to write and transcribe accurately the names of places, foreign names and such.
In the world of translation, subtitling brings unique challenges, the greatest among them being limitations and the inability to translate everything. Limited by space and duration, the translator must master the art of compressing content into a coherent, easily readable and, above all, unobtrusive text, since good or bad translations directly affect the overall quality of the audio-visual content.
