TRANSLATION OF SUBTITLES FOR AN ENGINEERING VIDEO COURSE
Assessment
Our task was as follows: To covert the speech into a text transcript in the English language, to translate the text into Russian and to prepare files with subtitles in the SRT format. Then, the subtitles had to be added to the video so that students could watch the video in the Russian language, having no difficulty understanding the course.
Process
We prepared the schedule to meet the deadlines set by the customer: The customer needed the course urgently to make it available to students. We prepared a plan, which was further approved by the performers and the customer, and the work on the project started. At first, our translator listened to the English text in the video and wrote it down (transcribed); then, the editor listened to the text and checked if the transcript was accurate. Then, the text was translated, edited and proofread for preventing any mistakes in the translation. We used special subtitle maker software that included timecodes to sync the subtitles with the video.
Outcome
Transcribing is an interesting and quite difficult task for the translator, as it may involve several challenges: the quality and size of the file, the terminology and the speaker’s manner of speech. The initial process is inherently slow, as it takes time to get adjusted to the speed at which the speaker speaks and to their manner of speech. In that particular case, the problem was that English was a foreign language to the speaker whose French accent was very distinct. However, our translators successfully dealt with all difficulties, and we completed and delivered the project on time and in compliance with all the requirements of the customer.
If you have any questions regarding audiovisual projects, our managers will be happy to answer them.
