A Closer Look at the World of Movie Translation Services

Although their efforts often go unsung, film translation services are a valuable asset to the movie industry. In an increasingly globalized economy, movie studios must double their efforts to guarantee the international success of their films by ensuring that nothing is lost in translation.  This goal requires superior global translation services.

Factors in Film Translation Services

Differences in language, culture, and government play a key role in how films are translated. For instance, a joke that might work well in the United States may not translate well into foreign languages. Take the example of Terminator 2. When translated into Spanish, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic phrase, “Hasta la vista, baby” does not effectively convey the comedic meaning behind the line. As a result, the Spanish version of Terminator 2 features the more humorous line, “Sayonara, baby” as an alternative.  Governmental factors may also influence the translation of a film. From 1936 to 1975, General Francisco Franco’s regime in Spain imposed stringent censorship regulations on foreign films due to Franco’s fear of foreign influence. Therefore, anything considered “immoral” by the regime (i.e. anything contrary to the doctrines of Catholicism in Spain) was either dubbed over or taken out of the film by government translation services. Clearly, differences between countries have a profound effect on how language service companies approach the translation of films.

Methods of Movie Translation Services

There are two primary methods of video translation: subtitling and dubbing. Developed in 1929 with the global release of the first sound picture, Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer, subtitles provide a text translation of the film’s dialogue on the bottom of the screen. In contrast, dubbing involves the replacement of the original dialogue with an audio translation delivered in another language. While both subtitles and dubbing are viable options for film translation, the two methods both possess key advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps most critically, subtitles are 15 times less expensive than dubbing; an important factor for film studios to consider. Subtitles also ensure that the original dialogue can be heard by the audience, thus preserving the tone and feel of the film. Nevertheless, subtitles can slow the pacing of the film for the audience by requiring them to read while watching the film, and are constrained by the size of the screen. Dubbing also presents its own unique set of benefits and challenges. Despite the fact that dubbing can make it easier for the audience to become immersed in the story and can emphasize humor better than subtitles, dubbing is also a time-consuming process that involves the hiring of voice actors and the syncing of their voices to the actors on screen.  This is a difficult task for any business language translator. Interestingly however, dubbed-over voices in films are extremely popular in European countries that have only one official language, such as Spain and Italy. Movie translation services are essential to the film industry and, most importantly, to building a more culturally-connected world.