Companies that need to subtitle a video for their next big project might worry that it will either take too much time to bring it to market or that they’ll get what they need quickly but that it won’t be of a good quality. No matter what the reason is for translating subtitles for videos, the end goal is the same – to bring quality content to a specific audience. It’s important that it’s done well.

Video Subtitling – What’s Involved?

There are many issues to consider when subtitling a video. The text needs to match the timing of the dialogue as closely as possible – and that’s just for subtitles in the same language as the audio files. If a translation is involved, the job can be infinitely more difficult – everyone’s seen a film or advertisement where the subtitles didn’t align properly with the audio or didn’t quite make sense to a native speaker. A shoddy job can really affect how a video is perceived.

That’s why it’s important to work with an agency to get fast, accurate results.

Why Work with a Translation Agency?

Translation agencies will hire interpreters and linguists who aren’t just skilled at translation, but who have relevant experience in different types of translation. Whether that’s print media, legal documents, video, audio, or subtitling, the agency will have staff who can prove that they have an excellent work history for the translation medium in question.

In a way, the agency has already done the hard work of pre-screening translators for their clients, choosing only the best to work on their projects. inWhatLanguage connects them with native speakers in more than 200 languages and even offers localization services for content. Thanks to a unique translation management tool, their turnaround time for high-quality video subtitling is second to none.

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How Does UNIFY Work?

UNIFY is a cloud-based platform that puts a unique twist on translation projects. Responsive across multiple devices and integrated with several APIs, it supports effortless project management for linguists and clients alike. Over 50 different file types are supported by UNIFY, which makes it easy to subtitle a video in almost any format.

UNIFY features live glossaries in over 200 languages, which translators use in real time as they work on a project. The work they do can then be reviewed again by another linguist who also speaks the target language. This ensures the highest possible degree of accuracy.

Instead of waiting for the subtitled text to come back for review, or only getting a look at the entire project at the very end of the process, the project manager can look at the translations being done in real time and make suggestions. By being more involved, they can give feedback straight away, which the linguist can then use to update their work.

The Media Workbench – UNIFY’s Secret Weapon

The Media Workbench, part of the UNIFY platform, is a translation automation tool for select languages. Based on technology created by IBM, it can offer 90 to 95 percent accuracy. However, inWhatLanguage doesn’t stop there.

Once the automation process has been finished, a human linguist reviews the work, using both the source text and UNIFY’s established glossaries to make any necessary adjustments, such as content localization. However, the hard SVT/VTT stamps aren’t added until the very end of the project, when the client is satisfied with the work. This means that the natural flow of the subtitles is preserved and removes the need to add them again towards the end of the project.

Automation is available in the following languages:

UK and US English

French

German

Italian

Castilian, Latin American and North American Spanish

Brazilian Portuguese

Japanese

The Media Workbench can also be used for other languages – the linguist will simply work on the subtitles from the start, translating the text in each video frame and reviewing it against the source text.

The whole process results in video subtitles that read well to native speakers and which align with the audio files, all for less time and fewer resources than a company might expect. It removes the need to hire technicians to handle the files and fewer transfers are required, meaning that a video can be published quickly. In today’s busy global market, the timing of publication can make all the difference, which is why the Media Workbench should be considered an essential tool for the job.

Need Video Subtitling? Choose inWhatLanguage

It doesn’t have to take forever to subtitle a video, and it shouldn’t have to cost the earth. With inWhatLanguage, subtitled videos can be brought to market faster. Companies looking to promote high-quality content as fast as possible can trust inWhatLanguage to get the job done right. Request a demo of UNIFY or get a free quote for a project.

We will be giving a live webinar to showcase the awesome power of UNIFY Media Work Bench on July 26, 2017, so don’t miss out on being a part of global media history.

Register for the Webinar: UNIFY Media Workbench.