One of the resources that is most utilized when searching for a web is the subtitle of videos. This saves us the hassle of having to re-record audio or create new videos with another language: this is why the subtitling process is cheaper and quicker.
The process begins with the transcript of everything that has been said in the video. By doing this we obtain a document that contains all the information of the video. However, a person can comprehend up to 180 words per minute if they hear them. If they read them the number drops to 140. This is why we need to modify this transcript, so we can later turn it into subtitles.
The international standard that rules over how something has to be subtitled is the UNE_153010=2012 that also includes certain dimensions that need to be added in order for the subtitles to be accessible to deaf people or those with a hearing disability. It’s important to count the number of characters per line because it can’t exceed 32.
On this beautiful morning all inhabitants of planet earth can
be happy.
-2 lines, 71 characters.-
This beautiful morning everyone can be happy.
-1 line, 46 characters.-
Once the text has been modified, it has to be timed. Which means adjusting the text to the moment it has to be displayed. This is the work of video editing professionals. However, most of the time, we the translators have to do a first time edit.
For this purpose, there are a lot of programs available; in some, the time codes must be introduced manually. In other like DivXLand Media Subtitler they are introduced visually by pressing a key in the keyboard.
Once this step is done, an .SSA or .SUB file is created. This is no more than a text file with data. This is the file that will be sent to the client and the one that needs to be translated if required by the client.