VIDEO TRANSLATION,SUBTITLING, AND VOICEOVERS

Multimedia can be very engaging and is all about good content. If you want to translate, subtitle, and have voiceover, this requires specialized talent and expertise.

You can capture your audience and get you message across at many different levels, and gain a lasting impression and help establish recognition of your brand and product line.

Let’s address the facets in translating a video. We first require a transcription of the audio portion in the native language, from the original video work, normally in Mpeg2, Mjpeg or an Avi format,in as high a quality as possible. The transcription is then translated into the target language.

We then prepare the subtitles to fit in the time line. Often because of a different target language and the number of words involved, a subtitle may require considerable editing to get the right expression and nuance in the time allotted, to synch properly with the video portion of the content.

There’s also the question, on occasion to avoid using harsh language or expressions. Then again a client may want to leave colorful expressions in a subtitle or voice over for the sake of authenticity or artistic expression. There are judgment calls that need to be made. We often ask our client to first review the translation and subtitles.

If we are just working with subtitles, we then author and encode the video. Once you have a translation and subtitles in one one language, it can be economical to just translate subtitles into one or more additional target languages. This technique can also be used for Flash presentations.

Voiceovers are more unique as well as costly, due to the studio time and acting talent, depending on the number of voices required. Your voiceover talent should speak very well in the target language with a professional and neutral accent. Additionally you want talent that understands the source language, so that you get a voice that expresses more feeling and has a grasp of the subject matter and content, where the narration does not sound mechanical.

The subtitles also need to be consistent with the voiceover narration, for the sake of continuity. The finished product should read well and sound good to the editor and viewer. Please be aware it make take several changes and edits to get to the final product which is quite time consuming.

The final product is authored encoded, burned onto a DVD with a suitable label.

If you are in Europe, you would use a PAL DVD Player and the content is made with the PAL Standard. In the US or countries that use NTSC, you need a NTSC DVD, and content needs to be in the NTSC standard. Conversion tools are available. On a PC or notebook, you can play either version with a good DVD player application.

What is next on the horizon is the HD DVD or Blu Ray formats for HDTV, which is usually 16:9 and a much higher density DVD and larger file size.

Routinely I play regular DVD’s on an HDTV with a standard DVD player.

They work fine even though they may not be the highest resolution. You can also use a DVD player with an up-converter, to improve detail and resolution.

While we are beginning to receive 1080i HDTV signals , the major advantage is that you see more detail and can often count the hairs on someone’s head or see the pores on their face in a close up. This leads to a greater sense of verisimilitude.

The question to ask is if it is necessary to be on the cutting edge for a video to be shown on a PC monitor online to get the message and content across.

Visit us at www.cistranslations.com

YOU CALL YOURSELF A TRANSLATOR ?

Calling oneself a translator takes much more than a PC, a couple of dictionaries, and an online Internet service. Even with certifications from universities or the ATA (American Translators Association) which specifies language pairs and areas of expertise. There is much more to be desired in ascertaining the qualifications and suitability of individual translators.

Translators usually work in language pairs. (i.e., English to Spanish or Spanish to English) but it is rare to find a translator that can work without fault in combination of both.

For example, a translator in Latin America with fairly decent skills in the English language and perhaps has lived a short time in the US or UK is not equally well prepared to deal with the subtleties of the target language as one who has lived and studied in their native country, and has also lived and studied in the US or the UK for 20 or 30 years as well.

A translator must be well aware of the Anglic-isms in addition to American-isms, not mention regionalisms like Cockney or Brooklyn-eese.

Translators must know when to translate “trunk of a car” and “automobile’s bonnet”, “petrol” or “gasoline,” know that a US gallon is not the same UK gallon, and that a US Ton is 2000 pounds, and a UK ton is 2240 pounds.

Humor–But Not at The Client’s Expense

A translator must understand the context of a document he/she is about to translate. If a translator fails to fully comprehend the text and the target language and its nuances the end result are many times ridiculous or costly mistakes. Lets take the following examples that are double entendres or hilarious faux pas, and that one finds fortuitously and passes around in e-mails between friends. This humor is mostly enjoyed between translators Sometimes you come across a site where the humor of a mistranslation shines like a gem under a spotlight. Machines can be blamed on occasion, but it is the blunders of the translators that make one wonder “what were they thinking when they translated this?” The Chevy Nova in Spanish (No-va = doesn’t go), Mazda ‘La Puta’, and Mitsubishi ‘Pajero’ (particularly in Latin Markets).

Why Editing Is Often as Difficult as Translating

Once you have finished a document, the next step is the editing process and that takes as much or more time than the translation of the document. Not only has to do with spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure, but it has to involve semantics, word expression, and refinement of the language. A word can make a significant impact on the message it conveys. It is the rare translator that will take time to research the meaning of words and their usage in the proper context. A good translator simply does not use the first word it comes to mind. A good translator knows the Thesaurus and it back pages quite well.

So, you call yourself a translator?

visit us at http://www.cistranslations.com

TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION IN EDUCATION

I e-mailed the following to a friend in Texas earlier this morning

I tend to believe that standards of excellence can be maintained across the board in primary and secondary schools, by developing an online curriculum, (or on DVD ) with the best instructors and available course materials.

There seems to be a flaw in the old model, because if you can have excellence with an online/distance learning scenario, all students in Texas can benefit across the board, and you know they are getting the best available curriculum and instruction.

What accounts for the flaw ? Now is it a way or thinking ? A paradigm, that's not being effectively communicated or inculcated ? Both on the part of the system, and students and their parents ? Now with Hispanics, there's the challenge of converting English into a preferred first language, from a mandatory second language, as well as the availability of computers, and teaching computer literacy.

If people want to immigrate to Rome, they need to speak and write like the Romans, metaphorically speaking. We can be a melting pot, but one with standards, that uplifts the level of literacy and education of our citizens.

If schools standardize on an online "Curriculum of Excellence" - it can be threatening somewhat to teacher's jobs, but they can help answer questions, tutor, and motivate. Change and growth are scary propositions. Jerry Farber used to write about education, even in a university setting as "Learning by Regurgitation". The question here is whether it is better to have a Professor that can motivate and inspire students , and opposed to lecture from notes and handhold students ? Excellence can be communicated via distance learning and multimedia, there is no longer any excuse or reason for delay.

Now if we are in the early stages of a worldwide OCW (Online Coursework Initiative) why are we not taking advantage of excellence in instruction for credit. If you take the top Ivy league schools such as Yale, Harvard,Dartmouth, Brown, and Princeton or top State Universities such as the U Texas Austin, UW Madison, U. Michigan and compare the standards of instruction to community colleges and universities that are not a highly rated, you can become painfully aware of the differentiation, by speaking with a student who graduated from or transferred to an average institution from a top institution. The differential is unfortunate, for want of a better metaphor, blatant.

Given we have briefly addressed excellence in instruction and curriculum, we need to look at the exceptionally disciplined student, with a passion for knowledge that has learned to both independently study and really take advantage of inherent cognitive skills, where a student can manifest a passion for quality creative work. Many of my professors used to complain about students who were ill prepared for university, by being deficient in their writing skill, and not knowing how to think.

Now in Texas (and other States) there should be a greater budgetary emphasis on University education, simply because this is the level where creativity can best express itself, and knowledge and excellence best perpetuated. This is the cutting edge of society and our future civilization on the highest order, the benefits of which can filter down to secondary and primary schools and across city, state, and national boundaries. This should not leave out multicultural boundaries. This is best served through networks and telecommunications. The proliferation of excellence along with standardization, cut redundancy, helps eliminate mediocrity, and can save
substantial budget dollars. this is not to say personalized instruction ought to be dispensed with in it's entirety, but any parent would want their child to learn the best, from the best out there,
hopefully to have a motivated, inspired child with a passion for knowledge and learning.

I believe that Texas Legislature ( as well as other States and Congress) should realize that University Education is the best contribution we can make to our future,to civilization and humanity. Excellence needs to be proliferated and shared.

My last point is the Internet and education need to be more of a force to restore the world civilization index to a higher level. Both corporations and universities, as well as manufacturers, should take old PC's, older notebooks, load them up with linux/unix and get them in the hands of LDC's , of small villages and towns in the third world, and let the Internet do what it was originally supposed to do in the first place: Teach Humanity and bring us closer, and uplift the overall quality of life and the state of knowledge in or world. even old 2501 routers would do the trick. Why would manufacturers or corporations want to destroy older technology, when it could be pout to good use ? Today more than ever there should be no excuse for illiteracy to exist anywhere on the globe. Reality may say different, but there is a
merit in restoring more balance toward this goal.

How do we tie this blog in with translation ? A good translator pursues excellence, and never stops learning. This shows in their work.

Visit us at: www.cistranslations.com

Regards,
Shel

VALLEY OF THE ISMS

Translation Hora and Chismoso. Chismoso is gossip, as an analogy, one might say a derivative from the Hebrew term Loshen Hora, or evil speech. (Anger, gossip, slander)

Where does the “Best” Spanish come from? On the surface the best Spanish is from Real Academia in Madrid. In a sense it also is the “Royal Spanish”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Academia

However in Barcelona, Catalan is spoken. If you go to Asturias, you have another dialect, and as you travel to the South of Spain, dialects change once again.

I call “Translation Hora”, a descent into the valley of the –ismos. When you leave Spain and go to Latin America and the Caribbean, every country has its own vernacular and way of speaking Spanish. There’s a commonly held opinion that outside of Spain, the best Spanish is spoken in Colombia. But this again is a matter of educated opinion.

The quality of translation is best left up to the individual translator. I believe in starting with a Tabula Rosa , everyone translates well and is a good translator. Afterwards we can apply certain criteria.

Let’s list a few –ismos.

Cuban-ismos

Puerto Rican- ismos

Mexican-ismos

Argentinia-ismos

Ismos can be charming, but when it comes to discussions in language forums, the infighting or Translation Hora can get vehement. The best example I recall is a Mexican, from a user group telling a Spaniard, ‘We threw out the Conquistadores long ago, and we are not going to let you tell us how to speak Spanish”. The Argentinians also have their own way of speaking Spanish. You can listen to different Spanish language radio stations, and get an idea rather quickly. Everyone likes to believe their Spanish is the best.

There are two approaches. The first is to use a Neutral Spanish, and the Second is to localize the translation to a specific market or region.

A translation for Mexico City may not go over well in Bogota, or a translation localized for Puerto Rico, may not have the best acceptance in Santiago , Chile, or in Madrid.

If you use a Neutral Spanish, it can be clearly understood by professionals and laymen throughout the Spanish speaking world. The client pays only once, rather than numerous times. We had one example where the client wanted a localization for Mexico City, and another for Madrid Spain. No tail feathers were ruffled.

One example of localized speech would be to watch the film, Amores Peros, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, who does an excellent job of time splicing. As comparison , watch Almodovar’s , Volver. You can acquire a love of culture and language, and acquire a bit of affectation for colorful words.

Spanglish is another delightful topic where English is mixed with Spanish.

I once lightly joked about starting the “Real Academia Spanglish de Miami.”

Often technology and innovation surpass language, dictionaries and language academies. In a translator’s repertoire of tools and dictionaries, one has to be up to date with online research capabilities, and a support infrastructure. This is not taught at Universities or in translations schools, it has to be developed on one’s own.

A translator has to research proper usage and conventions, and have these documented. Upon many occasion in technology especially, English terminologies are easy to use, and convenient. An experienced translator, has to make the distinction of when an English term is appropriate or find the right term in Spanish.

Editing is often more challenging, and a lot more work than translating itself. Translation can

offer literary quality and eloquence.

Visit us at http://www.cistranslations.com

Have a nice day.

Shel

PRANASPANGANAM

Pranaspanganam – The Light of Consciousness – The Divine Spark

Pranaspanganam is a delicious word from Sanskrit. Words vibrate in our consciousness and mind, flowering into associations. If you think of a word or repeat it over and over to yourself, it can become a mantra. Behind the thought process is the "Divine Spark". This can be mediated by metabolism, DNA,RNA, our brain chemistry. Another way to look at the basis of awareness is to meditate on the concept of the "Burning Bush" or "the Eternal Flame". Yet energy can be turned into an explosive or it can be directed into a beautiful piece of prose.

You need to stop for a moment to think and focus, to be in the gestalt of the present moment, where you can reach the eternality of the present.

Why "Orthogonal Vectors" ? The sphere of life is interactive on many vectors and planes. Hence I have the liberty to blog on most any vector and subject.

In Spanish, there is the concept of “Palabras con Sabor”, which translates into words with flavor. Associations can verge on the poetic and elicit artistic imagery. However if you use the wrong word in the wrong context, this can be an endless source for amusement or embarrassment.

When you read a piece of literature, it has it's best understanding and meaning in it's original language. A professional translation needs to read like an original work, and an experienced and seasoned translator has a grasp of language and concepts equally well in both the source and target languages. Try taking a machine translation and back translating it into the source language.

Some translators are better in one language or language pair. For example it is relatively rare when you have a translator that is equally adept in going from English to Spanish and from Spanish into English. You also need to be cognizant in areas of expertise, and talent as a writer.

Why do people translate, or to be specific, why do businesses translate ?

The answers might be to increase sales, market share, to educate, to entertain, to share records, transcripts, medical or technical information, as well as legal documents , birth certificates or transcripts. These are just a few of the reasons.


The next concept is valuation of services. How much does a translator charge, and what does a client want to pay. The foundation of a transaction can be rather fascinating. I plan to explore these concepts this in future Blogs.

Value has to do with education, preparation,certifications, talent, experience, tools and common sense.

To learn more about quality in translation please visit: http://www.cistranslations.com

Take a moment to Relax:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6445721179453553476

I will conclude my first blog asking the reader to consider that translation is both an artistic pursuit as well as technical discipline.

Have a pleasant day.

Shel