Transcribing from audio recordings is a real skill and it’s even more difficult if you are working from one language into another. We spoke with one of our German translators who regularly works on German transcriptions and direct translations from German into English.
We’re frequently sent short films that need subtitling. They can be in (almost!) any language. And sometimes we’re asked to produce captions. While they sound like they could refer to the same thing, subtitles and captions are worlds apart. So what’s the difference? We asked one of our project managers to explain.
The voiceover industry has its very own language. Who would have thought “balls” means a deep, resonant tone for example?
We found this really useful glossary of voiceover terms below and realise that we still have a lot to learn before we can say we have fully mastered the language.
We’ve been approached by a number of UK universities for whom we undertake regular foreign-language transcription work. As the summer fast approaches and the end of the academic year gets nearer, research departments and postgraduate students alike have been bombarding us with requests for transcription and direct translation.
The translation industry, like any other field has some fairly specific terms which sound rather confusing to those not working in translation on a day to day basis. Here we look into some of the more unusual terms and explain what they mean.
The Japanese language is radically different from English in so many ways, so how do these differences impact upon the world of translation?
A recent BBC news story caught our eye, where a faulty Welsh translation promised a little more than could be delivered...
There are often situations in life where you need someone’s help urgently. Those times where something simply can’t wait until tomorrow, where you need to act now. Although when we think of an interpreter, we usually imagine a linguist travelling all over the country in their car or by train, telephone interpreting is becoming increasingly popular, for those emergency situations.
World events have highlighted the sometimes risky role that Arabic interpreters play. Do listen to the moving BBC interview about the Arabic interpreters from Iraq who relocated to Scotland.
We decided to ask one of our regular Spanish subtitlers to tell us about their day-to-day life. Ana explained how she got into subtitling and told us a little about what the job involves.
We receive all kinds of transcription requests. We’re sent audio and video files in all sorts of languages and our clients have a diverse range of demands when it comes to transcription. But one thing that never changes, irrespective of language and presentation, is the need for quality.
UK-based manufacturers often seek to extend their markets by reaching out to customers based in other EU countries. Typically, an advert is produced for the UK market with an English voice-over. But if the commercial is to be shown in France, Spain or Germany, then it will either need subtitling or, better still, native language speakers producing voice-overs for local markets. It is quite an involved process and presents real challenges!
How do we provide such an excellent telephone interpreting service? By only working with the best!
