Audiovisual Translation

In the face of the audiovisual world globalization, films, series and video games become more and more accessible to people of all countries, thanks to the introduction of translation in this medium via subtitling and dubbing.   

The work of translating such content involves high knowledge of historical, artistic and cultural nature, in addition to translation techniques, fruit of specific training and experience in the area. A literal translation does not always express the same idea in another language and it is often necessary to adapt to other values and traditions, taking the context into account.

How many times have we seen subtitles or titles that don´t seem to live up to the original?

Translators have the responsibility and expertise of not only employing correct terminology in a specialized program of a specific area (such as gastronomy, for example), but also of interpreting the true meaning of an expression, a quote or a title of a film. This involves a lot of research, in addition to cultural knowledge, and the use of techniques such as equivalence, so that a play on words or a saying, for example, so abundant in well-known series of the global public, produce the same effect in the target language. So, it is wrong to think it is a quick and automatic task, merely dependent on the use of technological skills and some knowledge of languages. For a high quality and effective audiovisual translation, it is key to invest in language professionals who are duly qualified and specialized and can produce an accurate localization.