Video script translation quality

Q:  Our client wants to translate.  Is this the best approach?

It’s a tough call.  The person whom the client uses as translator makes a big difference.  Let’s see if I can explain the various possibilities, because the video producer/director is the one who must deal with the effects when they occur. The best scenario (and the most rare) is that the client’s translation is perfect, and that it fits the timing of the video perfectly.  This “best scenario” happens about 3% of the time.  So, let’s consider the more probable.  About 30% of the time, the client’s translation is fine.  Ask your client nicely how much translation their translators do for their company, and for what purpose.  For example, is this the first or second time they use these people, and what have they done in the past - the corporate website and brochure, or just an employee procedures manual?    Basically, gently discover if the client’s translators have been translating high-profile image pieces for the company, or just an occasional letter or document.  If the translators have been doing high-profile work and if their work has already been accepted by the client’s target market, then you’re on a roll, and the only thing that could go wrong would be that their tranlsation is a bit too heavy, being the “written word” not the “spoken word” as required for media scripts, and it may be a bit too long and require shortening in order for the foreign voice talent’s recording to fit in the timing of the original language.  So now, to the “not so good” results…  57% of the the time when the translation provided by the client it has problems, possibly serious problems.  And these problems will upchuck all over the producer/director unless that producer/director is ready for this scenario.  Forewarned is forearmed.  Of the 57% of scripts that have translation trouble, over half of these will have grammar, stylistic and word-choice problems - including mis-translations and outright errors.  But the script is savable, and needs to be saved.  So,  the producer/director must inform the client that the script needs help (requiring tact - a director’s specialty!) but the producer/director is thereafter often held responsible for providing the grammar corrections and fixing  faulty translations in languages the producer/director does not speak.  Certain companies  can really help here, such as @International Services  (http://www.internationalservices.com).  Such a company can review and repair the script quite quickly. ——-  And now we come to 25% of the cases - the directors nightmare…   Unacceptable, possibly horrifyingly bad translations.  1 out of ever 4 scripts is a disaster.  And the producer/director almost never has any idea of this until the voice talent begins to complain - loudly.  By then, it is the recording session, and the time to peacefully broach the subject of a lousy translation to the client has long past,  the deadline is  down to  the wire, and scrambling begins.  The good news is that if a director/producers simply understands the above scenarios, and sets the stage with the client, so that the client’s script will be “grammar checked” significantly before recording (perhaps by @International Services), then problems can be discovered long in advance of the recording session, and quietly faced together, without the hair-raising rush of “What do we do now?”

Script translation and dialects

Q:  How important is the “you” issue in translation?

There are quite a number of ways that dialect impacts a translation.  By “translation” at this moment, we mean just the words themselves, not the accent of the voice talent.  The first impact, is the way of saying “you”.  In most languages, there is an informal “you” and a formal “you”.  Native English speakers have trouble imagining how this could be a problem, because we only have one “you”.  So,  try to think of “old English”.  Once upon a time, a well-brought up person addressed an adult - or a stranger - as “Sir” or “Ma’am”.  If you were polite, you said “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am”.  So, we once had a formal version of “you”  (sir, madame) and those words were an indication of respect.  Failure to use sir or madame, showed disrespect for person to whom you were speaking.  In English, this respectful tone was lost during the liberating ’60s and ’70s, but still exists worldwide in many countries - but not all countries.  In countries with “Sir”, it is considered impertinent and disrespectful to address someone without the “sir” or “ma’am” unless you are truly close friends or colleagues.  In the non-Sir countries, you sound stuffy and snooty if you DO address them as “sir” - just as it would sound silly if someone called you sir or ma’am 100 times in one conversation.  The main problem with this whole scenario is that there is no way to completely win - there is no one mode of address that is perfect for everyone in some languages, Spanish included.  If you use the “tu” form (informal), you are bound to irritate and bother the “sir” people.  But if you use “Usted” (formal), you are virtually saying to one element of your viewers that this translation was not made for them.  Because there is no way to completely “win”, find out who is your audience and do your best to please as many as possible.  If the vast majority of your audience is from Mexico or Spain or Miami, use “tu”. Otherwise, use “Usted”.  If your target is extremely educated people or wealthy people, “Usted” - the formal - is usually more appropriate - why?  Because most people address the president or Yves Saint Laurent or similar people of stature as “sir” - een in today’s society - perhaps out of respect for their wealth or position. If the majority will not be a “vast majority”, but rather a “simple majority”, we suggest that you err on the side of caution, and use “Usted”.

Translation Q & A: Part 2

Q: How do we handle the recording when the client’s translation is right but is the “written word” ?

A. Just like other traditional “written word” translators, you may find yourself in a similar circumstance as above, with a script that is quite unnatural to speak.  An excellent way to handle client “written style” script translations for voiceovers may be to request permission to “adapt the script for length”, and use that opportunity to adapt just a bit for more natural spoken words.  The client will not notice the change, but rather be delighted with the results.

Translation Q & A: Part 1

Q:  Is any translation company “okay” for a script translation?

A. Well, “okay” will vary with how effective you want your project to be with your audience.   Even in the original language, the words used in a video script are best when written by a professional script writer, versus a brochure or document writer.  Almost all translation companies have no idea that there is a difference between script translation for voiceovers and a document translation.  Such companies use “written word” translators rather than “spoken word” translators.  Written word would be, for example, “I would have been able to have done that had I had the time.” Where the spoken word would be, “I would’ve done it if I had time.”.  The difference is a natural speech pattern, and words that are much easier to speak.  Try speaking the “written word” version above, and note how unnatural it feels – almost hard to say.  Then try the “spoken word” and see how easy it is to speak.  When a translation company says “Oh, we do a ton of video translations!”, inquire a bit more..  Don’t “lead them”, but try to get from them any details they want to impart.  If they pass off talent scripts for voiceovers as being just like regular translation, and they are proud to say that they shorten the script to be the same length as the English, and that’s basically all they say, then you have stumbled upon a translation company that is unfamiliar with “spoken word” translations.  And if they fail to mention that they do not translate the script so that it coincides with specific actions on the screen, is another sign of lack of understanding of multimedia.

Q:  What about client translations?

A. Good luck!  Is always a bit difficult for a producer or director to find himself working with a client translation.  A client translation both relieves the producer of responsibility, but also puts them in a tricky position if the translation is questionable, too long to be spoken in within the timing, or is downright wrong.   Producers and directors often find themselves in the middle between client’s reviewers and translation companies.  Producers and directors need to expect differences of opinion, even complaints, on any foreign language script.  Be prepared that all will not go smoothly, and don’t get ruffled.  Just know that it’s coming, take your time and decide who is right in your own mind.  If you can get your client to agree that your team can script adaptation for your voiceovers, then your chances of great success increase.  If your estimate includes your intent to “possibly adapt for timing if necessary”, then your talent can make some of the necessary corrections without ruffling the client’s feelings.