Do it yourself subtitler

Q:  What about the software Subtitle Your Video?

A:  Subtitle Your Video is an on-line web software for creating any type of subtitling you need, at less cost. Anyone can create subtitles - or replace expensive captioning - with quick, easy, inexpensive subtitles for the Web, Flash or DVD. This Do-It-Yourself on-line subtitling software for Web subtitling, Flash movie subtitles and DVD authoring contains all the features you need for script transcription, subtitle breakdown, translation control, and creating the finished product - either a Flash movie ready for the web with language selections, or your choice of XMLs and edit lists for Flash, Media Player, or DVD, plus graphic files for your authoring software. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, whether subtitling corporate multimedia, training, or a web television channel, Subtitle Your Video is the ideal solution. There is even On-line Vendor method to calculate translator costs.

Subtitle Your Video is an innovative new way to create and manage subtitles for the web and DVD.   You can use it yourself, or invite your vendors to use Subtitle Your Video to subtitle your digital movies.   The subtitler can cut the cost for subtitling, and speed the process dramatically.

Web subtitles appear below the image for easier reading, unless you set the preferences for on-image subtitles.   The length of web subtitles is recommended to be longer than the usual short movie subtitles due to latency, slow loading, and digital “freeze”.

Creating subtitles that are full sentences will give people more time to receive the subtitles than traditional subtitles that are only a few words.   Because the subtitles appear below the image rather than on the image, this approach works well.   But if you prefer to create short subtitles, you are in control.

For DVD, the subtitles can appear below the image or directly on the image.   Subtitle Your Video will provide the edit list of time codes.   That edit list can contain the corresponding text for the screen, if you choose that style. The on-line subtitler can also provide the graphic subtitle files as tif or png, that correspond to the edit list.

For Flash, Subtitle Your Video creates usable XML for import and subtitle generation live at runtime. Or, press a button to create a completed turnkey Flash movie, with drop-down list of language selection, or buttons for language choice.

Telecom and language

Q:  Looking for more information on the telecom and technology services provided by @International Services, a sponsor of this blog, more specifically in IVR

Here is the basic marketing patter for this @International Sevices in the telecom arena:  @International Services is a provider of “internationalization solutions”, a one-stop-shop for language localization of IVR, software, kiosks, web and interfaces. @International Services supports product developers and marketers through translation and localization to help ensure success in global markets.  From prompt translation to code localization, marketing translation to voice prompt recording, web site translation to product demo voicing, @International Services brings 20 years in linguistics and technology in 90 countries to the table. @International Services is also the inventor of the localization library, GlobalConcat System Localizer, an approach to internationalization that ensures that your IVR plays/displays flawlessly in all languages with one single code base.  Products localized with @International Services, generally play more naturally, smoothly and attractively in other languages. than with traditional translation approaches.  The @International Services localization team support you during your internationalization process. Professional voices rare ecorded in 90 countries around the world to give your product persona and identity for the global market. @International Services uses the System Localizer to organize translations of voice prompts and concatenated sentences. This method achieves more natural results than the usual “translate this prompt script” approach, and results in the particular naturalness of speech that is the hallmark of @International Services. Small projects receive the same attentive service and outstanding results as larger applications. All work by @International Services comes with a 100% quality guarantee. Everything you need is available to internationalize your product, voice prompts, the order in which the voice prompts play, plus customer training and marketing materials into 150 languages. — Does this cover the territory?  If not, feel free to visit the site at http://www.internationalservices.com

Internationalizing Technology

Q:  What are the basics of the System Localizer by @International Services?

There are 117 linguistic rules and 14 best practices of programming that cause the need to change a computer application, software or product to work well in another language, or to create a personalization of any language.

The System Localizer builds a bridge over those 117 rules and 14 practices.  It builds the bridge in such a way that a developer can create an application in their own native language, in their choice of programming language, and their choice of platform, with the full range of freedom to create that product without worrying about possible translated or personalized versions, and without limiting the architecture to a “localization for dummies” design.

Internationalizing Software

The basis behind the System Localizer is to internationalize the software, not just localize language-by-language.  Once an application has been internationalized, it can be translated into up to 200 languages and dialects, plus almost infinite personalizations of each language, without changing the product code, and without limiting the user experience.

The following pages relay the features enabled by the GlobalConcat System Localizer.    All comes back to the basic facts:  once the rules of language have been bridged and the programming practices are addressed, then new languages and new personalizations are quick, comparatively easy and manageable.

Enhancing Content Management Software

Content management software handles certain aspects of localization, but fall short on the linguistic attributes.  Content management software providers are largely non-linguistic, with foremost aims in localization to automate translation, causing an absence of cultural relevance and meaning.  Early in the localization process, developers need a solution that includes the missing linguistic component to properly design localized software and systems.  The System Localizer compliments content management software, and is, in itself, a content manager for software presentation data.

Translation and Technology Backview

Q:  Some languages seem so illogical can cause trouble with technology.

Over the centuries, spoken and written languages have randomly evolved out of the human imagination.  In fact, human language has continued to transform to include the ideas and emotions of millions of people.  For computer programmers, this morphing of human spoken and written language is considered illogical chaos.  Computer applications and software are built upon the concept of logic, organization, true assumptions and process management.

This battle between unsystematic human language and controlled computer programming causes companies to either decide not to translate and personalize their applications, due to high cost and lack of time, or to de-humanize the application as much as possible, in order to cut back on the cost and time consumption for new languages and personalized versions.

All over the world, marketing professionals and technical staff regularly conduct product development and strategic meetings.  The marketing professionals envision global sales, and new personalizations for their clients and users.  Meanwhile, the technical staff foresees global headaches and a waste of precious development time and resources.

The limits to developer time and money generally win, with a compromise being reached to generally ignore most potential global sales, or decrease the user experience in order to avoid programming issues related to language localization and personalization.

This compromise decreases sales.

Alternatively, localization is commonly outsourced to specialized companies that perform the code localization tasks normally performed by the original developers. After several months or a year, the new translated version arrives, by which time the original master version of the software has grown and expanded, therefore no longer compatible with the translated version.

Until the GlobalConcat System Localizer, that makes even the most complex localization of machines controllable and the results grammatically perfect.  Is worth looking into, if you have systems like IVR, Kiosks, etc.

Voices and technology concatenation

Q:  For concatenated computer applications, like IVR, are there secrets to successful translation?

There are quite a few secrets, so let’s try one at a time:  translation for concatenation.  The approach to translation for technologies that concatenate (technologies that form sentences by putting phrases or fragments together at run-time), is quite different from “normal translation”.  This is the first downfall of most developers - the assumption that anyone who speaks a language can translate an application that concatenates - particularly if that application inserts variables at run-time such as dates, times, numbers, spoken names, and more.  Actually, it is exactly the opposite - a very special translator is required to translate concatenating products.  Why?  Because the way foreign languages concatenate is vastly different from the way English language concatenates.  So, if your application has a prompt “Transferring to…” and you plan to insert a person’s name (e.g. “Joe Brown”) your application will not play properly in Russian or Polish or a number of other languages.   If you plan to insert a number in:  “You have <number> messages.” your application will not play properly without reprogramming or data table alteration in 98% of the world’s languages.  First, because many languages have up to 25 different ways to speak the same numbers, varying with what they modify (e.g. “messages”), and also there are many more possibilities than just “messages” - many languages have multiple plurals, such as “messagi” and “messagu”, and the developer will need to modify the programming to play the correct plural for the correct number of objects.  Translating for technology requires not only someone with experience and outstanding grammar, but also someone who can tell the developer clearly when and where to alter the programming. Plus, the translator must understand the concept of translation for technology - an amazing number of translators just translate “You have…” word-for-word as “you have”, where in their language , the technology should really say/play  “there is” or “there are” - not “you have.”

Software Q & A: Part 2

Q:  We make IVR systems, and are constantly updating and making more voice recordings.  We’re having trouble receiving consistent volume and sound quality.  Since we play these prompts concatenated, the differences can be heard.  How can we resolve this for future?

A: Excellent point.  There are a couple of things that will help to assure consistent audio quality.  If you have the budget, you may consider contracting a telephony digitizing studio that undertakes complete responsibility to assure consistent audio quality, level and equalization.  Or, if you are using a variety of recording locations, then every time you send an order for a new recording for a foreign voiceovers or voice prompts, send also 2 previous examples wav files plus specifications on microphone compression (e.g. “None”), bit rate, and sampling rate.  One of the other items that makes a difference is the brand of Microphone being used.  It is a good idea when starting a long term IVR project voiceovers and voice prompts that will have many updates, to actually make note of the exact brand and model of microphone being used with that recording so that you can re-request the same microphone model for all recordings.  Many studios have lots of varieties of microphones, and multiple studio rooms, and your request will actually assist them to maintain consistency.  If your system is enterprise scale – like AT&T or similar – you may even want to request the same recording booth specifications for each recording because acoustics also affect the recording.

Q:  I still don’t understand why voice talents are important.  Whether the product works or not is what is important.

A: The old saying, “you get what you pay for”,  truly applies to voice recording of voiceovers for technology.  Because the voice creates an emotional reaction, it is particularly difficult for an engineer to imagine why on earth a voice could have any effect on sales, especially after you have worked for years to make its functionality so brilliant.  But a voice can, indeed, affect the success of your product.  It does not replace functionality – never! –  and a voice played over a bad product will go nowhere, but a fine voice can add significantly to your product’s attractiveness and salability to customers.

Software Q & A: Part 1

Q:  As a developer, we used my own voice during development while we finished the programming.  Now, we’re pricing professional talent.  Why are they so expensive?

A: There are a few reasons why professional talent for voiceovers and voice prompts cost more than an engineer would expect.  First, professional talents are a business, just like your company is a business.  They must perform marketing, accounting, billing and normal customer service.  Plus, learning to record professional voiceovers in a way that helps your product sell better requires years of education and training, and many years of “voiceovers education” classes and working experience.  Rather like a finding a good programmer.  You can find tons of programmers, but some will make your products so much better than others.  It is easy to underestimate the power of sales of a voice.  So, you will find that professionals will have a similar average basic fee.  From that average basic fee, the cost per talent will rise based upon the impact on your sales that the voice will have.  Microsoft and IBM, for example, are very careful which voices they use on their software and on their websites, and pay well, because they know that the voice they choose will actually increase their sales and bring more revenue.  So, if a talent asks for more money than the average cost, you may wish to consider that adding a little bit now may be recouped with increased sales – and more sales – in future.