Subtitling

Former TV news subtitler scoops award

2011-11-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

Former TV news subtitler scoops award

A SPEECH to text reporter (STTR) who has provided subtitles for BBC television news programmes has won a prestigious award.

Jean Gough, who was a television subtitler for 13 years and has also worked on shows like Have I Got News for You and Big Brother, scooped the Communication Professional of the Year accolade at the 2011 Signature Annual Awards on Friday last week (November 18).

The Lower Stondon resident now works as an STTR on a freelance basis and helps deaf and deafblind people in a variety of situations including conferences and special events like weddings.

Jean, 55, who lives in Fakeswell Lane was nominated by the people she works with and attended an awards ceremony at Plaisterers’ Hall in London.

It was a case of second time lucky for Jean as she was nominated for a Signature award back in 2009, only to be pipped at the post.

Jim Edwards, chief executive of Signature who presented Jean with her award said: “Jean’s clear passion for her profession and the support she has shown to the deaf community makes her a worthy winner of the Communication Professional of the Year award.

“Jean has time and time again proven her determination in making a difference to the lives of deaf people.”

After originally working for Her Majesty’s Court Service Jean undertook training to use a Stenograph machine, which she still works with today.

Using the machine Jean takes down speech using specialised shorthand which the machine then converts into text. She started working in television subtitling back in 1993 and worked on programmes at the BBC and at Red Bee Media.

Twitter | Sameer

2009-06-13T17:34:00.001-07:00

Dubbing pain in Spain

2009-03-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Dubbing pain in Spain
Catalonia pushes studios for subtitled prints
By JOHN HOPEWELL, EMILIO MAYORGA

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000810.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

Madrid-- Hollywood's studios have a new headache in Spain.
Catalonia, one of Spain's wealthiest regions, is threatening regulations to push U.S. majors to release movies in subtitled prints rather than dubbing them.
To encourage take-up, the region will tax movies that are dubbed and it will demand that 50% of all those prints be dubbed into Catalan.
The tax and quotas are among 50 points in a wide-ranging Film in Catalonia draft law.
The Catalan government regards them as a question of modernization -- countries Catalans admire, such as Denmark, subtitle rather than dub films -- and of principle.
Most people in Catalonia speak both Spanish and Catalan but only 2% of movies are screened in Catalan.
The new regulations allow Catalans to choose the language in which they watch movies, Culture Minister Joan Manuel Tresserras argued Tuesday.
The regulations leave Hollywood in a quandary.
Subtitling is far cheaper than dubbing , which costs e50,000 ($63,000) or more per film, while a print from the dubbed film costs $1,300. But subtitled films attract much smaller audiences. Local film fans, as in Germany, prefer their blockbusters dubbed.
Boasting Barcelona as its capital, Catalonia repped 21% of Spain's film market in 2008.
According to one U.S. distributor, Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" took a five-times better print average screened in Spanish vs.Catalan.
Catalan exhibitors oppose the new regulations. "Box office will fall 70% at cinemas showing Catalan-language prints," one said.
The Catalan government attempted to force through 50% dubbing quotas in 1998, but backed down after the studios threatened to boycott distribution in Catalonia.
Another possible outcome is that the studios and the Catalan government will end up partnering on the digitalization of Catalonia's theaters, said one source.
Digital cinemas would facilitate movie screenings in subtitled versions, or dubbed into Catalan or Spanish.

TV subtitles for hearing-impaired viewers inefficient

2009-01-27T12:31:00.001-08:00

TV subtitles for hearing-impaired viewers inefficient

http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_09_01_23_en.html&item=Infocentre&artid=9753

A team of researchers in Spain have discovered that both the speed at which subtitles appear on television and the actual translation of the dialogues impact the level of understanding of subtitled programmes by teens and children suffering from deafness. The research is due to be published in The American Annals of the Deaf.

While subtitles in TV programmes have been used for nearly two decades, questions remained as to how well deaf people comprehend what they're reading on screens and how they understand the messages transmitted through the images. The researchers from the UAB Research Centre on Hearing Impairment and Language Acquisition (GISTAL) aimed to shed light on this issue.With respect to the teenagers participating in the research, the sample consisted of 20 students aged between 12 and 19 years with profound or severe deafness. It should be noted that all of the participants attended schools with children who are not hearing impaired, and use lip-reading and auditory prostheses to communicate with their peers.

The researchers used visual, audio, oral and written information to assess the participants' level of understanding. The students were asked to explain what was happening in a segment of the 'El cor de la ciutat' (The Heart of the City) Catalan TV soap opera.

The first viewing was conducted without sound, the second with sound, and the third with sound and subtitles.The first viewing showed that 30% of the students had a global understanding of what had happened in the segment by only watching the images. For the second and third viewings, which included sound and then subtitles, 40% understood what was shown on the TV screen.

According to the researchers, the data showed that current subtitles are insufficient for teenagers with hearing impairments. They also explained that the speed at which these subtitles appeared and the actual translation of the dialogues failed to give the students enough time to look at the images and gain an overall understanding of what was taking place on the screen.

For the younger participants, the researchers conducted two studies: the first assessed 7 children aged 6 and 7 years, and the other evaluated 16 children aged between 7 and 10 years. A segment of the animation 'Shin-Chan' was shown to them. The researchers chose to show the second group the animation with subtitles they created by using new speed and text-selection criteria. The data showed that only 2% of the participants in group 1 (with the regular subtitles) understood what the animation was about, while 65.5% of the second group (with the augmented subtitles) gained an overall understanding of the segment.

Based on the results, the researchers said currently used criteria must be reviewed and new parameters must be defined when hearing impairment assessments are made. These changes should consider the information offered by the spoken language, sound in general, images, and the language skills of deaf viewers.

The professors said two general criteria should be followed. Firstly, the need to respect the heterogeneity of the hearing impaired, and the possibility to select from more than one type of subtitle (different degrees of language complexity should be available), and secondly, subtitling only essential information that cannot be deduced by the images. The latter, they said, would particularly benefit children's programmes.According to the researchers, another important factor to consider is that subtitles should be adapted for deaf children because they are in the process of learning to read, and subtitles can help encourage them to strengthen their reading skills.Through their research, the professors will develop teaching and learning material for teachers and parents of children with hearing impairments. The research was supported by the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC) and the Spanish Ministry for Education and Science (MEC).

Subtitles Do Not Guarantee Hearing-impaired Viewers

2008-12-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Subtitles Do Not Guarantee Hearing-impaired
Viewers A Total Comprehension Of Television Messages
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202133230.htm

Researchers have studied the level of comprehension of subtitled television programs by groups of students who have a severe or profound hearing impairment. The results demonstrate that deaf children and adolescents have difficulties in following subtitles and images together, due to the speed at which the subtitles appear and the literal transcription of the dialogues.

After almost twenty years since the first television subtitles were used, professors Cristina Cambra, Núria Silvestre and Aurora Leal, members of the UAB Research Centre on Hearing Impairment and Language Acquisition (GISTAL), were interested in discovering whether deaf viewers - the main users of this service - actually can understand the programmes, find it easy to read subtitles and understand the messages transmitted through the images.
Research work was carried out with the support of the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia (CAC) and the Spanish Ministry for Education and Science (MEC). Participants included students with hearing impairment of different ages and the research focused on the role played by visual, audio, and oral and written information on the screen. Twenty adolescents aged 12 to 19 participated in this study. All of them suffer from either severe or profound hearing impairment, went to municipal schools of the Barcelona province with children who had no hearing impairments, and communicated with others using spoken language with the help of auditory prostheses and by learning how to lip-read.
Participants were asked to explain what was happening in a fragment of the Catalan TV series "El cor de la ciutat". The first viewing was done with no sound, the second with sound and the third with sound and subtitles.
At the end of the first viewing, 30% of participants had a global understanding of what had happened by only watching the images. The percentage increased to 40% after turning on the sound and after adding the subtitles.
According to researchers these figures indicate that for teenagers with hearing impairments, subtitles as they are currently presented are not a good enough resource in helping them understand what a television programme is about. More specifically, researchers verified that the speed at which they appeared and a literal transcription of the dialogues did not give participants time to view the images and reach an overall understanding.
Two more studies were carried out with younger participants: one consisted in a pilot study with seven kids aged 6 and 7, while the other was formed by 16 children aged 7 to 10. Both groups viewed a fragment of the cartoon "Shin-Chan", but the second group was shown the cartoon with subtitles created by the professors themselves (using new speed and text selection criteria). In the first group, only 2% of participants understood what the cartoon was about. In the second group, overall understanding of the fragment reached 65.5%.
These studies show that there is a need to review currently used criteria and define new parameters which take into account information offered by the images, sound and spoken language, as well as the language skills of deaf people. According to research results, two general criteria which should be followed are: firstly, respect for the heterogeneity of the hearing impaired and the possibility to choose from more than one type of subtitle, offering different degrees of language complexity so that each viewer can choose the level that best fits their case. Secondly, and especially in the case of children programmes, it would be advisable to subtitle only essential information that cannot be deduced by the images. In contrast, when the images are explicit enough, e.g. emotional states of the characters, viewers should be able to deduce this information themselves. Therefore, the time spent reading the subtitles can be combined with the time needed to view the images.
According to researchers, an adaptation in subtitles is particularly necessary in the case of deaf children, since they are in the process of learning to read and this is a stage in which subtitles can help to boost their motivation.
They also highlight the fact that television programmes which offer subtitles can be used as an additional educational resource in schools when teaching children to read. It would help both kids with hearing impairments and those without, who may find written language a support tool which helps them understand spoken language. The research carried out by professors Cambra, Silvestre and Leal aims to create teaching and learning material for teachers and parents of deaf children.

2008-10-07T15:24:00.001-07:00

Dubbing

2008-10-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

Custom Search

EU to Mandate TV Subtitles

2008-07-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

EU to Mandate TV Subtitles
Author: Leo Cendrowicz
April 9, २००८
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3idb58027fd52dd3205f0dc8b690ae2a12
BRUSSELS -- All public-service television programs in the European Union must be subtitled, the European Parliament said Wednesday.
Meeting in Brussels, the Parliament said that subtitles -- or closed captioning -- ensure all viewers, including deaf and hard-of-hearing people, have full access to programs। The Parliament vote, in the form of a written declaration, added that subtitles also help with foreign-language learning.
Polish Socialist member Lidia Joanna Geringer De Oedenberg, who initiated the vote, said that partial or complete loss of hearing is a condition that affects more than 83 million people in the EU and, given the aging of the European population, this problem will continue to grow. She called on the European Commission to put forward legislation obliging public-service broadcasters to insert subtitles as soon as possible.
The declaration points out that public-service television has a mission to inform and educate viewers, and that subtitles are a simple way of fulfilling that obligation.
Subtitles are common in Europe for films and imported programs. Subtitles for the hard-of-hearing -- or closed captioning -- tend to be a transcription rather than a translation, and usually contain descriptions of important nondialogue audio as well such as "sighs" or "door creaks."
The Parliament's vote said that today's technology enables television programs -- including live broadcasts -- to be subtitled as they go out. For example, the BBC this month moved to subtitle all its programs.

European Union Commission urged to promote language learning

2007-09-29T01:10:00.000-07:00

European Day of Languages : European Union Commission urged to promote language learning

The event was open to the public and saw a number of events take place in and around the Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters, including an exhibition of language projects, music and singing in different languages and multilingual games. 26 September has been designated European Day of Languages by the Council of Europe and the Commission since 2001’s Year of Languages.

The Commission set up a High Level Group on Multilingualism in 2005, which also presented its report.

Issues:
The recommendation, from the report of High Level Group on Multilingualism, came as the EU executive used its special languages day to announce the launch of an online ‘Have Your Say’ external corner and consultationexternal on multilingualism.
The launch represents the beginning of a new phase in the Commission’s consultation process in this area, with the focus switching from governments, experts and companies to other stakeholders, including the general public.
Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban said that the EU executive “has a clear role in promoting multilingualism”, adding that it has to know the needs and expectations of citizens, stakeholders, companies and member states in order to “define the best way forward”.
“Our aim is to give the Union a new generation of multilingual citizens,” he added.
The latest consultation process will run until 15 November 2007, with the results made available in early 2008. It will lead to a policy statement in the form of a Communication on Multilingualism in May 2008, Orban added.

Meanwhile, the High Level Group’s reportl recommends:
* Launching information campaigns among parents, young people, educational and cultural organisations and decision-makers to raise awareness of language learning.
* Including language in sports and extra-curricular activities for young people as a way of increasing motivation to learn – as well as more television programmes encouraging language learning, particularly through subtitles.
* Creating pan-European benchmarks to professionalise the training of third-country languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Hindi and Russian.
* Developing masters and higher education programmes in specialised areas of translation and interpretation such as the legal sphere.

Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban described the recommendations as “very valuable”.

Positions:
Multilingualism Commissioner Leonard Orban, referring to the High Level Group’s report, said: “This report can inspire concrete projects, for instance, research into aspects of multilingualism where there are currently gaps in our knowledge.” He cited the promotion of language learning outside formal education settings, encouraging language learning at an older age and the integration of linguistic minorities as areas requiring more attention.”
He added: “My strong belief is that, in order to be effective, language learning should meet at least three criteria. It should be attractive, it should start at an early age, and it should continue during one’s whole life.”
An afternoon seminar presented members of the High Level Group with illustrations of how the media can play a role in encouraging people to learn foreign languages.

Steven Fawkes, former education officer at the BBC, said that the issue was “bigger than education”, as language learning goes beyond the classroom to become a key element in other social activities such as sport. He commended the BBC’s efforts to promote languages via multilingual programmes on TV, radio and the internet but noted that the issue of fees was always going to come back on the agenda. “Why pay the BBC fee if I don’t watch it?” is the recurring question in Britain, he said.

Claire Doutriaux, a producer at Arte TV, showed an episode of her Karambolage external flagship programme, which seeks to entertain viewers with Franco-German cultural subtleties. Like all other programmes at Arte, Karambolage is bilingual but the difficulty lies in finding a story-telling “drama” that works for both language versions. “We have to juggle with languages, images and translation to make it happen,” she explained.

Jaana Sormunen, executive producer at Finnish broadcasting company YLE, presented an educational and entertainment programme, La Casa en España, which, for the second year running, has attracted numerous viewers in Finland. The TV game saw competitors study Spanish at home for three months and then take speaking exams in the studio and during weekend trips to Spain. The show is part of YLE’s language-learning drive, which includes a virtual language school, The Language Gateexternal , in which users can practice languages with interactive exercises using audio, video and text.

Frédéric Simon, managing editor at EurActiv.com, presented EurActiv’s unique approach to EU political news coverage with the launch in 2004 of several partner websites in central and eastern Europe, each covering EU affairs in their own language. The CrossLingual Network, Simon said, aimed to meet demand for independent information on European policies in those countries where the democratic deficit with the EU elites in Brussels is made worse as a result of the language barrier. He then presented the two most recent additions to the network, with the launch of EurActiv Franceexternal in May and EurActiv Turkey in September.

Debate centred on the issue of TV subtitling versus dubbing with one participant pointing out that subtitled programmes do not score high audience levels in France.
He was contradicted by Jaana Sormunen, who said that viewers in Finland massively protested when the American TV series The Bold and the Beautiful was presented in a dubbed version. Conference moderator Wim De Wielder, from the Dutch-speaking Belgian television channel VRT confirmed this, saying that Flemish viewers are accustomed to subtitling and have found it a useful way to learn English.

Latest & next steps:
* 25 Sept. 2007: Commission adopted report on the implementation of the Action Plan 2004-2006 Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity.
* 26 Sept. 2007: Commission held European Day of Languages and launched online ‘Have Your Say’ corner and consultation on multilingualism.
* 26 Sept. 2007: High Level Group on Multilingualism presented its report.
* 15 Nov. 2007: Latest Commission consultation process ends.
* Nov. 2007: Business Forum on Multilingualism in Lisbon.
* May 2008: Commission releases Communication on Multilingualism.

Polish police raid homes of rogue movie subtitlers

2007-05-20T01:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/18/report_polish_police.html

According to online reports, police in at least four cities in Poland have arrested a number of people in a copyright infringement crackdown. The raids are said to have been coordinated with German police, and a Polish anti-piracy group associated with the recording industry.
What's weirdest about the raids, though, is that they targeted people who subtitle movies:
In Krakow, Slask, Podlasie, and Szczecin, police arrived at the suspected subtitlers’ homes at 6 a.m. — and took them into custody. The story first appeared on the Polish Linux site, which states that “According to Polish copyright law any ‘processing’ of others’ content including translating is prohibited without permission.” Newspaper accounts report that the detained subtitlers face two years in jail if they’re convicted of illegally publishing copyrighted material — presumably including translated movie dialogue.

Link
Assuming the reports are accurate -- there's no direct reporting available from sources I know and trust -- I wonder if there's a a connection with recent news that the Bush administration recently put Poland on a copyright "priority watch list," threatening economic sanctions if law enforcement in Poland did not take more forceful action against infringement. Snip:
China, Russia and 10 other nations were targeted by the Bush administration for failing to sufficiently protect American producers of music, movies and other copyrighted material from widespread piracy.
The Bush administration on Monday placed the 12 countries on a "priority watch list" which will subject them to extra scrutiny and could eventually lead to economic sanctions if the administration decides to bring trade cases before the World Trade Organization.

Link

These raids were orchestrated by The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV), a collective rights organisation, and German authorities shut the site which was hosted on servers in that jurisdiction. They are co-founders of the The Anti-Piracy Coalition, founded in 1998 by three organizations: ZPAV, FOTA (Polish branch of Motion Picture Association) and BSA (Business Software Alliance).

Comments to the slashdot story on the subject on elsehwere have also pointed out that in general foreign-language movies are dubbed in polish, and all the dubbing is carrried out by the same person. So there it is: the official world offers you a hitty sub-standard product, which would make any filmmaker wince, the ‘piartes’ offer the real thing free of self-interest and are threatened with jail?

Rethinking the Art of Subtitles

2007-05-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

Rethinking the Art of Subtitles

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1621155,00.html

Early on in the 2004 supernatural Russian thriller Night Watch, the protagonist, trying to prevent a witch from casting a spell on his unborn child, yells at the top of his lungs in protest. For English-speaking audiences, the subtitles do more than just translate the literal meaning: the words "no" and "stop" with three exclamation points are shown on different parts of the screen in large, moving letters. In another scene, as a swimming character hears a voice in his head causing his nose to bleed, the words "come to me," appear in red letters that dissolve like blood in the pool.
"We discussed with the studio [Fox Searchlight] how to make the movie more entertaining for English-speaking audiences," says director Timur Bekmambetov of the first in his three-part epic trilogy. "We thought of the subtitles as another character in the film, another way to tell the story." Times have certainly changed since the frustrating days of unreliable, white-on-white subtitles , randomly unreadable and restricted to art house films.
Over the next week and a half, some 65 films from 34 countries will screen at the Cannes Film Festival, all subtitled in English, French or both. The subtitles that will allow non-native viewers to follow the stories are crucial because no matter how flashy or impressive a movie may be, it's the subtitles that can stifle or showcase its quality. Although many audiences around the world, most of whom see foreign films dubbed , consider them the cinematic equivalent of Brussels sprouts, subtitles remain an unsung yet essential tool of moviegoing. And with technology improvements, more people speaking foreign languages and the modern habit of multi-tasking, the traditional aversion to watching a film while reading it just might be on the wane.

If subtitles "aren't invisible, you fail," says Henri Béhar, subtitler of a wide swath of notable films such as Brokeback Mountain, Boyz in the Hood and Good Will Hunting. "The titles should subtly give people the impression that they are understanding the characters speaking, not reading words on the screen." Trying to translate one language to another in the course of a film has challenges and limitations that apply to dubbbing as well as subtitling — unlike literature which has the safety net of footnotes, film subtitlers have to make it work in the moment, all while trying to adapt wordplay and cultural references. "Characters in Boyz in the Hood talked about Amos n' Andy," says Béhar. "Well, in France that wouldn't mean anything. I went with Laurel and Hardy, but of course all the racial and political significance was gone. Sixteen years later, I'm still trying to find a better alternative."
Once in a while, subtitlers do get their due. Jacqueline Cohen, responsible for all of Woody Allen's films since 1989's Alice, says that "whenever Woody comes to town, he always mentions that the reason his films are so successful in France is thanks to the person who does the subtitles." No quick task, considering the talky nature of the prolific filmmaker's almost annual releases. "Action movies average about 700 subtitles — Woody's, between 1,500 to 2,000," says Claude Dupuy, the director of subtitling at LVT Laser Subtitling , which handles more than 600 films per year.
Dupuy, giving a tour of LVT's large facility in Malakoff, a Paris suburb, explains the process of laser engraving pioneered by the company in 1988 that burns translucent holes through the film's coating. Previously, subtitles were the result of applying a protective coating of paraffin wax, then stamping the words onto each frame in a zinc strip. This was followed by a bleach bath that dissolved away all parts of the emulsion not protected by the paraffin (the zinc-stamped subtitles), leaving the words in white on each frame. It was an unreliable, error-prone process.
Behind Dupuy are a several bulky machines, each equipped with a green laser that etches English subtitles one frame per second onto the French drama Lemming. Each frame clicks as it goes through the machine's gate, the same two-line sentence being engraved some 30 times until with a whir it advances to the next subtitle. It's a methodical, precise sequence that will take about 10 hours per print.

But the engraving of the subtitles is the last step in a process that begins weeks earlier. At LVT and other companies, a person watches the film scene by scene, doing what's known as spotting — marking time according to the timecode, the film's official clock — the start and end point of each spoken line of dialogue. Then the subtitler goes to work, balancing the challenge of conveying meaning accurately within the confines of space and the roughly 1.5-second-long display allotted per subtitle. The reality is that despite the reputation of subtitling over dubbbing as a form of cultural purity, the eye reads slower than the ear hears, meaning that more than a third of a film's dialogue is sacrificed for what is most essential. The general rule is no more than 45 characters per line, even though widescreen movies could fit longer sentences (says Dupuy, "it shouldn't be like watching tennis").
There are logical rules as well, such as finishing a subtitle when a character stops speaking and not extending it over a cut, which can be disorienting. Good subtitles work with the rhythm of the scene, based on accurate spotting that captures that timing. Whereas now a subtitler can refer to the film on cassette or DVD throughout his or her work, in the old days, they'd see the film just once before writing the subtitles sometimes weeks later based on the spotting list, without a description of the context — a recipe for inaccuracy that probably contributed to dislike of subtitles in the first place.

"Each time you confront another culture," says the director Bekmambetov, whose sequel Day Watch will be released in the U.S. next month, "it gives you the motivation to create something different, to rethink your film in a way." In this Internet-chatting, newscrawl-reading multicultural era, when filmmakers can thematically incorporate subtitles into the story, a corner may have been turned. It's happened before; remember only a few years back when everyone believed that letterboxing was blocking part of the screen? Now it's hard to find DVDs that aren't letterboxed. Still, for subtitling, it might be slow-going: as a response to his trilogy's international appeal, Bekmambetov is planning to shoot the final installment in English.

Subtitles no longer a foreign concept

2006-12-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

Subtitles no longer a foreign concept

Subtitles no longer a foreign concept
By Gregg Kilday
Dec 22, 2006
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/columns/film_reporter/e3ifc91056537ab3920866cdfeb2feab9fc?imw=Y
Read a good movie lately? If you've been frequenting the local megaplex you probably have, since one of 2006's little-noticed trends has been the return of the subtitle.Historically, Hollywood has shunned subtitles. It assumed most moviegoers wouldn't sit still for dialogue that had to be translated onscreen; subtitles were left to foreign films with limited appeal to smaller, more upscale audiences. But then films like 2000's sumptuous martial arts movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" -- which grossed a whopping $128.1 million domestically -- proved that you could have your subtitles and a broad-based audience, too.This year has seen a proliferation of subtitled fare.

There are such traditional foreign-language features as Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" and Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," both in Spanish. In the French-produced "The Science of Sleep," Gael Garcia Bernal, a rising international star, speaks French, Spanish and English. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Babel," produced by Paramount Vantage, features a polyglot cast speaking English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Berber, Arabic and, in the case of the deaf girl played by Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese sign language. One of the movie's themes is the cost of miscommunication in an increasingly global world, and it's through subtitles that audiences keep one step ahead of the often bewildered characters.

Subtitles are showing up in less traditional fare as well. The ambush comedy "Borat" opens with a title treatment, presumably in the Kazakhstan state language of Kazakh, that is explained by English subtitles. Waiting in line in a coffee shop, Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat argues with his portly producer Azamat (Ken Davitian) in some approximation of a foreign language, subtitled for the audience's amusement.Having dared to film an entire movie, "The Passion of the Christ," in ancient Aramaic, Mel Gibson uses a Mayan dialect in "Apocalypto," which still opened in first place at the boxoffice. The current action-cum-message movie "Blood Diamond" isn't afraid to mix in indigenous languages as it re-creates civil war in Sierra Leone. And in "Letters From Iwo Jima," Clint Eastwood films an entire war movie in Japanese.

Technological advances have made subtitles more palatable. As more theaters offer stadium seating, the old problem of the moviegoer in front of you blocking your view of the subtitles is eliminated. Filmmakers also are adopting an array of typefaces and colors that make subtitles easier to read; gone are the old days when shaky white lettering disappeared altogether whenever the color white dominated a scene.Ultimately, movies probably have to thank TV for domesticating the subtitle. "Lost" and "Heroes," two of the hottest series of the past few years, boast proudly multicultural casts, and both shows have featured extensive scenes in which their non-English-speaking characters converse in their native tongues. Similarly, the postapocalyptic drama "Jericho" features a deaf character, played by Shoshannah Stern, and when she argues with her brother Stan (Brad Beyer) in forceful American Sign Language, their dialogue is subtitled."Heroes" even has served up a twist on the traditional, bottom-of-the-screen placement of subtitles. When Japanese office workers Hiro and Ando are onscreen together, the show moves around the subtitles so they appear either below or beside the character who has just spoken.

Suddenly, subtitles don't look so foreign -- they're more like the dialogue bubbles in comic books. No wonder audiences don't seem to fear them anymore

Multilingualism: ‘English is not enough’

2006-12-17T23:23:00.002-08:00

Leonard Orban

http://subtitling.blogspot.com/2006/12/multilingualism-english-is-not-enough_17.html

Multilingualism: ‘English is not enough’

2006-12-17T23:23:00.001-08:00

Varujan Vosganian

Multilingualism: ‘English is not enough’

http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=T&Id=9179
Dana Manescu - Paris - 11.12.2006
27 states, 23 languages; Leonard Orban, Romanian Commissioner-designate for multilingualism, is to head the new European tower of Babel in 2007

The grinding of teeth can be heard. Last October, the appointment of Leonard Orban, 45, Romania’s deputy chief negotiator with the EU since 2001, as the first Commissioner-designate for multilingualism, gave rise to some acerbic comments from observers. On December 12, MEPs give their final vote on this contested candidacy.

Mindblowing material

Compared to the new consumer protection portfolio, which has been entrusted to the future Bulgarian Commissioner Meglena Kouneva, the multilingualism portfolio ought to be a mere trifle, according to Alina Mungiu-Pippidi, political scientist in Bucharest. It is an act which demonstrates the lack of interest in incoming Romania. The Slovakian Jan Figel previously held this position, which has been denigrated as ‘council housing night watchman,’ ipse dixit columnist Ion Cristoiu. Even then, he wasn’t sole commissioner for it, and shared the post concurrently with education and culture. Figel will remain in charge of the latter two; Leonard Orban meanwhile takes on the white elephant.

Romanian journalist Rodica Culcer wasted no time in ironically reflecting on the connection between the weight of the multilingualism portfolio as a single post and Orban’s political calibre. Both hover around zero, she says.The leading Romanian opposition party, the Social Democrats (the centre-left PSD), has criticized Orban for his technocracy and lack of political personality. For the Social Democratic Party, the nomination is entirely strategic, as it will serve to balance out the political forces within the Commission, and avoid criticism.

Socialist MEPs are delighted that Orban has ‘the necessary European experience,’ whilst lamenting the fact that ‘Romania has not been able to put forward a higher-level political figure.’ It was a nomination made in haste; the Romanian government withdrew its previous nominee, the liberal economist Varujan Vosganian, following embarrassing accusations about his past. José Manuel Barroso, president of the Commission, is positive: ‘I am sure that Mr. Orban, through his experience, qualities and personal, political and professional commitment, will carry out the responsibilities that I would like to bestow upon him with complete success.’

ad hoc portfolio?

So what will the Romanian actually do? He is in control of three Directorate-Generals - the Directorate-General for Translation, the Directorate-General for Interpretation and the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. A team of approximately 3400 civil servants will be under his leadership. The notion is almost romantic; by wanting to instil in Europeans a love of languages, Leonard Orban has already spoken in favour of the principal of ‘mother tongue + 2’ foreign languages. In a union of 27 states with 23 official languages, English is not enough.

In order to increase European citizens’ motivation to learn their neighbours’ languages, Orban also proposes Subtitling films. Language teachers will be better trained. Citizens, as well as businesses within the EU, must speak several languages.

Orban’s goal is simple – the wealth of languages and cultures will be at the heart of Europe’s political and economic unity. With the increase in the number of official languages, the tensions between administrative efficiency and the right of citizens to linguistic diversity are ever more apparent. At this time, the survival of European cultures, the democratisation of an enlarged European Union and even, perhaps, its competitiveness, depend on multilingualism.

Multilingualism: ‘English is not enough’

2006-12-17T23:23:00.000-08:00

José Manuel Barroso

http://subtitling.blogspot.com/2006/12/multilingualism-english-is-not-enough_17.html

The Importance of Subtitles in Feature Films

2006-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Ram Gopal Verma's - Shiva
http://allafrica.com/stories/200611211048.html
Mauritius: The Importance of Subtitles in Feature Films
L'Express (Port Louis) November 21, 2006

Suresh Ramphul, Port Louis

The recently released Shiva, directed by Ram Gopal Varma, is routine fare about a young policeman who makes himself a few enemies because he flatly refuses to be a part of their underworld activities. The film is slickly edited and appropriate for killing time, but the problem is with the subtitles. These are amateurishly done and you end up wondering why producers don't give much importance to subtitles as these are vital in helping those who have trouble with Hindi to make sense of what is going on in a film. Subtitles must communicate effectively and clearly. They must add to our understanding and enjoyment. We rely on the subtitles to assist us to get into a film. I experience no difficulty with Hindi myself but I shudder to think of those who need to read the subtitles of Shiva all the way through to derive full understanding of the film. Grammatical errors, inaccurate translation, spelling mistakes, etc. mar the film shamefully. How then can we expect our students to improve their English and love this language when they are so blatantly exposed to a deplorable level of English?

"Somebody will going", "More harder!" "Maybe the John" when the article is not necessary, "He's was", "Is police come from the sky?" "He's having so much self-respect" when we would say "He has so much..." "Leave this duty task" when the correct way of putting it is "leave this talk about duty", "I think he earn a lot" with "s" missing in the verb, "He stroke" instead of "stroked", "one of my friend" instead of "friends" are all examples of the kind of subtitles we have to endure. "We lived in the same area" is translated in the past tense when the dialogue in Hindi is in the present. We have "I'm taking you to home" where the preposition is unnecessary, "policemen is" rather than "are", "What do you saying" for "What are you saying", "what do with..." which is plainly nonsense, "Sometimes I'm going to meet them" when what is meant is "I go", "That right" when it should be "That's right", and "How can I'll". The villain says that he has never been to school but in prison "I red some books" when "read" is the word. Enhancing enjoyment "I work for the peace" where the article is not necessary; in "I just totally condemn it" "just" is redundant and in "17 cases was registered" it should be "were".

"Any judge will jailed him" is obviously wrong as is "I'm congratulate you" as well as "Police is full of". "Kya hua" is translated as "What happen?" when it would be better to say, "What's the matter" "Every man have a price", "Hi everything will be closed" and "I can do that thing what I feel is right" and "bare the pain" are bound to drive you mad. "Malaysia mein rehta hai" means "He lives in Malaysia" but here we have "He lived in...", "It look like", "Shiva height is" without the apostrophe after the name, "How many time I said" with the missing "s", "I buy it for one of my friend", "If you don't tell me who are you" where "who you are" is suitable, "Your name is forever in all over the country" when the right way of expressing it is "You will be famous all over the country", "Where is he hide" are all irritating and make you feel ashamed that the English language is so mercilessly treated.

Subtitles should be a means to expand the audience. In the context of globalisation films are marketed widely and subtitles should attract more and more people and conquer new pastures rather than discourage such a trend. "He have one brother", "How much we discussed about you", "if you insist me to do", "temporary we people are safe", "your all gang" instead of "your whole gang", the Hindi words "soun soun ke" meaning having heard much about are translated as "after listing". Subtitling is no child's play. It must be meticulously done to bring out the basic meaning of the dialogue and the nuances of the words in the original. It must also be pleasant to read while enhancing enjoyment. Moreover, one picks up words and this does improve one's vocabulary.

Subtitles must be able to reflect the humour, the shades of emotion, and the tone in the speech. A spate of faults in the subtitles, as in the case of Shiva, is an insult to the intelligence of the viewer. Those in the entertainment business should know that taking the viewers for granted is mistaken thinking.

Danish Government Receives Award for National Speech Recognition Initiative Powered By Philips SpeechMagic

2006-09-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Speech Technology Magazine

Danish Government Receives Award for National Speech Recognition Initiative Powered By Philips SpeechMagic
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20060914005466&newsLang=en

VIENNA, Austria--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2006--

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG) (Amsterdam:PHI) announced today that the government of the Kingdom of Denmark has received the Most Innovative Solution (MIS) Award from Speech Technology Magazine for its implementation of speech technologies. The government has successfully deployed the Philips speech recognition software SpeechMagic as part of a national initiative to improve the accessibility of information to its population, including people with disabilities. The Danish government's initiative comprises three major projects including the live subtitling of TV shows, consumer speech recognition software and speech recognition-based publishing of parliamentary speeches.
"Denmark has a population of 5.4 million people. Thanks to the public-private partnership between the government and companies like Philips, speech recognition software is now available to all Danes. With this unique initiative Denmark is using state-of-the-art technology to give its people access to information and computers without barriers," said Helge Sander, the Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation. The Minister also pointed out that "many other countries with small populations, such as Sweden and Norway, have already expressed interest in following the Danish example."
"The Speech Solutions Awards recognize this year's best in speech technology innovation and implementation," says David Myron, editor-in-chief of Speech Technology Magazine. "Award recipients should be proud to be part of an elite group that is paving the way for others to follow."
By subtitling TV shows the hearing impaired, which total 10 percent of the population, can follow important political events and current affairs programs live on television. In addition, speech recognition software for home PC users will reduce barriers related to the usage of PCs, benefiting elderly people and persons with physical disabilities. The Danish parliament is also planning to use speech recognition in its Official Report publishing system to publish 85% of all reports on the Internet within two or three hours after a speech has been held.
The Danish speech recognition initiative has been realized in a close public-private partnership involving Philips Speech Recognition Systems, Prolog Development Center A/S and Max Manus A/S. The initiative has received DKK 6.000.000 (approx. EUR 780,000) in public funding.

Lost in translation?

2006-09-14T01:56:00.000-07:00

Bangla Cinema

Lost in translation?

http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/09/14/d609141503135.htm
Bina D'Costa

ONE of the subtexts of Sofia Coppola's 2003 film Lost in Translation is to remind us in a very witty but subtle manner of the accuracy or truth being lost in the complex processes of crossing beyond one language to the other. And this is the context of my discussion today.
I love to watch movies and documentaries from all parts of the world. And it is always a delight to watch Bangladeshi productions. Just to mention a few, Abdul Jabbar Khan's Mukh o Mukhosh as the first film from Bangladesh, Shubash Dutta's Dumurer Phool, Boshundhora, Arunodoyer Agnishakhyi, Alamgir Kabir's Shurjyokonnya, Shimana Perieye, Zahir Raihan's Jibon Theke Neya, Rajen Tarafder's Palnoko, Shaik Niamat Ali and Masihuddin Shaker's Shurjyo Dighol Bari had tremendous values across genres and made lasting impressions on Bengali culture.
Nonetheless, in my young and wild days, just like my friends, I ignored mainstream Bengali movies and would laugh at the romanticism, sudden eruption of music and highly melodramatic performances in them. It was just not "cool" to watch Bangladeshi films. While at the University, I detested the Bangladeshi films which borrowed heavily from Bollywood and were full of superfluous violence, deep-rooted gender biases, chauvinistic patterns of interaction and banal plots.
Alternative filmmakers brought a breath of fresh air to Bangladeshi films. Partly due to the fact, that as an expatriate Bangladeshi, I just crave even miniscule drops of "Bangaliana" and largely due to these original and innovative film-makers, I have become quite fond of Bengali films in recent years. To name a few, Tareque and Catherine Masud's Matir Moina, 2002, Muktir Kotha, 1999, Muktir Gaan, 1995; Shameem Akhter's Itihash Konnya, 2002; Yasmin Kabir's My Migrant Soul, 2001; Tanvir Mokammel's Achin Pakhi, 1996 Morshedul Islam's Chaka, 1993; Nasiruddin Yusuf's Ekatturer Jishu, 1993 gradually made me interested in alternative Bangladeshi films and documentaries. I even started watching some popular Bengali films to remind myself of home; to make myself nostalgic about those amusing moments, making fun of the performers while watching these with friends. However, it seems to me, we are still far behind when it comes to creating international audience.
According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia, subtitles are textual versions of the dialogue in films and television programmes, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. They can either be a form of written translation of a dialogue in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialogue in the same language -- with or without added information intended to help viewers with hearing disabilities to follow the dialogues. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtitle).
There are also other methods of translating films produced into a foreign language. These are dubbing and lectoring. In dubbing, voices are recorded over the original voices of the performers in a different language. It is the method in which "the foreign dialogue is adjusted to the mouth and movements of the actor in the film," (Dries 1995: 9 quoted in Shuttleworth and Cowie 1997: 45) and "its aim is seen as making the audience feel as if they were listening to actors actually speaking the target language (Agnieszka Szarkowska, Translation Journal, Volume 9, No 2, April 2005)." In lectoring, a narrator translates the dialogues while the original voices could be heard in the background. Often in the former Soviet Union states this method was used to show movies.
The most common form of translating films made in Bangladesh is through subtitles. Unfortunately, except for a handful of the movies produced and directed by new age and alternative filmmakers, Bangladeshi productions do not have high-quality subtitles. I am really surprised by it because so many Bangladeshis are either bi-lingual or multi-lingual.
Bangladesh is the homeland of a people who are unique in this world because they fought for their right to speak a language in 1952. The rich history, the beauty and evocative nature of the Bengali culture are a source of pride for the people who speak it, who think in it and who write in it. It is indeed distressing that not enough attention is paid to the translation of dialogues in the movies.
The lack of sensitivity and attention to details, when it comes to translating, are frustrating. Some of the translations are totally wrong or simply do not make any sense. Sometimes, these subtitles show no understanding of cultural contexts. It is not politically correct to say "negro" or "native" anymore unless it refers to specific historic moments. In Londoni Koyinna, locals in the rural areas (gramer manushera) were repeatedly called "these natives." While we can mention native Chittagonians or native New Yorkers, the word has specific historic and political meaning in the colonial context and therefore if used without due regard for the politics of language, it may totally mean something else.
Our indifference may also be a sad reminder of our inability to embrace multi-culturalism and think outside our homogeneous boxes and recognize that others who cannot understand the language may well and truly be interested to know more about Bangladesh and our culture. What better way than films and documentaries?
Bina D'Costa writes from Australian National University.

Does Japanese theater need Japanese subtitles?

2006-07-08T02:11:00.000-07:00

Kabuki and Bunraku performance

Does Japanese theater need Japanese subtitles ?
Satoshi Tanaka and Mitsue Maeda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20060708TDY17002.htm

A common problem for those new to Japanese traditional performing arts is that--even for native Japanese speakers--it is hard to understand the story and old-fashioned language used in noh recitation or gidayu, a form of narrative chanting that accompanies bunraku performances. With a view to solving this problem, there has been a marked increase in productions using Japanese subtitles at the National Theatre in Tokyo and National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka. The National Noh Theatre in Tokyo also plans to make greater use of subtitles on screens it will introduce in autumn.The new computer-controlled system to be introduced at the National Noh Theatre in Tokyo, where prior improvements to seats and other theater facilities are scheduled for completion in August and September, will allow Japanese subtitles to be displayed on flat-panel screens installed in seat backs.
"We will provide Japanese and English subtitles for the time being, although the system will allow us to use four channels in total," said an official at the noh theater. Noh recitation will be displayed as it is in Japanese, while the plot of the play and a briefing on scenes will be provided in English along with a translation of the recitation.The system will be tested in September and October before being officially introduced in November. The theater will decide how to use the other two channels after gauging audience response to the system.
Japan Arts Council, the operator of the three theaters, used the subtitling system for the first time five years ago. It was provided for a program held at the National Theatre to teach people how to enjoy kabuki using a performance of Futatsu Chocho Kuruwa Nikki, Hikimado. The subtitles were shown on an electronic display system beside the stage. "We had been talking about whether to introduce the system ever since we heard from some of the students for whom the program is designed that they cannot understand what is being said," said Koji Orita, the director of the National Theatre's performing arts section. "We also had to take into account the possibility that the system might interfere with the enjoyment of performances if the subtitles proved too distracting."

However, the theater received a positive response to the system after its initial trial five years ago. Since then, it has used the system for similar teaching programs whenever gidayu-kyogen, kabuki plays based on bunraku puppet theater, is involved.
The National Bunraku Theatre said it also was planning more use of the system after subtitles went down well when they were used four years ago in a program to teach primary, middle and high school students the joy of bunraku. The theater hopes the service will help overcome the image of traditional performing arts as hard to understand.
As far as bunraku is concerned, the use of Japanese subtitles started in January last year both at Tokyo and Osaka performances.
According to a survey conducted after the launch, more than 80 percent of respondents welcomed the introduction of subtitles, saying that it helped them understand the bunraku program. The percentage far exceeded those who said they were distracted by the subtitles and thus had difficulty in concentrating on the program.Some bunraku performers at first questioned why Japanese subtitles were necessary since most audience members are Japanese.

"But they don't voice such objections any more. Some even say the subtitles are useful in learning kanji. Now I think there is no doubt that it was a good idea to introduce the system," said Takemoto Sumitayu, a bunraku narrator and a living national treasure.
Kanze Kiyokazu, the head of the Kanze school of noh, says it's better to have subtitles since it does no harm to the performance, but still helps people who would otherwise have a hard time understanding what was going on.
"Using Japanese subtitles for performances of kumiodori [a form of musical dance drama developed in Okinawa Prefecture] has been getting a good response at National Theatre Okinawa, which opened two years ago [in Urasoe, Okinawa Prefecture]," Orita said. "An increasing number of opera houses are introducing the system in Europe, for example. We want to think about what kind of system we will introduce at the National Theatre.
"We also want to study the extent to which the system should be introduced. Whether it should be used for kabuki or classical Japanese dance is something we have to look into."

(Jul. 8, 2006)

Solon wants English subtitles on Tagalog films

2006-06-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

House Deputy Speaker Eduardo Gullas
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=41436

If a member of the House of Representatives could have his way, all Tagalog movies and telenovelas and other popular entertainment programs on local television would be carrying English subtitles. House Deputy Speaker Eduardo Gullas urged producers and distributors to add subtitles to the movies and programs. That way, he added, they will contribute a lot to help arrest the decline in English proficiency among young people.
"This is one sure way to reinforce the average Filipino’s ability to speak, comprehend and write English," explained Gullas, an educator and author of a bill reinstating English as the medium of instruction in schools.

Considering the popularity of Tagalog movies and foreign telenovelas, English subtitles on them would facilitate in a big way the learning and use of the English language, he said.
"If program distributors can dub or add Tagalog soundtrack to telenovelas from South Korea, Mexico and other countries, then surely they can also include English subtitles," Gullas pointed out.In subtitling, the audio portion of a Tagalog movie or show is translated into English. As the program plays, what is said and by whom and other relevant sounds are shown in readable form at the bottom of the screen or monitor.The biggest beneficiaries would be the Filipino youth, Gullas said, who spend most of their free time watching movies and television programs.

A study made by the Social Weather Station indicates that 57 percent of the youth watch television everyday, while 34 percent go to the movies once or twice a month. Another study, this time by a leading advertising agency, shows that Filipino children spend 21 to 28 hours a week in front of the TV screen. At that rate, Filipinos, by age 30, will have spent five years of their lives watching television.Gullas warned that falling competency in the English language, if left unchecked, "is bound to erode our economic competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven world.""English is the language of technology," he said. "Mastery of the language must form part of the skills of our workers. It is necessary to secure gainful employment both here or abroad."

The joy of subtitles

2006-03-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

Why change a classic design? Subtitles from 1982

The joy of subtitles
By Jonathan Duffy
BBC News Magazine
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4862652.stm

TV subtitles may be primarily for deaf people or those who are hard of hearing, but research has revealed they are used by six million people who have no hearing impairment.
Why?

Perhaps we should blame NYPD Blue or ER or whichever TV series it was that first pioneered the shaky, handheld camera technique.
Years ago a TV drama, be it Minder, Juliet Bravo or Day of the Triffids, exuded a certain staginess. We didn't really know it at the time... it was just how TV was.
Action tended to be a tad stilted and characters' lines were delivered with Rada-like clarity, often in Received Pronunciation.
Then along came a trend that might best be described as TV Verité. Cameras rolled, jumped and jostled to intensify the on-screen drama and microphones struggled to keep up.
Key plot developments might turn on a muffled comment, or a piece of dialect indecipherable to outsiders. But no matter, in the eyes of the director - the more authentic the better.
Not so in the ears of the viewers, however. Which might explain the current vogue for subtitles.

Rapid fire ramblings
Research by Ofcom, the media regulator, has found that of the 7.5 million people who use TV subtitles, six million have no hearing impairment at all.
For those who have discovered the joy of subtitles, the idea of keeping up with the countless plot twists inflicted on 24's Jack Bauer, or Christopher Eccleston's rapid-fire ramblings as Doctor Who, would be nigh-on impossible without the aid of 888 - the Ceefax/Teletext page where subtitles live.

Why change a classic design? Subtitles from 1982The problem with subtitles is once discovered they can be incredibly hard to let go of. Their value extends to a rich variety of TV-watching scenarios.

Tucking into a bag of crisps while slobbing on the sofa? Subtitles ensure not a word is missed as the sound gets drowned out by the head-echo of crunching. Trying to lull a baby to sleep... cut the sound and let the subtitles do the work.

And where videos were useless, DVDs only feed one's subtitle addiction.
Diligent subtitlers - and there seem to be plenty of them out there - even go so far as to include the name of a song that is being played in the background, and the artist performing it. (How long before viewers will be able to click on the title to download the song?)
Others actually transcribe the lyrics.

The vast majority of subtitling is pre-recorded, but when watching the news with subtitles one can't help but respect the craft of the live subtitler, as they struggle to keep up with galloping newsreaders. Sentences frequently go uncompleted. Errors are common, and entirely understandable, but that doesn't stop them eliciting a slight grin - like the subtitler who recently referred to Andrew Lloyd Wober.

Now and again, one even detects a certain recklessness in the subtitle suite, as when, during one of those celebrity-packed Christmas adverts (yes, ads get subtitled too) Marks & Spencer used to make, a line popped up declaring: "I love you Rupert" just as Rupert Everett hoved into camera.

Occasionally, though, the subtitles can be more a hindrance than a help, even to the most ardent fan. Comic timing is something subtitlers have yet to be able to replicate - with the result that punchlines tend to appear before they are actually spoken and the whole thing is ruined.
Mostly, though, subtitles tend to enhance one's viewing experience. And who knows - for all of us one day as advancing years take their toll, they will doubtless become even more indispensable.

Best Subtitling by Whispers - An Elephant Tale - TV3,

2006-03-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Anugerah Seri Angkasa (ASA 2005) broadcasting awards

RTM Grabs Most Honours On First Night Of Seri Angkasa Awards
KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 (Bernama) -- Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) grabbed most of the honours on the first night of the Anugerah Seri Angkasa (ASA 2005) broadcasting awards held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Friday night.Emceed by popular actor Jalaluddin Hassan and RTM newscaster Elize Lee, the two-night event is the biggest in the local broadcasting scene.Radio drama Igauan Semalam (Nasional FM) won four awards -- Best Radio Drama, Best Audio, and for best supporting roles by Nasrin Ngasri and Jalaluddin Hassan.Aminah Mokhtar (Nasional FM) won for the Best Radio Script for her drama Merdekakan Cinta Kita, Cik Embun. Best Radio News Coverage went to Marzuki Ismail for the Serumpun Sebudaya programme from Best 104 and the Best Radio Magazine by Citra Budaya (Nasional FM).Best Radio Bulletin honour went to Nazri Abdullah (Nasional FM) while Yasser Yusoff won Best Radio Commentator for his coverage of the Penang/MPPJ Super League 2005/2006 football clash (Mutiara FM). Best Radio News presenter was won by Mustaza Maah (Nasional FM).The Citra Cinta programme handled by DJ Lin of Star FM won for Best Interactive radio programme while Best Radio Capsule was won by Hargai Air (Save Water - Best 104).For television, the drama Maafkan Aku Mama by TV3 won for Best Editing. Best TV Script went to Martias Ali for his Anak Penarik Beca drama (RTM). Best Audio Entertainment (Live Telecast) was won by the Zoom In Bersama Man Kidal and Friends show (RTM), Best TV Audio Drama by Haryati 2 (RTM) and Best Drama Lighting also by Anak Penarik Beca - RTM.ntv7 newscaster Norazlina Awang Had won in the Best TV News Presenter category, while Best Television Reporter was won by RTM's Rosli Mohd Nordin for his coverage of Malaysian Defence Forces' humanitarian operation in the aftermath of last year's killer Pakistan earthquake.Best Cinematography went to Dan Disitu Ada Doa (RTM), Best TV Lighting for an Entertainment Programme to Malaysian Idol Grand Final (8TV) and Best Costumes to Haryati 2 (RTM).Best Graphic Design was won by Stylo (RTM), Set Design by DJ @ 2 Episode 18 (Host Gary - RTM), Best subtitling by Whispers - An Elephant Tale - TV3, Montage/Teasers by AF3 Konsert - Astro, Best Promotion by Malaysian Idol - 8TV and Special Music Award by Raya Nite Live - ntv7.The main awards will be presented Saturday night when the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be in attendance.-- BERNAMA

Google helps teach, with Bollywood hits

2006-01-12T02:28:00.000-08:00

The NASDAQ Stock Market Education Award.
Bruce Aust,Vice President
Brij Kothari, Indian Institute of Management

Google helps teach, with Bollywood hits
C Chitti Pantulu Thursday, January 12, 2006 00:23 IST
http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1007034

HYDERABAD: Believe it or not, watching movie songs for half-an-hour once a week on Doordarshan could improve your reading skills in any vernacular. At least the World Bank and the Google Foundation seem to believe so.

Both the organisations are now involved, though separately, in an exercise to spread reading skills in the Indian hinterland through the novel medium of same language subtitling (SLS), of popular film songs on Doordarshan.

"There are 300 million completely illiterate people in India while there are another 300 to 400 million who are functionally literate but cannot read fluently. Our experiments in SLS have proved that by playing Hindi subtitled Hindi songs for half an hour everyday improve reading skills," said Brij Kothari, a development communication professor at IIM Ahmedabad.
Independent research by the ORG Centre for Social Research, which assessed 10,000 people who were subjected to SLS programming in Gujarat over a three to five year period has shown that results are good, he pointed out.

The idea originated at the time when Kothari watched Spanish films with friends while at the Cornell University. Later, a grant of $250,000 kick-started a novel project that has today germinated into a non-profit company, PlanetRead.org, involved in literacy development across the world.

Further, Google Foundation, the philanthrophic arm of Google, is pumping in an undisclosed amount into the project to take up SLS in10 languages for 10 TV programmes across India. PlanetRead is one among just the four initial commitments that Larry Page and Sergei Brim have made to support projects that address global poverty, energy and environment among others.

PlanetRead's goal is to take the idea internationally, said Kothari, who was at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to market the idea to Bollywood stalwarts .
"I want the film industry to pick up the idea and release same language sub-tited songs in its movies. This would address the illiteracy problem to a great extent," said Kothari who, with his 15-strong team, added subtitles to songs out of his studios in Mumbai and Pondicherry. Next on the cards is a studio in Kolkata, he said.

The Digital Network Covers Nearly the Whole of Finland

2005-09-02T03:49:00.000-07:00

Digital Television

The Digital Network Covers Nearly the Whole of Finland
the eFinland Weblog
http://e.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=40330
Helsinki, 30 August, 2005 —

Digital television is now available in almost the whole of continental Finland. The digital network covers about 99.9% of Finnish households and the target of 100% coverage will be reached by the end of 2005. According to a survey made in July 2005, every third household in Finland has a set-top box.

In digital transmissions the picture and sound quality are better than in analogue transmissions. Frequency bands can be utilised more efficiently, which means that frequencies can also be allocated for special-interest channels. The new technology TV is suitable not only for viewing programmes but also for utilising personal services.

The most recent service provided on digital TV is voice subtitling, which is available on YLE’s digital TV1. The text on the screen can be heard as synthetic speech. This helps people with impaired vision or reading skills follow foreign TV series.

In Finland, the digital switch-over will take place on 31 August 2007. However, the transition does not only concern Finland but is a Europe-wide project. Almost every EU country is planning to switch over by 2010.

Further Information and Assistance A national service centre DigiTV Info provides further information in Finnish, Swedish and English: telephone +358 306 3444 88, open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Websites www.digitv.fi and www.digitelkkari.fi contain information on the progress of the digital TV network, technological developments, channels and equipment. Information is also available on pages 618-619 of the YLE, MTV3, and Nelonen teletext.

Your local cable TV operator will provide you with information on cable television networks and services available near you; operator details from the Finnish Cable Television Association, www.kaapelitelevisio.fi tel. +358 9 2287 7450. Antenna Info helps in matters regarding the receiving of digital TV broadcasts, tel: +358 203 124 124 (weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

More informationinfo@digitv.fi

Knesset expected to pass landmark law on TV subtitles

2005-07-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Knesset

Knesset expected to pass landmark law on TV subtitles Tuesday

By Ruth Sinai,
Haaretz Correspondent
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/604573.html

The Knesset is expected to pass Tuesday or Wednesday a landmark law requiring the majority of television broadcasts in Israel to carry subtitles, for the benefit of the country's some 600,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

This despite efforts by some of the broadcast organizations to block the legislation, which will affect programs that are pre-recorded or aired live.A compromise agreement reached between the organizations for the deaf and disabled and the broadcast networks states that the introduction of subtitles will be gradual, beginning with 40 percent to 50 percent of pre-recorded prime-time programs and broadcasts in January 2006 and increasing to 100 percent of prime-time broadcasts by 2010.

Subtitles for live programs will begin in 2009, covering 25 percent of broadcasts and reaching 100 percent by January 2015. However, beginning in 2007 there will be at least one daily live broadcast accompanied by subtitles.The bill, first proposed three years ago, achieved its final form in marathon negotiations Monday and Sunday headed by MK Shaul Yahalom (NRP), who was determined pass the bill before resigning from his post as chairman of the Labor and Welfare Committee.Leading up to negotiations, there was concern that the two proposers of the bill, Eliezer Cohen (National Union) and Ayoub Kara (Likud), would withdraw it at the last minute due to pressure from the broadcasters."

The picture we got was that we were way behind other Western countries, although no technical obstacles were involved and the costs were a tiny fraction of the profits," said Zevulun Gorni, director of the Shema organization for the rehabilitation of hard-of-hearing children and youth."We were subjected to threats and intimidation and perhaps that is why the broadcasters were treated so generously. But we decided to swallow the gradual implementation formula, so that every hard-of-hearing person could be part of the family excitement surrounding television."

The broadcasters claimed that for technical reasons they could not provide subtitling for live programs in the near future, explaining the extended deadlines in this provision of the agreement.The subtitling law will apply to the five major channels decided on by the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council and to three dedicated channels: one Russian-language, one news and one heritage channel.Children's channels will be obligated to provide subtitling in 50 percent more programs than required from other channels beginning in 2007.

AMERICAN IDIOM TOUGH ON MOVIE TRANSLATORS

2005-01-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN IDIOM TOUGH ON MOVIE TRANSLATORS
St. Louis Post-Dispatch; 4/25/1996; Laurie Goering; Chicago Tribune

St. Louis Post-Dispatch04-25-1996

FERNANDO NAUFEL's subtitling coup came on a little-known comedy called "Up the Creek."In the key scene in the 1984 movie, a dog tries to warn some whitewater rafters that one of their buddies has disappeared. But where is the missing man? The dog mimes the answer - down river - using a down vest and a hunk of liver."I remember thinking, `What do I do with that?"' says Naufel, 32, who for 10 years has been translating U.S. films into Portuguese for Brazilian audiences. "You can't do it literally. You can't add footnotes."His solution was inspired. Figado, Portuguese for liver, doesn't rhyme with river, but baco, the Portuguese term for spleen, does sound a lot like baixo, or down. So the hunk of liver became a spleen in the subtitles.
And what about river? "I just don't remember," Naufel confesses. "But somehow we made it work."

Such are the trials of Brazil's movie translators who are faced daily with the challenge of turning Wayne and Garth, Ace Ventura and other Hollywood oddities into something this movie-mad nation can follow and enjoy.In Brazil, a sprawling nation of 158 million, more people own televisions than refrigerators, and even the poorest urban slums and remotest rural huts sport satellite dishes. So translating movies for screen, TV and home video is big business.At Herbert Richers S.A., one of Brazil's largest movie subtitling and dubbing operations, 100 full-time employees and 150 part-timers subtitle 120 movies a year and dub 300 for the national television and home video market.In most cases, they have about three days to work out subtitles for each feature-length film. It can be a daunting task.Older films sometimes show up in the company's Rio studios without accompanying scripts. In the case of "Gone With the Wind," translators spent days trying to figure out what Prissy, the slave girl, was saying when she blurts, "I ain't never birthed no babies!""That one was the worst," remembers Danielle Soares, the head of Richers' scripting room, where workers huddle over tape machines matching translations to film, second by second. "All those slave expressions. We had to say them all out loud a lot before we understood."

Translating U.S. culture is even harder. How do you explain a tense football moment to viewers who have never heard of "fourth and long?" Or "Wayne's World" to viewers without basement family rooms or local cable access stations?"It happens every day that there's something just impossible to translate," says Paulo Israel, head of operations for the studio. "We just do our best."Among the toughest rules, translators say, is that the dialogue must fit on the screen and stay there at least one second. In 90 percent of films, at least some of the language must be cut.In the case of Woody Allen films, the cuts are deep. "Everybody's neurotic and they're all talking all the time and you've just got to cut down a lot on what they say," Naufel said.Even simpler films are rarely translated word for word. "The roots aren't the same, in language or in culture," Israel said. "You can't change the themes or feelings of the story but it's just impossible to translate word for word."In Portuguese, for example, "it's raining cats and dogs" just doesn't make sense. Neither does most American foul language, nearly universally translated into Portuguese as "Droga!" or roughly, "Darn!" Eddie Murphy's mother would be proud.Israel remembers the time "headlines" got translated as just that - "lineas de cabeca," or "lines of the head." And "warden" somehow in Portuguese is always taken as a proper name, with the prisoners addressing Mr. "Warden" in the subtitles instead of the "guarda."But nothing matches the error foisted on a forlorn actor whose plea, "I'm afraid of dying penniless!" somehow made it into Portuguese as a fear of dying "sem penis.""That wasn't one of ours," emphasizes Gil Monteaux, the commercial head of Richers. "But it certainly was memorable."But for every translating foible there also are sterling successes. The characters in "Dumb and Dumber," the Jim Carrey film starring a pair of idiots, were in Brazil renamed Deb and Loide. The new Portuguese title? "Debiloide," or Retarded.Studio executives disagree on which type of movies are easiest to translate. Action movies like "Assassins," now being processed at Richers, have little dialogue but a lot of slang. Romances, on the other hand, such as "The Bridges of Madison County," rarely have slang but are chock full of dialogue.So which are easiest? "Charlie Chaplin movies," Monteaux jokes.
{PICTURE FIELD} 1995 Photo FILED: Motion Picts.,-Films,-"Dumb & Dummber" jsb

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