Subtitling

Watching movies has become a world pastime nowadays from the youngest to the oldest; it may be considered a hobby, a profession as well as a culture. However, it is impossible to be able to appreciate all movies properly because of our lack of knowledge in understanding all the languages of the world. Although, regardless of the quality or proficiency of the alternative, nothing can challenge the original language used in the movie. Thus, the translators task is to create through language the world employed in the movie as closer to the original setting as possible. The present paper deals with the subtitling alternative in an objective manner. It talks about advantages and disadvantages, some facts and basic knowledge about it, the problem of the hard-of-hearing and finally the importance of good subtitling. In order to understand the relevance of a proper way to translate the language of a movie, one must first understand the terminology; thus subtitling may be defined as a translation practice that consists of presenting a written text, generally on the lower part of the screen, that endeavors to recount the original dialogue of the speakers, as well as the discursive elements that appear in the image (letters, inserts, graffiti, inscriptions, placards, and the like), and the information that is contained on the soundtrack (songs, voices off) (Cintas). However, a subtitled text is not a proper translation, but rather a simple adaptation that preserves the general meaning of the original. Understanding the theoretical issue is not enough applying it and adjusting it to the source language is the most difficult job of a translator. Nevertheless, subtitles are far from competing against the original, though they do a fairly acceptable job. Among the advantages of using subtitles are the fact that they are not expensive (at least in comparison with dubbing, or voice-over), they dont take a very long time to prepare and produce them; moreover, and this is a very important point, the original soundtrack is preserved. Consequently the latter argument leads to several other advantages, for example the fact that it has an important role in language learning, and does not spoil the different accents or dialects that in dubbing would be impossible to reproduce. Lastly, subtitling is useful and necessary for the hard-of-hearing and the deaf, and also for the immigrants and tourists. However, there are some drawbacks to using subtitles, such as for example the fact that it contaminates the image, overcharging it with information, and naturally this is a

disadvantage because the audiences attention is split between image, soundtrack and subtitles. This can be very frustrating for people who are accustomed to watching original and/or dubbed movies but frequent watching of subtitled movies can lead to a certain familiarization of the process and thus accepting it. Besides the general explanation of subtitles, both translators and producers must take into account a few necessary rules, in order to have the easiest means to convey the message of the program. First of all, subtitles belong at the bottom of the screen, centered or aligned to the left. This is a very important rule even for producers because if they use graphic titles (names of interviewees, information about time of place) they have to place it at the very top right or left side of the screen, so that when the subtitles are added, they will not cover the information, or worse, the translators will not feel inclined to place the subtitles above it, in order to reveal the titles, and thus cover the characters faces. Moreover, the subtitles should not exceed 40 characters (including spaces) per line, so that it could be read in 3 seconds. Also, there can be a maximum of 2 rows of subtitles displayed simultaneously, and they should have a minimum duration of about 1.5 seconds. Because of the cultural differences, the audience might encounter some problems in understanding the meaning of the context; depending on the target audience, the translator should be able to predict this and provide them with extra information, which should be displayed only at the beginning of the video. A growing number of the hearing-impaired are using subtitles, making subtitling increasingly important in 'dubbing countries' like Germany, for example. The use of subtitles for such people is very important, since they indicate relevant noises from the programs (music, phone or doorbell ringing, footsteps, shouting); without them, scenes may become incomprehensible and they are often used in different fonts or text sizes. Moreover, subtitles make it easier to understand who is speaking (especially if off-screen): translators use colour codes and/or change the position of the subtitles. There is, however, a huge difference between good and bad subtitling, as a cause of the proficiency of the translator as well as the means that the translator is given by the producer. Good subtitling does not distract but actually enhances viewing pleasure and thus eliminates some of its disadvantages. Bad subtitles can generally ruin an otherwise good movie, especially if the audience is fairly familiar with the language and use subtitles as a guideline or for educational purposes. Even native speakers find subtitles helpful. Subtitles are the most frequently read texts in countries such as Sweden, The Netherlands and Belgium because they represent an educational value; also in India, subtitles are used to fight illiteracy.

In conclusion, we are compulsive readers - we read the subtitles whether we want to or not, so they are most effective when they are short and good.

Bibliography
Cintas, Jorge Diaz, Audiovisual Translation London, 2007, 8 May 2010, <http://www.translationconcepts.org/pdf/AVT_Presentation.pdf>. How best to learn the art of subtitling, 2008, 8 May 2010, <http://www.subtitlingworldwide.com/learnsubtitling.html>.