Unlock global reach and accessibility with subtitles
If you are producing video content, subtitles can be an excellent way to reach a global audience, without the time and expense of completely reproducing the video in another language. They can also improve accessibility for non-native speakers, as well as deaf and hearing-impaired people, and can also enhance viewer engagement and information retention.
At Business Language Services, all our subtitlers are experts in their field and well-versed in the relevant industry standards for their languages. We also utilise leading transcription and subtitling software, aimed at accelerating the process and hence reducing the cost for you, whilst also ensuring the best possible quality.
Subtitling services in just four simple steps!
Quick, Simple and Reliable: Subtitling Made Easy
Our subtitling and captioning services are designed to make the entire process – from getting a quote to delivering high-quality final files – as simple and seamless as possible:
Planning and Quotation
We gather project details, including the type of subtitles and languages needed, and provide a personalised quote based on your requirements.
Transcription and Translation
The original speech is transcribed with timestamps, translated into required languages and revised by expert linguists to ensure accuracy.
Synchronisation
Translated subtitles are synchronised with the video, adjusted for reading speed and checked for adherence to industry standards.
Finalisation and Delivery
Subtitles are embedded into the video, if required, or delivered in the requested format (e.g., SRT, VTT), ready for immediate use.
Subtitles vs captions
Although the terms ‘subtitles’ and ‘captions’ are often used interchangeably, they refer to two different things.
Subtitles explained
Subtitles are a synchronised transcription (or translation) of only the dialogue in a video.
If subtitles are used, it is generally assumed that the viewer can hear, and so this is the most common form to be translated. Subtitles are also sometimes added in the original language if the audio is distorted.
They generally do not include information such as speaker labels, since the viewer will be able to get this information from the audio, whether or not they understand the language being spoken.
Captions explained
Captions are a synchronised transcription (or translation) of all meaningful audio in a video, including music, sound effects, laughter, applause, etc.
Captions assume that the viewer cannot hear the audio at all. Captions are less commonly translated compared to subtitles; however, translated captions are becoming increasingly popular for social media content, since videos are often muted in feeds.
Captions also include much more information than subtitles, as their aim is for the viewer to be able to absorb just as much information from reading the captions as they could by listening to the audio.
Types of subtitles and captions
Both subtitles and captions can appear in two forms – open and closed.
- Open subtitles/captions cannot be turned off by the viewer and are encoded as a permanent part of the video. These are sometimes called burnt-in subtitles/captions, as originally, they were physically burnt into the camera film
- Closed subtitles/captions may be switched on and off by the viewer at will. They are typically encoded as a separate subtitle file that is embedded alongside the video. Closed subtitles have the added benefit of the user being able to select from multiple different versions of the subtitles to accompany the same video, for example if multiple languages are needed.
It is also possible to produce live subtitles/captions – presented in near real-time for live broadcasts and events. This is akin to simultaneous interpreting but typed rather than spoken.
Choosing the right subtitling service
With the various different types of subtitling and captioning available, it can be difficult to choose the one that is most appropriate for your project. Our expert project managers are always happy to advise you on which type may be best, but the three most important factors to consider are:
- Does my audience speak the language used in the video?
- Will the viewer be able to hear the audio?
- Where is the video being published?
Once you have decided on a subtitling service, it is also crucial to choose a professional subtitling provider. Each type of subtitling has unique standards and challenges that only an experienced professional subtitler would know. These include line length restrictions and best practices for line-break placement, which differ from language to language and are designed to make the subtitles/captions as easy to read as possible.
