How is a documentary in the professional sector translated?

The translation of a documentary has many similarities with any other type of translations that are carried out in the audiovisual world, but it will contain a series of additional conditions that will make the translator’s work complete a challenge.. 

Challenges and characteristics of the translation of a documentary

The translation of this type of audiovisual pieces will determine the quality of the result of the work. How many times have we found that the fateful translation of a series or film has made us perceive as a disaster a work that, in reality, was good?

In the digital world in which we live we find an infinite number of people or companies that offer services and, in the audiovisual sector, it was not going to be less. Therefore, we must be cautious with the agency that we are going to hire When we search online, because that decision will depend on how our work will be perceived in languages that are not the original. The price of the service that an agency can offer for the translation of a documentary will vary greatly depending on its duration, if it has to be translated into one or several languages, if the deadline is close or the deadlines are more flexible, among other factors.

The main characteristic of the translation of documentaries is that it is intended to transmit aspects of reality through an audiovisual work, seeking the greatest possible veracity in the narration of the facts. Although on occasion fiction has some space in these pieces, it is not usually what is common. 

The requirement that a translation of this type has lies mainly in the complexity of the themes that are discussed in some documentaries. The work of the translator prior to the translation of the piece is one of the most demanding in the world of translation, due to the technicality of many of the documentary explanations of scientific scope, for example. When we find ourselves working with such exact terminology, we must be very professional when it comes to expressing it in another language, since it will depend on that quality that the documentary maintains the same value and clarity, both the original and the target language.. 

Many of the themes that are discussed in the documentaries are informative and learning, so they deal with quite unknown topics that are not known about little and of which there is hardly any information about it. It is the work of the translator to carry out a deep investigation on the subject and to be correctly documented before starting the process of translation of the documentary. That is why the process prior to translation is one of the most demanding in the world of audiovisual translation and requires professionals with proven experience to ensure that the quality of work is unbeatable.

Forms of work in the translation of a documentary 

The most common way of working on the translation of a documentary is narration with voiceover, known as Voice-over. It is a very standardized work due to the clear separation between the recording of the images and the recording of the audio of the work. It is usually worked by narrating the images that have already been recorded previously, so the context that the translator has is quite complete. They are usually works that are narrated with an informative style and a didactic tone.

Although this is the modus operandi of most documentaries, there is also the possibility that we should make a translation of a documentary with a presenter or with an interview format. This will further complicate the task, because the spontaneity of each person will make the translator not only have to convey the information, but also the presenter’s personality and even his humor. In this sense, these types of formats are going to look a lot like the Dubbing services which are carried out for movies, series or television shows.

At Nuadda we are specialists in professional translations And in our 20 years of experience we have always brought out the best of us to meet the specific needs of each project. orContact us And tell us what yours is!