It could be said that the unstoppable proliferation of streaming platforms is the sign of our times. Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, Twitch, Filmin, HBO, Disney, DAZN…
The channels are becoming more and more varied, and they offer series, movies, sports, streamers content, radio, television and a long etcetera.
A direct consequence of this rise of online video services is that we receive more and more foreign productions and works, which is synonymous with content in other languages. And it is at that point where the audiovisual translation appears, that discipline that serves so that we receive the verbal elements of the audiovisual works originally created in other languages.
But the work of the audiovisual translator is not as simple as it may seem. His job is not to transcribe a language, but he also has to “transcreate”
REFERENCES cultural and puns. Quite a challenge, without a doubt.
New challenges for the audiovisual translation sector
The unbridled growth of streaming services in the era digital It has drastically changed the world of audiovisual translation. Live content platforms live in a golden age and, therefore, the figure of the translator is increasingly required. However, it is possible to locate a fundamental problem: the professional translator It is almost never valued as it should and perhaps the resources that are allocated to this process are less than those required for a professional translation of the contents.
Audiovisual translators work in an industry that, although a priori may seem like the opposite, is increasingly precarious. The reasons?
There are fundamentally three: the demanding delivery times, the low rates received by the professionals who are hired to carry out these assignments and the
Uncomfortable confidentiality clauses that complicate the perfectionist work that a professional has to do in this type of work.
Here we will review these points one by one:
– Platforms that set delivery times too severe
As described by the web portal ‘Xataka’ in an extensive report published in 2019, the time that translators have to write the Dubbing or Subtitled of a series is usually alarmingly brief: around three days for a chapter of about 50 minutes, it is said in the report. Although some large firms are usually more lax, audiovisual translators generally play with strenuous delivery times. The ideal for a translation It is perfect that the delivery times are somewhat less tight and, in the audiovisual works carried out with time, budget and professionalism, the results are seen.
– Low rates for translation professionals
In a report published in 2022 in ‘eldiario.es’, a testimony said that, normally, the price of each translation is calculated per minute of footage, and that this
Price may vary depending on whether you work with or without a template, the urgency, the difficulty of the project and the type of client.
As made explicit in the report of ‘eldiario.es’, the rates managed through the agency are around 4 euros per minute of footage, although in the most flagrant cases they accept offers that move around 1.5 euros per minute of footage. As in any sector, a smaller budget usually results in a worse quality of service, which is why we always recommend working with AGENCIES as NUADDA that has prices adjusted to the reality of what this type of translation entails.
– The thorny question of the confidentiality of online content
Streaming platforms want to avoid leaks at all costs, which ends up placing more obstacles and pressure on translators. so that I don’t know
Reveal things ahead of time, translators sometimes work with incomplete scripts, with low-resolution materials and uncomfortable watermarks. The
The objective is to put an end to piracy, but often such a purpose ends up complicating the work of professional translators too much. The ideal is that
When you hire an agency, you trust your professionalism so that they can have the complete script and carry out the translation With the necessary context, but this is not always so easy and depends on producers, investors, etc.
Measures to solve the problem of translators
What will happen to the future? What will the work of translators be like in the years to come, in 2023, 2024 and ahead?
The Association of Translation and Audiovisual Adaptation of Spain (Atrae) advocates promoting the direct relationship between client and translator or translation agency, without
intermediaries. In this way we will ensure that the project is understood perfectly by who must carry out the work and that the service That they give us is the closest to what we need.
On NUADDA We have carried out translation projects of all kinds for more than 20 years and audiovisual translations are one of those specialties. Contact our team to learn more about our business services.
