Forum: CAT Tools Technical Help
Topic: CAT tool with easily adjustable segmentation rules
Poster: Jean Dimitriadis
Post title: And now for something completely different
It may sound counter-intuitive, but if you are translating subtitles, why not use a subtitling software instead?
The MS Word tables workflow you describe does not sound very efficient, although I don't know the specifics (like at which point the subtitles are synchronized, are they synced by somebody else? What happens to the word tables? etc.)
If you use a subtitling program, you can have stuff such as CPL (characters per line, with warnings in case a line exceeds the specified limit), CPS (characters per second), WPM (words per minute), subtitle duration, as well as the ability to review the audio and (p)review the video if needed, merge or split subtitles, tweak the timing, etc. all which are useful when subtitling.
And of course, line breaks are no issue at all.
Translating subtitles is still subtitling in my book, not merely translation. It is an activity that often requires a different approach and specific strategies/techniques.
I don't know your actual workflow, but I suggest you take a step back and review the whole process.
Here's how I would tackle such a task:
- Transcript the original audio and (then) time code it (roughly at least, or more precisely, if the original language subtitles will be used in production and for translating into -multiple- other languages).
- Translate the subtitles using a subtitling software.
If you must use a CAT tool, some CAT tools handle subtitling formats, but unless they offer information such as CPL, CPS, subtitling duration, video/subtitles preview, etc. I'd say subtitling in a CAT tool is an exercise in futility. This is just my personal opinion.
That said, SDL Trados 2019 now offers a plugin which seems very promising, as it offers most of the capabilities one would require, plus some added QA features.
But for voluntary work, unless you or your team already own SDL Trados 2019, that might represent quite an investment.
Especially if you are working with a team, why not use a specialized gratis application for subtitling?
The cross-platform free-llbre software Aegisub comes to mind, but its development has ceased, so I don't know if will be a solution on the long run. It even has a "Translation" module, but you can just translate with its main interface as well.
Anyway, this is just a (different) POV.
Jean
[Edited at 2019-06-09 20:50 GMT]
Topic: CAT tool with easily adjustable segmentation rules
Poster: Jean Dimitriadis
Post title: And now for something completely different
It may sound counter-intuitive, but if you are translating subtitles, why not use a subtitling software instead?
The MS Word tables workflow you describe does not sound very efficient, although I don't know the specifics (like at which point the subtitles are synchronized, are they synced by somebody else? What happens to the word tables? etc.)
If you use a subtitling program, you can have stuff such as CPL (characters per line, with warnings in case a line exceeds the specified limit), CPS (characters per second), WPM (words per minute), subtitle duration, as well as the ability to review the audio and (p)review the video if needed, merge or split subtitles, tweak the timing, etc. all which are useful when subtitling.
And of course, line breaks are no issue at all.
Translating subtitles is still subtitling in my book, not merely translation. It is an activity that often requires a different approach and specific strategies/techniques.
I don't know your actual workflow, but I suggest you take a step back and review the whole process.
Here's how I would tackle such a task:
- Transcript the original audio and (then) time code it (roughly at least, or more precisely, if the original language subtitles will be used in production and for translating into -multiple- other languages).
- Translate the subtitles using a subtitling software.
If you must use a CAT tool, some CAT tools handle subtitling formats, but unless they offer information such as CPL, CPS, subtitling duration, video/subtitles preview, etc. I'd say subtitling in a CAT tool is an exercise in futility. This is just my personal opinion.
That said, SDL Trados 2019 now offers a plugin which seems very promising, as it offers most of the capabilities one would require, plus some added QA features.
But for voluntary work, unless you or your team already own SDL Trados 2019, that might represent quite an investment.
Especially if you are working with a team, why not use a specialized gratis application for subtitling?
The cross-platform free-llbre software Aegisub comes to mind, but its development has ceased, so I don't know if will be a solution on the long run. It even has a "Translation" module, but you can just translate with its main interface as well.
Anyway, this is just a (different) POV.
Jean
[Edited at 2019-06-09 20:50 GMT]