Subtitling Services

Rosetta Translation provides subtitling services to companies and individuals in London and worldwide.

Here at Rosetta we are specialists in providing high quality subtitles for audio-visual material, including subtitles for films, documentaries and promotional material, as well as specialist subtitling services for the deaf and hard of hearing.

We only use experienced subtitlers who hold relevant qualifications and who have significant experience in the type of subtitling and the subject field required by our clients. All of our subtitlers are native speakers of the language they provide subtitles in.

For a free instant quote, please contact us at any of our local offices in London, Shanghai, New York, Paris or Luxembourg.

Internationally Accredited Subtitlers

Rosetta distinguishes itself by being one of very few translation and subtitling agencies that hold both the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 certification and the DIN EN 15038 norm, the latter being the only norm that specifically addresses translation and subtitling services. Our customers can therefore rest completely assured that the quality of our subtitles is consistently high.

What is subtitling?

Subtitles are written versions of the dialogue of a film, television programme or video, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. Subtitles are useful for a myriad of reasons. Sometimes, it is a method to translate the dialogue on screen into another language, so that it can be understood by those who do not speak the language spoken. It can also be done in a style that enables those who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand what is going on in the video, such as if there is music playing, a loud bang or suspenseful atmospheric background sounds. Subtitling can also be used for speakers who are speaking a language not native to them or who may have a speech impediment whose pronunciation or grammar may not necessarily be clear to the audience. Oftentimes, if a speaker has a very heavy accent, there may be the need for subtitles. There may also be a need to subtitle someone’s speech where it isn’t necessarily clear due to background noise.

Why subtitle for the deaf and hard of hearing?

With over 9 million adults in the UK alone suffering from hearing loss, subtitling your audio-visual material is an excellent way to reach a wider audience and to show that your company is socially aware. The accessibility regulations in the UK came into force for public sector bodies on 23 September 2018 in the UK and states that they must make their website more accessible by making it ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’. This includes having subtitles on audio so that it is accessible to those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Furthermore, Ofcom found that 7.5 million people in the UK (18% of the population) used closed captions also. Of that 7.5 million, only 1.5 million stated that they were deaf or hard of hearing. This therefore suggests that almost 80% of TV viewers in the UK use closed captions for reasons other than hearing loss, and that closed captions therefore benefit many more than just those who require them for accessibility.

Specialist Subtitling services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Our specialist subtitling service can provide subtitles for films and other audio-visual material, including closed captioning, in a form that is specially tailored to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. We only use experienced subtitlers who only work into their native language. Here at Rosetta we can offer these services not only in English but in all major languages. All of our subtitles are proofread by an independent third party to ensure that they are consistently accurate and of a high quality.

What types of subtitling services are there, and what might I need?

There are 2 main types of subtitling:

1) Pre-recording subtitling services:

-Translated subtitles: the subtitles are based on the translation of the transcription dialogue found in the audio-visual material. Depending on the context, subtitles are sometimes shortened versions of the dialogue, as they are subject to strict spatial and time limitations.

-Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing: these subtitles are a textual rendering of the dialogue of the film, and often contain additional information to help the viewer’s understanding (such as “sighs” or “door creaks”). They can also be there merely to help the viewer understand a strong accent. This type of subtitling is sometimes known as closed captioning.

2) Live subtitling:

-Real-time or online captioning: this is live captioning carried out for news, current affairs and sports programmes and talk shows. It is becoming increasingly common practice due to regulations stipulating that the deaf and hard of hearing should have access to almost all television programmes. Close captioning is also becoming more and more used during company webinars, online lectures and lessons, conferences and live stream captioning in both the corporate and entertainment fields.

So if you are looking to have a video whose dialogue needs to be put into another language, you are most likely going to need the first type. At Rosetta Translation, we are able to translate and subtitle an extensive range of languages. If you are needing subtitles mainly to ensure your video is accessible to those who are deaf or hard of hearing, you are most likely going to need closed captioning or live subtitling.

High Quality Translated Subtitles

Rosetta offers a subtitling service in all major languages, including any regional variations, in order to meet the needs of our clients both in the UK and worldwide. We provide subtitles for films, documentaries and promotional clips, as well as any other audio-visual material. All of our subtitles are produced by experienced subtitlers, who only subtitle into their native language. Subtitled material is then proofread by an independent third party linguist ensuring the accuracy and quality of the final product. We are able to deliver subtitles in a variety of different file formats to suit the needs of our clients.

Common Subtitling Myths

A common misconception about translation subtitles is that the translator/subtitler must hear the source language and type out the translation directly. This is rare, and more common is that the audio is transcribed first and then translated, along with the video. This means that the translator can be sure that everything said has been translated and that no material has been missed out.

Another myth around the subtitling industry is that the majority of it is done using machines. It’s true, some subtitlers use voice recognition to aid in their subtitling, but where you really need a language expert are with places where machines fail, such as with homophones – words that sound the same but have a different meaning, such as one/won, bean/been, sole/soul, etc. Unfortunately, these can mean that subtitles completely lose their original meaning and, at best, turn into a humorous phrase, and at worst, mean there is misinformation spread when it really does need to be accurate.

When using Rosetta Translation for your subtitling needs, you can be sure that all of your project will be handled by subtitling and linguistic experts, so you can be certain your subtitles are always formatted correctly, accurately and faithfully, every time.