Dubbing and Subtitling

UNIT: Dubbing and Subtitling Structure 1. Objectives 1. Introduction 2. Dubbing in Global Media Industry 1. What is Dubbing 2. Difference between Dubbing and Voice-Over 3. Challenges of Dubbing 4. Necessity of Dubbing in Global Media Industry 1. 3 Subtitling in Global Media Industry 1. What is Subtitling 2. Types of Subtitling 3. History of Subtitling 4. Challenges of Subtitling 5. Necessity of Subtitling in Global Media Industry 1. 4 Difference between Dubbing and Subtitling 1. 5 Necessity of Dubbing and Subtitling in Global Media Industry 1. Summing up 1. 7 Glossary 1. 8 Further Readings 9. Check your Progress: Solutions . 1. Objectives After reading this unit, you will be able to: • Describe the difference between Dubbing and Subtitling • Demonstrate the growing demand of Dubbing and Subtitling in Global Media Industry • Describe the prospect of Dubbing and Subtitling in Global Media Industry 3. Introduction In this unit we will discuss the concept and role of Dubbing and Subtitling in Global Media Industry. We will try to differentiate Dubbing from Voice-Over.

We will also discuss the difference between dubbing and subtitling. We will focus on the challenges in Dubbing and Subtitling. Apart from this, we will focus on the necessity and of Dubbing and Subtitling. Pictures have universal language. It is said that a picture is better than 1000 words. Films, Television and other video programs are the forms of pictures in which pictures are moved at a very high speed (24 to 48 frames per second) Since the beginning of Cinema, films have been a global commodity to be exported in other countries.

Lumiere Brothers, who were among the pioneers of cinematography came to India to show their cinema to Indians and British. India’s First movie to be released was made by ‘Father of Indian cinema- Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (alias Dadasaheb Phalke). It was in 1913 when his film ‘Rajah Harischandra’ was released in theatres. It was a silent movie with no voice at all. Only pictures with body gestures. It was watched by the people of different states of India speaking different languages. So popular and hit was the movie that Phalke went on to make more than hundred movies.

Movies of this silent Era (1913-1930) had dialogues through inter-lines which were often in English and two or three Indian Languages. And making a movie and showing it to the people of different places speaking different languages was not a problem. But when ‘Talkies’ came into the picture the issue of language rose there. Now it was not possible to make a movie in one language and show it to the people of different places speaking different languages. Had there been no voice in the movies, serials and other video format programs there would have not been any need writing this chapter at all. . 2 Dubbing in Global Media Industry 2. What is Dubbing In simple words Dubbing is the process of creating an alternate, synchronized soundtrack of the complete dialogue of any film, Television program or any other video program. Dubbing is the process through which soundtrack of a video production is replaced. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be speaking a different language The video can a film or television program or any other video.

In most of the cases dubbing is done to provide the new sound track to an already produced video in the language of the targeted audience. While doing so, the synchronization between the visuals and sound track is ensured. Dubbing helps the video to reach to a larger number of audiences of different language spread across the globe. . “Dubbing” also describes the process of an actor’s re-recording lines spoken during filming and which must be replaced to improve audio quality or reflect dialog changes. This process is called automated dialogue replacement, or ADR for short.

Music is also dubbed onto a film after editing is completed. For instance, in India, there are hundreds of languages and dialects spoken by people living in different parts of the state. Every producer who produce any film or TV program or video advertisement wants to reach maximum number of audience Films, videos and sometimes video games are sometimes dubbed into the local language of a foreign market. Dubbing is common in theatrically released film, television series, cartoons and anime given foreign distribution. 3. Difference between Dubbing and Voice-Over

Dubbing is the process through which soundtrack of a video production is replaced, usually in the language other than the language of original production. Dubbing is the exact translation of the dialogues of the original language into the targeted language. For example a movie originally produced in Hindi is translated to Tamil and all the Hindi dialogues of the movie are translated and recorded in Tamil ensuring the synchronisation with the visuals of the original visuals. On the other hand Voice-over is process of provided detail of visuals in the sound track.

Voice-Over is done in the language of production. 4. Challenges of Dubbing Languages, understood as the particular set of speech norms of a particular community, are also a part of the larger culture of the community that speak them. A community’s ways of using language is a part of the community’s culture, just as other shared practices are, it is way of displaying group identity Languages do not differ only in pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar, but also through having different “cultures of speaking

Accent, articulation, enunciation, Intonation, stress, pause, rhythm according to the targeted language…. cultuaral aspects ,, different languages have different culture according to the place and society they are spoken in. 5. Necessity of Dubbing in Global Media Industry Glabalisation in late eighties and early nineties has opened the door of most of the countries for business of goods and services including the media business which includes entertainment as well.

A movie produced in Hollywood is exported to different countries to be released in the theatres of those countries. The number of audience, who watch English movies, is not as high as the number of audience in local or regional language. In such scenarios it becomes imperative to dub the movie in the local language so that it may reach to larger number of audience. In this way dubbing is beneficial for the producer of the movie, local government and the audience who get the dubbed version of the Hollywood movie in their own language.

Producer can maximise his profit, local government generates more revenue as entertainment tax and income tax and the local audience get the opportunity to enjoy the movie in their own language, which otherwise would not have been possible. 3. Subtitling in Global Media Industry 1. 3. 1 What is Subtitling (an abbreviated version of the dialogue, which is projected on the screen) Subtitles are textual versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen.

They can either be a form of written translation of a dialog in a foreign language, or a written rendering of the dialog in the same language, with or without added information to help viewers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing to follow the dialog, or people who cannot understand the spoken dialogue or who have accent recognition problems. Television teletext subtitles, which are hidden unless requested by the viewer from a menu or by selecting the relevant teletext page (e. g. , p. 888), always carry additional sound representations for deaf and hard of hearing viewers.

Teletext subtitle language follows the original audio, except in multi-lingual countries where the broadcaster may provide subtitles in additional languages on other teletext pages. Sometimes, mainly at film festivals, subtitles may be shown on a separate display below the screen, thus saving the film-maker from creating a subtitled copy for perhaps just one showing. Television subtitling for the deaf and hard-of-hearing is also referred to as closed captioning in some countries. 2. Types of Subtitling 3. History of Subtitling 4. Challenges of Subtitling 5. Necessity of Subtitling in Global Media Industry

Subtitling is the quickest and the cheapest method of translating content, and is usually praised for the possibility to hear the original dialog and voices of the actors. TV subtitles may be primarily for deaf people or those who are hard of hearing, but research has revealed they are used by six million people who have no hearing impairment Research by Ofcom, the media regulator, has found that of the 7. 5 million people who use TV subtitles, six million have no hearing impairment at all. (A BBC report on 31 March 2006) Global Language , Not all the films are made in English neither all the audience know English.

Here arises the need for dubbing a movie into different languages so that it may reach to a larger number of audience. 3. Difference between Dubbing and Subtitling Though dubbing and subtitling both are done to reach to the audience of languages other than that in which the original production has been done. In many cases the subtitling is done in the language of production as well. This is to cater the needs of those who have hearing disabilities and for educational purposes. For example government of India promotes the process of subtitling in its programs on Doordarshan.

Despite of having the above similarity Dubbing and Subtitling are different from each other in basic concept and activity. Dubbing is a process of creating an alternate, synchronized soundtrack of the complete dialogue on the other hand Subtitling is text version of the dialogue, which is projected on the screen, normally at the bottom of the screen. 1. 5 1. 6 Summing up 1. 7 Glossary 1. 8 Further Readings 1. Zatlin, Phyllis 2005 “Theatrical Translation & Film Adaptation” A Practitioner’s View. Clevedon, England: MULTILINGUAL MATTERS LTD 2. 3. 10. Check your Progress: Solutions