Projects

This project’s goal was to promote the German Energy Shift and encourage investment in the emerging renewable energy market in Germany. The client wanted their German videos localized into English, Chinese and Japanese by means of burnt-in subtitles and voice-overs, which included the localization of all graphic elements for all versions, to be published on their YouTube channel as well as their website and the websites of various German authorities. In particular, the challenge was to localize the video without having to edit each language version.

Translation

In order to localize the video without having to do much editing or error-prone copy-and-paste work, we created a workflow using a translation memory that allowed the client revise voice-over scripts as well as the subtitles while they were being created. The client requested that all text be revised internally by different departments. The typical course of action for translation agencies is to send back and forth, via email, a text document. By the end of the process, it is difficult to track who made what changes, and impossible to revert to previous versions in case of errors.

Voice-over localization

To track voice-over length, we chose software that allows the user to create time-coded texts. The text file containing the script and the timecodes could then be imported into our software and translated into Chinese, English, and Japanese, followed by client proofreading and revisions.

We also suggested different voice artists and carried out mixing and mastering of the audio tracks. Since all texts were correctly timecoded and adapted to the original voice-over length, the voice-overs and pauses could be inserted in such a way that the audio engineer did not have to reset any audio tracks. Without the appropriate linguistic skills, this would be almost impossible, especially with languages that differ strongly from each other.

Subtitles

As a first step, the German subtitles were spotted and timed. These were then exported to a file format that our software can easily handle. Our software allows us to set text length constraints, meaning that a certain character count cannot be exceeded. After translation and proofreading were completed, the client was able to revise our work and make changes that they deemed necessary. Once the client completed their revision task, the document was finalized and imported back into the subtitle editor, where the last few adjustments were made.

Graphic Elements

The text contained in the animations was extracted from the editing suite. Our software was able to handle the export format so that it could be translated, proofread and re-imported. No copy-paste necessary! This allowed us to deliver results much faster and more cost-effectively, as it was not mandatory for the audio engineer to be fluent in Chinese AND Japanese.

Wordcraft delivered a fully localized video including professional voice-overs, subtitles, and graphic elements. All tasks were carried out as scheduled, thanks especially due to the fact that the client was able to revise all translations before they were rendered into video. Moreover, all content is reusable across all other media the client may require in the future, as all translations were stored in a translation memory.