My Services

I can create high-quality subtitles or captions for your audiovisual content to help you reach a wider audience.

Subtitle Translation

I can help you with the following:

When translating subtitles, there are a lot more factors to consider than when translating written content. That’s why it’s important to work with a trained and experienced subtitler. For example, since we generally read more slowly than we speak, subtitling involves keeping the reading speed below a certain limit so that viewers can comfortably read the subtitles in the time they are on the screen. This means that one of the key skills in subtitling is condensing or paraphrasing the message without losing any important information.

Subtitles must also follow other guidelines if you want your audience to have the best possible viewing experience. For example, there are rules regarding the number of lines, the number of characters per line, where lines are broken, the timing of subtitles around shot changes and the synchronisation of the subtitles to the audio.

I can create subtitles from scratch including the spotting, or timecoding, which is the process of setting the start and end time of each subtitle. Alternatively, I am happy to work from a template, adjusting the timing where necessary.

My aim is to create unobtrusive subtitles that help the audience get the most out of the content and don’t detract attention from the visual material. You’ve worked hard to create your content, don’t ruin it with subpar subtitles!

Captioning

Captioning does not involve translation. It is a transcription of the audio with condensing or paraphrasing where necessary to reduce the reading speed.

I can help you with the following:

Some examples of audiovisual content I can subtitle or caption include:

• TV series
• Feature films
• Documentaries
• Short films
• Cartoons and animated programmes
• Advertisements and marketing videos
• Social media videos
• Corporate videos
• Interviews
• Trailers and clips
• Training videos and e-learning courses
• Talks and presentations.

I use the professional subtitling software Ooona Toolkit to provide high-quality, frame-accurate subtitles or captions. I am also more than happy to use clients’ proprietary software if necessary.

My software allows me to deliver files in a range of different formats, including SRT, TTML, EBU-STL, VTT, DFXP and SCC. If you need a format not listed, or you are unsure which format you need, I would be happy to discuss your requirements and advise you.

If you have French or Spanish written content and you want to reach an English-speaking audience, I can help you do that by providing a translation in clear, well-written English. As a professional translator, I only translate into my native language. This allows me to ensure that any translations I produce are of the best quality. I strive to create well-researched texts that transfer the meaning of the original, while sounding like they were originally written in English.

My translation process includes a full and thorough revision and proofreading stage. If required, I can also work with a colleague to provide a second, external revision or proofreading stage for an additional fee.

Some examples of subject areas and text types I can help you with include:

• TV, film and media: scripts, synopses, reviews, DVD booklets, production notes and directors’ treatments.
• Health and lifestyle: leaflets and articles.
• Corporate communications: employee manuals, training courses, emails, press releases and interviews.
• Marketing: social media posts, blog posts, website content and newsletters.
• Travel and tourism: guides, reviews and brochures.

If your project doesn’t fit into any of the categories above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me as I may still be able to help you. I know my strengths and limitations, and I will only accept a project if I am comfortable with the subject area and confident that I can produce a high-quality translation. If I feel that I am not a suitable fit for your project, I may be able to refer you to an alternative translator from within my network.

You may need your video content transcribed if you are going to have it subtitled, or perhaps you want a transcript of your podcast for SEO purposes. I can provide an accurate written transcript of your Spanish or English audio or video files.

I always carry out thorough research to ensure that any proper names and specialised terminology are spelt correctly. A full proofreading stage is always included, so you won’t need to spend time double-checking the transcription. I can also include timestamps if you need them. These can be inserted at regular intervals or each time the speaker changes.

I can transcribe from most digital audio or video file formats. Transcripts will usually be delivered in .docx format, but I can provide other formats if required.

I offer three different levels of transcription, these are:

Proofreading is an essential stage for any document that will be seen by the public. It involves checking the text for spelling, grammar, punctuation and typographical errors, inconsistencies, and formatting problems. These types of errors can affect the meaning of your text and even make you look unprofessional and untrustworthy. That’s why, as well as ensuring your message is accurate, proofreading can also protect your reputation.

I can proofread texts that have been translated into English and texts that were written in English. This is a monolingual process; it does not involve checking translations against the original text.

I pride myself on my attention to detail and excellent grammar, so I can provide meticulous proofreading and flawless documents.

Revision is an important stage in the translation process if you want to be sure that your message is translated accurately and has the same result or impact on your audience as the original text.

Revision is a bilingual process that involves checking the translation against the original text for translation mistakes, inconsistencies and omissions. It also involves ensuring that the style and tone of the original text are not altered and that the text is suitable for its agreed purpose and reads fluently. This process also includes the usual proofreading checks. If you have any style guidelines or glossaries, I can also check that these have been followed.

I can revise documents that have been translated from French or Spanish into English.