There are three possibilities for translating a TV show.

You can translate the dialogue

into the target language as subtitles, you can use voice actors to dub the translation
over the original film, or you can remake the show completely. There are advantages
and disadvantages to each option. Remaking the show provides more flexibility in
rendering dialogue, plus you can completely localise the show for the target region.
Sometimes, significant changes need to be made to keep the show in line with
cultural standards.

For example, in the Iranian remake of Modern Family, gay couple Mitchell and
Cameron were replaced with straight characters.  The teenage girl character was
changed to a teenage boy, and dating-related plotlines were changed or scrapped to
reflect the fact that dating is taboo in Iran. (Via Dorkly)
Localisation is sometimes done even when the target market speaks the same
language as the original show. For example, the UK version of Law-and-
Order substitutes familiar vocabulary, laws and legal procedures to better appeal to
British audiences.
Naturally, filming a remake from scratch is also the most expensive option.

Now for the great “dubbing vs. subtitles” debate. It’s easier to watch a well-dubbed
show since you don’t have to focus on reading subtitles. However, dubbing is more
costly. You not only have to pay for translation, but you also have to hire voice
actors. Plus, the translation is trickier because the translated dialogue needs to
match up with the mouth movements of the characters on screen.

Cost isn’t the only factor, though. The bottom line is that some countries prefer their
foreign media subtitled, while others prefer dubbing.

Translate the Title

TV show titles are generally short, pithy and surprisingly hard to

translate. Pajiba.com has a long list of amusing examples of TV show titles that got
scrambled somewhere in the translation process. Here are some of our favourites:
 Arrested Development somehow came out as Weaned Relatives in Slovenian
 30 Rock is A Crazy on TV in Portuguese
 The Big Bang Theory is Spectacles Fogged Up in Finnish
 Breaking Bad is Total Suckage in Hungarian
 Buffy the Vampire Slayer is Buffy: Beloved of the Crucifix in Japanese.
 Mad Men is The Crazies in Russian
 Weeds is Nancy Sitting on the Grass in Hungarian

Name the Characters

Is it necessary to rename characters? Not always, but it’s a nice touch that helps
local viewers identify with the show. Translated names may be straightforward, like
“Walter Blanco” for Breaking Bad’s “Walter White.”  Or the translator might just
change from one language’s version of a name to another, like changing “John” to
“Juan.” Other times, translators look for a name that has the same “feel” as the
original, or that starts with the same letter or has some of the same sounds.
For example, in the Arabic version of The Simpsons, “Homer” is “Omar,” “Marge” is
“Mona,” and “Bart” is “Badr.” In the Greek version of The Golden Girls, “Blanche”
becomes “Bela,” while “Rose” becomes “Fifi.”

Make Sure the Audience Gets the Joke

Humour is one of the hardest things to translate. Jokes often hinge on puns and
wordplay that may not be possible to replicate in the target language. For
example, when translating Seinfeld into German, the episode where Jerry dates and
loses his girlfriend Dolores posed a particular problem:
“Dolores represented one of the toughest puzzles Sabine had encountered: “Dolores”
doesn’t rhyme with any German words for a body part, and a fabricated name would
detract from the joke. Just because Jerry’s friends guessed “Bovary” as a legitimate
name option in English didn’t mean she could throw any old name around in
German.”
She eventually hit on “Uschi,” a German nickname for Ursula that rhymes with a
German slang word for vagina.

Cross Your Fingers and Wait

When it comes to TV translation, there’s an element of luck involved. Some shows

just don’t translate well into other cultures. Seinfeld was one of the most popular
shows ever in America, but it hasn’t had much success in Europe. The humour is just
too culturally specific. Apparently, Radboud University did a study of Dutch viewers
watching Seinfeld, and they just didn’t get it:
“Viewers commonly reported being baffled by the show’s laugh track; the audience
regularly missed the joke. Some of those who did laugh told researcher Elke Van
Cassel that they were laughing only because the characters reminded them of
Americans they knew.”
Al Shamshoon, the beer-less, pork-less, Arabic version of The Simpsons, also
flopped.
Whether it’s a TV show or your brand, successful translation is about more than
simply substituting one word for another. It’s an art form that requires skilled
translators with an in-depth knowledge of both languages and cultures.

https://www.k-international.com/blog/translating-tv-shows/
Brooks, R. (2019, 7 augustus). How to translate a TV show. K International. Geraadpleegd op

17 november 2021, van https://www.k-international.com/blog/translating-tv-shows/

Is Netflix na eten, drinken en slapen zo’n beetje je vierde levensbehoefte en
ben je ook nog eens een goed met taal? Dan kun je straks misschien wel
betaald Netflix kijken. Het bedrijf vraagt de hulp van zijn gebruikers voor het
aanleveren van ondertitels voor videocontent.

Netflix is een nieuw programma gestart, genaamd Hermes, waarbij gebruikers wordt

gevraagd om ondertitels aan te leveren vanuit het Engels naar andere talen zoals
Nederlands. Maar het is ook mogelijk om ondertitels aan te leveren bij Nederlandse
content. Goed nieuws voor Nederlanders, want het schijnt dat er wereldwijd maar
weinig goede Nederlandse vertalers zijn. Zo werken er slechts 100-150 Nederlandse
vertalers, meldt The Netflix Tech Blog.

Hoe werkt het?

Om als vertaler te werken moet je eerst een vragenlijst invullen waarin je kunt
aangeven in welke taal je wilt vertalen en wat voor soort content je wilt vertalen
(komedie, documentaires, animatie, kinderseries of films). Vervolgens moet je een
online examen doen waarbij je taalkennis wordt getoetst. Er zijn vijf onderdelen met
een tijdslimiet, waarbij er verschillende opdrachten moeten worden uitgevoerd.

En wat schuift het?

De verdiensten verschillen per taal, het is afhankelijk vanuit welke taal en naar welke
taal je vertaalt. Stel je gaat Nederlandse ondertitels aanleveren bij Nederlandse
content, dan kun je daar zo’n 9,50 dollar per minuut voor verdienen. Mocht je vanuit
het Engels naar Nederlands gaan vertalen, dan verdien je 11,50 dollar per minuut.
Als je toevallig Japans spreekt dan kunnen je verdiensten helemaal hoog oplopen:
zo’n 25 dollar voor het vertalen van Japans naar Frans en 27,50 voor Japans naar
IJslands. De voorwaarde is wel dat je minimaal 10 minuten aan content gaat
vertalen.

https://www.metronieuws.nl/lifestyle/tech/2017/04/netflix-wil-gebruikers-betalen-om-
series-te-vertalen/
(Vraag naar vertalers bij Netflix)
Vermeij, L. (2020, 13 mei). Netflix wil gebruikers betalen om series te vertalen.

Metronieuws.nl. Geraadpleegd op 17 november 2022, van

https://www.metronieuws.nl/lifestyle/tech/2017/04/netflix-wil-gebruikers-betalen-om-

series-te-vertalen/
Anyone who has tried to decipher the trademark mumble of Marlon Brando, the
brogue of Sean Connery or the strangled Cantonese of Michael Wong will be familiar
with the desire for same-language subtitles.
In Hong Kong, they serve another particularly useful purpose on local free television.
With significant numbers of people learning Chinese or English as a second
language, subtitles are a valuable educational tool and a godsend to the deaf. The
latest move by the Broadcasting Authority to introduce mandatory subtitles in its
code of practice for local stations is therefore sound.
Under new requirements, both TVB and ATV will be forced to introduce
such subtitling on English and Chinese channels as they implement fresh 12-year
licences.
The stipulation will cover news, current affairs, weather and emergency
announcements. On the English side, two hours of educational programmes per
week will have to be subtitled. On the Cantonese side, all shows during the 7pm to
11pm prime time will be labelled in Chinese.
This should merely be the start, however. Few cities are as international and
cosmopolitan as Hong Kong. Imagine the benefits if all programmes on all channels
had both English and Chinese subtitles.
The educational benefits would multiply. Consider the falling standards of English
and the argument becomes even more compelling.
Foreigners and locals would have new windows on each other’s cultures, whether it
is Chow Yun-fat in God of Gamblers or Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride.
In fact, Gamblers screened yet again last weekend, complete with dual-
language subtitles provided by the film's makers - ample proof that such a system
could work.
Subtitles and decent translations can be awkward and costly but, managed
correctly, such difficulties could provide opportunities.
Hong Kong could set new technological standards for dual translation services. Let's
start giving the viewers - whatever the language - the broadcasting they deserve.

https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:476T-
3S40-0002-P057-00000-00&context=1516831
(November 13, 2002). Visionary thinking. South China Morning Post (Hong Kong). 
Feb 25, 2020( indieWIRE: http://indiewire.com Delivered by Newstex) Even before
'Parasite[1]' won Best Picture, this was a very good time to be in the business of
dubbing and subtitles[2]. Hollywood is no longer a dominant international force, and
as global markets grow, streaming is expanding the reach of foreign language [3] films
and TV series. In America, localization is no longer the sole domain of arthouse
theaters; it belongs to streaming platforms that translate shows like 'Money Heist,'
with platforms like Netflix offering an English language dub for those who don't want
to read subtitles. Chris Carey, chief revenue officer and managing director of Iyuno
Media Group, sits at the center of the rapidly evolving localization business. Iyuno
(formerly BTI Studios) is one of the biggest subtitling and dubbing companies,
generating 44,000 hours of dubbing and 300,000 hours of subtitling in 2019 alone.
'Generally, our market is on the upswing, in terms of attention, dialogue, business
potential, and growth,' said Carey. 'Just the fact 'Parasite' was nominated and had
gotten so much buzz increased the level of dialogue and discussion. There's been
momentum throughout the winter, we've seen it, and 'Parasite' was just one of a
thousand data points of why.' Carey was part of the team that helped Disney digitize
in the '90s and ride the DVD wave that followed. As CTO of Technicolor, he led the
company to become a major player in the post-world when its film business was
disappearing, before taking over technical operations at Paramount. He also led
revenue and business development at Verizon as it built the video streaming
networks still used today. Here are seven important take aways to understand the
world of localization, and why dubbing could become a growing part of our diet, as
Carey sees it.
1. A Different Script for Dubbing A script from the film or TV series is used as the
same starting point for both subtitling and dubbing, but the work flow quickly
diverges as the art of each process is quite a bit different. 'The linguistic adaptation is
different, because when I'm doing a dub, I need the script adaptation to take into
account lip flap and visible sync,' said Carey. 'We may adapt a script less literally for
the dub so that the words in [the other language] tend to sync more closely with the
amount of syllables and lip movement that the actor has.' In other words, having
some level of lip sync is important. Even the best possible dub with live action actors
is going to be noticeable, but the closer the words and mouths match up over a
consistent stretch of time, the better chance the viewer will move past the dubbing
and become involved in the story. 'When we create the subtitle, we don't have to
worry about lip flap sync, so we'll do, in many cases, a more literal translation,' said
Carey. 'Then we're only worried about how many words can fit on a screen, how long
do the words need to stay on the screen so an average person can read it before the
next one comes up. So there is some timing for subtitling, but it's a very different art
and criteria for how you do that adaptation.'
2. A Good Dub Costs (at Least) 10x a Subtitle The industry standard is that dubbing
will cost 10 times as much a subtitling, and often more. What makes a good dub is
both a creative and technical process requiring talent and time - the usual turn
around is six to 12 weeks for a dub of a feature-length movie. 'I need one linguist to
sit in a room and do the translation. That's going to have a cost,' said Carey. 'I then
need to bring in 12 actors into a studio, record them, direct them, edit it, mix it.'
Getting a good performance that syncs up to the film requires experienced
performers and directors. Carey said it is a steep learning curve for actors and
directors without dubbing experience and often takes significantly longer (and more
money) to get a good dub. The sound engineering and mixing are also key
components — the more the dubbed voices sound like they were naturally recorded
on location, and blend into the soundtrack, the less noticeable the dub voices will be.
3. The Decision to Dub Depends on Individual Country's Film Culture Each country
and culture is different. In Europe, where Hollywood has been distributing films for
decades, the decision to dub is in many cases well established. France, Spain,
Germany and Italy are the four markets where the consumer demands and expects
dubbing. In Northern Europe, specifically Scandinavian countries, the decision to not
dub is equally practical. 'For example, the Danish learn English in Elementary
school, English is a second language in those markets,' said Carey. 'If it's an English
content coming over, that programmer will say, 'I don't need to spend the money on
dubbing.'' Outside of the more well-established market of Europe, the decision to
dub is also, in part, dependent on the movie-going culture of the individual country,
but it also a financial decision as the Global market changes and expands.
4. Dubbing Grows with a Changing Global Market 'Increasingly, we are seeing a
global marketplace,' said Carey, who added that the sub-and-dub market was
previously a one-way pipeline: 'It used to be Hollywood [movies translated for other
markets]. Now, every market is serving every market.' Carey estimates that one-third
of his business now is localizing non-English language content for non-English
speaking countries, and that is the fastest-growing, most in-demand part of his
business. Not only are English language movies no longer dominating the
international box office top 20, but the aggressive international growth of streaming
services is increasing the foreign language offering to all countries. In a subscription
model, viewers are also trying different shows and movies. Carey said that there are
parts of the Asian market that — not unlike the U.S. arthouse and film festival market
— are anti-dubbing, with the emphasis placed on hearing the original screen actor's
emotion and intonation. Generally speaking, the mass Asian market is moving toward
dubbing. 'The general attitude is that a dub is good, they want the dub. So it's never
really a question of, 'Will I never dub in the Asian market, but of cost,' said Carey.
'For the mass market - and this is increasingly true around the globe - people want to
multitask, they want to watch it on their phone, they want to cook in their kitchen, they
want to glance away and not miss a line of dialogue.' Carey said the decision for a
programmer to offer a dub in a specific language will be dependent on the distributor
or platform's reach and the size of their customer base in that language. The issue
isn't if the buyer wants a dub, but, 'Can you get us a dub at a price that makes
economic sense based on the number of subscribers, or ad revenue?' To that end,
Carey said that he and his competitors are increasingly investing time and resources
in new global markets. That means building up a roster of local talent, locating
studios with better acoustics, and investing in better technology in these regions.
'Increasingly, a global company like ours, we're building scale, we're building
capacity, we're building a network of actors, we're creating more efficiency,' said
Carey. 'So we're trying to drive the quality up and prices down, a very natural law of
any service business.' Carey believes that as the cost comes done in these markets,
the demand is such that dubbing will take off. In September 2019, Carey's
subtitling and dubbing company BTI Studios merged with Iyuno Media Group under
the belief that the future of localization was to bring some level of automation and
lowering costs through artificial intelligence (AI).
5. Does Dubbing Increase Engagement? For obvious reasons, a bad dub will lower
audience engagement. The more conscience the viewer is that voice they are
hearing - whether it's from a bad performance, a lack of sync, or poor mix - the
harder it is for viewers to suspend disbelief and give themselves over to the story.
Conversely, can a quality dub increase audience engagement? 'We have seen data -
and this is all very new and current, and a relevant trend - actually a good dub has a
higher consumer retention, so high engagement,' said Carey. The data Carey is
referencing is from proprietary reports from more than one of his studio and
streaming platform customers, which he declined to name. He did say that his clients
have seen evidence that customers streaming a foreign language episodic series
were more likely to finish the series if they chose dubbing over subtitling. While
there is no conclusive, publicly available data that dubbing increases engagement,
that most major streaming platforms are now treating a dub version as standard
deliverable in many markets, including English speaking ones, speaks for itself.
6. Is the U.S. Market Anti-Dubbing? Following 'Parasite' winning four Academy
Awards last week, including Best Picture, political blogger Kevin Drum wrote a story
for Mother Jones that set Film Twitter aflame, starting with its provocative headline: 'It
Should Come As No Surprise That Most Film Audiences Prefer Dubbing to
Subtitles.' The backlash epitomized American arthouse audiences' aversion to
dubbed movies. Carey, who spent decades of his life working for American studios
and closely with Hollywood directors and post-production artisans, said that he
personally prefers subtitles, but he also believes cinephiles like himself represent a
vocal minority. 'I think the opinion about anti-dub is very much the IndieWire
audience, the film buff, the enthusiasts,' said Carey. 'The community we live in a lot
of our time is not actually the consumer reaction at the broad America level.' Carey
believes the general American moviegoing and streaming audience is opposed to
dubbing for two key, far less philosophical and artistic, reasons. He argues that older
audiences, experienced bad, out of sync, dubbing of Asian and European films in
the 70s and 80s, and haven't been exposed to a good dub. But more importantly,
until recently, the mass American audience hasn't been exposed to foreign language
content like most of the rest of the world. 'I think we were close off to dubbing
because we just have so much English entertainment to choose from, that we haven't
really cared to,' said Carey. 'Foreign language content hasn't had much exposure
because the commercial gatekeepers, the people who run the platforms and the pay
TV service, have had enough U.S. entertainment, that haven't needed to.'
7. Streaming Is Changing the U.S. Foreign Language and Dubbing Market The
success of 'Parasite,' according to Carey, is just one of many data points of the U.S.
market's changing attitude about foreign language films and series in general. It was
only a few years ago, when Carey ran video streaming for Verizon's fios cable
service, that the onDemand offerings to cable subscribers were a limited number of
newly released English language hits. 'We would mostly just want to buy the top hits
because 80 percent of what was being bought and rented from the Pay TV services
was the top Hollywood blockbuster movies for the first six months they are available,'
said Carey. The world of on-demand streaming has changed with the continued rise
of stream platforms, and so has the offerings. 'Now with streaming there are so many
more choices,' said Carey. 'The big platforms, like Netflix, all of them now, they have
a much deeper library to offer that let's consumers search, 'I'm looking for a drama,'
'I'm looking for crime,' and they will find foreign products.' Carey is also noticing a
change in the way that the big streaming platforms are treating localization, where
the calculation of what to spend on original series is tied to the global reach of the
series or movie. The big streaming players always have the same questions, Carey
said: 'What's it going to cost to produce that show? It's going to cost us this much to
make? It's going to cost us this much to localize. And we're going to be able to get
this much subscription value out of it.' He added: 'The cost of localization is very
much part of the greenlighting process for original content, and it's very much a part
of the cost of acquisitions.' While the choice to create a dub for all markets is still an
economic one, Carey said the choice to do both a sub and dub is increasing, and will
continue on that route as automation and demand for dubs drives the cost of a dub
down. In the U.S., the aversion to dubbing may change with exposure. As an
experiment, one might try finding a foreign language series on Netflix, or another
major streaming platform, and turning on English dub. Are you able to get past the
dubbing and engage in the series? That question won't go away anytime soon. [ 1]:
https://www.indiewire.com/t/parasite/ [ 2]:  
https://www.indiewire.com/t/subtitles/ [ 3]:  
https://www.indiewire.com/t/foreign-language/

 https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:5Y93-
15R1-JCMN-Y2NH-00000-00&context=1516831
Chris OFalt. (February 25, 2020 Tuesday). Subtitles Vs. Dubbing: The Big Business
of Translating Foreign Films in a Post-'Parasite' World. Newstex Blogs indieWIRE

Cubillas, S. (2020, 17 januari). The 5 best & 5 worst anime dubs of all time. CBR.

Geraadpleegd op 9 maart 2022, van https://www.cbr.com/anime-best-worst-dubs-all-

time/