Does Tencent have a style guide for its English subtitles? Thread poster: Florence Taylor
|
|---|
I am currently subtitling an episode of a reality show from Chinese into English as part of my practice-based dissertation for my MA in translation. The maker of the television show is Tencent Video, and (in theory) the subtitles would be viewed on YouTube, but perhaps also WeTV or QQ.
I haven't been able to find a style guide or any information about which guide they follow, and I cannot find a way to contact the company, other than their AI-based customer service chat. I don't re... See more I am currently subtitling an episode of a reality show from Chinese into English as part of my practice-based dissertation for my MA in translation. The maker of the television show is Tencent Video, and (in theory) the subtitles would be viewed on YouTube, but perhaps also WeTV or QQ.
I haven't been able to find a style guide or any information about which guide they follow, and I cannot find a way to contact the company, other than their AI-based customer service chat. I don't really know any translators who have worked for this company, or which agencies this type of work is normally outsourced to.
For those who have done subtitling work for Tencent, do you know if they have a style guide for English subtitles, or at least any basic rules and requirements around things like characters per line, maximum viewing/reading speed (do spaces count or not?), and other settings?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Yousheng Chen
Australia
Local time: 03:46
English to Chinese
+ ...
| No specific style | Aug 9, 2021 |
As far as I know, there is no specifc subtitle style for Tencent video. After the video is uploaded, their staff will review the content.
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
| Judging by the pirate group signatures often visible... | Aug 9, 2021 |
Genuine Chinese copyright holders often post their legitimate content for free or free-ish global distribution (on official Youtube channels, Rakuten Viki, etc.)
...with foreign language subtitle gleefully requisitioned back from the pirates
It doesn't seem like they feel much need to pay anyone for it when there's plenty of ways to get it for free.
Come to think of it, I've even seen it on paid officially licensed streaming services like Amazon Prime.
... See more Genuine Chinese copyright holders often post their legitimate content for free or free-ish global distribution (on official Youtube channels, Rakuten Viki, etc.)
...with foreign language subtitle gleefully requisitioned back from the pirates
It doesn't seem like they feel much need to pay anyone for it when there's plenty of ways to get it for free.
Come to think of it, I've even seen it on paid officially licensed streaming services like Amazon Prime.
So no, there's probably no style guide. They just appropriate what they can get for free, be it from willing parties or those who lack the legal right to complain.
[Edited at 2021-08-09 13:41 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Florence Taylor
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:46
Chinese to English
TOPIC STARTER | That makes things much easier | Aug 11, 2021 |
Yousheng Chen wrote:
As far as I know, there is no specifc subtitle style for Tencent video. After the video is uploaded, their staff will review the content.
I hope that's the case, it would make things a lot easier in terms of spotting. Thank you!
| | |
|
|
|
Florence Taylor
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:46
Chinese to English
TOPIC STARTER | I did wonder about that | Aug 11, 2021 |
Adieu wrote:
Genuine Chinese copyright holders often post their legitimate content for free or free-ish global distribution (on official Youtube channels, Rakuten Viki, etc.)
...with foreign language subtitle gleefully requisitioned back from the pirates
It doesn't seem like they feel much need to pay anyone for it when there's plenty of ways to get it for free.
Come to think of it, I've even seen it on paid officially licensed streaming services like Amazon Prime.
So no, there's probably no style guide. They just appropriate what they can get for free, be it from willing parties or those who lack the legal right to complain.
[Edited at 2021-08-09 13:41 GMT]
I've noticed that there's rarely any consistency with subtitles for a specific show or production company, but it's depressing to know that many of them probably don't pay for their subtitles. I've seen some official channels posting in the video notes that subtitles are welcome and can be submitted to a specific address, but wasn't sure if that's the general model or if a rate is ever negotiated.
At least this is just a dissertation translation, so I don't need to worry about actually posting the subtitles, but not having a style guide will make things easier, I'll probably just use Netflix's guide.
Thank you!
| | | | Yuxuan Zhang
Australia
Local time: 03:46
English to Mandarin Chinese
| No style guide | Aug 11, 2021 |
I searched their Chinese website, and there is no indication of any subtitle style guide. Maybe you can refer to the videos with English subtitles on Tencent Video. Or probably the style is not a problem for them?
| | | | LIZ LI
China
Local time: 01:46
French to Chinese
+ ...
| Inconsistency = Tencent | Aug 13, 2021 |
Florence Taylor wrote:
I've noticed that there's rarely any consistency with subtitles for a specific show or production company, but it's depressing to know that many of them probably don't pay for their subtitles.
You are about to find out how unprofessional IS the whole translation industry in China.
A BIG welcome anyway!
An English native who manages Chinese is the rarest specie in the market. Try to start with a higher standard in your works, and you're going to see a lot of Chinese companies like BAT (GAFA in Chinese version) chasing after you.
| | | | Min Xuanping
China
Local time: 01:46
Member
English to Chinese
+ ...
| No need a style guide for English subtitles | Aug 13, 2021 |
English subtitling is simple and unified. Any punctuation is kept untouched. But Chinese subtitling is stupid. There are many versions and there is no standard at all. I am all the time struggling with Chinese subtitling style, because nobody tells how to do it but finally they would say you are wrong. In Chinese subtitling, commas are commonly replaced with space; Periods are omitted at the end of a sentence. But all depends, some sources including CCTV 9, you can hardly see any punctuation in ... See more English subtitling is simple and unified. Any punctuation is kept untouched. But Chinese subtitling is stupid. There are many versions and there is no standard at all. I am all the time struggling with Chinese subtitling style, because nobody tells how to do it but finally they would say you are wrong. In Chinese subtitling, commas are commonly replaced with space; Periods are omitted at the end of a sentence. But all depends, some sources including CCTV 9, you can hardly see any punctuation in their Chinese subtitling. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
June Wang
China
Local time: 01:46
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| It's good to follow the mainstream media's practices | Aug 14, 2021 |
I have no Tencent Video subtitling experience and think they should have their own style guide in place. However, no unified Chinese subtitling standard does not necessarily mean the whole China market is problematic.
I did work on Apple's subtitling projects, and they have had some serious criteria. The projects are handled by a China office of a large LSP. When I worked on similar tasks with a UK translation company for a French brand, neither the company nor the brand had existin... See more I have no Tencent Video subtitling experience and think they should have their own style guide in place. However, no unified Chinese subtitling standard does not necessarily mean the whole China market is problematic.
I did work on Apple's subtitling projects, and they have had some serious criteria. The projects are handled by a China office of a large LSP. When I worked on similar tasks with a UK translation company for a French brand, neither the company nor the brand had existing rules for it.
It's good to follow the practices of mainstream video content providers if the client doesn't have its own style guide. ▲ Collapse
| | | | LIZ LI
China
Local time: 01:46
French to Chinese
+ ...
| Every translation needs a style guide | Aug 17, 2021 |
Min Xuanping wrote:
English subtitling is simple and unified. Any punctuation is kept untouched. But Chinese subtitling is stupid. There are many versions and there is no standard at all. I am all the time struggling with Chinese subtitling style, because nobody tells how to do it but finally they would say you are wrong. In Chinese subtitling, commas are commonly replaced with space; Periods are omitted at the end of a sentence. But all depends, some sources including CCTV 9, you can hardly see any punctuation in their Chinese subtitling.
I'll have to diagree with Min.
A style guide sometimes is the key to success for a film, a book or anything culturally sensitive.
The reasonable explaination of not having a standard or a guide is the lack of professionalism among local agencies, as well as practitionners.
And yes, you hear me right. I'm critizing the whole industry in CN, for not respecting interculture communications of all sorts.
And by the way, I don't see why EN subtitles are simple & unified... do you know how annoying the character limit can be?
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Does Tencent have a style guide for its English subtitles? | Protemos translation business management system | Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!
The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
