It could be argued that translating a film is a much easier task than translating a technical manual or a scientific text. It could also be argued that preparing subtitles is easier still as film dialogue will always need editing. This would however, be an incorrect assumption.

A subtitle is not a translation, or only rarely so ( for further reference see A Subtitle is not A Translation, A Day in the Life of a Subtitler by Alan Wildblood). Subtitles need to faithfully recreate the meaning of a scene or of a whole film, although a single subtitle cannot simply be a literal translation. The subtitler needs to adopt the appropriate register and needs to also take into consideration a number of further requirements apart from language alone.

The fewer cuts that a subtitler makes, the slower the dialogue of the film and the closer a subtitle will be to a literal translation. An accurate translation of the film as a whole is more important than that of the individual subtitle.

The requirements that a subtitler has to consider vary from filmmaker to filmmaker, from genre to genre and obviously from one subtitler to another.

The number of characters and the separation of text are extremely important requirements. On average, a person will take three seconds to read a whole line and five seconds to read two. If not enough time is allotted to read comfortably, the viewer will become averse to the use of subtitles and unable to enjoy the visual aspects of a film.

Synchronism is another important requirement. Viewers need to be able to anticipate the appearance of a subtitle. There should not be too much text to read and it should maintain a consistent speed otherwise it will be impossible to comprehend and interfere with the film itself.

In some instances, a set speed will contrast with the internal dynamics of a film. Spotting would therefore need to also fall in line with the film’s rhythm.

The art of subtitling is a very complex one that can only be fully mastered after many years of experience. It is not a skill that can be improvised. Indeed badly translated subtitles are often all that is laughably remembered from a film that in its original state would have been regarded as good.