TC not corresponding when transfer .txt to .doc and French accents not recognized Thread poster: Marcella Segre
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Marcella Segre 
France
Local time: 04:35
Member (2015)
Italian to French
+ ...
Hello,
I am encountering a double problem with Subtitle Workshop version 4
- I was requested to provide also a file .doc with the subtitles along with the .txt and the .stl
when transfering the file [by simply selecting-copy-paste], the time codes do not correspond to the original .txt
-The file .txt of the subtitles, when synchronized to the video, does not recognize the french accents and I have to add them manually on the .txt file [Though I can se... See more Hello,
I am encountering a double problem with Subtitle Workshop version 4
- I was requested to provide also a file .doc with the subtitles along with the .txt and the .stl
when transfering the file [by simply selecting-copy-paste], the time codes do not correspond to the original .txt
-The file .txt of the subtitles, when synchronized to the video, does not recognize the french accents and I have to add them manually on the .txt file [Though I can see them when opening the .txt with subtitle workshop]
Please help!
Thank you ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Are you sure SW handles .stl in the first place. | Nov 14, 2012 |
Hallo Marcella, I am not sure I understand what you are trying to do by copying and pasting, but are you sure Subtitle Workshop handles the stl format?
About the accents, it may depend on the way you export or save the txt from your software, you should use, I think, the UTF 8 to make sure the characters don't get disturbed.
If you are into subtitling, I would recommend switching to some professional software, especially if, as I read in some other post, you are tryin... See more Hallo Marcella, I am not sure I understand what you are trying to do by copying and pasting, but are you sure Subtitle Workshop handles the stl format?
About the accents, it may depend on the way you export or save the txt from your software, you should use, I think, the UTF 8 to make sure the characters don't get disturbed.
If you are into subtitling, I would recommend switching to some professional software, especially if, as I read in some other post, you are trying to embed the titles in the videos!!!
HTH
Monica ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Beware of Subtitle Workshop v4!!! | Nov 14, 2012 |
Subtitle Workshop v4 is an attempted complete rewrite, which was left unfinished and buggy, IMHO. If you look at Urusfot's web site, it's still a beta version.
The good version of Subtitle Workshop is 2.51:
http://www.urusoft.net/download.php?lang=1&id=sw
I subtitle mostly in Portuguese, which has a g... See more Subtitle Workshop v4 is an attempted complete rewrite, which was left unfinished and buggy, IMHO. If you look at Urusfot's web site, it's still a beta version.
The good version of Subtitle Workshop is 2.51:
http://www.urusoft.net/download.php?lang=1&id=sw
I subtitle mostly in Portuguese, which has a good deal of accents plus ç-cedilla, and never had any problem with them, except in some tests with cheap fonts (those that come with CDs in magazines) that are intended for English A-Z alone, and have no diacritics at all, some don't even have numbers.
Any subtitles file - at least those 50 types SW handles - is a plain text file. Theoretically, if you were doing a life sentence in jail, you could build a perfect subtitles file using Windows Notepad.
To create a DOC file from your subtitles file, the best way is to save it to one of the "simpler" formats, such as TXT for Encore, or SRT, and then open it as a TXT file with Word. This will allow you to save as a DOC. If you have a more elaborate file, such as SSA, (using Word) set the page as landscape, and use a monospace (e.g. Courier) font small enough so that each line will be just a line. Then holding Alt+leftclick will let you select (and afterwards delete) a rectangle of "junk".
If you can see the accents on SW, but they vanish when you put them on the video, I see two possibilities:
a) The actual font you are using on the video doesn't have these accented letters. Check on that with Windows' Character Map feature (or try Arial just to see if they come up); or
b) Your subtitling software can't handle accents.
Monica, SW does handle STL files, as they are pure text. No "professional software" is required to create & timespot subtitles; just a professional translator/operator. Embedding titles - if no SFX are required - can be done with Subtitle Workshop & VirtualDub. The latter can burn many different, overlaid, subtitle sets (all SSA files) simultaneously. If artsy titles with SFX are the case, I'd use Sony Vegas, of course, however that's not for cheap clients, as it takes time. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | José you keep saying this | Nov 15, 2012 |
in all forums (I read this more than once on Proz.com and on LinkedIn) and in all honesty I don't see why.
I agree with you, you need a professional translator/operator to subtitle, but a professional translator/operator plus professional subtitling software will definitely be more productive than someone working with other tools. The process you sometimes describe can take ages compared to working in a complete subtitling environment.
And you can certainly spot with Su... See more in all forums (I read this more than once on Proz.com and on LinkedIn) and in all honesty I don't see why.
I agree with you, you need a professional translator/operator to subtitle, but a professional translator/operator plus professional subtitling software will definitely be more productive than someone working with other tools. The process you sometimes describe can take ages compared to working in a complete subtitling environment.
And you can certainly spot with Subtitle Workshop but are you sure you would be able to take into account the scene change, for example? I don't think the tool allows to spot frame by frame.
Why do you think professional software apps have been designed? Who do you think uses these tools, people with no notion of subtitling? I don't think so. ▲ Collapse
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| People should know what software is "automating" for them | Nov 15, 2012 |
Monica Paolillo wrote:
in all forums (I read this more than once on Proz.com and on LinkedIn) and in all honesty I don't see why.
I agree with you, you need a professional translator/operator to subtitle, but a professional translator/operator plus professional subtitling software will definitely be more productive than someone working with other tools. The process you sometimes describe can take ages compared to working in a complete subtitling environment.
And you can certainly spot with Subtitle Workshop but are you sure you would be able to take into account the scene change, for example? I don't think the tool allows to spot frame by frame.
Why do you think professional software apps have been designed? Who do you think uses these tools, people with no notion of subtitling? I don't think so.
My intent is to clarify - to translators, subtitlers, and clients as well - that though there is plenty of automation available, quality video translation encompasses some art that machines/software are - and will remain - unable to emulate.
I reckon that this possibly comes from my personal experience, having begun translating video for dubbing in 1987, and only venturing into translation for subtitling in 2004.
No, quite differently from what many people say, one type of work is not generally more "difficult" than the other. The Sintra - Brazilian Translators Syndicate (the few last items on that table) suggests charging translation for dubbing at 2x the suggested rates for subtitling, and I disagree. I use mostly the same software to do both, however a completely different frame of mind: this is the basic difference.
Monica, vedo che sei in Italia, dunque capirai bene il mio esempio.
To illustrate, here is a true story. Once a cousin of mine, his wife, and another couple, all from the USA, decided to take a vacation all over Italy. This was long ago, when very few cars there had automatic transmission - none for rental. While planning, they realized that they'd have to face a stickshift. So all four tried one with a friend's dune buggy. All in their late 50s, having driven automatic cars all their lives, none of them managed it. My cousin's wife almost made it, however not enough to rely on that for transportation during a month-long vacation. So they spent a fortune, and had an automatic car brought by the rental company from Germany.
Likewise, I see many subtitlers relying so much on automated software, that their output is miserable, to say the least. I've had my share of both automatic and manual transmission cars. When I had automatics, I used the entire gamut of tricks, kick-downs, manual selection, winter mode, etc. whenever needed. Yet I see many people - like the aforementioned quartet - who just put it on D, and then drive all day long. Some subtitlers just rely on software to do everything.
Otherwise, I have no objection to fully automated software, as long as the operator knows how to do it, and can manually override any feature to get it right.
You are correct that for most of the situations automation can take care of it with more productivity, however it tends to give the user the illusion that they can let software do their job on a "look ma, no hands" mode. It's like driving an automatic over deep mud or snow.
The downside is that this increased productivity leads to a downward spiral for video translation and subtitling rates, and all video translators and wannabes alike moan about it. This becomes a closed loop, pushing further down both rates and quality.
So my point is not against highly automated subtitling software in itself, but an over-reliance on it, something like "I don't have to take driving lessons, the car is automatic".
I don't know if it's the same in Italy, but in Brazil - unless the person is legally declared 'handicapped' - by law, everyone must take their driver examination using a stickshift. If there were a subtitler examination, I'd suggest the applicant must create a SSA file to subtitle a 20-30 seconds video using a simple text editor and a SSA template for parameters. This means that they know what the automated software is doing. It's like a child having to learn the arithmetic tables before they are allowed to use a calculator.
[Edited at 2012-11-15 09:47 GMT]
| | | | Marcella Segre
France
Local time: 04:35
Member (2015)
Italian to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thank you but still problems! | Feb 19, 2013 |
Thank you very much for your replies, but I am still encountering problems and I realize, by reading my question again, that probably I wasn't clear enough.
Basically, the problem starts when I try to read the .stl file with the video.
This whole information is missing:
$FontName = Arial Narrow
$FontSize = 36ì
$Bold = TRUE
$HorzAlign = Center
$TapeOffset = FALSE
... See more Thank you very much for your replies, but I am still encountering problems and I realize, by reading my question again, that probably I wasn't clear enough.
Basically, the problem starts when I try to read the .stl file with the video.
This whole information is missing:
$FontName = Arial Narrow
$FontSize = 36ì
$Bold = TRUE
$HorzAlign = Center
$TapeOffset = FALSE
I don't know how to set it on subtitle workshop and the video program doesn't understand what it has to do with it as it doesn't get info!
Also, all the comas after the TC disappear, so I have to add them manually in order to read the subtitle on the video.
ex: 00:00:10:14, 00:00:14:02,
maybe I am missing a passage in between [such as using another program after subtitle workshop ad before trying to read it on video]?
Thank you!!
Marcella ▲ Collapse
| | | | jbjb
Estonia
Local time: 05:35
Estonian to English
+ ...
Subtitle Workshop is able to generate text files only - it offers a huge variety of formats but all of them are text files that can be opened in Notepad.
It knows nothing about fonts, their size, alignment etc
You need a professional subtitle software to create files that preserve this type of information. The professional .stl format (EBU Subtitling format) contains this information and files of that type cannot be handled by free subtitle software (like Subtitling Workshop).
... See more Subtitle Workshop is able to generate text files only - it offers a huge variety of formats but all of them are text files that can be opened in Notepad.
It knows nothing about fonts, their size, alignment etc
You need a professional subtitle software to create files that preserve this type of information. The professional .stl format (EBU Subtitling format) contains this information and files of that type cannot be handled by free subtitle software (like Subtitling Workshop).
What you are describing seems to be the Spruce Subtitle File that has the same extension (.stl) but is an ordinary text file with some additional information.
I don't really understand what you need to do and where the problem occurs.
What is "read the file with the video"? Do you need to create a file that can be opened in a specific video software? Then it's not a problem of Subtitle Workshop but a question what type of subtitle file you need for that video software.
To preserve accents in the text file that you create, you should try playing with the charsets that Subtitle Workshop provides (ANSI etc). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marcella Segre
France
Local time: 04:35
Member (2015)
Italian to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
thank you for this clarification, this has been the most helpful comment so far.
"What is "read the file with the video"? Do you need to create a file that can be opened in a specific video software? Then it's not a problem of Subtitle Workshop but a question what type of subtitle file you need for that video software."
The problem is that the video software doesn't read the spruce [.stl] file as I create it and I need to add manually the comas after the TC in the .txt ... See more thank you for this clarification, this has been the most helpful comment so far.
"What is "read the file with the video"? Do you need to create a file that can be opened in a specific video software? Then it's not a problem of Subtitle Workshop but a question what type of subtitle file you need for that video software."
The problem is that the video software doesn't read the spruce [.stl] file as I create it and I need to add manually the comas after the TC in the .txt file.
Is it also linked to the limited possibilities of subtitle workshop or is it something I can solve?
Thanks
Marcella ▲ Collapse
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