Subtitling 55 episodes
Thread poster: Mohammed Al-Sokkary
Mohammed Al-Sokkary
Mohammed Al-Sokkary
Egypt
Local time: 00:25
Arabic to English
+ ...
Mar 29, 2015

Hi all,

How long does it takes to subtitle 55 episodes, i have the scripts but not time coded, so all i have to do is to fill in place and adjust the time and then embed it into the video and upload it, how long does it take a professional to finish all the episodes / one episode, and how much does it normally cost for one hour subtitling, also i use AEGISUB, so i'd like to hear any ideas to progress faster.
PS: videos are on YouTube, i download the original non-subtitled vi
... See more
Hi all,

How long does it takes to subtitle 55 episodes, i have the scripts but not time coded, so all i have to do is to fill in place and adjust the time and then embed it into the video and upload it, how long does it take a professional to finish all the episodes / one episode, and how much does it normally cost for one hour subtitling, also i use AEGISUB, so i'd like to hear any ideas to progress faster.
PS: videos are on YouTube, i download the original non-subtitled video, finish the subtitle and embed it, then i upload it to the client.

[Edited at 2015-03-29 19:32 GMT]
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José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 18:25
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Taking a shot... Mar 29, 2015

I'll assume each episode lasts the "standard" 42 minutes' playing time.

Therefore you have 55 x 42 = 2,310 minutes.

It is widely accepted that the professional average ratio is around 6:1, i.e. we take 6 minutes to translate one, or we can translate 10 minutes of playing time per hour.

Therefore a pro would need 2,310 * 6 = 13,860 minutes / 60 = 231 hours to translate from scratch. Round it up to 240 hours.

Can you translate more than one hour
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I'll assume each episode lasts the "standard" 42 minutes' playing time.

Therefore you have 55 x 42 = 2,310 minutes.

It is widely accepted that the professional average ratio is around 6:1, i.e. we take 6 minutes to translate one, or we can translate 10 minutes of playing time per hour.

Therefore a pro would need 2,310 * 6 = 13,860 minutes / 60 = 231 hours to translate from scratch. Round it up to 240 hours.

Can you translate more than one hour of video per day, unless it's a rush order?
I can't; my brain needs some oxygen, and video translation tends to deplete it there.

So, if you can work on it 6 hours per day, at best you'll need roughly two months to translate, working Mon-Fri.

Some professional colleagues have stated - and I fully agree - that it is better to translate from the video, and use the provided script only for reference (e.g. on the spelling of proper names, and when SFX/music/noise smother the dialog).

Check what would or should be your monthly income, multiply it by two, and you'll have the translation cost.

It is widely agreed that time-spotting pre-translated and properly broken subtitles should take (in terms of time and effort) and cost one-third of the translation cost, if both are done by the same individual.

So you've got your figure for translation and time-spotting.


Burning? That will depend on too many variables, such as:
- Video size, e.g. DVD (720x480), HD (1280x720), FHD (1920x1080)
- The codec you'll be using
- The in & out video file types
- The software you'll use to burn
- Your hardware, especially processor speed, computer RAM, and video board RAM

So here your mileage may vary a lot.

My 2¢.
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Max Deryagin
Max Deryagin  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 02:25
Member (2013)
English to Russian
What Jose said Mar 30, 2015

Plus, if you don't have a powerful workstation, embedding (which is called "burning-in" or simply "burning" in professional circles) takes quite some time.

 
Mohammed Al-Sokkary
Mohammed Al-Sokkary
Egypt
Local time: 00:25
Arabic to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank You All Mar 30, 2015

Thank you Mr. Jose, Thank you Mr. Max, that was so informative and helpful.

 


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Subtitling 55 episodes







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