The Changing Times Of Subtitling...

One of the more curious footnotes from this year's IBC is that the subtitling business is going through very interesting times at the moment, to quote the old curse.

It was easy in the old days. Using proprietary software packages, the translators created the timecoded subtitle files in the desired languages, and sent them to the broadcasters. The broadcasters transmitted them, using a combination of server based file handling and timecoded playout, sending them either as encoded (such as teletext, or as DVB bitmaps), or as in-vision text. Everything was simple.

Things are very different now, and both the subtitle translation companies and the equipment companies are facing some difficult decisions as the subtitling business changes.

From a transmission point of view, the market is shrinking. It was evident from walking around the IBC show that many – most? - of the big encoder systems suppliers already include subtitle management and transmission as a standard feature, often at no charge.

They simply put in a file handling system and encode according to whatever protocol suits their satellite, DTT or OTT platform. To quote Alan Constant, the CTO at Digicel, subtitling is now 'just another app'.

From the preparation side, things are even less clear. There are enough good quality downloadable freeware systems for no translator ever to need to buy a proprietary subtitle preparation system again. Often, the freeware is actually better supported than the commercial systems, as there are forums, blogs and so on. Bugs, upgrades and questions get resolved in minutes or hours, rather than days or weeks.

Sure, there is the legacy question of proprietary file formats, but many of the broadcasters – who, after all, drive the process – simply circumvent these problems by specifying open source file formats, which actually makes more sense. As with so many modern broadcast systems these days, it is a given that the system must be file-agnostic. The subtitle equipment suppliers may not like it, but it makes the most sense for the broadcasters.

Two things are going to change the subtitle preparation business for ever – the first is automated translation, which, although it can't yet do the initial file preparation and time coding, works well enough for subsequent languages, using the first language as a template. It isn't perfect, but it's now pretty good, and many broadcasters under pressure regarding price and turnaround find it acceptable.

The second is fansubbing. Amateur subtitlers download the content – possibly illegally, but that's not the issue here – and create a subtitle file from it, which is then accessible, usually at no charge, by anyone who wants it. There are all sorts of unresolved legal questions about copyright, and many subtitle translation companies are quick to cite article 2 of the Berne Convention to support their stance that fansubbing is illegal – but is it? The content isn't being rebroadcast in its original form, and neither is the soundtrack or even the original dialogue – so does the Berne Convention apply? Even if it does, enforcement, when the process is both cross-border and largely virtual, becomes a legal and practical minefield.

Whatever the legal niceties, the fact is that there are amateur subtitlers out there who will create and make available files for free. The quality is variable, but increasingly it is good, and the better ones are starting to get themselves a reputation. This will never take over the industry, but will undoubtedly take a big bite out of it.

Faced with this two-pronged attack, the only way for the prep businesses to thrive is to specialise, as mainstream work will be put under such commercial pressure that it will cease to be economically viable.

So far as the equipment companies are concerned, they will have to diversify into other, non-subtitling areas, if they are to survive. Some major names have vanished, or are fast-disappearing; others have merged, or adopted a siege mentality with their traditional customers. Whether they succeed remains to be seen.

Overall, both the equipment and service aspects of the commercial subtitling business are in decline. It is still working as a business at the moment, but how long it can remain viable is open to question. There are, indeed, interesting times ahead.

Chris Pollard is a freelance consultant and former systems developer and supplier, with more than thirty five years in the broadcast and IT business. He is a regular speaker and conference contributor on media localisation and language transfer issues.

The article is available to read in BFV online.

(IT/JP)