Hire a subtitler? Why would I? Can’t a computer do it just as well?
Of course, Machine Assisted Subtitling (MAS) is rapidly developing. It is cheap and at first sight it seems quick. But the software misinterprets words, does not add any punctuation, fails to distinguish between speakers, and the timing of the subtitling is often incorrect. Experience has shown me that correcting a computer translation takes just as much time as directly translating the source text myself.
This is because subtitling a foreign language consists of two disciplines; translating and subtitling. For both, experience and professional skills are required. If you can translate, you can’t necessarily subtitle, and vice versa. Vangarmen has more than 25 years of experience, both translating and subtitling movies, documentaries, TV series and commercial videos from and into English.
Why Vangarmen?
- Because I have over 25 years of experience in subtitling a wide range of movies and videos.
- Because my work is fast and accurate.
- Because I check my subtitles twice; once without and once with the video.
- Because Vangarmen is not a large company offering all sorts of services of which subtitling is just one.
- Because this keeps communication lines short.
- Because I am flexible and quick to negotiate with.
What are the rates?
I can translate and subtitle 4 to 6 minutes of video per hour. This boils down to around €330 for a 30-minute video. This price is an indication and depends on many different factors.
Factors determining the price include, besides the duration of the video:
- the level of difficulty; it takes time to look up terminology
- the deadline; rush jobs are possible, at a higher rate
- the quality of the source material
- the question whether a transcription of the dialogue is available if it is partly unintelligible
- the preferred format of delivery.
You can receive a quotation per video minute or per subtitle.
Here you will find an indication of my Rates.
When will the project be finished?
I can generally deliver the subtitling within a couple of days. Rush jobs (evenings and weekends) are possible, at a higher rate. To give you an idea: It takes about one day to translate and subtitle 20 to 30 video minutes, including conversions and checks. Again, the level of complexity and the availability of a transcription determine my pace of work.
Will I get a discount in case of recurring projects?
If you expect to hire Vangarmen for subtitling projects more often, a volume discount is possible. You buy X minutes of subtitled video minutes at a reduced rate. Also, on the basis of an order agreement, you can get a discount on a series of short films, on a monthly invoice.
How should I deliver my video?
You can deliver your video files in all standard video formats, including AVI, MP4 or MPEG. The subtitling software I work with (Spot) works best with AVI. If necessary, I can convert other formats to AVI.
Which settings are used?
The settings you prefer. I generally work with Arial, 42 characters a line and a reading speed of 15 characters per second. Of course, other settings are possible, too.
How will I receive the completed subtitling file?
Vangarmen can deliver the subtitling file in a large number of formats , including SRT, PAC, 890, STL or XML, to be used in Adobe Premiere. The preferred settings regarding font, alignment, image format (Blu-ray, DVD, 2K, 4K) etc. can be set to your liking. It is also possible to deliver the video with ‘burnt-in’ subtitles, as a single file. A transparent QuickTime file is also possible.
If you first want to read the subtitling as text, you will receive a text file, if desired with time coding.
Here you can find the Guidelines for subtitling in the Netherlands (pdf).
Subtitling
English-Dutch & Dutch-English
Hire a subtitler? Why would I? Can’t a computer do it just as well?
Of course, Machine Assisted Subtitling (MAS) is rapidly developing. It is cheap and at first sight it seems quick. But the software misinterprets words, does not add any punctuation, fails to distinguish between speakers, and the timing of the subtitling is often incorrect. Experience has shown me that correcting a computer translation takes just as much time as directly translating the source text myself.
This is because subtitling a foreign language consists of two disciplines; translating and subtitling. For both, experience and professional skills are required. If you can translate, you can’t necessarily subtitle, and vice versa. Vangarmen has more than 25 years of experience, both translating and subtitling movies, documentaries, TV series and commercial videos from and into English.
Why Vangarmen?
- Because I have over 25 years of experience in subtitling a wide range of movies and videos.
- Because my work is fast and accurate.
- Because I check my subtitles twice; once without and once with the video.
- Because I’m not a large company offering all sorts of services of which subtitling is just one.
- Because this keeps communication lines short.
- Because I am flexible and quick to negotiate with.
What are the rates?
I can translate and subtitle 4 to 6 minutes of video per hour. This boils down to around €330 for a 30-minute video. This price is an indication and depends on many different factors.
Factors determining the price include, besides the duration of the video:
- the level of difficulty; it takes time to look up terminology
- the deadline; rush jobs are possible, at a higher rate
- the quality of the source material
- the question whether a transcription of the dialogue is available if it is partly unintelligible
- the preferred format of delivery.
You can receive a quotation per video minute or per subtitle.
Here you will find an indication of my Rates.
When will the project be finished?
I can generally deliver the subtitling within a couple of days. Rush jobs (evenings and weekends) are possible, at a higher rate. To give you an idea: It takes about one day to translate and subtitle 20 to 30 video minutes, including conversions and checks. Again, the level of complexity and the availability of a transcription determine my pace of work.
Will I get a discount in case of recurring projects?
If you expect to hire Vangarmen for subtitling projects more often, a volume discount is possible. You buy X minutes of subtitled video minutes at a reduced rate. Also, on the basis of an order agreement, you can get a discount on a series of short films, on a monthly invoice.
How should I deliver my video?
You can deliver your video files in all standard video formats, including AVI, MP4 or MPEG. The subtitling software I work with (Spot) works best with AVI. If necessary, I can convert other formats to AVI.
Which settings are used?
The settings you prefer. I generally work with Arial, 42 characters a line and a reading speed of 15 characters per second. Of course, other settings are possible, too.
How will I receive the completed subtitling file?
Vangarmen can deliver the subtitling file in a large number of formats , including SRT, PAC, 890, STL or XML, to be used in Adobe Premiere. The preferred settings regarding font, alignment, image format (Blu-ray, DVD, 2K, 4K) etc. can be set to your liking. It is also possible to deliver the video with ‘burnt-in’ subtitles, as a single file. A transparent QuickTime file is also possible.
If you first want to read the subtitling as text, you will receive a text file, if desired with time coding.
Here you can find the Guidelines for subtitling in the Netherlands (pdf).
When will the project be finished?
I can generally deliver the subtitling within a couple of days. Rush jobs (evenings and weekends) are possible, at a higher rate. To give you an idea: It takes about one day to translate and subtitle 20 to 30 video minutes, including conversions and checks. Again, the level of complexity and the availability of a transcription determine my pace of work.
Will I get a discount in case of recurring projects?
If you expect to hire Vangarmen for subtitling projects more often, a volume discount is possible. You buy X minutes of subtitled video minutes at a reduced rate. Also, on the basis of an order agreement, you can get a discount on a series of short films, on a monthly invoice.
How should I deliver my video?
You can deliver your video files in all standard video formats, including AVI, MP4 or MPEG. The subtitling software I work with (Spot) works best with AVI. If necessary, I can convert other formats to AVI.
Which settings are used?
The settings you prefer. I generally work with Arial, 42 characters a line and a reading speed of 15 characters per second. Of course, other settings are possible, too.
How will I receive the completed subtitling file?
Vangarmen can deliver the subtitling file in a large number of formats , including SRT, PAC, 890, STL or XML, to be used in Adobe Premiere. The preferred settings regarding font, alignment, image format (Blu-ray, DVD, 2K, 4K) etc. can be set to your liking. It is also possible to deliver the video with ‘burnt-in’ subtitles, as a single file. A transparent QuickTime file is also possible.
If you first want to read the subtitling as text, you will receive a text file, if desired with time coding.
Here you can find the Guidelines for subtitling in the Netherlands (pdf).