Exclusives

Dubbing and subtitling are a major part of bringing a show to as wide an audience as possible. But with the growth of anywhere, anytime viewing, they are central to the success of a new and very popular business model — which is why the services of companies like BTI Studios are more in demand than ever.

You may not have heard of BTI Studios, but you do its work. The company is among the world’s largest and highly regarded localization companies, providing dubbing, subtitling, access services and media solutions (including localized metadata, video ingest and related technical services), in almost any language.

BTI clients include some big names. They’re broadcasters, such as BBC Worldwide, Discovery Networks and Turner; major film studios, such as NBC Universal, Warner, Disney and Fox; and VOD platforms, an area of business about to explode as more and more viewers choose to ignore TV schedules in favor of on-demand programming.

These platforms include Netflix. BTI is one of only a handful of Netflix Preferred Vendors (NPVs) for subtitling and dubbing.

So if you’ve ever found yourself on an overseas visit and glanced at a TV showing “Sherlock,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Walking Dead” or “True Detective” subtitled or dubbed into Danish, Estonian, Dutch or Russian, you’ve probably seen BTI’s work.

It’s a big — and important — business. And yet many people rarely consider what subtitling and dubbing actually entail.

To start with, there are two types of subtitling. One is translation for foreign films and to send films into foreign markets. Subtitles are also used for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (you’ll see them in pubs and gyms).

To subtitle accurately BTI’s translators use not just the script but also the video.

“Clients are often surprised that we need the video in order to create subtitles, “ said Elodie Powers, SVP of Operations and Client Services, ”but they are timed to the frame. Translators edit as they create the subtitles so that they meet restrictions like characters-per-line, reading speeds and positioning.“

All BTI translators are at native speaking proficiency of the language they are translating into.

However, dubbing — where the audio is translated and new recordings produced to transform films and series for new markets — is a longer and more complex process than subtitling.

Approaches differ, but, broadly, a company like BTI would start with the assets — such as scripts, videos, and music and effects tracks. “Then,” said Carlo DeCianti, Global VP of sales and business development, “there is specialized script translation following the video as we need to take into account the fact that the voice actors need to fit the new dialogue, lip-synced, into the same timeframe as the original.”

Producers select a number of potential voice actors and send samples for clients to assess. The chosen voice artists come into a studio to record their lines and are directed. But lines can be recorded many times over until an artist gets it right.

“You’re syncing not only with picture but with nuance; it’s a creative process,” DeCianti said. The sound files are then edited and synced up to the picture and delivered according to the client’s requirements.

As for market preferences, it’s not entirely clear why, but translation tastes vary widely. “For example,” DeCianti said, “everything is dubbed in Germany but the Netherlands is very much a subtitling country.”

The localization process can begin earlier than you might think. If you’re a production company with a potential hit show to sell, for example, you’d better plan ahead. You get a better deal and a wider choice of actors, for a start. “It also often pays to group content/programs into larger volumes to get a better rate,” DeCianti said.

And yes, that’s production companies rather than broadcasters. “Things are changing,” DeCianti said. “It used to be that broadcasters produced the local versions, but increasingly production companies and content owners are getting the versions produced earlier in the supply chain, which allows them to maintain quality control over all versions of their program.”

Which brings us to BTI Studios itself. With offices in Europe, Asia and the U.S., it is continuing to push into major markets worldwide, positioning itself for the opportunities offered by a rapidly changing media industry and today’s huge expansion into multi-platform consumerism.

Technology solutions company Rovi estimates there are two VOD providers popping up for every broadcaster. “Because of the nature of VOD being an online service it naturally lends itself to global launches — or anywhere you can get internet,” DeCianti points out.

Localization services play an important part in this new business model. “Personalization has become a must in the eyes of the consumer. People want to be able to choose what to watch and when to watch it. Localizing content is another key to personalization, with people viewing programs in their own language.”

The move away from traditional platforms to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky Atlantic and others has major business implications for dubbing and subtitling specialists. New business models mean new territories, new languages, new file formats and platforms with their own proprietary requirements. And lots of repurposing of existing files, as well as origination.

“There are steep launch ramps with hundreds of hours of content needing to be localized fast for territory launches,” DeCianti said. He adds, “This is a new type of client unaccustomed, until now, to having to provide localization.”

It’s also an opportunity in many new markets — Asia, Africa and the Middle East are growing — and new service areas like closed captioning and audio description. “We’re producing AD for some of our broadcast clients in eight languages,” DeCianti said.

Already a Netflix preferred vendor and Amazon approved, BTI is building on the popularity of VOD to expand its 24 locations and 400 staff.

However, even though viewing habits are changing and BTI services adapting, one thing won’t change: the importance of getting it right. That is why, DeCianti said, ”We will always use the translation services of local people in local markets, always ensure we understand our markets, and always supply culturally relevant translations.”