arabic and other languages

[Kai Cheong]

I’ve subtitled a corporate video before using Arabic subtitles. Just make sure you have a trusted and professional translator doing the work for you, esp. if you don’t have an Arabic-speaking editor/producer who’s able to check through as s/he edits. My edits had very clear and short sections, so even though I’m not Arabic-speaking, I could place each section more or less in its right place. If it’s a longer piece, you might want your translator to be more precise in indicating, with timecode, how each sentence should be placed.

The Arabic subtitles probably needs a little more space/height than English subtitles in order to be readable, so you might want to factor that in when shooting eg. don’t shoot too tight on faces and leave more room below, esp. if you need to super AND subtitle.

Other thing to note is that Arabic reads from right to left and it’s a little tricky when you’re trying to separate your sentences, since you might accidentally break up a phrase and change the meaning altogether. It takes some getting used to. Plus, you’ll need to obtain a readable Arabic font – perhaps you could arrange that with your translator.

Other than that, I find the subtitling work to be as… gruelling… as any other language :]

Kai
FCP Editor / Producer with Intuitive Films
—
Now ‘LIVE’! Check Out The Intuitive Films Blog @ https://intuitive-films.blogspot.com
At Intuitive Films, We Create: TV Commercials, Documentaries, Corporate Videos and Feature Films
Visit us @ https://www.intuitivefilms.com
—
MacBook Pro 2.4GHz | 4GB RAM | FCP 5.1.4 | Mac OS X 10.5.2