Page 1 of 3

software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 11:34 am
by svenverslype
Does anyone know software for translating subtitles.
I used to use Subtitle Edit but it does not work anymore

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:38 pm
by SmallBrother
Only humans can translate ;-)

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 7:22 pm
by owla
SmallBrother is right. "Only humans can translate" Maybe we should say: turn words with google. And now google does not work as before. Something has changed. Substile-edit is not even able to directly convert machine translations right now.

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 7:59 pm
by svenverslype
@owla Yes i know that subtitel Edit does not work there fore I ask for an alternative

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 8:36 pm
by SmallBrother
And now google does not work as before. Something has changed. Substile-edit is not even able to directly convert machine translations right now.
Correct. Now Google delivers API-translations (as for example in Subtitle Edit) only as a paid service. The free service is history.
@owla Yes i know that subtitel Edit does not work there fore I ask for an alternative
Not only is Google 'not very good at translating', but moreover, for subtitles there is much more involved than just 'translating' (all those technical aspects), which Google (and usually the people using it) completely ignores. As a result, machine translated subtitles are the true horror of OpenSubtitles and the greatest frustration of real human subtitlers who spend many many many hours on creating something gooooood. Thank God, and for once, thank Google for doing something GREAT. And thank all those real subtitlers who are doing a great and massive job for delivering us the real thing.

Excuse me for not helping you to find an alternative ;-)

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 10:02 pm
by CheckiT
Touché :D

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 10:17 pm
by svenverslype
why does it take so long that the Dutch subtitles come to your site? you can hardly do anything other than translate them with software

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 10:42 pm
by SmallBrother
why does it take so long that the Dutch subtitles come to your site? you can hardly do anything other than translate them with software
Thats EXACTLY what I am talking about.
A Google translate takes two minutes.
A human subtitles takes (at least) 10 hours.

You want it fast and dirty?
Go to McDonalds.
You want it slow and good?
Be patient.

I am sorry.

Complaints?
Go to http://www.google.com
Or just pay (for horrible subs).

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 8:55 am
by arcchancellor
Right said, SB. Image

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 11:13 am
by SmallBrother
why does it take so long that the Dutch subtitles come to your site?
And for your information: making subtitles is not only very time consuming, but also done by unpaid volunteers. By people with a life, a job, a family, friends, who are doing this love job in their free time.

As for machine translations, please read this:
Site wide policy in English: https://forum.opensubtitles.org/viewtop ... f=1&t=1969
Poll and opinions in Dutch: https://forum.opensubtitles.org/viewtop ... 31&t=14649
Subtitler trap #2 in Dutch: https://forum.opensubtitles.org/viewtop ... 38&t=16591

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 8:57 pm
by CheckiT
And this also works i think':

Image

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 12:58 am
by Mazrim Taim
why does it take so long that the Dutch subtitles come to your site?

And for your information: making subtitles is not only very time consuming, but also done by unpaid volunteers. By people with a life, a job, a family, friends, who are doing this love job in their free time.


(...) there fore I ask for an alternative
(...) Excuse me for not helping you to find an alternative


There is no alternative. At least not until we get an A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) that is able to fully grasp all the intricacies of human language AND is fully able to understand what is happening on screen. It needs to be able to understand emotions and human interactions, it needs to be able to play with words like a toddler plays with clay.

It needs to understand that translating is not merely rewriting sentences in another language. Translating involves getting the meaning across of what's being said in a natural way, which means that in most cases a literal translation is out of the question.

Machines (like Google Translate) either search a database for preconstructed sentences or they use a so called 'controlled natural language', which often results in laughable (if you're lucky) or toe-curling translated sentences.

And that's just the translating part, which happens to be the easy part. Don't even get me started on CPS and gaps. It's the technical aspects of a subtitle that are most time-consuming. A mediocre translation with perfect technical aspects is a far better viewing experience than a perfect translation with poor technical aspects.

Good subtitlers will always strive to do both. A good translation and good technical aspects. Which is why a 40 minute episode of a TV-series easily requires 8 hours of work. And yes, we have a life and we have bills to pay.

Let's just hope that someday an A.I. can do all this for us in just a few minutes. :wink:

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 1:10 am
by SmallBrother
Amen.

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 1:15 am
by noembryo
Just notice this thread and although I never used Subtitle Edit, I did made a program to translate text.
Translating subtitles its not its main target, but it can help there too.
Its called KomPair.
It can translate using google translate, but as mentioned in this thread before, this is just for a starting point.
After that you must polish the translation as best as you can.

Re: software translating subtitles

Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:04 pm
by noembryo
Just a heads up for a KomPair.
I added a Subtitle mode for translation (using Google), to make translating subtitles (.srt) faster and more reliable.
Also, there is now the option to change the file's encoding between UTF-8 and ANSI.