It’s often the case with viewers that they’re watching a movie dubbed into Spanish and the video subtitles don’t say exactly the same thing. This discrepancy may seem like a mistake, but there are actually some very specific linguistic and technical reasons behind it. Within the field of audiovisual translation, dubbing and subtitling are two different processes, with their own particular aims and limitations affecting the end result. The technical limitations behind dubbing and subtitling Dubbing seeks to synchronize the …
Month: October 2025
There’s something in the way that Italians speak that instantly captures our attention. It sounds warmer, more expressive and almost musical. Even when we don’t understand all the words they’re saying, we perceive an emotion that transcends language. That musicality, which is also there when we translate from Italian to Spanish, can be explained in technical terms: it is the prosody, rhythm and melody of speech. Understanding how prosody affects how a message is perceived helps us to understand why …
Japan is renowned for its cultural and linguistic diversity. While Japanese is often thought of as a single, homogenous language, it actually has many dialects that differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and even how conversations are structured. Understanding these differences is of utmost importance for Japanese translation projects, particularly when an accurate and natural-sounding translation is sought. Main Japanese dialects While there are dozens of local variations, linguists typically split Japanese dialects into broad regional groups. Each dialect has its …
In medical translation, not all texts are read in the same way or have the same purpose. A scientific article aimed at specialists isn’t treated in the same way as a clinical report that a patient will receive. The difference lies in the target audience, and it is for that reason that medical translation services need to distinguish between technical language and informational language. Why it is important to make the distinction Medical terminology has an important function in communication …