Reading speed in different countries Thread poster: Heinrich Pesch
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Heinrich Pesch 
Finland
Local time: 04:44
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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According to my theory, people in countries, where tv and movies are subtitled, are used to fast reading, but people in countries, where tv and movies are synchronised, read slowly.
Are there standards for different countries regarding maximal number of text-frames per minute and number of characters per line?
Here in Finland 40 characters per line are normal, and the conversation on screen is translated rather accurately. But in my current project, which will be shown ... See more According to my theory, people in countries, where tv and movies are subtitled, are used to fast reading, but people in countries, where tv and movies are synchronised, read slowly.
Are there standards for different countries regarding maximal number of text-frames per minute and number of characters per line?
Here in Finland 40 characters per line are normal, and the conversation on screen is translated rather accurately. But in my current project, which will be shown on ARTE in Germany, only 35 characters are allowed, and the English text, from which I translate into German, depicts the conversation rather sporadically, even though the speech is quite slow and only one person speaks at the time. Compare that to a scene from Frasier, where maybe three persons split fast jokes at the same instance.
Has this been discussed earlier?
Regards
Heinrich ▲ Collapse
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Hi Heinrich
I used to work, first as a freenlance translator and then as a PM, for a very large US-based subtitling company.
For DVDs we could use up to 38 characters per line.
As for reading speed, it depended on who the job was for.
For CBS, Newline and Paramount the reading speed was set at 20 cps
For Fox, HBO, Sony and Warner Bros, we had to take into account the nature of the production. For films and series, the reading speed was 17 cps. For Bonus Mater... See more Hi Heinrich
I used to work, first as a freenlance translator and then as a PM, for a very large US-based subtitling company.
For DVDs we could use up to 38 characters per line.
As for reading speed, it depended on who the job was for.
For CBS, Newline and Paramount the reading speed was set at 20 cps
For Fox, HBO, Sony and Warner Bros, we had to take into account the nature of the production. For films and series, the reading speed was 17 cps. For Bonus Material, it was 20 cps and for children's programs we could use between 12 and 14 cps.
I hope this helps.
Rgrds,
Ivars Barzdevics ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 18:44
English to German
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In memoriam | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 04:44
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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TOPIC STARTER
If there has been a rule about 32 characters, then it belongs to the age of 4:3-screens. 40 may be maximum, but 38 of a fixed spaced font fit into MHP digital transmissions very well.
But my question was about the number of text frames per minute.
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Thierry Renon
France
Local time: 03:44
Member (2005)
English to French
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| 120 words per minute | May 13, 2010 |
I think it's a general standard reading speed for a lot of subtitling machines (that works out to 9 characters per second or 25 frames in the PAL system).
And as far as I know, there is no huge variation per country, at least within the "main" languages in Europe (FIGS).
Maybe we are slower readers in France but there is an upper limit anyway to what the brain can process (it's not only about reading the subtitles and understanding the dialogues, but also about watching... See more I think it's a general standard reading speed for a lot of subtitling machines (that works out to 9 characters per second or 25 frames in the PAL system).
And as far as I know, there is no huge variation per country, at least within the "main" languages in Europe (FIGS).
Maybe we are slower readers in France but there is an upper limit anyway to what the brain can process (it's not only about reading the subtitles and understanding the dialogues, but also about watching the images/the montage/etc.).
Strange that you have a 35 character limit though, I thought even Arte uses the "standard" 39/40 characters per line limit? 3 or 4 extra characters per line make a lot of difference sometimes! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Reading speed - Italian | May 27, 2010 |
I am reporting what I have been taught at the Master I am attending, by the Head of the Italian Department of one of London major subtitling companies:
With regards to subtitling for an Italian audience, the maximum reading speed accepted is 180 wpm; 39 characters per line (at least in the UK).
Occasionally, 190 wpm are accepted.
[Edited at 2010-05-27 15:03 GMT]
| | | | Ioana Daia
Romania
Local time: 04:44
Spanish to Romanian
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I have worked with 120 wpm and also with 160-170 wpm. It really depends on the company.
As for the number of characters per line, from 36 to 42, depending on company, medium (TV, DVD, internet).
So I do not think there's any standard for one country (well, at least I haven't found one yet...)
| | | | jbjb
Estonia
Local time: 04:44
Estonian to English
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Standards are always different and depend not only on the country but also on the company.
In Scandinavia there has been a shift from 32 characters of olden days to a maximum of 40 but many companies prefer to use a maximum of 37 characters - this allows to change files easily between companies.
As for the reading speed - viewers constantly have to read faster, mainly due to the pressure of templates mostly prepared in big international companies, first for the hearing impaire... See more Standards are always different and depend not only on the country but also on the company.
In Scandinavia there has been a shift from 32 characters of olden days to a maximum of 40 but many companies prefer to use a maximum of 37 characters - this allows to change files easily between companies.
As for the reading speed - viewers constantly have to read faster, mainly due to the pressure of templates mostly prepared in big international companies, first for the hearing impaired and then modified slightly into regular translations. In 1980s and early 1990s original English templates shortened the original text a lot and a reading speed of 12 char/sec was normal. Scandinavia then used something like 10 characters per second.
Nowadays English templates barely leave out any text at all, the reading speed has moved towards 20 char/sec or more. In Scandinavia many companies still prefer a maximum of 12 char/sec and there are still a few oases elsewhere in Europe where the minimum subtitle length is 2 seconds and a two-line subtitle stays on the screen for 5-7 seconds.
But even in the Nordic area this is becoming increasingly rare and the trend in subtitle timings basically is - anything goes. You do not have any country-specific rules and if your reading speed is around 20 char/sec or more, it basically means that shortening is not necessary. I mostly still translate with 12 char/sec and if I have international projects where 20+ characters is allowed, it basically means I have room for two times more text - I really find it difficult to be so wordy ▲ Collapse
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