In an era dominated by streaming giants, TV shows are globally interlinked more than ever before. But what is the process at the heart of this international translation? Behind the Screens sits down with a localisation expert to uncover the realities of bringing stories to life for audiences worldwide.

Localisation- the intricate process of adapting content to resonate with diverse cultures, languages, and audiences, is vital to the global success of entertainment. From crafting subtitles that bridge language gaps to dubbing voices that breathe new life into characters, it all ensures stories transcend borders and thrive on the international stage. 

A figure at the forefront of this process is Mazin Al- Jumaili, Vice President of Business Development at Zoo Digital, one of the leading companies in localising entertainment content. Having nearly three decades of expertise and experience with industry giants like Netflix, Amazon and Paramount, Mazin describes localisation to be “experiencing an explosive growth”. Yet, despite its influential role, the process behind it can often get lost in translation. Here’s a closer look at how the industry operates and the ways it’s shaping up for the future.  

So Mazin, the term localisation isn’t always one that’s often mentioned when discussing TV production, could you explain a bit about the processes?

Localising content isn’t just about translating words, rather making content feel relevant in different countries and meeting the expectations of the local market, whether you’d be in England, France, Indonesia or anywhere. This might include anything from subtitles, dubbing or building user interface graphics on streaming platforms. 

Companies offering localisation services build a matrix of resources across the world by employing local teams in a range of territories. They act as storytellers, ensuring the essence of the show’s narrative remains intact in each language.

You mentioned the significant role that subtitles play. I can’t help but picture some supercomputer instantly processing dialogue and generating captions.

I wish it could be that easy!

How far from the truth is it? 

There’s some truth to it. We use software to analyse video dialogue in real-time, but the first pass is rarely perfect due to overlapping voices, accents, and sound effects. After editing, we conduct a quality assessment before sending it to our translators, who translate it from English into their language. 

Why is it initially translated into English, is it not easier to let the translators convert from the original language of the show? 

Take Squid Game as an example, a Korean show that will be localised in up to 50 different languages. You can imagine there aren’t a lot of Korean and Spanish speakers, so we tend to flip it into English first as most translators will know it as their second language.

It’s crucial to provide translators with a polished English version and a glossary of the show’s unique terms to avoid errors being replicated across languages. Once translations are complete, they undergo technical checks tailored to each client’s needs.

So it’s definitely not as easy as listening to it, typing it out and pasting it onto a video!

Not at all, it’s a very careful craft. Another rule to consider is displaying them at a comfortable reading speed and limiting the amount of characters on the screen. You don’t want the consumer just watching the subtitles, they want to be watching the content.

Does dubbing pose similar challenges? 

With subtitling you can afford to take more artistic risks condensing translations to capture the essence of humour and mood. The Mighty Boosh for example, very off the wall, British comedy that wouldn’t make sense in other territories. A good French translator may have to adapt the humour to resonate to France culturally, even if it may not translate directly into English. 

With dubbing the script is the script, it has to be bang on. 

Are there any hidden secrets to dubbing that you think may fly under the radar? 

Synchronising dubbed dialogue with the lip movement on screen can be a bit of an art form. I’ll tell you one language that isn’t an expert at it… English!

Why’s that?

It’s largely down to experience, we just haven’t been doing it for as long. When it originated in the 1920’s, literacy levels were so low across Europe, subtitles were useless if you couldn’t read them but also in countries like Spain and Germany, dubbing was used to drive propaganda. They became experts at changing scripts to align with their ideological beliefs while ensuring the dialogue matched the actors lips. 

Sometimes when doing English dubs, we’ll employ Arabic or Latin Spanish directors because they know the dubbing market. Accuracy is so key in meeting our set metrics to maintain partnerships with big companies like Netflix.  

I’d imagine working with Netflix comes with its own set of challenges. How is working with corporations at the top of the entertainment industry?

Ensuring there’s consistency within the context of long running shows is always something to be mindful of. When I worked on Game of Thrones, for the second season we had to get the translators we’d sourced in each language to revisit the first season. They had to almost revise what had previously happened and jog their memory of the specific terminology for the show. You need people who understand what’s already gone on through the programme to ensure continuity within the localised content for that show. 

How can you ensure people are knowledgeable about the context behind these shows? 

For Steven Spielberg’s movie Lincoln, I assembled a team of translators in Paris to ensure the film’s complex political themes were accurately conveyed across multiple languages. Over a weekend, we watched the movie twice, and delved into American history and character motivations to ensure our translations captured the historical nuances and made sense culturally.

While this level of effort isn’t common, companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney prioritize high-quality localisation because of the international revenue dependent on it. A poor translation or dub can alienate local audiences, so employing the right people to deliver accurate and culturally resonant translations is critical for global success.

Localisation as a process sounds very driven through technology. With AI growing massively, is this something that’ll become involved in your process?

Absolutely, there’s already a lot of chatter within our industry about replacing subtitles and voices with AI. At the moment its intervention is a reality, we can use it to replace the initial translation of a show, no different to how you might get Siri to help you ask for a beer when you’re on holiday. However, now the challenge is to create a sentient relationship between artificial intelligence and ourselves. 

Can you see it threatening the security of jobs in localisation?

Not currently. It can help translate words but isn’t capable of translating humour, emotions and different nuances of languages. Once it grows and gets better, like all things do, people may feel an existential threat to their jobs but I’ve been to a number of media conferences to discuss this and the next stage is about building a hybrid world. 

And how would you envisage that harmony between two working?

The translators won’t be fully replaced, but their roles may shift to post-editing automated translations rather than originating them. In essence there will just be less engine parts internally for businesses to look after. 

We’re looking to shift the workforce around rather than saying this sector isn’t going to be in this market anymore. The challenge is ensuring younger age groups see the potential to work in this market. Rather than just thinking it will all be automated or there will be a real-engine recreating all the roles we do now. 

For those younger people looking to break into the industry is there any other advice you’d offer?

To succeed in the localisation industry, it’s essential to understand TV and film history. As the landscape evolves, focus on emerging trends in content consumption. You’ve almost got to learn the ropes in order to break them.

Have you spotted any of those trends yet? 

The next big step for the industry is live sports, think Premier League football on Amazon, or Disney’s partnership with ESPN. WWE has already moved to Netflix, and we’re now handling translations for their archive and upcoming live events. Live subtitling could soon be part of the job, which is a whole new challenge.

Also, shorter formats influenced by social media, like ten minute pieces, may become more common. Engaging with this shifting content style now will prepare you for the future.

What skill sets are required to be successful? 

Just be great with people. I’ve worked in this industry since 1996. I’ve never been able to speak a second language so the barriers are only going to be yours that you put in place. Ultimately it’s the very old school things that will get you where you want to, if you play it straight all your career people will respect you for it and that will be the long term win.

And lastly, when you watch an international TV show, are you watching it dubbed or subbed…

Subtitles all the way! Read your subtitles and enjoy the show in all of its originality. 

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