UCL helps Netflix enhance global and local dubbing translation and adaptation practices

Academics from UCL’s Centre for Translation Studies have been working with Netflix across the world to drive higher alignment on global and local translation and adaptation practices for dubbing.

As society changes, the skills needed for translating television shows and films are evolving. Subtitling translates a script into other languages, and the translation appears as written text at the bottom of the screen. Dubbing, on the other hand, is when the translation is used to create a new soundtrack, making it appear as if the people on screen are speaking the audience's language. High-quality dubbing requires the translation to be faithful to the original's creative intent and the emotions being conveyed on screen. 

With technological advances in the media localisation sector and wider societal changes relating to the use of sensitive language, people working in this field need the relevant knowledge and skills to deliver top-quality outputs. Netflix wants to drive higher alignment with professional translators and adapters in the dubbing companies it works with, plus provide opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to gain skills in this field. 

Given his expertise in media localisation, Netflix approached Professor Jorge Díaz-Cintas from UCL’s Centre for Translation Studies (CenTraS) to design, develop and launch a training programme in the creation of adapted scripts for dubbing. With support from UCL Consultants, this training has been delivered in numerous countries across the world.

Improving the dubbing world

Dubbing work is more complex than subtitling because it involves many more people besides the translator. The translation needs to be adapted for the film to make the dubbing appear plausible. For example, “hi” is a poor translation for “bonjour” in a close-up because the mouth moves differently to say these words. Ensuring that the dubbed dialogue seamlessly aligns with the lip movements — while sounding natural — is crucial for an optimal viewing experience.

Working with highly skilled dubbing professionals is important to companies like Netflix. “Netflix shows frequently cover topics that reflect modern society,” Professor Díaz-Cintas explained. “Non-binary language, inclusive language, the use of racial terms – these are all very relevant and sensitive topics in our industry today. It’s also important that there are people in the dubbing workforce who represent the diversity of society. And diversity means different things in different countries too, so it’s important to adapt depending on where in the world you are. Netflix wanted to tackle all of these factors in the course we developed.”

Professor Díaz-Cintas and his colleagues, Dr Rocío Baños and Professor Frederic Chaume, have developed an intensive online course called Translation and Adaptation for Dubbing (TAD) which goes into detail about the contemporary craft of dubbing, and includes everything from technology to linguistic and cultural nuances.

The benefits of applying expertise in the world

“The British government wants research to have an impact on society, and we are encouraged to make sure this happens,” Professor Díaz-Cintas said. “We can really see how this project is having an impact. It's clearly improving the quality of translation and opening doors to a wider and more diverse range of people who are gaining opportunities to work in this field.”

UCL Consultants has been collaborating with Professor Díaz-Cintas and Netflix. In particular, UCLC helped with the development of the contract for the pilot project, which is now used as a basis for each additional course Professor Díaz-Cintas and his colleagues deliver. “The work Professor Díaz-Cintas is doing for Netflix is a great demonstration of academic expertise in action: a bespoke course leveraging leading-edge research to help clients solve real problems.  Each new region and language brings new considerations, requiring careful contextualisation to translate the core principles into real results,” said Dr Björn Christianson, Director of Business Development at UCL Consultants.