A season in numbers
6
LANGUAGES
2
PROJECT MANAGERS
10-10
INTERPRETERS AND TRANSLATORS EACH
~70000
WORDS TRANSLATED
Tasks
Simultaneous interpreting on-site and consecutive interpreting for programmes outside the studio in the 6 languages used in the show, with full equipment and on-site project management
Translation of calls for application, information sheets, introductions of contestants, inserts and scripts from Hungarian into English, transcription of the final recordings in the languages used in the show, translation of the transcriptions from 6 source languages into English and Hungarian, taking into account time constraints and lip movement, creation of time-coded subtitles from the translations
Provision of on-site linguistic assistance in 5 languages during the editing and post-production of the show where scenes needed to be cut or inserted for dramaturgical reasons or due to time constraints
Challenges
Unforeseen events and changes on shooting days and during the accompanying programmes made it difficult for project managers to handle interpreting needs, while interpreters were faced with the challenges of busy schedules and hard-to-plan work. As for the translation tasks, due to the strict production schedule, we had to work with tight translation deadlines during the preparation and post-production phases. We had to create separate source files for each language from the multilingual transcripts, and then the Hungarian and English translations had to be combined in time-coded subtitle files.
Solutions
We have created new working methods, established chains of notification, and set up online sharing platforms to organize joint work smoothly and efficiently, and to be able respond to ad-hoc interpreting needs. These were monitored by the project management team, who assigned the work to the interpreters according to their availability and workload, taking into account the challenges associated with each task. The two dedicated project managers maintained a clear division of labour with respect to translation and interpretation tasks. The efficiency of simultaneous interpreting was ensured by the use of Hungarian as a pivot language. The technical aspects of translation tasks were supported by the language engineering team, who automated the transcription of texts where the language and the audio quality made it possible, and they helped to meet tight deadlines by inserting language codes into the multilingual script and automating the generation of source files for each language.
RESULTS
Throughout our collaboration since 2020, we have successfully tackled the complex challenges of all linguistic tasks of the show in each season, and year after year, we have been able to provide continuous interpretation and translation services not only in the 5 core languages of the show, but also in the languages of the guest countries. Thanks to the efficient project management and our technological expertise, we have delivered all assignments on time and to the quality expected.
