Overview
My client, a production company developing a documentary, needed an expert translator for their project. Their production team lacked critical linguistic expertise, and had a strict timetable in which to complete the work.
This case study reviews the challenges inherent in the project, and how I leveraged my professionalism and cultural insight — not just my translation skills — to deliver on project goals.
Approach
My thought process was not only to interpret the speaker’s intent but also to take the client’s artistic standards for presentation and connotation into consideration.
The project consisted of four hour-long videos, and included interviews, real footage, and official scenes of historic events, dealing with emotional subjects and live speakers. These segments were already edited for TV, and required translation that fit within the existing format.
My approach was to facilitate the client’s production schedule, to maintain open communication and to keep ahead of deadlines. Working with the production team and understanding the roles of those involved proved essential for incorporating my suggestions into the final content. I met with the team at their offline editing suite, and familiarized myself with their workflow so that I could adapt my input to their process.
Once the production team understood my input, they even weighed their editing decisions on background I provided regarding culture, timeframe of events, and subtleties of the language.
The editing process was demanding, and I made myself available at all times so that we could continue the work as needed during weekends or after business hours. When traveling, I held remote meetings with the client via conference call.
Result
The documentary finished on-schedule and to good reviews. The finished piece received the 2023 winner of news and documentary Emmys Award for outstanding historical documentary.
The team expressed their personal gratitude, stating that my work gave them peace of mind in ensuring the integrity of the project. Essential to our shared success was my confidence as a translator and cultural advisor, and the natural trust this gained from the client.