At Happy Scribe we strive to be an accessible platform that meets all customers’ transcription and translation requirements. Sometimes extra effort is needed to make the translation fully customer-ready, because of specific requirements for the target audience.

When we translate not just the meaning of a language but we also convert the intention and the effect that the original language has on the listener into a new language, we’re taking an extra step to succesfully transform the audiovisual content. At Happy Scribe, we refer to this process as adaptation.

Take the following example:

This Japanese saying can be literally translated as “Even monkeys fall from trees.” That however is too literal for any viewer to understand. To make the source text inteligible, say instead: “Everybody makes mistakes”, which is what it actually means. This is a proper translation.

But if we said “Nobody’s perfect”, we would keep the original meaning but we would also use our own idiomatic equivalent in English. By doing this, we’re fully adapting the translation. We’re keeping both what’s being said and the way in which it’s being said so it has the exact same effect on the target audience.

Below, we will highlight some more differences between translation and adaptation, and what you need to be aware of so you can make your translations fully engaging and relatable for viewers 🎯

1. Translation

Translation focuses on converting text from one language to another while retaining the original meaning. For a full overview of our translation guidelines, see Translation requirements.

By referring to “translation” at Happy Scribe we mean:

• Retaining the original meaning of the source audio’s transcript as much as possible.
• Creating grammatically correct translations, with correct spelling and vocabulary that makes sense. If you put your hand on the source transcript, you should be able to fully read and understand the target transcript as if it were the original audio transcript.
• You are allowed to change the sentence structure and the way something is said! So long as the meaning is kept. You are encouraged also to eliminate grammar and spelling mistakes in the translation, as these errors can be hard to translate (and shouldn’t be translated).
• You don’t need to convert locations, measurements, number formats, currencies, formal/informal register. Keep everything close to the source but make sure that your translation is making sense and flowing naturally.

2. Adaptation

The practice of translating more adaptively and creatively is actually referred to as either localisation (in geo-linguistic contexts, i.e. keeping the context of the target language in mind) and adaptation (in specific cultural contexts, i.e. keeping the exact audience in mind).

You’ll find some examples for each below— just be aware that, at Happy Scribe, we will refer to these creative practices collectively as adaptation to avoid any confusion 💫.

2.1. Localisation

Localisation is the changing of linguistic elements to fit the linguistic and regional context within which it is consumed. While a translation should already be fully correct and provide meaning, localisation ensures that the words are not just translated but also converted based on the customs of the target language and region.