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The Subtitler Who Fits Words Into Seconds

6th grade nonfiction passage about subtitle writer: 230 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction subtitle writer 230 words

The Subtitler Who Fits Words Into Seconds

When you watch a movie in another language, someone had to write the words at the bottom of the screen. That person is a subtitler, and the job is harder than it looks. A subtitler has to do two things at once: keep the meaning of what people say, and make it small enough to read in a flash.

The biggest problem is time. People speak faster than most viewers can read, and the words must disappear before the next scene begins. So a subtitler usually keeps the text to two short lines at most. Each line is timed to appear just as a character begins talking and to leave a moment after the character stops.

Because space is limited, the subtitler must choose. A long sentence may be cut down to its most important idea. Little filler words like "well" or "you know" are often dropped. But the subtitler cannot cut so much that a joke or a clue disappears.

Translation adds another puzzle. A joke or a saying may make no sense word for word, so the subtitler looks for a phrase that gives the same feeling in the new language. Some captions also describe sounds, such as a knock at the door or soft music, to help viewers who cannot hear. Good subtitles feel almost invisible, because the viewer is watching the story instead of the words.

Questions

  1. What two things must a subtitler do at once? in the text

  2. About how many lines does a subtitler usually keep on screen? in the text

  3. What kinds of words are often dropped? in the text

  4. Why might a joke need a different phrase in the new language? think about it

  5. What do some captions describe besides speech? in the text

  6. What does it mean when the passage says good subtitles feel almost invisible? think about it

Words to know

subtitler
a person who writes the words shown on screen during a film
translation
putting words into another language
filler
small extra words that add little meaning
captions
words on a screen that show what is said and heard
invisible
not able to be seen or noticed
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 210 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

When you watch a film in another language, someone wrote the words at the bottom of the screen. That person is a subtitler. The job is harder than it looks. The subtitler must keep the meaning of what people say. And the words must be short enough to read in a flash.

The big problem is time. People talk faster than most viewers can read. The words must vanish before the next scene starts. So a subtitler keeps the text to two short lines at most. Each line shows up when a character starts to talk. It leaves a moment after the character stops.

Space is small, so the subtitler must choose. A long sentence is cut down to its main idea. Small filler words like "well" or "you know" are often dropped. But the subtitler cannot cut so much that a joke or a clue is lost.

Translation is another puzzle. A joke may make no sense word for word. So the subtitler finds a phrase that gives the same feeling in the new language. Some captions also tell about sounds, like a knock at the door or soft music. These help viewers who cannot hear. Good subtitles feel almost invisible. The viewer watches the story, not the words.

▲ This passage · 230 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

When you watch a movie in another language, someone had to write the words at the bottom of the screen. That person is a subtitler, and the job is harder than it looks. A subtitler has to do two things at once: keep the meaning of what people say, and make it small enough to read in a flash.

The biggest problem is time. People speak faster than most viewers can read, and the words must disappear before the next scene begins. So a subtitler usually keeps the text to two short lines at most. Each line is timed to appear just as a character begins talking and to leave a moment after the character stops.

Because space is limited, the subtitler must choose. A long sentence may be cut down to its most important idea. Little filler words like "well" or "you know" are often dropped. But the subtitler cannot cut so much that a joke or a clue disappears.

Translation adds another puzzle. A joke or a saying may make no sense word for word, so the subtitler looks for a phrase that gives the same feeling in the new language. Some captions also describe sounds, such as a knock at the door or soft music, to help viewers who cannot hear. Good subtitles feel almost invisible, because the viewer is watching the story instead of the words.

■ Harder · 262 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10

When you watch a film in an unfamiliar language, somebody had to compose the words that appear at the bottom of the screen. That person is a subtitler, and the profession is considerably harder than it appears. A subtitler must accomplish two things simultaneously: preserve the meaning of what the characters say, and compress it into text small enough to be read in a flash.

The greatest obstacle is time. People speak faster than most viewers can read, and the words must vanish before the following scene begins. For that reason, a subtitler generally limits the text to two brief lines at the very most. Each line is timed to appear just as a character begins speaking and to linger for only a moment after the character falls silent.

Because space is so limited, the subtitler is constantly forced to choose. A lengthy sentence may be trimmed down to its most essential idea, and small filler words such as "well" or "you know" are frequently dropped. Even so, the subtitler cannot cut so aggressively that a joke or an important clue disappears altogether.

Translation introduces yet another puzzle. A joke or a familiar saying may make no sense when rendered word for word, so the subtitler searches for an expression that produces the same feeling in the new language. Some captions go further and describe sounds, such as a knock at the door or soft music, for the benefit of viewers who cannot hear. Skillful subtitles feel nearly invisible, because the audience is absorbed in the story rather than in the words.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put subtitler, translation, filler, captions and invisible on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 4 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Subtitler Who Fits Words Into Seconds"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 230 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.6. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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