In my Independent Study class on translation, each of the students is working on their own individual project. All of the projects involve a topic that has some relation to the way we use translation tools on the Internet and as we consume various kinds of media today within our day-to-day lives: the difference between machine translation and human translation, how the lyrics for Japanese music videos on YouTube are translated into English, and the translation of subtitles in Disney films. Particularly regarding subtitles, because I have had the privilege of doing some work in this area in the past, I have been able to introduce the basics of creating subtitles for film. There are restrictions on the number of characters or words per line, and consideration has to be made for the audience having to concentrate on two or more things at once (the visual image, audible content, and the subtitles). These restrictions actually make the translation process more fun and stimulating, as they present a challenge that requires careful consideration. It is for this reason that creation of high-quality subtitles is one area of translation that machines are not likely to completely take over anytime soon.
