Chinese subtitles for events where many languages are spoken

Start with what is actually said, not with the language of the subtitles. Chinese subtitles are text for readers. Before anyone writes them, agree which languages the speakers use, which script the readers need, how names and terms will be written, and who will check the result.

What are the speakers actually saying?

At a Malaysian event, one stage can hold English, Malay, Mandarin and a dialect within a single hour. The subtitle task changes with each.

For example, a business forum may have an English keynote, a Mandarin panel and a Q&A in Malay. One rule for all three would fit none of them well. This is an illustration to show the kind of choices to expect.

Simplified or traditional characters?

Decide by who reads, not by guess. Ask the organiser, the audience and the platform. Many Malaysian viewers are used to simplified characters, while some communities, publications and older viewers use traditional characters. Your organisation’s own materials, such as the invitation and website, give a good clue.

If both groups matter, ask whether a version for each is practical, because each version needs its own checking.

Names, titles and terms

A Chinese subtitle must handle words that do not translate neatly. Agree these before editing starts:

• Company and product names: keep in English or Malay, give the Chinese name, or show both.
• Official titles and honorifics: Datuk, Dato’ Seri, Tan Sri, Yang Berhormat and similar titles need one fixed Chinese form.
• Place names: use the form your audience knows, such as the Chinese names for Kuala Lumpur or Penang.
• Malay and religious terms: decide whether to translate, transliterate or keep the original with a short gloss.
• Numbers and dates: choose one format and keep it.

Put the agreed forms in a one-page glossary and give it to the reviewer. Without it, two reviewers will often write the same name two ways.

Who reviews the Chinese?

The reviewer must read Chinese well and understand the subject. If the original speech is in English or Malay, they also need to follow that, or work from a checked transcript.

Check in this order: the original-language text first, then the Chinese. Mistakes in the first stage carry into the second. See checking automatically generated captions for a review process you can reuse.

What we settle with you

1. The languages spoken, session by session.
2. Whether the Chinese is a translation, a transcription, or both.
3. The script, and whether more than one version is needed.
4. The glossary of names and terms, and who owns it.
5. The reviewer for the Chinese, and for the original languages.
6. How the subtitles are delivered: burned in or as a separate file.

The caption and language planner lays out the language and output combinations in one grid. For the three basic outputs, see captions, subtitles and transcripts. If Malay and English mix in the same sentence, read Malay-English code-switching in captions. Our captioning and subtitles service page explains how we scope this work with you.