How Small Film Studios Can Translate Horror Films

Horror films do not seem to be losing their popularity, at least according to the numbers. The year 2000 saw as many as 360 horror movies, while 2006 had 870+ movies in the same genre. The trend continues even today, as many young movie directors explore the niche that seems to have a lot of untapped potential remaining. However, the question of how to present these movies the best to an international audience remains.

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The Solution

An obvious answer is that the movies should be translated. In the USA, the most common language movies are translated to is Spanish. In this case, hiring top Spanish translation services is the best way to go. On the other hand, somebody should also check the translation and ensure that the meaning is properly communicated. Another option is checking out Transcriberry.

While translation may seem like the most logical solution, translation of horror movies can be somewhat different. The sheer fact that a lot of horror elements and anticipation is built through the language makes translation of any horror segment difficult. Still, the translation of any other movie genre takes years to master, as the nuances of meaning are present in any genre there is.

Choosing the Translation Medium

Once the translation is there, another question emerges: should you place subtitles over the screen or rather dub the movie? Both approaches have their pros and cons, and the right choice mostly depends on the audience. So, doing proper target audience research should be a commonplace practice in movie translation.

Subtitling

Firstly, subtitling a movie takes away from screen space. This one-inch-tall border can hide some important aspects of a movie, such as props, subtle movements, etc. Furthermore, the subtitles make the viewer pay attention to the lower portion of the screen, while the central and upper thirds may not receive as much attention.

This is an obstacle that is very difficult to overcome. In fact, the amount of information that can be skipped this way is incredibly large, as the facial expression of the actors and some more important elements are omitted from the user experience. On the other hand, some viewers simply prefer this kind of approach to horror movie translation and love being able to hear the original voice of the actors, although they may not understand them.

Dubbing

On the other hand, dubbing a movie seems to keep the screen clear, and employs ears, rather than eyes, for understanding what happens on the screen. This approach may be better since eyes are free and can provide the viewer with more information. In the USA, for example, dubbing the movies is a must, as no one would even bother watching a movie with subtitles.

The 101 of Horror Movie Translation

Furthermore, one more thing to consider is the peculiarities of horror movie translation. Translation of a genre that relies so heavily on wording nuances can be very difficult. To best understand the problem at hand, try to write your own horror story, and you will see exactly the types of linguistic challenges you will face.

Good Horror Movie translation should be able to:

Evoke fear in the reader,
Keep aesthetic properties of the original,
Keep the atmosphere of the movie, and
Translate the nuances that may hide interpretation cues.

The target language in horror movie translation should be able to convey a sense of fear, as well as have the aesthetic properties peculiar to the Gothic genre, and finally, should reflect the scenery. E.A. Poe, one of the greatest horror story writers, even chose synonyms that contained segmental that could mimic the sounds that could be heard in a particular setting. Translating these is not out of scope, but it demands a very skilled translator and months of dedicated work.

Understanding Target Culture

Being able to translate a horror movie properly can also mean localization. Some cultures may not understand the differences between, for example, vampire and werewolf, while in some, the two concepts may be stitched together. In Slavic cultures, a vampire appears once a month, during the full moon, it is hairy and resembles an animal. In Germanic cultures, a werewolf appears every night and never shifts back to its human form.

Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

Final Thoughts

Although there are many rules to be followed in horror movie translation, there is still a lot of freedom that you can use for your own expression. Horror is such a huge genre that staying bound to a certain set of rules can, in some cases, be very counterproductive. The best thing to do is to love the horror genre and translate as an enthusiast.