Entertainment (TV)
Script translation, transliteration, recording; Dialect Coaching
Multimedia Services, Consulting/Coaching, Translation
Arabic, Chechen, Chinese, Danish, English dialects, Farsi, French, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Romani (Romany), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Welsh
Scenes with foreign-language dialogue/content
On going as needed since 2011
Season after season, a popular nationally syndicated TV show (the Client) relies on Paragon to make sure each word in other languages is as flawless as every other dialogue and scene in English. Paragon is plugged-in to the Client’s production process at multiple levels—from script development to post-production editing—and our diverse package of services meets unexpected needs as they arise. From on-site consulting to back-house recording services, Paragon keeps the show’s languages at the professional level that all consumers expect, no matter which ones the viewers speak or understand.
The Client, whose popular show is at the nexus of the police procedural drama/military action genres, often features scenes where languages, dialects, and cultures other than Standard American English are incorporated into the plot. Although the Client’s lead roles are filled by some of TV’s premier A-list talent, these actors and actresses are not familiar with the nuances of various dialects, and thus need the advice of outside experts to keep the scenes as realistic as possible. Because the storyline of the show often includes adventures in far flung locales, the Client needs this specialized type of consulting in unique languages and dialects, such as Chechen, Latin, Romani, Welsh, and even Texan English.
Paragon’s solutions enter the production workflow early in the process; the Client’s writers create the scene in English and identify the sections that need to be translated and adapted into the target language or dialect. As with every written translation project, Paragon’s cultural and linguistic analysis ensures that the writer’s message and intent for the show’s characters is easily translated to the target language, and will remain compelling and culturally relevant. Once the script is finalized and the correct scenes are properly translated into the target language, Paragon’s linguists transliterate or phonologically transcribe the lines from other alphabets and writing systems (such as Arabic script or the Russian Cyrillic alphabet) into English letters and pronunciations, so that the acting talent can begin practicing proper delivery. We record the lines in the target language as an audio reference.
Once filming begins, Paragon provides a dialect coach on location to offer advice on pronunciation in real time. Even before working on this show, we already had experience in recruiting quality interpreters, voice talent, and dialect coaches, and the ones we send to this Client are the best of our best. Our dialect coaches are experienced enough not to become star-struck or nervous in correcting famous actors and actresses, and are also trained to ensure that the talent’s pronunciation of the lines not only remains true to the language, but that the emotion and mood of the scene is also captured in the speech. Sometimes, this requires on-the-fly changes to the script or the reconsideration of certain aspects of the scene.
Although the Client’s actors often only speak Standard American English, Paragon’s work means that viewers – no matter where - will never be able to tell they are not speaking every language fluently.