Bridging the Language Gap on a Hit Television Show
Imagine a high-octane television show, a captivating blend of police procedural drama and military action. The narrative seamlessly weaves in scenes bursting with rich cultural diversity, featuring characters speaking a many of languages and dialects. But achieving on-screen authenticity is no easy feat. While the show boasts a cast of renowned actors, ensuring flawless delivery in languages beyond their native tongue requires expert support and coaching.
The Challenge: Authenticity in a Multilingual World
This was the challenge faced by a popular nationally syndicated television show. Their captivating storylines, often set in diverse locations, demanded the show incorporate languages like Chechen, Latin, Romani, and Welsh alongside other languages. To bridge the language gap and ensure scenes resonated with a global audience, the show turned to Paragon, a leader in multilingual consulting and production services.
Paragon: A Seamless Integration into the Production Process
Paragon's role went far beyond simple translation. They became an integral part of the show's production process, working hand-in-hand with writers, directors, and actors from script development to final filming. Here's how Paragon ensured linguistic accuracy and cultural sensitivity throughout:
Script Stage: Working closely with the show's writers, Paragon's team of expert translators meticulously analyzed each script. They not only ensured accurate translations, but culturally adapted content to resonate with speakers of the target languages. Every nuance of the original script was preserved, ensuring the story's message and intent were delivered flawlessly.
Pre-Production: Anticipating the challenges actors might face with unfamiliar languages, Paragon's linguists went a step further. They created transliterated or phonetically transcribed pronunciation guides, essentially converting lines written in foreign alphabets (like Arabic or Cyrillic) into English phonetics. This provided actors with a clear roadmap to mastering the proper pronunciation. Additionally, reference recordings in the target languages were provided, allowing actors to hear the natural flow and rhythm of the spoken word.
Production: The magic truly happened on set. Paragon deployed experienced dialect coaches who worked directly with the actors. These coaches, accustomed to working with A-list talent, offered real-time pronunciation guidance, ensuring every line was delivered not only with linguistic accuracy but also with the emotional weight the scene demanded. Script adjustments, made collaboratively between coaches, writers, and actors, further ensured scenes felt natural and believable.
