The FN management for dubbed-audio longform projects is in hands of dubbing team. However subtitling is still in charge of FN management for Supplemental, Template, and secondary-audio template tasks.
Please see the list below, which summarises when the subtitle author is expected to
manage FN tagging:
1) Subtitle translation authoring — ✗
2) EN template authoring — ✔
3) OL template authoring — ✔
4) Supplemental authoring — ✔
5) OL SDH authoring* — ✔
6) Secondary-audio SDH authoring** — ✗
*OL SDH authoring is done when working on the original audio, i.e. FR SDH of a French movie.
**Secondary-audio SDH is done when working on a dubbed audio track, i.e. FR SDH of a Romanian movie.
Given the confusion, we think it best to pivot on the instructions:
Netflix PMs will clarify to KWS PMs when tags are needed. If instructions haven't been given, please assume you should not tag FNs.
Translate the Force Narratives and include them in between the dialogue. However, do not tag the FNs, they should be treated as normal subtitles.
FAQ
Q: How do I know if my show is dubbed?
A: You can refer to the Context Doc for a list of all the dubbed languages, but please note that this is not always available. If you received the task from a Manual assignment, DTT Support will have shared it with you. If you grabbed the task on SASS, you can find it in the Reference Materials. If it’s not there, please raise a
Zendesk ticket.
Q: If my show isn’t dubbed, do I have to tag FNs?
A: No. FNs are elements played in the dubbed file only, when Subtitles and CC are set to "off" in the user's playback settings, so if the audio isn’t dubbed, no FNs are needed. However, please do provide the translation for the Foreced Narratives, so it’s included for the subtitle viewers. Make sure that these translations do not overlap with the dialogue. The most plot-pertinent information should take precedents.
Q: Can I still overlap events?
A: No. Overlapping is only possible when the FN tag is applied. If an on-screen text (OST) is plot-pertinent but there is overlapping dialogue, then you have to squeeze the OST translation in between two dialogue events.
Q: I’m QCing a title which contains FNs. Do I need to remove them?
A: FN tags are disabled during QC, so you should not see them. If you see FN tags, please ignore them.
Q: What if I tag FNs on a title being handled by Dubbing?
A: All good. The tags won’t be delivered, so no damage done.
Q: Should I tag my translator credits?
A: Only tag the credits if you are tagging the rest of the FNs.
Q: What about template tagging?
A: For now, Template authors are still expected to tag FNs. Over time Netflix expects the scale back the tagging needs to just OL SDH/FN needs.
Q: So what continues to be tagged?
A: All Supplemental tasks for all languages - No changes
OL SDH - Continue to tag plot-pertinent inaudible, unintelligible, foreign dialogue, and archive footage.
OL and EN pivot templates
Q: If I’m in charge of tagging FNs to my subtitles, can I still overlap events?
A: Yes, whenever subtitling is in charge of tagging FNs, you can overlap events.
For a quick visual guide, check out this short video!