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I am almost sure they use AI to generate subtitles too. Some subtitles have sentences that really look like automatic transcription errors.
by miguelxpn 2y ago
I am almost sure they use AI to generate subtitles too. Some subtitles have sentences that really look like automatic transcription errors.
- legitster 2y agoText-to-speech has been around for decades at this point. AI might actually represent an improvement there.
- moogly 2y agoAs someone from a country that uses subtitles over dubbing, I'll let you know that subtitling movies/tv shows is an art form. Good subtitles are more akin to interpretation than translation. You have less space to fit, timing is important, you need to translate idioms, etc. Probably an art form that's going the way of the dodo, but nevertheless...
- JadeNB 2y ago> Good subtitles are more akin to interpretation than translation. You have less space to fit, timing is important, you need to translate idioms, etc. Timing particularly! You'll often get a mystery where the detective says "And the killer is … [long, dramatic pause to survey the room] … the butler!", but the subtitles, displayed at the beginning of the sentence, just say "And the killer is the butler!"
- noboostforyou 2y agoI've noticed HBO seems to have the highest quality subtitles in terms of timing and position on screen relative to the character speaking. Then there's other shows I watch on Netflix will do that exact thing you mentioned - spoiling the punchline because the subtitle appears before a single word is spoken.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- JadeNB 2y agoOh, I forgot that Hulu has an infuriating thing where, if you turn on English-language subtitles for a show that's mostly in English (as those of us with poor hearing often do), and the show has burnt-in subtitles for portions of speech in some other language, then the burnt-in subtitles will be overwritten by a subtitle reading, say, "[Speaking in French]."
- dragonwriter 2y ago> Good subtitles are more akin to interpretation than translation. Translation is interpretation to start with, but subtitling definitely adds constraints around what works well that don't exist for, say, generic prose in a purely written context. Similar to (but different specific constraints) to translation for dubs.
- Am4TIfIsER0ppos 2y ago> Good subtitles are more akin to interpretation than translation. Why would I want english subs for english audio to be anything than the lines coming from actors' mouths. English subs are the only language you're gonna get from english audio transcription regardless of the underlying technology.
- moogly 2y agoThat's open/closed captions, not subtitles.
- Am4TIfIsER0ppos 2y agoThat's a distinction without a difference. Text, bitmap, hard: they are all subtitles
- wlesieutre 2y agoSpeech-to-text in this case
- immibis 2y agoText-to-speech is AI, but we used to stop calling things AI once they became practical. AI used to mean "things computers can't do yet". That was actually the main reason AI never took off.
- yencabulator 2y agoThere's no way a text-to-speech engine passes the Turing test.
- jplrssn 2y agoPrime Video has consistently had the worst quality subtitles of any streaming service I've tried. I'm surprised they haven't been subject to a ADA-type lawsuits over it.