Language Customization:A Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

May 11, 2007 - PRLog -- Los Angeles/Miami: Tonight, when you sit back, relax and turn on the television to watch your favorite show, think about the rest of the world, all watching the same program, “localized” into their own language, viewing the same program, at the very same time.  It took “I Love Lucy” decades to reach a worldwide viewing audience.  Today, it can be immediate.

“That’s the multi-billion dollar language dubbing and subtitling business,” Ken Lorber, President/CEO of “The Kitchen”, explained.  “Due to digital delivery of programming files, over secure FTP sites worldwide, utilizing our Emmy Award Winning technology developed by our parent company, TM Systems, we are able to customize every television program, into every language, allowing for same day broadcast whenever desired.”

Of course, understanding the specific regulations governing hundreds of languages around the world is what makes this happen.

Does the program have to be dubbed or subtitled? Are the specific needs, demands and government regulations of each country truly understood? In Israel, other than children’s programming, the video is never dubbed. There is no Lebanese language required for dubbing, as Arabic is preferred.  In the Ukraine, Russian is preferred in theatres across the country. In Poland, voiceover, or narration of the project is still in demand.  French Parisian is the only accepted “French” in France—Belgium or Canadian French will NEVER be accepted.  SAP, or secondary audio programming, which is typically Spanish, for US markets, is now a “must” for all networks and all prime time programming.

“This is an unbelievably large and untapped business,” Ken Lorber continued.  “Even today, with multi-million dollar contracts for language customization worldwide, there are numerous markets that even the majors have not touched.”

And it is not because they are not interested.  They just don’t know if their products will sell in Estonian, Bulgarian or Romanian. So, the question is, do you try?  And the answer is, “yes”.  Today, with consistently rising costs of production, every studio and television network, distribution company and production entity has multi-territory releases in mind from the onset of pre-production.

Again, it may have taken “Gone with the Wind” some fifty years to truly infiltrate theatres worldwide, but today, it is “day and date”.

With DVD’s carrying as many as 18 languages on one disc, languages now need to “match” in quality, ambient noise and sound, character names and so on.

In “Friends”, for example, Rachel could be referred to as Rachel, or Ms. Green, or Monica’s roommate, Ross’ girlfriend or the waitress.  Language Globalization, utilizing a technology that generates a universal template, includes: character names and time code “ins and outs”, allows for carefully “matched” versioning.

“And that is all inherent to our TM Systems technology, used by our Global Network of language facilities worldwide,” Lorber concluded.

Language Customization today is a very real, very important, and a relatively untapped part of the production business.  “The Kitchen” estimates the worldwide dubbing and subtitling business to be in excess $100 billion dollars annually. Certainly a part of our industry to begin taking VERY seriously.

“The Kitchen”, the language services division of TM Systems, the developer of the entertainment industry’s only Emmy Award Winning language translation, dubbing and subtitling technology, is a leader in the customization of all languages and all language services.

For more information please visit: www.thekitchen.tv or telephone Deeny Kaplan, Executive Vice President, at 818 508 3400.

Website: www.thekitchen.tv