Film script translation that performs on screen
Script translation for feature films, short films and documentaries: theatrical release, festival circuit and streaming distribution. Subtitling prep and dubbing adaptation in over 25 languages.
Translating film scripts from Barcelona since 2010
Orion Translations has translated film scripts for theatrical release, international film festivals, streaming platform distribution and broadcaster acquisition since 2010. We work across feature films, short films, documentary films and animated features into and from over 25 languages.
Our translators hold audiovisual expertise and understand the specific demands of cinematic dialogue: subtext, register, visual storytelling conventions, and the difference between a script that reads well on the page and one that performs well on screen.
What is film script translation used for?
A translated film script serves different purposes at different stages of a production or distribution cycle. The purpose determines what kind of translation is needed and how it is structured.
| Purpose | What it requires |
|---|---|
| International film festival submission | Accurate literary translation that reads naturally in the target language; festival judges read scripts cold, often in a single sitting |
| Broadcaster or streamer acquisition | Faithful rendering of dialogue, scene descriptions and stage directions; used by acquisition teams to evaluate the work commercially |
| Subtitle creation | Dialogue-only translation with timing awareness; condensed where necessary to fit display constraints |
| Dubbing adaptation | Translation plus lip-sync adjustment (ajuste) to fit mouth movements and scene timing |
| Co-production or writer collaboration | Full script including scene descriptions, action lines and parentheticals; read by directors and producers |
| Script reading and development | Translation for script readers, coverage writers or development executives assessing a foreign-language work |
If you need a script translated for both subtitling and dubbing adaptation, we handle both as a coordinated workflow to ensure consistency between versions.
The craft of cinematic dialogue translation
Cinematic dialogue carries subtext: what characters say is often not what they mean, and the gap between the two is where the scene lives. A film script translator must understand that gap and preserve it, not resolve it. Smoothing over ambiguity in a script is not clarifying the text, it is destroying it.
Cinematic dialogue is also calibrated for performance. Actors need lines they can play: lines with breath, rhythm and actable intention. Our translators read the complete script before translating a single line, identify the subtext register of each character, and apply consistent choices throughout. The script they deliver reads as if it were written in the target language.
Types of films we translate
| Film type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Feature films | Narrative fiction, 75 minutes and over, any genre |
| Short films | Festival circuit and online distribution; full translation service at proportionate cost |
| Documentary films | Voice-over or interview translation; factual accuracy and subject-specific terminology |
| Animated features | Lip-sync considerations if dubbing is in scope; voice matching is more flexible than live action |
| Art house and auteur cinema | Heightened attention to dialogue register and cultural specificity |
| Genre films (thriller, horror, comedy, action) | Genre-specific conventions in the target language; comedy frequently requires transcreation |
| Co-productions | Bilingual or multilingual originals; continuity across languages built in from the start |
Languages, deadlines and process
Our most frequently requested combinations include English, Spanish (Castilian and Latin American), German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean and Arabic, over 25 combinations in total. For co-productions requiring multiple languages simultaneously, we coordinate all teams through a single project manager.
Film festival submission deadlines are fixed and non-negotiable. A translation delivered one day late is delivered after the window has closed. We confirm a firm delivery date at the quote stage, not an estimate, and we do not accept a project with a festival deadline we cannot meet. Share your exact submission date when requesting a quote so we can confirm feasibility.
Our process runs in six stages: project intake, a full script read before a single line is translated, translation with full creative context, editing and proofreading by a second linguist, a final quality check, and delivery in your required format (Final Draft, PDF, Word or platform-specific).
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Frequently Asked Questions
- A film script is a self-contained work of 90 to 120 pages translated as a single complete unit. The translator reads the full script before starting and makes all decisions with knowledge of the complete story. A series script involves episodic delivery, multi-episode character consistency, running terminology documents, and multi-season continuity. The workflows are fundamentally different. For series, see our series script translation service.
- Yes, and these are different deliverables. A subtitling script renders dialogue faithfully with timing awareness but does not require lip-sync adjustment. A dubbing script requires an additional adaptation stage where translated dialogue is rewritten to fit the original actor's mouth movements. We handle both as separate or coordinated services. Please specify your purpose at the quote stage.
- Yes. Festival deadlines are treated as fixed. Orion Translations confirms a firm delivery date at the quote stage and does not accept a project with a deadline we cannot meet. For urgent festival submissions, expedited delivery is available with prior notice. Share your exact submission date when you contact us.
- For co-production, development, and acquisition purposes, we translate the full script: scene descriptions, action lines, stage directions, and parentheticals. For subtitle or dubbing purposes, we typically work from dialogue-only sections unless full script access is needed for context. Please specify the translation's intended use at the quote stage.
- We work across over 25 language combinations. Our most frequently requested pairs include English, Spanish (Castilian and Latin American), French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Polish, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, and Arabic. Contact us to confirm availability for your specific language pair.
- Yes. For international co-productions requiring scripts in more than one target language simultaneously, we coordinate all translation teams through a single project manager. This ensures consistent interpretation of the source material, consistent character voice decisions, and consistent terminology across all language versions.
- Please provide: the source and target languages, the film type and approximate page count, the purpose of the translation (festival, streaming, subtitling, dubbing, co-production), the delivery format required, and your deadline. We respond with a confirmed quote and delivery date within one business day.