EXPERT COURSE

Audiovisual Translation Foundations:
Subtitling & Dubbing for Global Platforms

Video now represents over 80% of global internet traffic, and streaming platforms commission thousands of hours of new content every year, all of which must be localized.
Netflix reports that more than 60% of its viewing happens in languages other than English. This is why subtitling and dubbing have become some of the most in-demand skills in today’s translation market.

The Way to Access the AVT Market

The challenge is not language, it is method and workflow.
The AVT industry doesn’t reward theory, but professionals who understand platform guidelines, timing and reading speed, condensation strategies, genre conventions, and dubbing constraints.
Without structured training, many translators simply don’t know where to start.

Become an Upskilled AVT Professional

Audiovisual Translation Foundations: Subtitling & Dubbing for Global Platforms focuses on the skills the industry really expects. In this course, you will learn how to:
  • Work with template-based subtitling workflows
  • Apply Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ style guidelines
  • Subtitle animation, sci-fi, and sitcom content professionally
  • Adapt dialogue for dubbing, focusing on lip sync, timing, and character voice
  • Make confident decisions that meet real production and quality standards

Guided by a Top Level & World Recognized Professional

This course is taught by Ivars Barzdevics, a veteran AVT professional with over 30 years of experience.

His credits include dubbing adaptation for Dragon Ball, Los Hoobs, Dennis & Gnasher, and Fiebre de fútbol, and subtitling for global franchises such as The Simpsons, Batman, Scooby Doo, Ben 10, and Steven Universe.

As former Spain Coordinator at SDI Media Group, the world’s largest subtitling company, and a university lecturer across Europe and Latin America, Ivars brings direct insight into how AVT is actually produced, reviewed, and delivered.

Conditions: Please read our course and subscription plans terms and conditions carefully. With your registration, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted our conditions and agree with them. 

If you have any questions, please visit the FAQ section (for courses or subscription plans) or get in touch with us.

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  • This course includes:
  • Expert coach: Ivars Barzdevics, Dubbing and Subtitling and AVT Expert and Professor
  •  Live activities
  •  Life access to contents 
  •  In English
  •  Completion certificate
  •  Money back guarantee
  •  Course program
  • Acquire expert game localization skills 
  • Duration: 10 h 
  • When: 6-10 April 2026 (18.00 CET) - 2 h/day 
Session 1 - Intro to Subtitling
Session 2 - Guidelines Deep Dive
Session 3 - Guidelines in Practice
Session 4 - Introduction to Dubbing Adaptation
Session 5 - Advanced Dubbing Challenges & Practice
SEssion 1

Introduction to Subtitling

Session 1 - Introduction to Subtitling

Key topics
1.1 Template-based subtitle translation: templates vs. subtitling software
1.2 Time-coded files and core technical parameters (timing, CPS, line limits)
1.3 Condensation and reduction strategies
1.4 Line breaking and subtitle segmentation

Hands-on practice
1.5 Subtitling a fast-paced animated clip using a provided template
1.6 Subtitling a short sci-fi clip, focusing on terminology, OST handling, and complexity
Session 2

Guidelines Deep Dive (Technical & Textual)

Session 2 - Guidelines Deep Dive

Key Topics
2.1 Why guidelines exist: global standards vs. local customization
2.2 Comparative analysis of Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+
2.3 Technical constraints: character limits, reading speed, duration
2.4 Textual conventions: punctuation, line breaks, dual speakers
2.5 Practical exercises on reading speed calculations
SEssion 3

Guidelines in Practice

Session 3 - Guidelines in Practice

Key Topics
3.1 Platform-specific deviations and stylistic preferences
3.2 Subtitling humor, cultural references, and natural speech
3.3 Timing subtitles to audience reactions and dialogue rhythm

Hands-on practice:
3.4 Subtitling a 5–7 minute sitcom clip
3.5 Group review with peer and instructor feedback
SEssion 4

Introduction to
Dubbing Adaptation

Session 4 - Introduction to Dubbing Adaptation

Key Topics
4.1 Subtitling vs. dubbing: different paradigms and objectives
4.2 Types of synchrony: lip, iso-, kinesic, and character sync
4.3 Common dubbing translation problems (CSIs, puns, idioms)
4.4 The role of the dubbing script adaptor
4.5 Dubbing script format and professional notes
SEssion 5

Advanced Dubbing Challenges & Practice

Session 5 - Advanced Dubbing Challenges & Practice

Key Topics
5.1 Incongruence and visual contradictions
5.2 Character voice consistency
5.3 Swearing, censorship, and market restrictions
5.4 Managing dense dialogue (“wall of sound”)

Hands-on practice
5.5 Adapting a 3–5 minute clip for dubbing
5.6 Writing a dubbing script with lip-sync and timing constraints

Course & Coach Description

Audiovisual Translation Foundations: Subtitling & Dubbing for Global Platforms is a practical, industry-focused introduction to professional subtitling and dubbing. The course is designed to help you understand how AVT actually works, not just the rules, but the methods professionals use to meet platform standards and production constraints.

You will learn how to work with template-based subtitling, apply the core guidelines used by global platforms, handle genres such as animation, sci-fi, and sitcoms, and understand the foundations of dubbing adaptation, including lip sync, timing, and character voice. The focus is on building the right decision-making skills from day one.

The course is taught by Ivars Barzdevics, a veteran AVT professional with over 30 years of experience. His credits include dubbing adaptation for Dragon Ball, Los Hoobs, Dennis & Gnasher, and Fiebre de fútbol, and subtitling for global franchises such as The Simpsons, Batman, Scooby Doo, Ben 10, and Steven Universe. Former Spain Coordinator at SDI Media Group, the world’s largest subtitling company, and a university lecturer across Europe and Latin America, Ivars brings real production insight into the classroom.

If you want to learn AVT the way the industry practices it, this course gives you the foundations that matter.

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for:
  • Translation students exploring audiovisual specialization
  • Professional translators moving into AVT
  • Junior subtitlers or dubbing adaptors seeking stronger foundations
  • Language professionals interested in media localization standards
  • Anyone aiming to understand how AVT really works in the industry 

Ivars Barzdevics

| Expert in Audiovisual Translation
| University Lecturer
About IVARS
Ivars holds a degree in Translation and Interpreting from the University of Granada and has been a professional translator since 1993. With extensive experience in both subtitling and dubbing, he has translated over 1,700 audiovisual works, including The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Bones, Seinfeld, Glee, Star Trek, Dragon Ball, and Dragon Ball Evolution.

He served as Spain Coordinator for SDI Media Group (2005–2007), the world’s largest subtitling company, and has lectured on audiovisual translation at numerous universities, including Cádiz, Seville, Salamanca, Córdoba, Paris (Cluny), Wales, Tangier, and Lima (César Vallejo and USIL).
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