Hungarian Timed Text Style Guide

Hungarian Timed Text Style Guide

This document covers the language specific requirements for Hungarian. Please make sure to also review the General Requirements section and related guidelines for comprehensive instructions surrounding timed text deliveries to Netflix.

1. Abbreviations

The majority of abbreviations should be followed by a period:

dr.
febr.
ált.

Exceptions:

Cardinal directions: D, ÉNy, K
Chemical symbols: Fe, Na
Units of measurement: kg, km
Monetary units: Ft, Fr
Mathematical symbols: log

2. Acronyms

Acronyms should be written without periods between letters: BBC, CIA, USA, ENSZ

3. Character Limitation

42 characters per line

4. Character Names

Do not translate proper names (e.g. Peter, Suzanne), unless Netflix provides approved translations.
Nicknames should only be translated if they convey a specific meaning.
Use language-specific translations for historical/mythical characters (e.g. Santa Claus).
Keep Japanese names in Hepburn transliteration, but keep the original Japanese name order (Family name First Name).
Keep Spanish spelling of Spanish names, i.e. María Fernández, not Maria Fernandez.
Use the English transliteration of Korean character names.
Use the official Hungarian transliteration of Russian character names.
Transliterate uncommon or unfamiliar letters/characters which appear in names or proper nouns when working from a Roman alphabet language into Hungarian if they may cause confusion or be hard to understand or pronounce. Note that diacritics should be kept in proper nouns and names. For example: If the Icelandic name Þór appears, please transliterate as Thór (following relevant KNP and guidance about handling character names). If a German street name such as Torstraße appears in the source, please transliterate as Torstrasse (following relevant KNP and guidance about handling character names).

5. Continuity

When including ellipses in subtitles, please use the single smart character (U+2026) as opposed to three dots/periods in a row.
Do not use ellipses when a sentence is split between two continuous subtitles:

Subtitle 1: A Kereskedelmi Bizottság
Subtitle 2: nem viszi szavazásra.

Use ellipses to indicate a pause (based on context, usually one or more seconds) or an abrupt interruption:

De… igazából azért jöttem…

In the case of a pause (2 seconds or more), if the sentence continues in the next subtitle, do not use an ellipsis at the beginning of the second subtitle.

Subtitle 1: Azt hiszem…
Subtitle 2: rossz irányba fordultam

Use ellipses without a space to indicate that a subtitle is starting mid-sentence:

…megszerezte negyedik aranyérmét
az úszók rövidpályás világbajnokságán.

6. Documentary/Unscripted

Speaker’s title: only translate the title. Do not include the speaker’s name, company name or character name as these are redundant.
Only translate a speaker’s title once, the first time the speaker appears.
When ongoing dialogue is interrupted by a speaker’s title, use ellipsis at the end of the sentence in the subtitle that precedes it and another ellipsis at the beginning of the sentence in the subtitle that follows it.
Dialogue in TV/movie clips should only be subtitled if plot-pertinent and if the rights have been granted.
News tickers/banners from archive clips do not require subtitles unless plot-pertinent.
Avoid going back and forth between italicized and non-italicized subtitles when the speaker is on and off screen. If the speaker is on-camera for at least part of the scene, do not italicize. Leave italics for off-screen narrators.

7. Dual Speakers

Use a dash followed by a space to indicate two speakers in one subtitle, with a maximum of one speaker per line.
Text in each line in a dual speaker subtitle must be a contained sentence and should not carry into the preceding or subsequent subtitle. Creating shorter sentences and timing appropriately helps to accommodate this.

- Várj!
- Megvannak az iratok?

8. Font Information

Font style: Arial as a generic placeholder for proportional SansSerif.
Font size: Relative to video resolution and ability to fit 42 characters across the screen.
Font color: White.

9. On-screen Text

Forced narrative titles for on-screen text should only be included if plot-pertinent.
When repetitive on-screen text occurs in a scene, only subtitle once (preferably on the first instance, or later if better timing-wise).
When on-screen text and dialogue overlap, precedence should be given to the most plot-pertinent message. Avoid over truncating or severely reducing reading speed in order to include both dialogue and on-screen text.
The duration of the FN subtitle should as much as possible mimic the duration of the on-screen text, except for cases where reading speed and/or surrounding dialogue takes precedence.
Forced narratives that are redundant (e.g. identical to onscreen text or covered in the dialogue) must be deleted.
When part of an on-screen text is redundant or the same in Hungarian and part of it is not, include the redundant part as well in the forced narrative subtitle if timing permits, e.g. November 6, Paris > NOVEMBER 6., PÁRIZS
Forced narratives for on-screen text should be in ALL CAPS, except for long passages of on screen text (e.g. prologue or epilogue), which should use sentence case to improve readability.
Never combine a forced narrative with dialogue in the same subtitle.
When a forced narrative interrupts dialogue, use an ellipsis at the end of the sentence in the subtitle that precedes it and at the beginning of the sentence that follows it.
Do not use italics in FN subtitle events. Use quotation marks („ ”) for titles of works of art etc. following the italicization rules in section 11.
When possible, follow the line breaks of the on-screen text in FN subtitles.

10. Foreign Dialogue

Foreign dialogue should only be translated if the viewer was meant to understand it (i.e. if it was subtitled in the original version).
When using foreign words, always verify spelling, accents and punctuation, if applicable.
Foreign words should be italicized, unless they have become part of regular usage (e.g. in English, the following no longer need to be italicized: bon appétit, rendezvous, doppelgänger, zeitgeist, persona non grata) and unless they are proper names (e.g. a company name).

11. Italics

Italicize the following:

Titles of books, periodicals, works of art, albums, songs, movies, TV shows, radio shows, video games etc.
Foreign words (unless they are part of regular usage). Even if foreign words are written phonetically, they should still be italicized. Apply good judgment.
Dialogue that is heard through electronic media (e.g. phone, device, television, computer, loudspeaker, AI, AI assistants, voice of a GPS, other digital devices, non-sentient robots, robotic voices, etc.) if the speaker is not physically present in the scene. For instance, if a character speaks into a microphone and their voice is heard through a loudspeaker but they are physically present, italics are not needed. Use good judgement when applying italics, ensuring there is consistency throughout the film or series
Only use italics when a speaker is not in the scene(s), not merely off screen or off camera
Song lyrics (if rights have been granted)
Voice-overs

Do not use italics to indicate emphasis on specific words.
For items not covered by the lists above, use your best judgment, following the rule that titles should be italicized, but proper names (e.g. ship names) should not.
When adding suffixes to italicized words, the suffix should also be italicized, whether they are written with one word or with a hyphen, e.g. Az Ellenállhatatlan kísértésben láthattatok. / A Nature-ben olvastam.

12. Line Treatment

Maximum two lines.
Text should usually be kept to one line, unless it exceeds the character limitation.
Prefer a bottom-heavy pyramid shape for subtitles when multiple line break options present themselves. Prefer top-heavy for raised subtitles.

13. Numbers

Numbers from 1 to 10 should be written out: egy, kettő, három, etc. except for dates
Numbers above ten should be written numerically: 11, 12, 13, etc.
When a number begins a sentence, it should be spelled out (except for dates)
Note that the above rules may be broken due to space limitations or reading speed concerns, as well as for consistency when listing multiple quantities, and for matching on-screen number formats in FNs, for example.
Measurements should be converted to the metric system, unless the original unit of measurement is plot relevant.
A comma is used as the decimal separator: 1,5.
Numbers with five or more digits should be written with a space (not with a comma) before the last three digits. Apply good judgment when considering whether to write large numbers with numerals or letters.
Hours and minutes can be separated by a period or colon: 10.00 or 10:00 - but remain consistent in use within the same subtitle file.

14. Quotations

Use quotation marks at the start of the quotation and after the last line of the quotation, marking the beginning and end of the quotation (rather than the beginning and end of every subtitle within the quotation), e.g.
- Subtitle 1: „Tőr az, amit ott látok?
- Subtitle 2: Markolattal kínálja magát.
- Subtitle 3: Jöjj, hadd kaplak el!”
Use double quotation marks („ ”) without spaces for regular quotations.
Use guillemets (» «) for quotes within quotes, e.g. „Steve azt mondta: »Minden rendben.«”
Use quotation marks when a character is seen to be reading aloud.
If an on-screen character does “air quotes” when speaking, please apply quotation marks to the equivalent word in the target language in order to retain creative intent and to help ensure clarity about which word or part of the sentence the air quotes apply to.
Punctuation should be included within the quotation marks if the quote is an independent clause and outside if it’s not.

„Láttam nemzedékem legjobb elméit
az őrület romjaiban.”

Remek? Tényleg „remek”?

15. Reading Speed Limits

Adult programs: Up to 17 characters per second
Children’s programs: Up to 13 characters per second

16. Repetitions

Do not translate words or phrases repeated more than once by the same speaker.
If the repeated word or phrase is said twice in a row by the same speaker, time subtitle to the audio but translate only once.

17. Songs

Only subtitle plot-pertinent songs if the rights have been granted.
Opening and ending theme songs should only be subtitled if clearly plot-pertinent (e.g. for children’s content when the lyrics tell a story) or if instructed by Netflix. Normally, adult programs should not have the opening songs subtitled, except for SDH.
Italicize lyrics.
Use an uppercase letter at the beginning of each line.
Use ellipsis when a song continues in the background, but is no longer subtitled to give precedence to dialogue.
Punctuation: only question marks and exclamation marks should be used at the end of a line – no commas or periods. Commas can be used within the lyric line, if necessary.
Italicize poetry but follow the punctuation and capitalization of the actual poem.

18. Titles

Main titles: Subtitle the on-screen main title for branded content when the approved title for Hungarian is available in KNP/Terminology and it does not match the title which appears in the card. Do not translate the main title from scratch: always use the approved title provided.
Do not subtitle when the on-screen main title and the approved title for Hungarian are identical and fully match. (e.g. the on-screen title is already in Hungarian, both read with the exact same words and spellings, etc.)
Subtitle when the approved title for Hungarian contains a part that is transliterated/translated/transcreated/edited and does not fully match the on-screen main title. (e.g. when the on-screen title is Mindhunter but the approved title for Hungarian is Mindhunter - Mit rejt a gyilkos agya)
When the provided translation of the main title does not work with a line break in a way that fits within the limit, the maximum character count per line or maximum line limit can be exceeded. Do not split the provided translation into multiple subtitle events.
Do not italicize the main title event.
Episode titles: do not subtitle episode titles if they do not appear on screen/are not voiced-over. If on-screen (either as part of the principal photography or burned into video) or voiced-over, please reference the KNP tool for approved translations.
Titles of published works, existing movies and TV shows: use official or well-known translations. If none are available, leave titles in the original language. Exception: if the viewer risks missing plot-pertinent information by not understanding the title, translate it.

19. Special Instructions

Dialogue must never be censored. Expletives should be rendered as faithfully as possible.
Plot-pertinent dialogue always takes precedence over background dialogue.
Always match the tone of the original content, while remaining relevant to the target audience (e.g. replicate tone, register, class, formality, etc. in the target language in an equivalent way).
Deliberate misspellings and mispronunciations should not be reproduced in the translation unless plot-pertinent.
Do not translate interjections that a Hungarian audience would understand (e.g. "ew", "shh", etc.) when used in isolation. Exception: do translate "wow" and "hey" when used with a different meaning than Hungarian "hé".
Do not use currency symbols. Write them out (dollár, font, euró).
When brand names or trademarks appear, you may either; use the same name if it is known in the territory you are translating for; adapt to the name that the brand or product is known by that the territory you are translating for; or use a generic name for that product or item. Avoid swapping out names of brands, companies or famous people for other names.

20. Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) Guidelines

Include as much of the original content as possible.
Do not simplify or water down the original dialogue.
Where content has been dubbed into Hungarian, please refer to the dubbing script or dubbed audio as the basis for the SDH file and ensure that the two match as much as reading speed and timings allow.
Reading speed limits can be increased to:

Adult programs: Up to 20 characters per second
Children’s programs: Up to 17 characters per second

Truncating the original dialogue should be limited to instances where reading speed and synchronicity to the audio are an issue.
For TV/movie clips, all audible lines should be transcribed, if possible. If the audio interferes with dialogue, please give precedence to most plot-pertinent content.
All same-language audible songs that do not interfere with dialogue should be subtitled if plot-pertinent and the rights have been granted.
Use song title identifiers when applicable - song titles should be in quotes: [a „Forever Your Girl” szól]
Song lyrics should be enclosed with an italicized music note (♪) at the beginning and the end of each subtitle.
Add a space between the music note and the preceding or subsequent text.
When a dual speaker subtitle appears in a song, e.g. when there is a duet, each line of sung text should have a music note at the beginning and end to clearly indicate that both characters are singing.
Use brackets [ ] to enclose speaker IDs or sound effects. For speaker IDs, do not use a colon after names, e.g. [John]
Identifiers/sound effects should be all lowercase, except for proper nouns.
Only use speaker IDs or sound effects when they cannot be visually identified.
When characters are not yet identified, use [férfi], [nő] or [férfihang], [női hang] so as not to provide information that is not yet present in the narrative.
Gender-neutral identifiers like [hírolvasó], [orvos] or [értékesítő] can be used where appropriate.
Use a generic ID to indicate and describe ambient music, e.g. [rockzene szól] or [lágy jazz szól a rádióban]
Plot-pertinent sound effects should always be included unless inferred by the visuals.
Subtitle silence if plot-pertinent. For example, when plot-pertinent music ends abruptly.
Be detailed and descriptive, use adverbs where appropriate when describing sounds and music, describe voices, speed of speech, volume of sounds.
Describe the sounds and audio as opposed to visual elements or actions.
Sound effects that interrupt dialogue should be treated as follows:

Subtitle 1: Ugyanakkor az utóbbi időben…

[köhög, szipog]

Subtitle 2: …sokkal gyakrabban találkozom ezzel.

Speaker IDs and the corresponding dialogue should ideally be on the same line.
Never italicize speaker IDs or sound effects, even when the spoken information is italicized, such as in a voice-over.

[narrátor] Egyszer volt, hol nem volt…

In instances of foreign dialogue being spoken:

If foreign dialogue is translated, use [in language], for example [spanyolul]
If foreign dialogue is not meant to be understood, use [speaking language], for example [spanyolul beszél/beszélnek]
Always research the language being spoken – [idegen nyelven beszél/beszélnek] should never be used

21. Reference

For all language-related issues not covered in this document, please refer to:

A Magyar helyesírás szabályai – Tizenkettedik kiadás. Akadémiai kiadó, 2015.
http://helyesírás.mta.hu

Change Log:

2024-12-20

Revised section 5 Continuity - rule about 2-second pause replaced with different wording in 3rd bullet
Revised section 11 Italics - final bullet edited with new example
Revised section 14 Quotations - 6th bullet edited to read "guillemets", example replaced with a Hungarian example
Revised section 19 Special instructions - 5th bullet about translating interjections edited
Revised section 20 SDH - 11th bullet edited to confirm italics use in music notes

2024-10-07

Revised section 11 Italics - 4th bullet edited to new standard wording about italics, electronic media/speakers and on-screen/in-scene characters

2024-08-05

Revised section 19 Special Instructions - "do not translate "wow" now corrected to "exception: translate "wow""

2024-06-28

Revised section 6 Documentary/Unscripted - 3rd bullet edited to specify including an additional ellipsis at the start of the next subtitle
Revised section 9 On-screen Text - 2nd, 5th, 9th and 10th bullet points added
Revised section 11 Italics - 2nd and 3rd bullets edited, 9th and 10th added
Revised section 12 Line Treatment - 3rd bullet edited to mention raised subtitles
Revised section 13 Numbers - exceptions for dates added to bullets 1 and 3, 4th bullet edited to mention on-screen text, 7th edited to mention applying good judgment when handling large numbers, 8th bullet expanded to include colon use in times of day
Revised section 14 Quotes - 3rd bullet point edited regarding single quotation marks for quotes within quotes
Revised section 16 Repetitions - "by the same speaker" added to second bullet
Revised section 17 Songs - "preceded by a space" removed from the 6th bullet point, 7th bullet point expanded for poetry
Revised section 18 Titles - final bullet point expanded with exception about title translation
Revised section 19 Special Instructions - 5th bullet edited to "interjections" with new examples
Revised section 20 SDH - 7th bullet expanded to mention "if plot-pertinent", 12th bullet edited to remove requirement for colons in speaker IDs, examples in 15th and 16th bullets edited accordingly

2022-12-22

Revised sections 15 Reading Speed and 20 SDH - sections edited to mention "reading speed limits" and "up to"

2022-11-03

Revised section 18 Titles - "for branded content" added

2022-10-07

Revised section 18 Titles - rules added/edited to include main title translations

2021-10-22

Revised section 4 Character names - 8th bullet point added regarding transliteration of unfamiliar characters in proper nouns/names
Revised section 14 Quotation marks - 1st bullet point rephrased for clarity

2021-07-11

Revised section 12 Line Treatment - 3rd bullet point added
Revised section 14 Quotes - 5th bullet point added
Revised section 19 Special Instructions - 7th bullet point added
Revised section 20 SDH Guidelines - 10th and 11th bullet point added

2021-02-24

Revised section 20 SDH Guidelines - localized examples added

2020-10-30

Revised section 7 Dual speakers - 2nd bullet point added
Revised section 12 Line Treatment - 2nd bullet point added
Revised section 14 Quotations - 4th bullet point added
Revised section 17 Songs - 7th bullet point added

2020-07-24

Revised section 5 Continuity - 1st bullet point added clarifying type of ellipsis permitted
Revised section 20 SDH Guidelines - 3rd bullet point reworded

2020-05-08

Revised section 19 Special Instructions - 3rd bullet point added
Revised section 20 SDH Guidelines - 3rd bullet point added

2019-08-20

Revised section 4 Character Names - 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th bullet points added
Revised section 7 Dual Speakers
Revised section 14 Quotes - 2nd bullet point revised, example provided for 3rd bullet, 4th bullet point edited

2018-06-04

Revised section 9 On-screen Text - section header revised for clarity

2018-03-09

Revised section 6 Documentary - 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th bullet points added
Revised section 9 Forced Narratives - 2nd and 3rd bullet points added, 5th bullet point revised
Revised section 13 Numbers - 4th and 5th bullet points revised
Revised section 16 Repetitions - 1st point revised for clarity
Revised section 17 Songs - 2nd bullet point added
Revised section 18 Titles - 1st and 2nd bullet point revised
Revised section 20 SDH Guidelines - expanded for clarity

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