My assumption has always been that--in situations like the one you described-- the subtitles were probably based on the script, but the actors went just very slightly off-script.

Kind of off topic, but: one of my favorite things to do is put on a movie originally in Chinese, then switch to the dubbed English track, and also the English subtitles at the same time.

It's a great demonstration of how wildly different an interpreter can phrase things with basically the same intent.

Sometimes the subbers will rewrite the subs so there’s not too much to fit on the screen at a time.

A lot of older Kung Fu films were dubbed into English by having the scripts massively re-written so the new words kinda matched up with the actors’ mouth movements. But the subs often seem to follow the original scripts, which can be confusing if any plot points or names got changed.

This article from a while back might reveal more. Plus heard translators of manga say it’s different styles per translator and no such thing as word to word perfect with different grammar styles in languages and interpretation .

> The dialogue used on closed captions is usually a direct transcript of the dubbing script. Subtitles use another script entirely. These, too, are subject to constraints: the translation has to fit across the screen and correspond to a preset reading speed. But they are often seen as a more accurate translation than the dubbing script. Subtitling legend and film critic Darcy Paquet, who worked on Parasite, tweeted: “I didn’t do the subtitles for Squid Game, but note that for this show there are two sets of English subtitles. There are the “real” English subtitles, and there is the transcription of the dubbed version [closed captions]. Choose the real subtitles!”

> These conversations have been going on in the subtitling world for some time. A dubbing script translation is always going to be less accurate as it faces two challenges. First, it must translate a phrase in such a way that it takes exactly the same amount of time to say out loud in both languages. Second, if there is any opportunity to copy the mouth movements, then you’re supposed to take it. This is why in Squid Game the Korean honorific “oppa” was translated as “old man” in the dubbing script. It’s “babe” in the subtitle script. In fact, in Korean it’s a term of respect meaning “older brother.”

> Deryagin explains how differences between different languages present challenges for him and his peers. “English is considered compact, like Japanese and Chinese. Arabic and Spanish not so much.” These differences have huge ramifications if you are trying to fit a translation into a few words on screen while respecting the viewer’s reading speed. The Scandinavians are the most experienced at all this, he says. “In Scandinavia, they believe in longer subtitles that linger. The reading speed is around 12 characters a second. But in other countries they want shorter subtitles that preserve more of the dialogue but retain the gist.” (If this sounds an impossible task, then that’s pretty much because it is.) Subtitlers are constantly cutting out “filler words” (um, er, you know). With closed captions, the constraints are even greater: “You need the translation to fit the lip movements of the actor. Sometimes you have to take big liberties.”

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/14/squid-game-netflix-translations-subtitle-problem

Sometimes it is the subtitle contract. If I remember right it is charged by word. There is also region changes, the best for this is so much stuff from Britain the subtitles are changed in North America because they feel we won't understand it.

Guessing but sometimes it could be script vs actual

Shorter lines to fit the screen better / faster to read if dialogue is fast in a conversation

>Or, in a case like the show I’m watching now, a sub/caption popped up with a line that was never actually said.
>
>
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>Do the subtitlers make the subs off one version of the scene, the scenes get reshot with new lines, but the subtitlers don’t make subs off the reshoots?

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there are other things to consider.

idioms..

lip movement vs words.

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the Korean version has a lot more words than the English equivalent.

what's the best way to "add a line" so words still come out because the lips are still moving?

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https://www.listenandlearnusa.com/blog/5-untranslatable-korean-idioms-and-proverbs/

Five Difficult to translate Korean Idioms and Proverbs
#1. The Idiom: 무지 가 의학 지식 은 병 이다
Literal Translation: Ignorance is medicine, knowledge is sickness.
What it means: Ignorance is Bliss.

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what do you do when they use a "common phrase" that's only known in Korea? you need to convey that to the audience - but there's no English version at all.

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I bet most Koreans don't know WTF a "Monday Morning Quarterback is" - that's going to be a "funny translation"

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20 Common English Phrases Only Americans Used to Understand

https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/20-phrases-only-americans-understood/

This happens sometimes when I'm watching dubbed anime with subtitles on. I just assume that the subtitles are a word-for-word translation from Japanese while the voice actors say lines that better fit an English syntax.

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90% of the time the captions will fail us. Either they are too far behind what the person is saying, they aren't correct, or large chunks are missing.

It's just a mistake from working fast. They watch the footage and occasionally type what they 'recall' was said and are working so fast that they either don't know they typed the wrong thing or don't take the time to go back to check, because they get paid shit. A lot of it is also d done remote now, so any distraction while at home could cause them to get a few lines wrong.

The person doing quality assurance also thinks it's close enough and not worth the time to edit the file.

I think you're talking about "Closed Captioning", not subtitles.