LONDON — I have long lamented that radio cannot do subtitles. Still fresh in my memory was the time, many years ago, when I was managing editor of BBC Radio 3 and we tried to make Wagner’s operas more accessible. Using DAB text, we synchronized real-time English translations of Wagner’s never-ending masterpiece, the four-opera cycle, “The Ring of the Nibelung.” What a nightmare. It was such a lot of work!
However, I continue to lament the lack of subtitles for radio, especially since I have witnessed television using them constructively.
For instance, BBC Alba, broadcasting in the Scottish Gaelic language, produces television with English subtitles, meaning that non-Gaelic speakers can enjoy the programming and learn something about life on the Scottish islands without speaking this indigenous language. As a radio guy, I’ve been rather jealous.
This has now potentially changed. Around New Year, I came across radio with “subtitles” and translations, something I believe to be a real game-changer, not in a highly theoretical way, but with real and immediate benefits. Technology is now advanced to the point that this can happen accurately and in real time by building a slight delay into the audio stream.
I noted this when the text got slightly ahead of the audio! So, I was delighted to try out the Radiozeit service, which comes from a company based in Potsdam, Germany, and is supported by the Medieninnovationszentrum Babelsberg, the German media innovation center that supports innovative projects in media and journalism. It has been piloting Radiozeit streams on the BBC World Service, France Info and Deutschlandfunk.
Translation in multiple languages
My father, who was severely deaf in later life, used to enjoy watching television programs on his iPad since the BBC iPlayer platform has always offered an excellent and clear-to-read subtitling system.
Until now, no system has existed to do the same for radio, which sadly remained an impossible medium for him. It doesn’t end there. Radio “subtitles” (because there’s no corresponding video image for the text to appear below, they’re technically not subtitles) could also help people who listen in a second language since things are often easier to grasp when written for those trying to absorb the spoken language.
Potentially there could be broader advantages for literacy by teaching reading skills alongside hearing the spoken language. Of course, the same technique could be employed in any environment where sign language interpretation might be an important service — this doesn’t stop with radio.
Quiet environments, too, could benefit from real-time speech appearing on a screen. Downstream, it also opens the possibility of making archived radio genuinely searchable, and that’s really the holy grail.
It is indeed surprising to hear Italian while simultaneously reading an accurate Dutch version of the program! In this, there are unlimited opportunities for someone trying to improve their languages or integrate into a new culture.
Radiozeit also extends beyond the broadcast language to provide a translation into multiple languages. This is highly effective, and I have enjoyed playing with the available pilots, checking the accuracy between the different languages I’m familiar with.
Being able to follow the news in written form in your own language, is indeed a significant step forward, and at the same time, you are becoming accustomed to the sound of another language.
One can also see applications for journalists or anyone interested in discovering how a news story is being reported in the country where events are unfolding. How are the Finns presenting the Finnish election? Is the broadcaster in a country giving an impartial view of some controversial event, or are they following the government line?
Downstream, it also opens the possibility of making archived radio genuinely searchable, and that’s really the holy grail
For breaking news happening abroad, it would be possible to jump immediately to the country and hear from someone on the spot. The possibilities are endless and hopefully would result in a more connected world, one in which different perspectives are more accessible to all of us.
Given that so much audio is already available globally, this might prove a valuable resource to people learning languages in areas where access to native speakers might be limited.
Getting creative
When the production creatives get involved, the ideas become endless — programming presented in multiple languages, all translated into the same destination language. Panel discussions could be more wide-ranging and more representative than ever before. In parts of the world where access to diverse opinions might be restricted, people could sample world news reports from a well-resourced organization and see them in their own language.
But let’s not be naïve about some of the risks, like inaccurate translation inflaming feelings and even perhaps provoking violence somewhere in the world, not to mention the issue of hacking and deliberate sabotage for political or other purposes.
As they used to say on the BBC, “Other brands are available,” and that may well be the case, or soon will be the case. That said, Radiozeit was the one that came across my path, and I was captivated.
This is a fascinating innovation that could reshape how we consume audio content. By incorporating real-time translation, its potential applications would be transformative, breaking down language barriers and fostering inclusivity on an unprecedented scale. In pairing traditional radio broadcasts with real-time subtitles, this technology can bridge gaps in accessibility, enhance education and enable global communication, perhaps even play some part in supporting global understanding across national and linguistic borders.
The author was head of Radio at the EBU until 2020, and before that, managing editor of one of the BBC’s national stations. He currently advises media organizations.
