This is all really informative. Thank you for sharing!
What I find really hard is the fact that we’re subtitling in a language that is different from the actual drama audio. Cdramas, especially, seem to pack a lot of meaning in a short sentence, making it nearly impossible to shorten. And it’s hell when they speak fast or overlap each other. I spent a terrible time with New Horizon, because they had so many meetings, and always seemed to be saying loads and loads in a few seconds.
I struggle all the time, wondering which is important - an accurate translation or shortened, easy readability. Most of the time, I tend to prioritize accurate translation. Just like the info you shared, I’ve noticed that I myself can keep up with long subtitles pretty well as I get used to reading them. I, however, can’t say this for sure, because I understand enough Korean to fill in the gaps when a subtitle passes without me finishing it. Because I spend most of my time with subtitles, either segmenting or editing them, I always feel like my length estimations may be inaccurate. Just last week, I was watching a drama with my brother, with the TCs on. I easily read both, while my brother just couldn’t understand how I could read both. He only focused on the subs.
I’m glad that people seem to be able to keep up with subs. I hate shortening sentences sometimes, because I know I wouldn’t like it if I was learning the language. If I had to choose my one fatal flaw as an English Editor, it would be concise sentences.