Either would work, here too. If there’s a bit pause, I would treat it as a trailing sentence, and then picking up again afresh, and put a capital letter. But lowercase would be fine too, as the continuation of the thought started in the first subtitle. So it’s your choice, really.
Thanks.
Along the same lines, if I had a pair of subtitles that read:
I was on a campout
(extended pause)
…far away.
OR
I was on a campout…
(extended pause)
…far away.
Would the first or second one be more appropriate, or does it matter that much?
I would put ellipsis after the first subtitle, as if the person’s thoughts were trailing…
and then start the next one without ellipsis. With either lowercase or even uppercase, if you like. The uppercase meaning that after his thoughts were trailing, he decided to give some more details about it. Especially if the pause is more than 2-3 seconds, I think it qualifies as almost a separate sentence.
I was on a campout…
Far away.
Thanks, I’m finding this quite helpful. If you could bear with me, I just have one more subtitle pair that continues along this vain but I think might be a little different:
“I don’t think one second of this is funny -” (tersely and with definitiveness)
(extended pause)
- sir." (as an afterthought with a touch of sarcasm).
Might an ellipsis after the first subtitle be too contradictory with the speaker’s tone, while, conversely, an ellipsis added before “sir” clarify that it’s an afterthought? Or would there be a better way altogether to punctuate this subtitle pair?
That’s a difficult one. As you say, the ellipsis takes away from the assertiveness. On the other hand, you don’t have many choices. Maybe the fact that the viewers listen to the voice and they can understand the intent from there is a help: the subtitles don’t have to do the whole job- except for those hearing impaired.
Usually we don’t put ellipsis before a sub, here at viki. Of course some people may do it, there are no hard and fast rules. But so far I haven’t seen it.
I was looking for the article saying that we should add a space before or after breaks, but couldn’t find it anymore, I’ve read these articles and discovered new things:
https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/200264599-Formatting-subtitles
https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/218654277
I think the article about “How do I delete my subtitles?” needs some modification: subbers can delete subs from the subtitle editor (and avoid entering the segment timer).
10 min to update on the video, roger!
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@piranna : “In TV apps like Roku and Smart TVs, the break will not be rendered and the words will run together.” This is why it is necessary to put a space before or after the “break”, I think.
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Thanks! I don’t remember the article or the reason, but ur probably right!
It’s the article I’ve read above 
I remember another version of this article?
Do you still add breaks mid-sentence?
I remember wanting to watch on phone with an internet browser, but had hard time to watch with breaks so not watching on phone anymore. Reluctant to download the Viki app because takes storage whereas I will occasionnely use it. So in the end no Viki dramas on phone.
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I think (but am not sure), Carly who wrote those articles worked at viki a long time ago, well before the majority of viewers watched on tablets and phones. As @angelight313_168 said, some platforms re-wrap the subtitle so if there are breaks in the sub, and the platform recognizes the break, (roku does not) you might end up with text over the whole screen. I discovered this years ago when the IOS app was being beta tested for the first time. Since then I tell subbers on the channels I am on that breaks are to be used ONLY for two people’s dialogue in the same segment or to separate dialogue and music lyric or dialogue and text on screen. The articles by Carly also don’t mention that control-b creates the break signal. ctrl-i creates the beginning and end for italics and crtrl-J creates a pair of music notes and italics symbols. Putting the opening italic signal without the end is fine because the system automatically terminates italics at the end of the subtitle. Can you imagine the havoc years ago when we had to make sure the end of italics symbol was somewhere – otherwise every sub after the first appearance of the start of italics signal was in italics. It was like writing a mathematical equation making sure the brackets were all paired.
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Thanks but I’ve already read it above.
Do we see the same thing on this page? (The screen I took is up).
I don’t know for Jdramas, but for the dramas I’ve tried to watch, whenever we force breaks mid-sentence: “volunteers breaks” appear + “natural breaks”(breaks not added by volunteers but added automatically. Dk where it’s from, size of the screen or somth else).
- If ppl force breaks: I see 3 or 4 lines of subs taking a good part of my screen and the scene behind subs. The second line could have 2 or little words because of a forced break + the natural break (2 breaks). If the sentence is longer, 3 breaks. It is difficult to read or enjoy watching a drama in this display.
+I’d like to enjoy watching a drama on Viki without having adds from other websites, in the train, during my commuting time or without having to get my computer that I don’t always have on me. After a day at work, I’m exhausted so I like to watch lying on my bed on my phone.
-
If adding breaks mid-sentence can cause troubles for others or for some devices, is it worth it? Finally, what was the intention behind mid-sentence breaks?
-
adding time to edit by adding breaks or moving a misplaced break by a word, some could call it “breaks contributions” that could be not seen favorably by other editors out there & some might misinterpret it as a way to boost contributions (400x how many episodes). If I care about contributions, I would invest my time here.
Obviously, it pays well for little efforts and I could use the excuse of “cosmetic breaks.” Nobody will signal me.
I understand members of community support have brought up the break issue several times with the tech staff. Community support understands what we are talking about. I wonder if the engineers ever actually watch drama on their smart phones?
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Actually, the problem is not taken under the right angle. The source of the problem: Viki or volunteers?
*Ex:
Viewers complain about why there are no subs to volunteers or Viki, but what does it have to do with us? There is an article which says the subs are done by volunteers and under the video, a clear message says that:
The problem is not coming from volunteers, but from buyers who believed that the service included immediate subs.
*Same thing here:
If ppl are adding breaks randomly, what does it have to do with engineers or Viki who clearly states:
“Please avoid adding breaks arbitrarly mid-sentence. In TV apps like Roku and Smart TVs, the break will not be rendered and the words will run together.”
1.The rule is like this because Viki is aware of this, otherwise this rule won’t even exist.
2. Who is ignoring this rule? Viki engineers or volunteers?
3.We can’t feign ignorance over this article when we are an experienced moderator or manager.
It is even harder to feign it once we answer to a question I asked about breaks and quoting the second part of the same paragraph. We also can’t feign it if after quoting the same article and despite being aware, continue to add breaks in less than 24 hours.
4. So if it’s not ignorance, it’s done delibarately, right? If delibarely and if it cause troubles for viewers.
Why volunteers would arbitrarly add breaks?
Is there a more legit reason?
Or volunteers think the troubles they cause to others can be neglected or they don’t care about it?
If they don’t care for this display, do volunteers selflessly sub for themselves to see or boost their contributions by adding breaks arbitrarly?
Do we volunteer for others to watch in a correct display or I can also randomly decide I would add breaks to every drama I’m working on?
the rule is like that. If I were manager, moderator or editor and a volunteer shows me this article and that a few volunteers tell just like here that indeed, it causes a display that is making hard to watch a drama, what should I do as a volunteer? Keep doing that despite Viki words and other volunteers words (for what legit reason now? Do I overlook Viki article or other volunteers feedback and only listen to myself?) Or will I take a second look and think?
I can’t find excuses or say that it’s Viki’s fault. It’s written in black and white.
Also, I can’t find excuses and have low tolerance over some matters such as:
-moderators who create secondary accounts to ask for moderation.
-moderators in drama 1 who coax their subbers to take a new drama for them as a moderator and take them in the team, but in reality, the concrete moderator is indeed… the same mod in drama 1.
-and who dares to comment in public on Disqus that they didn’t ask for the moderation for this drama (for whatever reason… too many dramas perhaps or don’t have time? Whatever lie)
-liers who manipulate really well other volunteers to have some favors, especially on Viki since the stake is laughable.
-and is representing the nssa? Really? I hope it’s not morals that they teach as senseis. Or are they looking for more volunteers to use and manipulate in their own team? Or is it to save appearance?
I can’t find excuses for this kind of behaviour. All esteem has been shred by the same individual(s) and thrown in the sewers.
Selfish in all its glory. Hard to believe, but I’ve been fooled once (idiot I am to believe that I could trust a volunteer’s words on Viki: of course, a Cm always taking the same moderator without asking, it’s not the moderator’s fault for not saying no… I have wanted to believe in the goodness of these words, but not anymore after this pile of acts)
The lessons I’ve leant: I’ve found more manipulators on Viki than in real life, especially among volunteers, moderators, editors and CM. Never trust a volunteer by his apparance or words.
Maybe some volunteers are like viewers behind a screen, without inhibition and forget about ethics, morals, or have empathy over other mates who play indeed fair when they ask moderation.
When you act like that, can we say that you care about other volunteers? Obviously not.
Indeed, what a beautiful community. Helpful in appearance but rotten in his heart.
And ppl like that represent the community as mods, Cm on Viki?
If anyone can act without regards on Viki rules or other mods and volunteers, then why should I care about others, too?
Is it because I am volunteer on Viki that I can act without a care on Viki?
Is that legit?
And there’s no one who would react, not even Viki?
So you agree with this kind of behaviour? We can do the same to you, you agree? I can do the same, it’s all right?
No wonder some people flee from this community. Among volunteers, there’s something off, why should ppl stay when encountering ppl like that?
Don’t legitimate this type of acts and disguise them as right when they are clearly wrong.
The thing I dislike the most: injustice, unfairness.
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@piranna You didn’t go into detail, so your post is a bit off, when it comes to subtitle formatting.
But I can understand your point, if nothing goes wrong, I will have my 10th anniversary next year at Viki. But I had some breaks 7 months was my longest, I must say. If you add all of them together, it may be a year less than it shows on my account.
Frustration is natural once in a while. I do not join any on air dramas any longer I did at the start. I jumped from one project to the other and after project 3 or, so I took on moderators position. The last one I did when one of my family members got sick and after that there was too much time to spent on more vital things, than Viki.
When I look at my native language it’s a phanomen, that 90-95% of on air/coming soon projects be it Korean or Chinese are with one moderator. Doing tv series and movies. A few months ago, I saw a movie channel with no moderators listed or added, asked for the moderators position is already filled, guess by whom? If I want to join as a subber? For me a movie with around 1000 subs is a project either for a weekend if I have the time, or about 3-4 weekends, if I need to “make” time. I prefer that I can lock the subtitles myself then. But it doesn’t matter, since I am helping out on a project with 50 episodes. It’s a drama I have re-watch probably a dozen times, so it’s no problem to dive into it, whenever I have the time.
But still it’s like the rabbit and the hedgehog …
But maybe for this “talk” we should create another discussion topic.
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If no one says it, no one would know it for the same mod in a particular language.
I know for French language because it’s my native language.
So for German and other languages, I don’t check except when it’s recruiting matter.
But I think I know who you’re talking about?
I don’t have a particular past, but a memory: when I took a German mod (different person), the reaction was a little strange.
But I am allowed to take another moderator, right?
Actually, it works like that (you must know it, I think)
You have more chance to be selected as a moderator if you are CM if the mods are numbers (“chance”, let’s not say the word “privileges”)
Why?
Not a CM? You can’t be “used” to take a moderation position later.
So if as a CM, you take a moderator, considering it’s a favor you gave, you expect that this moderator when he will become CM on another drama, he will give you a moderation position too.
So many moderators/CM are tied like that.
Pros and cons: pros are obvious.
Cons (in my pov): you lose a part of your freedom and can’t say your opinion or can’t refuse some mods because they are CM on dramas you are or will be CMs on future dramas.
So between being tied by a relationship like that and being free: I’m telling you, I would have picked your choice. My freedom has no price and seeing people like that on a website you’re supposed to have fun, I just feel pity for them.
For real. They are bound in a way that is not really promoting the “human” relationships. It’s a give-me-sth/I’ll-give-you-sth relationship.
It’s not what I’m seeking here.
Have fun on the 50 ep
Old dramas are a haven of peace,some might be boring for some scenes sometimes, but other volunteers won’t bother you here.
Same for created contents or reality shows.
But in a way, some could say, “it’s not letting crumbles to other volunteers by taking the big cake?”
I’m going to move on another discussion. I have hard time to discuss the same thing on a same topic, there’s no square for me.