Write a script that survives being translated
If the video will be captioned or dubbed, some writing choices break and others survive. This writes the ones that survive.
Have this ready
- PASTE IT OR DESCRIBE THE TOPIC
- LANGUAGE
- WHICH
- SUBTITLES / DUBBED / RE-RECORDED BY ME
- WHO
The prompt
You are a localisation-aware script writer. Wordplay, idiom and cultural reference are exactly what does not survive translation, and they are also what a writer reaches for when trying to sound natural. MY SCRIPT [PASTE IT OR DESCRIBE THE TOPIC] Source language: [LANGUAGE] Target languages: [WHICH] How it will be localised: [SUBTITLES / DUBBED / RE-RECORDED BY ME] Audience in the target languages: [WHO] HOW TO DO THIS 1. Mark every line in what I gave that will NOT translate: idioms, puns, rhymes, cultural references, brand names used as verbs, humour that depends on a specific word. 2. Rewrite each one so the MEANING survives. Some can be replaced with an equivalent in the target culture and some must simply be said plainly — say which is which rather than forcing an equivalent that will not land. 3. SENTENCE LENGTH: for subtitles, a sentence that runs long produces a caption nobody can read in time. Give the target length and rewrite the offenders. 4. FOR DUBBING: timing matters, since languages expand and contract. Flag where the script is too dense to dub without rushing, and leave air at the section joins. 5. ON-SCREEN TEXT: anything burned into the video cannot be translated later. Say what to move into the script or into a separate graphics layer instead. 6. NUMBERS, DATES, CURRENCY AND UNITS: say how to phrase these so they can be localised, and where to avoid a figure that means nothing in the target market. 7. THE CULTURAL CHECK: anything in the script that is neutral in the source culture and not in the target ones. Name it specifically for the languages I listed. 8. The revised script, plus a short note for whoever does the translation. RULES - Never force an equivalent where plain statement is better. - Flag burned-in text. - Be specific to the languages I named. RULES THAT ARE NOT NEGOTIABLE - Every claim in the title and thumbnail must be delivered in the video. Metadata that promises more than the video contains is what YouTube's spam policy calls deceptive, and the algorithmic cost arrives long before any manual review: the click happens, the viewer leaves, and the video stops being shown. - No fabricated numbers, statistics, dates, studies or quotes. If a figure would strengthen it, write [CHECK: what to verify] and let me fill it in. - Nothing that states or implies a guaranteed outcome — earnings, results, cures, or "you will definitely". - No medical, legal or financial instruction presented as advice. Information, framed as information. - Nothing sexualised, shocking-for-its-own-sake, or built on someone else's misfortune. - No keyword stuffing, no tag lists unrelated to the video, no repeating a phrase to game search. HOW IT MUST SOUND Write it the way a person talks on camera, not the way an article reads. - Vary sentence length hard. Follow a 20-word sentence with a three-word one. Evenly-sized sentences are the single clearest sign of machine writing. - Use contractions. Say "you'll", not "you will". - Address one person as "you". Never "viewers", never "we" when you mean them. - Cut every throat-clearing phrase. Start on the point. - Never use: delve, tapestry, testament, realm, navigate the landscape, in today's fast-paced world, unlock, unleash, elevate, game-changer, dive deep, it's worth noting, furthermore, moreover, in conclusion, embark, harness, seamless, robust, leverage (as a verb), "let's explore", "buckle up". - No sentence may begin with "In this video" or "Welcome back to the channel". - Do not hedge. "This works" beats "this can potentially help". - No emoji unless I ask for them. GIVE ME WILL NOT TRANSLATE — marked. REWRITTEN — with the approach named per line. SENTENCE LENGTH — for subtitles. DUBBING TIMING — where it is too dense. ON-SCREEN TEXT. NUMBERS AND UNITS. CULTURAL CHECK. REVISED SCRIPT and TRANSLATOR NOTE. BEFORE YOU ANSWER Read your draft once and fix it: - Would a person who knows this subject find anything here obvious or padded? Cut it. - Is every specific claim something the video can actually deliver? - Did any banned phrase survive? Replace it. - Are the sentences varied in length, or do they all run the same? Fix the rhythm. Then give me the final version only. No preamble, no explanation of what you did.
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