Reach your audience with meaningful subtitles
Do you need a professional subtitler? I am Maija Tuukkanen, the entrepreneur of Polysemia.
I specialize in creating audiovisual translations from English and German to Finnish and from Finnish to English,
Finnish subtitles for Finnish video content — including accessible subtitles — and subtitle quality control.
I create subtitles that convey your message accurately and fluently and, if needed, accessibly.
When you need high-quality subtitles that engage your audience, get in touch!
You can send an offer request via the contact form here.
Services
Subtitle Translation
Accurate and fluent subtitles from English and German to Finnish and from Finnish to English. I follow the Finnish quality guidelines for audiovisual translations to ensure that your message is conveyed
clearly and effortlessly to your target audience.
I create precise time codes with the video so that you can seamlessly integrate the subtitles into your final content. I deliver subtitles in your preferred format making sure to follow your specific requests, such as font size, characters per line limit and other visual details as well.
Captions / SDH
Finnish captions for Finnish videos — with an option for accessible Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, SDH. SDH meet accessibility requirements, including speaker identification and descriptions of the most important sounds in the content.
I follow the Finnish quality guidelines for SDH (in Finnish) to ensure that captions are clear and easy to follow.
I create precise time codes with the video and deliver the captions in your preferred format, taking into account your specific requests.
Quality Assurance (QA/QC)Quality assurance and quality control for subtitles, where I review and/or correct the linguistic accuracy and technical functionality, including timing and character limits. The goal is to ensure that the subtitles are clear, fluent, and technically flawless for an optimal viewing experience, | ConsultationExpert consultation on subtitling and audiovisual translation. Consultation is always tailored to your needs. |
Request an offer here!
All subtitles are delivered by default in SRT format, which is compatible with platforms like YouTube.
If needed, subtitles can also be provided in other file formats based on your unique requirements.
Pricing
All services are priced individually based on the requirements of the project.
Factors influencing the price include the type of service, video length, language pair (same language or translated subtitles),
and the urgency of the delivery. Quality assurance and consultation services are charged on an hourly basis, 60 €/h.
Tailored agreements can be negotiated for larger projects and long-term partnerships.
VAT is not included in the prices and will be added to the total invoice amount where applicable. The VAT rate in Finland is 25.5%.
I always provide a clear and customized offer — get in touch and tell me about your needs!
About Polysemia
My name is Maija Tuukkanen, and I am an experienced linguist, the entrepreneur of Polysemia. I studied translation in the University of Tampere, specializing in audiovisual translation. I graduated with a MA degree in December 2014.
In the spring of 2013, while still studying, I began working as an audiovisual translator. Over the years, I've subtitled a wide range of films, series, documentaries, as well as news and current affairs programs. In November 2019, I took the next step by establishing my own business. My work soon expanded to include text translations and creating subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH) for Finnish TV programs. In the summer of 2020, my company officially got its name: Polysemia, which in English translates as polysemy.
Today, I primarily subtitle TV series and films as a subcontractor to localisation agencies and studios, and I've also worked as a freelance QA Supervisor for a streaming service, making sure the quality of the Finnish subtitles and dubbing of their select third party produced content is spot-on. Occasionally, I still translate marketing texts and create accessible subtitles or provide subtitle translations for webinars, press briefings, marketing videos and product presentations. You can explore my public works on the Portfolio page.
Why the name Polysemia?
The word polysemy means the capacity of a sign, such as a word or a phrase, to have multiple meanings. The word comes from Greek: πολύ-, polý-, ‘many’ and σῆμα, sêma, ‘sign’. Some examples of polysemous words are the English word play and the Finnish word kieli which in English could mean ‘a language’, ‘a tongue’, ‘a string’ of an instrument, or ‘a bolt’ of a lock depending on context.
I have been fascinated by the polysemy of words and the differences in meaning created by word choices ever since I was studying translation. I find it intriguing how the subtle nuances of words and variations within a word's semantic field shape their meaning. This is something a translator must constantly contemplate. A skilled translator recognizes these distinctions and finds the right words and expressions to accurately convey the source text's meaning in a way that feels natural in the target language.
