01How long English takes
As a working figure, English narration runs at about 150 words a minute, so a 30-second spot holds roughly 75 words. Fast ads go higher and reflective narration goes lower.
Use it only to size the script. Pauses, breaths and music change the real number.
02How other languages compare
The ranges below are working figures for planning, not rules. Real length depends on the text and the voice, and the adapted script is always timed aloud.
- German
- Often 10 to 30 percent longer than English.
- Spanish
- Often 15 to 25 percent longer.
- French
- Often 15 to 20 percent longer.
- Russian
- Often 15 to 30 percent longer.
- Dutch and Swedish
- Often close to English.
- Japanese
- Short on screen, long in speech: time it aloud.
03How to fit the time
Start from the available seconds, not from the translation. Give the translator the time for each line and the picture it plays against.
Shorten the line by changing the phrasing, not by speeding up the actor. A rushed read loses the clarity that the voice was bought for.
Check each adapted line aloud against the picture. Anything that still runs long goes back to the writer, not to the editor.