GoLocalise
Hungarian translation project on screen in a localisation studio

Translation · Hungarian

Hungarian translation services

Audiovisual translation is our specialisation, but our native Hungarian translators also handle any text — corporate documents, technical and marketing material, articles and eLearning. In Hungarian the word order carries the emphasis, so for audiovisual work we translate against the picture, not from a script on its own.

EN · 00:07

Anna called Emil.

HU · 00:07

Anna felhívta Emilt. / Anna Emilt hívta fel.

Same words, two sentences. The first is neutral. In the second, Emilt has moved in front of the verb and the prefix fel has broken off behind it — and it now reads as it was Emil she called, and nobody else. English carries that difference in the actor's voice, which a script does not record.
Native-speaking linguists
Dual-column format
ISO 9001 & ISO 14001
Timed for voice over & subtitles
In-house subtitling team
Native-speaking linguists
Dual-column format
ISO 9001 & ISO 14001
Timed for voice over & subtitles
In-house subtitling team

About Hungarian translation

Hungarian puts the emphasis in the word order, and the word order is not in your script

English marks emphasis with the voice. *Anna called Emil* can mean three different things depending on which word the actor leans on, and the written script records none of it. Hungarian marks the same thing structurally: the slot immediately before the verb is the focus position, and putting something there is so mechanical that the verbal prefix splits off and jumps behind the verb — *felhívta* becomes *hívta fel*.

That is not a stylistic shade. A constituent in the Hungarian focus position is read as exhaustive identification: it was that one, and not another. A character who said «I called Emil» ends up saying «it was Emil I called, nobody else». The line now claims something the original never did.

So the practical consequence is about what we need from you, not about how we write. A Hungarian translation done from a script alone is guesswork on every line where the emphasis matters. At GoLocalise the audiovisual work is translated against the picture, and every text is reviewed by a second native linguist before delivery.

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Linguist working on a Hungarian translation

How can we help you?

Your project manager has everything covered

One point of contact from brief to delivery, and a second linguist on every text before it reaches you.

1

Brief review

We review your source material and your audience, and agree up front the decisions this language forces before anyone starts translating.

2

Linguist assignment

Your project goes to a native Hungarian translator with experience in your sector, working from the video wherever the material is audiovisual rather than from the script alone.

3

Translation and review

The text is translated and then checked by a second native linguist for accuracy, consistency, and register.

4

Delivery and emphasis check

Files arrive in the format you need, and the review pass checks the lines where emphasis changes the meaning, which are the ones a script on its own cannot settle.

Regional varieties

Hungary, and the Hungarian-speaking regions around it

Hungarian is the language of Hungary, a country of roughly 9.6 million people (KSH, 2022 census), with substantial communities in Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine. Counting those, estimates put the total in the range of 12 to 13 million. It is an official language of the European Union, an official provincial language in Vojvodina, and officially used in three municipalities in Slovenia.

Standard Hungarian covers all commercial, corporate and broadcast work, and it is what we use. One point of context matters for planning: Hungary is a dubbing market rather than a subtitling one, which means an emphasis decision that lands wrong is not corrected in a text file — it is recorded again.

Varieties we cover

  • Standard Hungarian
  • Dubbing market
Not sure which one? Ask us →

Areas of expertise

What we specialise in

From corporate video and eLearning to documentary, advertising and subtitles — always audiovisual, translated against the picture so the emphasis lands where the original put it.

Corporate and brand video

Company films and internal communications, written to fit the shot rather than overflow it.

eLearning and training video

Course modules and training films, with terminology kept consistent across the programme.

Documentary and interviews

Factual programming and interviews, where the register shifts between speakers and has to survive the move.

Advertising and social video

Campaigns and short-form video, cut to land inside the time available.

Subtitles and captions

Frame-accurate subtitles kept within a comfortable reading speed.

Voice over and dubbing scripts

Scripts timed to the original, ready for a native voice in the booth.

Built for video and audio

Getting Hungarian right on screen

Hungarian needs one thing from the brief that most languages do not, and it is cheaper to supply it than to fix what happens without it.

Send the video, not only the script

The focus position is decided line by line, and what belongs in it is carried by the performance. Given a script on its own, a translator is inferring where the stress fell. Given the picture, they can hear it.

The focus position changes the claim, not the tone

A constituent placed in front of the verb reads as exclusive: that one and not another. A neutral English line can come out asserting something the original never said, which is a meaning error rather than a style preference.

It is visible in the verb, which makes it checkable

When something moves into focus, the verbal prefix separates and moves behind the verb. That gives the review pass something concrete to look for, rather than a judgement call about register.

Timed, not dumped

We deliver spotted subtitle files and two-column voice-over scripts timed to the original — never a loose document that still needs spotting.

Deliverables

How your Hungarian translation arrives

Subtitle files

SRT, VTT, STL or TTML, burnt in or as separate files, ready to drop into your edit.

Translated against the picture

For audiovisual material we work from the video rather than the script alone, because in Hungarian the emphasis is structural and the script does not record it.

Dual-column scripts

Source and target side by side with timecodes, the format the studio records from.

Reviewed, never single-pass

Every script is checked by a second native linguist before it reaches the studio.

Translation rates

Professional Hungarian translation

Standard

For internal documents, correspondence and material where accuracy is the main requirement.

  • Native subject-matter translator
  • Second-linguist review
  • Subtitle files or a timed script
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Full production

For marketing, eLearning and technical content, with review, terminology management and layout adjustment.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Terminology management
  • Layout and expansion handled
  • Dedicated project manager
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Every project is quoted individually and backed by our Price Match Promise. Send us your files for an exact, no-obligation quote.

Trusted by global brands

We have used GoLocalise on a regular basis for projects in a number of languages. The service we receive is great. The team is always friendly and professional. The voiceovers we receive are of a very high quality and the turnaround is extremely quick. We are very happy to recommend GoLocalise to other businesses.
Jo SamuelAnimator at Pixel Circus
It was a pleasure to work with David and the team at GoLocalise. David gave me lots of help and advice, guiding me through my first subtitling project. He really knows his stuff! The experience was completely pain-free. I would not hesitate to recommend GoLocalise – outstanding work at a good price.
Kerry GilliesDirector at Synergy Language Services
They're reliable, adaptive and obsessed with quality. And while you can never be 100% guaranteed of perfection, you can be sure GoLocalise will go the extra mile to get it right every time. We've worked with them now for over 5 years and we are truly thankful to have such a strong localisation partner for our business.
Lucas ColeSales and Marketing Director at Epipheo

Most common questions

How much does Hungarian translation cost?

Hungarian translation is priced per word for text and per minute for audiovisual, depending on volume, subject matter and turnaround. Send your files and we will come back with a free, itemised quote, backed by our Price Match Promise.

Are your Hungarian translations done by native linguists?

Yes. Native Hungarian linguists handle every translation, and a second native linguist independently reviews each text, paying particular attention to the lines where word order decides whether a statement is neutral or exclusive, because that is where a fluent-sounding line can still be wrong.

Do you provide Hungarian subtitling and voice over as well?

Yes — Hungarian translation, subtitling and voice over all come from one team, working to a single glossary throughout. It also means the emphasis decisions taken in the script are the ones the voice actor performs, rather than being reopened in the booth.

Why do you ask for the video and not just the script?

Because in Hungarian the emphasis is built into the word order, and the word order is not in your script. English carries the same information in the actor's delivery. Without the picture a translator is inferring which word was stressed, and on the lines where it matters that inference changes what the sentence claims.

What happens if the emphasis ends up in the wrong place?

The line asserts an exclusivity the original did not have — it was that person and not another, that thing and not another. It reads perfectly well, which is exactly the problem: nothing in the Hungarian looks broken, so it survives a proofread and is caught only by someone comparing against the original.

Do you deliver Hungarian subtitles and voice-over scripts, not just documents?

Yes — audiovisual is our specialisation. We deliver spotted SRT/VTT and timed two-column voice-over scripts, plus translated text when you need it.

We only have the script. Can you still work?

Yes, and it is a common starting point. We flag the lines where the emphasis is genuinely ambiguous and agree them with you rather than deciding silently, and where the material is going to a recording we would rather raise five questions at script stage than discover the answer in the studio.

Does this matter for a corporate video with a single narrator?

Less than for dialogue, but it still decides how each sentence lands. A narrated line that puts the wrong element in focus reads as contrastive — as if it were correcting something — where the original was simply stating a fact.

How quickly can a Hungarian translation project be delivered?

Most short documents are delivered within 24 to 48 hours. Word count, subject complexity and turnaround all move the date, and your project manager will confirm the timeline at the start.

What do you need from us to quote Hungarian translation?

Less than people expect: the document, script or subtitle file, its word count, what the text is actually for, and the date you need it by. A draft is fine — we would rather quote on what exists than wait for a final version that eats your deadline. A named project manager comes back with an itemised quote, normally within four working hours.

How quickly will we hear back, and who will we be dealing with?

More than half of enquiries get a reply within thirty minutes during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm UK time), and the itemised quote normally follows within four working hours. After that you have one dedicated project manager who owns the job from brief to final file — not a ticket queue, and not a different name on every email. If it is easier, call +44 207 095 5730 and ask for them by name.

We are still pitching and the budget is not signed off. Can we still get a Hungarian quote?

Yes, and it is one of the commonest reasons people get in touch. Tell us it is for a pitch and you get a figure you can put in front of your own client, itemised so it stands up to being picked apart, with no obligation and no follow-up sales calls if the pitch goes elsewhere. If it lands, the quote still holds and we already know the project.

Ready to start your Hungarian translation project?

Send us your documents, script or video and we'll come back with an exact, itemised quote.

Professional voice over services for your audio and video productions

Voice over

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Translation

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Subtitling

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Transcription

  • Improve accessibility
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★★★★★4.9 · from 149 reviews · 24–48h