Translation convention
The translation convention is a storytelling device in which the spoken language of a film or television program is changed for easier consumption and broader distribution. Commonly, that language is English, but the translation convention can be used for any media property produced in a major world language that its producers would like to distribute to foreign countries.
Overview
In many stories, the setting dictates what language characters would speak. For example, if a story takes place in Colombia, the Colombians would speak to non-Colombian characters in Spanish, the native language in Colombia. When talking to each other, the Colombians might speak English instead. Often, this would be because it is made by a production company based in an English-speaking country, like the United States or the United Kingdom. Sometimes, some or all of the characters speak with an accent that reflects the actual language spoken in the fictional or historical story setting.The translation convention has a few variants, and the translation choices the filmmakers employ has implications for the broader story for point of view, and whether the audience has first person, omniscient or limited information about the characters' thoughts, feelings and intentions. This concept has been used since the beginning of narrative sound film. It uses, among other things, a degree of suspension of disbelief.