Forum: Subtitling
Topic: Ask me anything about subtitling
Poster: Banshun
Post title: thanks Max
[quote]Max Deryagin wrote:
Hi Banshun,
I think in your case the easiest two ways to find a subtitler would be ProZ Find and Upwork Search. Both offer a wide selection of specialists and many filtering options, though finding someone who can provide decent quality at an affordable rate might be tricky, so you'll have to use your best judgement.
You could also try to find enthusiast fansubbers willing to help you out, but then the quality is very much hit or miss (mostly miss). Some of them take requests, and where to look will depend on the target and source languages of your project. I don't recommend this approach, because it can ruin your impression of the films.
As far as legality, you shouldn't have any issues if you don't disseminate the translations. Otherwise you might get in trouble because of the Berne Convention.
[/quote]
Thank you Max for your timely reply. I am unfamiliar with the subtitling business, but now I will check on ProZ and Upwork per your suggestion.
[quote]Michel Virasolvy wrote:
Translation can be a hobby, just type "fansub" and "scanlation" in a search bar to notice it. Now, if you're really not willing to compensate a professional for the time they spend on your source materials, I don't think you'll find many pros at your doorstep.[/quote]
It's not that I'm not willing to compensate someone for their services; but generally I think, a subtitle professional's rates are sustained and set by a market where the demand is studios and commercial interests, who are contracting them for one film-- one in which they expect to earn a return for their investment.
Myself on the other hand, I have dozens of films, maybe over 100, that I want subtitled for this project, and every dollar I spend will be a 100% loss.
So it's not practical for me to approach someone who charges x and is used to getting paid x by commercial parties,
when as you see my losses will add up very fast for that many private films.
It will be nice if someone will do charity for me :)
But I understand that everyone has to make a living somehow, and I don't expect that. I am simply being practical.
And agree with Max that fansubbing is probably not something I want either.
I will have to use my best judgement to find something in between.
[quote]Michel Virasolvy wrote:
Set yourself a budget for the whole batch, or a rate fitting to the level of quality you really wish to invest in (even if it takes a bit longer than you anticipated at first).[/quote]
Yes, I am in the process of doing this at the moment. Max and Michel, what would you say is a typical price quote for services per minute of film?
A quick search yielded some results for me @ $5 per minute, $6 per minute.
I think I would be comfortable with paying something more like $2 per minute, maybe $3 per minute max.
But I will also have a large number of films, and provided I find the quality of the subtitler's work satisfactory,
I would expect to hire him or her for the entire project.
Do you think it would be possible to negotiate a lower rate in exchange for a larger quantity of work?
[quote]Michel Virasolvy wrote:
If you're not in a hurry, maybe we can tweak deadlines to better match your budget? After that you can just post that as a job offer on the ProZ job listing with all the good informations and… well, pick the most fitting subtitler for your intended language pair(s).[/quote]
I'm sorry, but I don't understand your post about a deadline. I don't have any hard deadline as it's a private project.
I would just expect to hire a subtitler, and as long as I'm happy with the quality of their work, their professionalism,
and feel they are reasonably timely delivering the product, then I would be happy to continue with them for many more films.
I am very new here, but I will check about posting on the ProZ job listing. Thank you for your suggestions as well.