Low pay and poor work conditions for subtitlers are forcing people to leave the profession in droves at a time when the demand for foreign-language streaming shows has never been greater. A Guardian article published on 14 November 2021 called Where have all the translators gone? examines the problem. Here are the key points. ..
This ought to be a booming time for professional subtitlers. Shows like Squid Game on Netflix are drawing record audience numbers; however, the benefits are not trickling down to the professionals who translate these foreign-language shows. Subtitling projects regularly offer freelancers US$1-3 per minute of programme time, which works out below minimum wage. Compare this figure to a satisfactory rate of around US$10-13 per minute and you can see the extent of the problem! There is no talent crunch in the subtitling industry: the reality is that the talent is out there, but few platforms are prepared to pay a decent fee for their skills.
The Guardian article quotes Anne Wanders, a subtitler based in Germany. She loves her job, but wouldn't recommend it to aspiring translators: 'It's so sad that if anyone would ask me: "Oh, I saw this job listing, should I try to become a subtitle translator?" I would have to tell them: "No you shouldn't. It's not worth your time"'. While Wanders enjoys her creative and challenging job, she explains that it's unsuitable as a primary source of income. A sentiment echoed by many translators today in many other industries, i.e. video game localisation.
The downward race to the bottom is making many of us question our future in the industry.
According to the chair of the British Subtitlers' Association, Max Deryagin, the situation is untenable, and many of the most experienced translators are leaving the profession for better-paid translation jobs or a something else entirely. Deryagin finds the situation frustrating because 'It should be a golden moment. We have insane volumes of work'. Instead, what he is seeing is widespread burnout and stress.
When companies complain of a shortage of skilled linguists, what it often really means is that those companies aren't prepared to pay for experienced translators. Another recent article by Gavin J Blair, published in The Hollywood Reporter examines the reasons behind why Netflix subtitles are, in his words: 'so bad'. While there is high demand for foreign-language content on streaming platforms, he notes, insiders are saying that those same platforms are pushing down fees for subtitling work. Add increasingly unrealistic deadlines to the picture and you have a recipe for disaster. Under such conditions, other types of work look much more appealing.
To put things in perspective take a look at the figures cited in the article:
* 50% of revenue obtained from most films comes from translated and accessible versions
BUT...
* Only 0.01-0.1% of the film budget is spent on the subtitled versions.