Subtitling for cash?

[subtitlez]

Hi. I want to make money doing English subtitles. I've been doing subtitles "for fun" for a couple years now. I'm starting to get pretty good at it and would like to make money doing it. I don't have anything I can show for it, but I've done several video hours worth of English subtitles. Any suggestions?

[JVRaines]

I suggest you go find something to show for it. No one will hire you for work you cannot demonstrate.

[subtitlez]

I suggest you go find something to show for it. No one will hire you for work you cannot demonstrate.

How shall I build up a portfolio? Just subtitle random videos? Can you or someone here suggest a video for me to subtitle? I'll post my work...

[DB83]

Well I suggest that you, at the very least, state the source languages you support.

But surely this is unauthorised spam ?

[manono]

YouTube is looking for subbers:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7124236?hl=en

[subtitlez]

Well I suggest that you, at the very least, state the source languages you support.

But surely this is unauthorised spam ?

English is the source language. Only English to English. I do this for people who are hard of hearing or for making to process of translation easier for others, as they have a hard time hearing and understanding English sometimes, since it's not their native language. Many people do this. Go check out a Pewdiepie video. His English subtitles are fantastic. I specialize in amateur documentaries.

You can call it whatever you want, but I've been wondering this question for a very long time and finally asked the question. How did YOU get started doing subtitles? And how did YOU actually start getting paid for it? I think it's a good question with good stories behind it. I've tried applying for subtitling websites and their software always sucks and the test video is atrocious audio with a foreign speaker and heavy accent. That's not exactly my strong point... I guess that's what it takes to be a subtitler...

[subtitlez]

YouTube is looking for subbers:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7124236?hl=en

No thanks... I would never in my life support Youtube Heros...

[usually_quiet]

I'm not sure where you should go for the advice you want, but this forum is the wrong group of people to ask for help in establishing a professional subtitling career. All but a handful of the members here are hobbyists who, at most, create subtitles for personal videos.

[subtitlez]

I'm not sure where you should go for the advice you want, but this forum is the wrong group of people to ask for help in establishing a professional subtitling career. All but a handful of the members here are hobbyists who, at most, create subtitles for personal videos.

Ya, I figured that was what I was getting into when I asked on this site. I just do subtitles as a hobby too. Mainly, I'm just trying to help translators.

[Topsy]

YouTube is looking for subbers:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7124236?hl=en

No thanks... I would never in my life support Youtube Heros...

Ohhh.. why not? Give Google lots of your unpaid time for the chance of perhaps one day having the privileged of "Applying for the Heroes Summit"!

Just think of the social currency and likes on Facebook you might get!

[manono]

No thanks... I would never in my life support Youtube Heros...

Okay, that's your prerogative. You asked for a source for videos to subtitle and I pointed you to thousands. But you only speak English?

...but I've done several video hours worth of English subtitles.

And that makes you ... what? ... an expert subtitler? I've done several hundred video hours worth of English subtitles. What qualifications do you have besides the fact that English is your first language? You and several hundred million other people. Are you especially proficient in the language? Not if your nickname here is any indication. You've mastered a few free subtitling programs? None of them are used by professional subbers.

[subtitlez]

No thanks... I would never in my life support Youtube Heros...

Okay, that's your prerogative. You asked for a source for videos to subtitle and I pointed you to thousands. But you only speak English?

...but I've done several video hours worth of English subtitles.

And that makes you ... what? ... an expert subtitler? I've done several hundred video hours worth of English subtitles. What qualifications do you have besides the fact that English is your first language? You and several hundred million other people. Are you especially proficient in the language? Not if your nickname here is any indication. You've mastered a few free subtitling programs? None of them are used by professional subbers.

Youtube Heros is a dishonest program. Have you seen their promotion video? Take note of the like/dislike ratio. Comments are disabled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh_1966vaIA

When I asked for suggestions, I was asking for a specific video to subtitle just to show my ability. And yes, I only speak English. English still needs to be subtitled in English as this makes future translations easier.

I was just giving my subtitling history. I'm better at subtitles than the average person. At least I have experience... And no, I'm not proficient in the language. I'm considering taking classes in English and if I can find a subtitling course, I'd take that too. Learning different languages is a goal of mine. I want to learn German. Possibly Chinese/Mandarin, whatever they wanna call it.

I started out only using the .srt files and that's it. Inserting times by hand, typing out the numbers, etc. Now I'm using software (Subtitle Edit) and it's much easier. And no, I haven't mastered the program. I've used the professional subber software and it takes a while to get used to but it's superior without a doubt. I should be allowed to use my own software though.

The reason I post this thread in the first place, as unqualified as I am, is because I see very low quality subtitles on some videos. I can do way better than them. So why shouldn't I give subtitling a try? After all, I do have some experience...

[subtitlez]

YouTube is looking for subbers:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7124236?hl=en

No thanks... I would never in my life support Youtube Heros...

Ohhh.. why not? Give Google lots of your unpaid time for the chance of perhaps one day having the privileged of "Applying for the Heroes Summit"!

Just think of the social currency and likes on Facebook you might get!

I would possibly be disowned by my peers.

Anyway, Youtube should be paying people to do those subtitles. Take it out of the ad revenue or something. If the video gets a decent amount of views and the channel owner approves of the subtitles, they should share profits, as this helps foreigners understand the video and attracts many new viewers. It can be done at least...

[DB83]

There are thousands of people out there who would like to try and turn a hobby in to a business (and if you expect to be paid for your work it becomes a business)

Businesses are built by reputation - not your own opinion. So you advertise your work and ask for feedback of it.

But as far as this forum is concerned it is still a form of un-authorised advertising ie spam. But that's just my opinion right now.

[subtitlez]

There are thousands of people out there who would like to try and turn a hobby in to a business (and if you expect to be paid for your work it becomes a business)

Businesses are built by reputation - not your own opinion. So you advertise your work and ask for feedback of it.

But as far as this forum is concerned it is still a form of un-authorised advertising ie spam. But that's just my opinion right now.

Sadly, I can't advertise my work but I am willing to show what I'm capable of.

I have great respect for my fellow subbers and would not want to be disrespectful on your forum.

It may be spam and I apologize but I just don't know where else to go for answers. If you want to point me to a different forum, I will hop on over there.

[Topsy]

YouTube is looking for subbers:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7124236?hl=en

No thanks... I would never in my life support Youtube Heros...

Ohhh.. why not? Give Google lots of your unpaid time for the chance of perhaps one day having the privileged of "Applying for the Heroes Summit"!

Just think of the social currency and likes on Facebook you might get!

I would possibly be disowned by my peers.

Anyway, Youtube should be paying people to do those subtitles. Take it out of the ad revenue or something. If the video gets a decent amount of views and the channel owner approves of the subtitles, they should share profits, as this helps foreigners understand the video and attracts many new viewers. It can be done at least...

Sorry - I forgot the [sarcasm] tag

[subtitlez]

Sorry - I forgot the [sarcasm] tag

I noticed the sarcasm but I decided to give it a serious response. That Youtube Heros thing is seriously bad...

[Topsy]

Yeah. Sooner or later people will realize there is no such thing as a free lunch.

[raffriff42]

I don't know, but if I were trying to find work in this (or any media/tech) field, I would find out who is successfully doing it now. If it's a single person (a freelancer), you can try asking for advice - how did they get into the business? Be prepared for grumps who don't want to help out any potential competitors. If it's a company with employees, try to (as with any job search) find the one person with the power to hire you. Try to get an interview with that person. Even if you are not hired immediately, you should get some worthwhile information, such as what training is required. If you make a good impression, you may get hired later when a position opens up.

At the same time, you should be building your resume (and your reputation in the community) with "pro bono" (free) work. You may make valuable contacts in the course of doing this, if you keep your eyes and ears open.

EDIT wow, that's a great tip, lingyi ↓↓↓↓↓

[lingyi]

Visit fiverr.com for an idea of the services and rates others are providing / asking. Keep in mind that it will take a while to get customers and "pretty good" probably won't get you rave reviews and repeat customers.

This is a good starting resource for any type of money making idea people may have since there's probably some already doing it on fiverr.