The professional subtitling environment varies across the globe in terms of rates and practices, and Arista Szu-Yu Kuo notes that the freelance nature of the work of many subtitlers makes it a difficult area of study.284 This means that there is no
one explanation of the professional subtitling process, environment, or working conditions which applies globally. In a survey of 429 subtitlers, it was found that rates varied greatly among the respondents, even those working in the same country.285 The results of the survey showed links between working conditions and
the presence of ‘strong subtitlers’ associations and unions’, revealing that in countries with strong unions, ‘the working conditions of subtitlers… were more homogenous and more likely to remain at a certain level, particularly as regards rates, royalties and credits…’286 Thus, in certain countries, there is less variation
in conditions, as freelancers are supported by associations and unions which can sometimes negotiate rates and other conditions on their behalf.287 This indicates
284 Arista Szu-Yu Kuo, ‘Professional Realities of the Subtitling Industry: The Subtitlers’ Perspective’, in Audiovisual Translation in a Global Context : Mapping an Ever-Changing Landscape, ed. by Rocío Baños Piñero and Jorge Díaz Cintas (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), pp. 163–91 (p. 163).
285 Ibid. p. 171. 286 Ibid. p. 189.
that there is value in the creation of unions and associations, and that their presence does have a concrete positive impact on the profession. The French context is highlighted by Kuo as an example of one in which subtitlers have the support of the Association des Traducteurs et Adaptateurs de l’Audiovisuel, which is described as ‘a rather active and visible AVT association.’288 Thus, the context
in which the subtitlers interviewed here work should be recognised as offering better conditions than some.289 Furthermore, the subtitlers surveyed for this thesis
were approached due to their membership of ASIF, and thus benefit from contact with other freelance subtitlers working in the same country, with the same language combinations. This means that they are arguably not as isolated as some freelancers might be, and benefit from a professional network with which they could discuss rates, deadlines, and other relevant factors affecting their daily work.
Scandinavian countries seem to have better conditions, this is particularly evident where issues such as translator credit are concerned.
The percentage of respondents who had ‘always’ been credited for their work in Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden was much higher than the rest of the countries under analysis (either close to or above 50 percent).290
It is recommended in the Code of Good Subtitling Practice that the subtitler be credited at the end of the translation, but this is not always the case in reality.291
The positive responses highlighted just above could be due to the presence of strong unions in Nordic countries.292 In Finland, for instance, after five years of
negotiations, agencies and translators working with audiovisual material signed an agreement covering issues such as fees and copyright in 2015.293 This is a positive
288 Ibid. p. 172.
289 Portugal is offered as an example of a country in which subtitlers do not have the support of unions and professional organisations, and in which the lower rates received by subtitlers might be explained by the lack of such organisations. Ibid. p. 172.
290 Ibid. p. 180.
291 Carroll and Ivarsson. 292 Szu-Yu Kuo, p. 180.
293 This agreement was not signed by SDI media. For more information, see ‘Audiovisual Translators and Translation Agencies Reach a Collective Agreement in Finland – Agreement Left Unsigned by One Company - Av-Kääntäjät’ <http://www.av-
development for AVT professionals in Finland, and perhaps an example to be followed by those working in AVT in other countries where there are no unions.294
The responses from subtitlers in Portugal do indicate a difference in conditions compared to those working in the Scandinavian countries, for example. In the UK, subtitlers can join organisations such as SUBTLE, which aims to ‘promote high- quality subtitling and to maintain standards of professionalism within the industry’.295 It was mentioned above that there is also a union in France working
towards similar goals.
In Audiovisual Translation: Subtitling, Díaz-Cintas and Remael explain the main stages in the subtitling process, noting that once the client has commissioned the translation, the copy of the film provided is checked by the agency.296 They also
verify the dialogue list, and note any additional information that needs to be translated. Following this, a working copy of the film is made, and at this stage measures may be taken to prevent pirating (the agency may only provide those scenes for which translations need to be done, for example). The next step is spotting the film, where the dialogue is broken into sections for which one subtitle would appear, and the in and out times of each subtitle are set. The materials are then sent to the subtitler, though Díaz-Cintas and Remael note that sometimes the translator may have to work from a text document or template, rather than having a copy of the audiovisual content. Of course, Díaz-Cintas and Remael’s description of the subtitling process is an ‘ideal’ example, and in practice the process varies, as well as the materials to which the subtitler has access. For example, Kuo found that 10.7 percent of respondents never work with a copy of the film.297 The approach adopted in this thesis highlights the significance of the
multimodal nature of film, and I would argue that this is the case not only in the analysis, but also in the production of subtitles. Nevertheless, 71.8 percent of subtitlers responding to the survey always work with the audiovisual material. Sometimes the subtitler is also required to do the spotting of the film – indeed,
294 Although this is a positive development, it should be noted that the agreement does not cover freelancers in Finland. It represents a step in the right direction, but there is still room for improvement.
295 ‘SUBTLE - The Subtitlers’ Association || Subtitlers.Org’ <http://www.subtitlers.org.uk/> [accessed 1 November 2017].
296 For the full explanation, see Díaz-Cintas and Remael, pp. 30–34.. 297 Szu-Yu Kuo, p. 185.
that is the recommendation of the Code - and if this is the case, they will return their work in a subtitle file type, such as an .srt file, or another file type specific to the software they use.298 An .srt file, for example, includes the subtitles and
timecode information, but not formatting such as colour.
It can be seen, therefore, that there is huge variation in global subtitling practices. This general overview serves as a context into which the data collected for this thesis can be placed. Given the variation in rates, deadlines and union support, it should be noted that subtitlers working with French companies do appear to benefit from better conditions than some.299