by Alba Martínez
The first thing that come to mind when talking about audiovisual translation are usually movies and series. The truth is that everyone wants to work on the next blockbuster movie or one of the most watched series on Netflix or HBO. But how do you get there? For me, it was difficult to find professional alternatives that would give me the experience I needed to work on more relevant projects. It is highly likely that translation agencies and dubbing studios do not trust recent graduates to translate products that are going to generate billions in revenue. Therefore it is important to know the market well and what options are out there. In the digital world we live in, most of the products we take in on a daily basis are audiovisual (commercials, live videos, webinars, and so on). After specializing in audiovisual translation, I started working for an education company translating webinar subtitles. The key is to start by offering services to a smaller audience. If you don’t know where to start or you can’t find companies that offer this type of work, you can contact your favourite streamer or youtuber to start translating subtitles or accessibility for their videos. If that person doesn’t have that service, you can be the first to offer it! It’s a way to create a market that adapts to the needs of the industry while gaining experience.
If you have been looking for job opportunities in the audiovisual translation sector for a long time without success, you can always try to create new opportunities by looking at the audiovisual material you take in on a daily basis that does not have translation or accessible subtitles. You can prepare a proposal and offer a small sample of your work to generate confidence in the potential client and attract their attention. There are many possibilities!
You could also collaborate with institutions such as NGOs and other nonprofits where you can offer your services using platforms such as Amara, where you can subtitle TED talks to practice your subtitling skills and get visibility, dedicating the time you can to each project.
As you can see, in just a few lines I have given you several options to start your professional career without experience. I wish you luck in your new beginnings and I hope my advice helps.
