The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2022 - 27

How I Went
from Translator
to Subtitler in
Just a Few Months:
Tips to Start You
on Your Way
By Molly Yurick
I
'll resist the urge to start
this article by saying how
2020 was a huge mess for
us all, because we've heard
it one too many times, so I'll
get straight to the point. The
pandemic took my translation
business from surging to
flatlining in a matter of days.
Before the pandemic, I was a
Spanish>English translator
specialized in tourism,
hospitality, destination
weddings, and official
documents. I also used to
do copywriting for clients in
those sectors.
Pre-2020, my stream of
work had been steady enough
that I never thought about
what would happen if people
stopped traveling, eating out,
and immigrating to other
countries all at the same time.
(Well, to be fair, nobody would
have ever thought that would
happen.) But the thing is, it did.
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The pandemic took away my
livelihood in the blink of an eye.
So, I moved quickly. I
decided to dive headfirst into
a specialization I had been
dreaming about for ages,
but never had the time to
study, research, and actually
specialize in: subtitling. I've
always loved watching TV
(with the subtitles on-even
in English!). I always thought
subtitling would be the coolest
gig around but had never made
it happen. The pandemic gave
me something I desperately
needed: a large chunk of time
and a good reason to diversify
my service offerings. Here's
an outline of the four steps I
followed to save my business
and quickly transition from
translator to subtitler.
Step 1: I signed up for the
mentoring program offered
by ATA's Audiovisual
Division (AVD). AVD offers
a free mentoring program
for division members. Long
before the pandemic, I applied
for the program in hopes that
my mentor could help me
decide if I should specialize in
subtitling. I was lucky enough
to be accepted and paired up
with Mara Campbell, AVD's
assistant administrator and
website coordinator. As a
seasoned expert in the field,
and as someone who loves
her work, Mara explained
the ins and outs of the
subtitling market, what it
was like to be a subtitler (e.g.,
" Watching TV will never be
the same again! " ), and what
I could expect from a career
in the industry. Mara is so
passionate about what she
does, and her enthusiasm
made me realize that this type
of work would be a great fit.
So, after just a few sessions
with her, I decided I would
American Translators Association 27
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The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2022

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