The Linguist

The Linguist 57,3 – June/July 2018

The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology

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@Linguist_CIOL JUNE/JULY The Linguist 29 OPINION & COMMENT a whole new culture and the many things that come with that. Being immersed in Québécois culture, I learnt to snowboard, track moose, play ice hockey – and even how to survive a 25km hike in a -40 o snowstorm. As a Brit, I struggled at first with the directness of the French language and was sometimes overly polite, but I have since learnt to incorporate this attitude into my day-to-day life. I am now less scared to ask for what I want, and more confident in asking employers for job openings or applying for jobs that are a little ambitious. I feel more socially capable and approach conversations more easily. Language study is an interdisciplinary endeavour in which you learn about a great variety of subjects, whether by talking in the target language about politics, business or science as part of your A-level, or through translating a text about plumbing on your university course. School students who are not yet sure what they want to do in the future should be encouraged by this interdisciplinary aspect. The range of skills you learn during a languages degree improves your career and life prospects in unexpected ways. Student Affiliate Ed Bugler is a final year student of International Relations and Languages at the University of Portsmouth. TL Q. Why did you choose to study languages and how has that impacted on your life and work? A. I have always had a passion for travelling, so learning a language was a logical step for me. I picked up Spanish pretty quickly at school, so decided to do a BA in Spanish and Translation at Roehampton, with an aim to use the language as part of a future career. If I had not studied languages, I don't think I would be a live subtitler today. It has given me the opportunity to have a career in something I genuinely enjoy doing day in, day out. It has also allowed me to experience living in a different country: a year in Madrid as part of my degree. Q. When did you decide you wanted to be a live subtitler? A. After my degree, I felt I needed to specialise in an area of translation. Subtitling appealed because it combined languages with media (TV and film). My original plan was to subtitle between Spanish and English, but there weren't many jobs for interlingual subtitling. During my MA, I had been introduced to SDH (subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing). I really enjoyed live subtitling, so thought this was a possible career choice. Q. You now work for Deluxe. How did you get the job? A. I heard about Deluxe and the job opportunity through a guest lecturer who worked there. The application process was straightforward: I applied online and was invited to interview. The requirements were a degree, with a preference for languages. Q. What does the role of Live Unit Team Leader involve? A. I work a five-week shift pattern, consisting of early, day-time and late shifts, so I don't start and finish work at the same time each day. On average, I will subtitle about three hours of live programming each day; this doesn't include time allocated for prep (training in words, research etc). On a day shift, I arrive at 9.30am, subtitle an hour of This Morning, cover an hour of Sky Sports News at lunchtime and then half of a football match. Between live subtitling, I carry out tasks related to my role as Team Leader – this can involve allocating resources, training staff or liaising with clients. If there's an urgent pre-recorded programme that needs to be worked on, the team and I will work together to complete a file before it transmits. Q. What have been the highlights of the job so far? A. As a sports fan, subtitling the Euros 2016 and the Olympics were highlights. I was also involved in the planning of these events, so it was rewarding to see it all come together and run smoothly, without any subtitle outages! MA in Audiovisual Translation graduate Luke Barrett discusses his work as a live subtitler Just the job

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