Supply Subtitling news, sport and feature shows is a lot of fun. Yes, it certainly is a privilege to get paid to work on a Premier League match, breaking news story or an episode of the latest TV drama. But while most people consider watching TV as entertainment, for us it’s most definitely a job.
That said, it’s not something just anyone can walk into. We’re an uncommon lot, us subtitlers, and to work within this niche industry, a very particular set of skills are required. Excellent grammar, proofreading and editing abilities are an absolute must. A certain kind of brain is needed for the concurrent listening, processing, respeaking, and editing we do for every section of live TV. On top of all that, a subtitler needs to be fully across the material covered, and able to adapt to ever-evolving technology and software — all within a team structure.
In terms of recruitment it’s a tall order, but just now we’re looking to widen our outlook and attract new interest. We need the right people for the job, and once we’ve got them, the focus is on nurturing and developing talent like any other top employer. Last year we developed the concept of a University Outreach project, with the aim of fostering relationships between Ericsson’s Access Services team and academic institutions.
Earlier this year, we held a planning session in our Glasgow office. Over the course of two days we devised the basics of a half-day tour, designed to give undergraduates a really good ‘taste’ of our industry and showing them what life is like for a frontline subtitler. Our visit itinerary includes an outline of who we are and what we do; a basic laying-out of why Access Services exists and an introduction to our main clients. There is an emphasis on hands-on extended demos and shadowing with live and file subtitlers. We also look at what our Duty Managers do to keep the whole show rolling, and organise conversations with a range of different staff members.
This summer, after initial publicity and marketing work, we ran our first student visiting day in Scotland. Happily the day was a complete success, and we’re looking to repeat the project soon, ideally rolling it out to other national offices. The main aim is to raise awareness – we want people to see that ours is a fun and rewarding job, something a bit different from the norm. If you’re a soon-to-be graduate, or work at a university whose students might be interested in seeing what we have to offer, please do get in touch. We’d love to meet you and show you the world of Access Services!
Tom Caley, Live Subtitler