Team GB aren’t the only ones limbering up for Rio! Even though London 2012 feels about five minutes ago, at Ericsson we’ve been preparing for the next Olympics ever since, exactly like the athletes themselves.

OK, maybe not exactly like the athletes. But subtitling the Olympics is arguably the toughest job in a subtitler’s career. All the coverage is live, which means nothing can be pre-prepared in advance, and the sheer amount of niche information that we have to cram into our heads is mind-boggling. We have to know our keirin from our ippon from our Fosbury. Not to mention the names of all of the athletes (and their horses in some cases).

As soon as the Olympic flame was extinguished on 12th August 2012, the athletes set their sights on Rio and so did we subtitlers. Mo Farah no doubt rewatched footage of his glory to see what he could learn, and so did we. What did we do well? What did we struggle with? How can we improve next time? Those are the questions that have driven us for the last four years as we strive for more accurate live subtitles with minimal delay.

Louis Smith probably has a new pommel horse and set of rings at his place. Well, we’ve got a shiny new piece of kit too. We’ve co-designed new live subtitling software which has enabled us to make great strides in improving our live accuracy.

But the kit can only ever be as good as the subtitler who uses it. I mean, even if I rode Victoria Pendleton’s bike, I’d still be a rubbish cyclist. And subtitling live is no mean feat. Our respeakers and stenographers have to reproduce faithfully whatever is broadcast in that moment. We have to be alert, accurate, focused and, above all, calm under pressure. There are no second chances in live subtitling and the weight of the nation is on our shoulders. Our public deserve access to the most exciting live television this summer.

So you see it is a bit like being an athlete. And after four years away from our biggest challenge, I can’t wait to get back in the saddle!

Rachel Thorn, Subtitler