"SDH is an art, and people in the industry have no idea. They think it's just a transcription, says Max Deryagin, chair of Subtle, a non-profit association of freelance subtitlers and translators. The thinking is that AI should simplify the process of creating subtitles, but that is way off the mark, says Subtle committee member Meredith Cannella. There's an assumption that we now have to do less work because of AI tools."
"Moreover the quality of AI-generated SDH is so poor that much work is needed to bring them up to standard but because human subtitlers are often assigned tasks as quality control, payment is minimal. Subtle notes that many of its members are now unable to make a living wage. SDH rates are not great to start with, but now they're so low that it's not even worth taking the work, says Rachel Jones, audiovisual translator and member of the Subtle committee."
AI-driven tools have altered SDH workflows but have not meaningfully reduced the time required to produce high-quality subtitles because auto-transcriptions still demand extensive correction. SDH requires nuanced creative decisions and expertise beyond simple transcription, yet that expertise is often undervalued. Poor AI output shifts remediation work onto human subtitlers, who are frequently paid minimal rates for quality control. Falling SDH rates and low remuneration make it difficult for many freelance subtitlers to earn a living wage, undermining the essential role they play in providing accessible captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]