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Lee Wing-Sze

What qualifications do you need?

No specific qualifications; all you need is good English and Chinese language skills.

What sort of person does the job suit?

You must have a passion for movies. You'll  also have an advantage if you have some knowledge of films.

What's the best way into the industry?

The best way is to send samples of your work to film distribution companies. There  is very little recruitment of in-house subtitle translators.  Most people work as freelancers.

Is there a clear career path?

Not really. It's hard to set up your own subtitle translation company unless you hire a group of people to do the work systematically. The best you can  hope for is to be credited at the end of a movie.

What work hours do you keep?

I work about six hours a day.

What's the best part of your job?

Translating a movie  by your favourite director;   it's a feeling of being part of the movie that you can't get from just being in the audience.

What's the worst?

It's a lonely profession. It's hard to share  the pleasure you get from work with others. It's an exciting job but not many people can appreciate what you do. It's a very personal feeling.

Who's your role model?

No one in particular. But, here in Hong Kong, we are hoping to become as professional as  subtitle translators in Japan. In Japan, the names of translators  are shown when the movie starts. And people will go to see the film because of the translator. In Hong Kong, some distributors still refuse to credit the translator in the movie. We are not dreaming  of being famous but we want to be respected for our work.

Salary?

When you first start, it's about $2,000 to $3,000 for translating a production for DVD release. The best you can get from translating a movie for theatrical release is about $5,000 to $6,000. On average, it takes you four days to finish a job.

Last word?

This is a lonely job but, in a way, it is a very private, relaxed and free job that allows you to make good use of your imagination.



I wanna be a subtitle translator