Of all the people on earth I love to hear from the most, there’s one person who’s neither family, friend, nor partner. I’ve never met her in real life. We’ve never talked on the phone. She’s essentially a stranger. But I love seeing that red bubble pop up next to her name in my messaging app.
Each time she pings me, I can’t help but smile and re-arrange my plans to accommodate her familiar request, a request that will usually take no more than ten hours of uninterrupted work to accommodate. For which I will be paid a nominal fee.
Nine times out of ten, I’ll say yes. I’ll be stressed for a few days as I try to find time for the task alongside my full-time job. I’ll be glued to my keyboard, fingers frantically flying, for most of the weekend. But by Sunday afternoon, all will be well again as I hit the shiny “complete” button and let out a contented sigh.
This person is my subtitles coordinator—the person through whom all of my subtitles translation projects flow. And boy do I love hearing from her.
Especially when I least expect it.
A welcome gift
As many of you know, I returned last week from a five-week trip to the UK. After getting two hours of sleep across two seven-hour flights and an interminable eight-hour layover, I was looking forward to a quiet, relaxing weekend.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered whether I’d hear from my subtitles coordinator—it being the first week of the month when projects typically came in from clients. Should I write her?
It was my first weekend back. I wanted to spend quality time with my partner and recover from my jet lag to be compos mentis for work on Monday—a subtitles project wouldn’t be welcomed. Let’s not write her and ask for work this month, I decided.
So I was surprised when, seeing a message from my coordinator late on Friday, my instant reaction was joy. She remembers I’m back from holiday! And she assigned me some work!
I eagerly scanned the information she had sent. The project wasn’t dissimilar to material I’d been translating the past few months—it would be easy. The deadline was Monday. Can I do it?
After checking with my partner that he had no daytime outings planned for the weekend, I said yes. Thank you for thinking of me, I wrote. This is a welcome home gift indeed.
And so I ended up spending much of my first Saturday back reading the script, studying the platform guidelines, then getting down to work. I wrapped up the translation on Sunday, waited a day for tricky words to come to me (sleep is the brain’s best friend), then on Monday watched the whole thing with my brand-spanking-new subtitles—finessing my translation as I went—and submitted the project with a flourish.
It was tiring work: mentally demanding and physically straining—my back was aching badly by the end of Saturday. Gone were eight hours of my weekend, but I thoroughly enjoyed the work. It was a great way to spend my first weekend back and recharge me for the new week—a welcome gift indeed.
What would you do for free?
There’s a saying that gets repeated often. It goes something like this: Even if you have your dream job, you’ll still hate it some of the time.
The reason we keep rehashing it is probably because it’s true. We can never enjoy something 100 percent of the time. Even our wildest dream come true will contain elements we don’t appreciate.
Translating subtitles for television and online streaming platforms—my sideline for seven years now—is a dream come true for me. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t mind the added stress to my work week, the long hours, the frustrations of failing to find that one elusive word.
But I still do it. Each month, I make myself say yes when my coordinator comes beckoning. Despite my ardent desire for screen-free weekends, my overwhelming laziness—I take my one project from her every single month.
Because there are few greater joys in my life than being entirely befuddled by—then emerging victorious from—the conundrum of finding the word that accurately conveys the meaning while respecting the context, the tone, the different cultural sensitivities.
Few greater joys than shouldering the responsibility of opening up a world of entertainment—movies, shows, documentaries—to the Thai public, broadening their minds and maybe—if I’ve done my job well—eliciting a chuckle or a tear.
Few greater joys than knowing whoever’s watching my work—reading my carefully-chosen words—will experience the material in exactly the way the creators intended.
Translating subtitles is difficult. It’s time-consuming. It’s stressful. And it doesn’t pay nearly as much as I’d like it to. But it brings a joy that far surpasses almost every other activity I do in life.1
Which is why I’d do it for free. I consider it a privilege. In the same way I am privileged to be working full-time for my favourite author,2 I feel absolutely privileged to broadcast my work onto the screens of millions.
Even when the platform I translate for doesn’t include a translator credit in the subtitles, even if no one ever finds out to whom they owe that laugh over a well-translated joke. Even if I never rise to fame, receive no glory nor fortune.
I’d still do it. Because it brings me joy. And a life of saying no to joy wouldn’t very well be a life worth living… would it?
What do you think?
If you were to gain no money, no fame…
What’s something you would do?
Are you one of the lucky few who’d do your day job for free? (If so, congratulations! I’m genuinely happy for you.) Or maybe there’s a hobby you’ve always enjoyed? Please hit “reply” or leave a comment—I read every response and I’d love to hear from you. If you want, share this with someone who’ll thank you for it.
Until next Friday… Stay thoughtful,
Val
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
I might even enjoy it more than writing. Shit, did I say that out loud?
I’d also do that for free. But shh… don’t tell him.