How to Become a TED Translator
Make sure you are sufficiently fluent in the spoken source language., Make sure you are sufficiently fluent in the target written language., Familiarize yourself with best practices.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make sure you are sufficiently fluent in the spoken source language.
You must be fluent in both the language of the TED talk (almost always English), and the language that you are translating into.Therefore, you need to be able to capture the nuances of spoken English well enough to translate it into the target langauge.
Fluency means that you speak or read your non-native language with sufficient skill as to equal or approach the level of a native speaker of that language. -
Step 2: Make sure you are sufficiently fluent in the target written language.
TED talks often talk about obscure and technical subject matter.
If you choose to transcribe or subtitle, you must be fluent enough in the target language to translate the jargon and cutting edge vocabulary that you'll hear. , You must familiarize yourself with and abide by subtitling best practices.
You can find a list of best practices at http://www.ted.com/participate/translate/guidelines#h2--subtitling.
Some important ones to be aware of include:
Putting the proper number of lines and characters in each subtitle.
Making sure the reading speed for each line is not too fast or too slow.
Compressing the written material while preserving the meaning. -
Step 3: Familiarize yourself with best practices.
Detailed Guide
You must be fluent in both the language of the TED talk (almost always English), and the language that you are translating into.Therefore, you need to be able to capture the nuances of spoken English well enough to translate it into the target langauge.
Fluency means that you speak or read your non-native language with sufficient skill as to equal or approach the level of a native speaker of that language.
TED talks often talk about obscure and technical subject matter.
If you choose to transcribe or subtitle, you must be fluent enough in the target language to translate the jargon and cutting edge vocabulary that you'll hear. , You must familiarize yourself with and abide by subtitling best practices.
You can find a list of best practices at http://www.ted.com/participate/translate/guidelines#h2--subtitling.
Some important ones to be aware of include:
Putting the proper number of lines and characters in each subtitle.
Making sure the reading speed for each line is not too fast or too slow.
Compressing the written material while preserving the meaning.
About the Author
Douglas Morgan
Creates helpful guides on creative arts to inspire and educate readers.
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