Subtitles are an essential part of an anime film. They give the movie something extra that words couldn’t. They make the action scenes more exciting. They bring life to the characters. It’s no wonder that so many anime films get released with subtitles versions for different countries and audiences.
The demand for subtitling is great, but it can be hard to break into the industry. Most workers are either employed directly by a newspaper or magazine (which can be quite prestigious) or work for a company that hires freelance translators (which isn’t too bad either).
The Many Different Roles
The variety of roles made it pretty hard for me to choose just one. I got to experience a bit of everything during my time as a translator/subtitler. Sometimes I did the American or British versions, other times I did the Spanish ones, and sometimes I even mixed the different languages together. It was definitely an all-around experience that helped me understand many different accents and dialects.
The Benefits Of Working In This Industry
Working in this industry is pretty high-paying. The average salary for a freelance translator is around $100,000 a year, and the biggest companies can pay up to $170,000. That’s a big chunk of change, and it makes it pretty easy for an aspiring writer to get started. You can use your money to fund your hobby or side-hustles. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities for growth. You can work your way up to a management position, get promoted several times, and end up making a lot of money. It’s basically an entrepreneur’s dream. You’re your own boss. You set your own hours. And you get to make as much as you want.
Find Your Passion
Working in this industry doesn’t mean that you have to love anime. In fact, it can be pretty frustrating. You’ll probably have to deal with a lot of people who don’t share your passion for anime. Despite this, you can’t let the negativity get to you. You have to find the good in every situation and keep your head up. Above all else, you have to believe in yourself. The only person who can get the best out of you is you.
Get A Professional Working Environments
One of the things that made a massive difference for me was getting the professional working environment. Working remotely from home sometimes doesn’t cut it. You need a quiet place where you can focus without any distractions. This isn’t always easy to find, especially if you’re looking for a comfortable, mobile environment. Luckily, there are plenty of places where you can get a professional working environment. You can get an office at the library, or if you’re more of a homebody, you can use your laptop at a coffee shop or a library. Regardless, getting a quiet place to work is essential if you want to get things done. Even better, these places usually have high-speed internet so you don’t have to worry about being disconnected from the world. This is important for staying productive and continuing to grow as a writer. If you want to find out more, here are some places that offer a professional working environment:
Anime Industry
If you’re looking for something related to anime, then why not look at the source for jobs. The anime industry is a great place to start your search; with so many titles getting released every year, there’ll be plenty of jobs to go around. You won’t just be translating words, you’ll be participating in speech bubble cartoons, too. If this is something that appeals to you, then this is the place to be. There are plenty of jobs out there, and the pay is great.
Traditional Media
Journalism is another path that you can take if you want to get into the subtitle business. The demand for foreign language reporters is high, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, freelance translators made an average of $76,000 a year in 2018. That’s more than enough to live on, and it’s a great opportunity to travel the world and make lots of money. You’ll be doing a lot of research to break into this field, so make sure that you have lots of good ideas before you start applying for jobs.
Reality TV
If you’ve always wanted to be a voice actor, then consider applying for a role on a reality television show. There are plenty of shows where you can become an actual contestant and prove that you have what it takes. After you’ve competed in the show, then you can look for part-time or full-time work in the industry. It’s a great way to get your feet wet, and you can use your training to land a role in a major motion picture or on a nationally broadcast television show. If this is something that interests you, then reality TV could be the perfect place for you to start your career. It’s win-win situation for those who want to break into the industry.
Get To Work With Top Artists
A big appeal of this job is getting to work with some of the top artists in the industry. It can be pretty intimidating meeting your idols in real life, but in some cases, it can also be pretty inspiring. You’ll be working with legends, so make sure that you don’t disappoint them. These are the people who’ve been nominated for Academy Awards and had their work displayed in museums. Your first step to getting to work with these people is getting to know them. Check out their websites, follow them on social media, and read their blogs. This will give you a good sense of their personalities, and it will help you decide if they’re someone whose company you want to keep. If this is the case, then their company is someone that you want to work for.
Make Sure You Meet The Right People
This is crucial if you want to get the best out of this opportunity. It’s important to meet the right people, and the people you work with will have a huge impact on your success. It’s not always easy to find the right people to work with, but you can use this industry forum to its advantage. You can start by participating in online meetups and events for translators. This is where you can meet people who share your interest in anime, and it’s also a great place to find potential collaborators. Keep your eyes open for these kinds of events, and you’ll meet a lot of people who can help you get started.
Follow The Proper Steps
There are several steps that you need to take to get this job. The first thing you need to do is find the script. It’s important to go through a proper channel and get the approved version from the original creator, if you want to get credit for the work that you do. You should also look for scripts that haven’t been tampered with, since a lot of these films have already been released and it would be pretty easy for someone to find your translations and claim them as their own. Another step is researching the correct pronunciation of the words and phrases that you will be using. Since a lot of these films use Japanese, Korean, or Chinese characters, you’ll need to know how to pronounce them correctly. Luckily, there are a lot of tools online that can help you practice. You can download the hanzi.com app for example, or you can visit thesaurus.com and look up any character you don’t know how to say. This can also be quite fun, since you’ll get to learn new words and see how they sound in real life.
Stay Connected
If you want to make the most out of this job, then it’s important to stay connected with others who are also doing the same. You can join online communities of translators and make-up artists, and you can also follow anime industry blogs and keep up-to-date on the latest news stories. This can help you get a sense of what’s going on in the world of anime and allow you to stay informed about new projects.
Getting into the anime industry isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right strategy, focus, and drive, it’s possible to make it big. You’ll just need to be confident that you can do the job well, as there are plenty of people who are out to get you. If you’ve shown the ability to do quality work, then there’ll be no problem getting hired. Good luck out there.