How did you become a video translator?
It was a complete accident. She graduated from German Studies at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. I linked my career plans to translating literature. Once upon a time, the organizers of a Jewish film festival were looking for someone willing to speak German to translate the film. as a volunteer. It was a new experience for me. I tried it and liked it.
What was the movie like?
– “Hitler’s People”, that is, “Hitler’s People” – a two-part documentary film based on the films of Bogusław Wołoszański. This is the story of Allied soldiers who find themselves in Berlin just after the end of the war.
Which job was the hardest for you?
“It was definitely the dialogue of a Netflix show. It was about a cooking ‘talent show’ – six half-hour episodes. Lots of effort, because the kitchen is not my strongest point.
What causes the biggest problem during translation?
– Wordplay, jokes and songs. The English language has many meanings. Not everything can be translated clearly. You should mix and match to present the content as faithfully as possible. An example of this is the previously mentioned “talent show”. In an episode of Hanukkah, the host at one point says, “Let’s do it, darlings,” to which a contestant replies, “Maybe let’s boob this?” It is a word game based on the phonetic similarity between the two phrases. ‘With life, my dears,’ she suggested; ‘what about a Jew?’ I leave the judgment to the viewers. There are times when I ‘get stuck’ while working. I take a break afterward. From the movie to come back to later. It’s a mistake. Then comes the deadline for submitting the script, and suddenly it turns out we have gaps in translation. And we’re waiting for creative inspiration that shouldn’t come at this point. It’s also difficult to translate lyrics. You have to keep the meaning and the rhymes. Rhythm is also preferred.
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Why are translated titles often different from the original or not translated at all?
– As a translator, I often receive instructions from the client as to whether or not the specified title should remain in the original. It’s not up to me to decide. In my opinion, the titles should remain in the original, because later strange situations arise. “Hangover” was subtitled “The Hangover”. Interesting word game. The problem is that the action of the second part takes place in Bangkok, so in the Polish version we have “Hangover in Bangkok”.
How many movies can we watch so far thanks to your dialogue lists in Polish?
“I didn’t calculate exactly, but it must be over a hundred.” Among the most famous is certainly one of the episodes of the popular TV series “Lucifer”. It was my first paying job. Effects of my work are available on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney.
How much do agencies pay for this work?
– I cannot reveal the exact prices. There are financial penalties for this. I have a signed contract with a foreign agency. I get paid in dollars. All I can say is that within a minute of translating a movie, you can earn – turn into zlotys – from a few zlotys or about ten zlotys. I admit I love feature films…
The best movie I’ve ever seen is…
Before Sunset by Richard Linklater. This is the second part of an amazing trilogy. A low budget movie with almost no action, the characters just talk, but the dialogue and script are great.
What is the worst production?
“There was a lot of it. But the biggest failure in my opinion was the reality show ‘Beverly Hills Wives’. I know because I explained. This is unwatchable. I advise against. Waste of time.
Would you accept a request to translate a Polish movie for a German viewer, for example?
– No, because I think you should just translate into your native language.
Have you translated pornographic films?
“I have never had a request like that. If I had, I would certainly have accepted it. Here, Michał Vygorski was one of the pioneers in subtitling porn. Likewise, the late Tomasz Knapik read his subtitles. But instead I translated several episodes of “The Simpsons”, and I’ve also corrected the dialogue menus for many fairy tales.
Does this profession have a future? There is more and more talk about artificial intelligence, there are electronic translators …
It will certainly happen that the translator’s profession will disappear. It’s a matter of time. I’ve already made corrections to the AI-translated dialog menus. You can see it right away. It is not working perfectly yet, but this industry is definitely going to be dominated by AI. He just has to “learn” how to convey emotion and handle jargon and jokes.
How will they manage, will you be unemployed?
Translations are not my only source of income. I am German by profession, and I also graduated from Psychology at SWPS University in Warsaw. Now I work in marketing. I can handle it.
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