Yes, I don’t really understand it’s purpose. How is it useful for a mod to get a message with ‘Hey I want to sub episode X in language Y’? Do the other episodes not need subs? I went to Project Finder to see how one would send a message (didn’t send it) and I saw you can easily change the message to make it more personal and tell more about yourself. At the other hand, I also understand that many newcomers are inexperienced about how Viki works and might think this has been the normal process of applying for a long time.
I got a subtitle request via Project Finder a few days ago and yesterday I replied like this:
(I did reply in Dutch, but I’ll write it in English here)
Hey, I’m glad you’re interested in this drama, but I’m using it for Dutch Subbing Academy, so I won’t open it for other people for the time being.
I know Viki made it in such a way you can easily contact moderators, but personally I don’t like receiving messages like this because it doesn’t say anything about the person behind it. And if you write you want to sub ep. 21, I immediately wonder why just that episode and not the other ones? But I know it’s more because of Viki than because of you.
What you should do is looking for a drama that you’re interested in subbing. Good genres for beginners can be for example: family, school, romance and society. Then click on the drama and scrol down to the volunteer page. Check if there is a Dutch mod and if there is one send a message in proper Dutch so you will sound professional and convincing. Tell some useful info about yourself, like how often you can help, if you have any background knowledge that could be helpful for the drama etc. Also suggest you do a translation test before being accepted, since you haven’t done any subs yet. That might convince mods to give you a chance. Good luck!
And I got a message back in which she thanked me and said she would try it in that way. I hope for her she finds a project to work on.