All I can say, as a native Texan who loves Hispanic language and culture: “¡Qué lástima”!
I am barely bilingual, but the love I have for the energy and vitality of the way of life I absorbed like a sponge until I was nine. My father’s first job out of college was in Corpus Christi, Texas, and, assuming they’d raise their children and grandchildren there, they opened as many doors and windows as they could to allow la luz y el aire del español en mi vida.
What I breathed in was an intense love of culture, family, and beauty, and pride in doing good and being good in all areas of life.
My view of the petty behavior that ruins some projects is that it is almost inevitable because of the unwillingness of Rakuten Viki to create structures of accountability.
When you think about it, the process for getting Viki dramas up on the website and shared around the world is NUTS
A lot of people–mostly women it seems–never EVER see each other, are not able to communicate directly in real time, have no Viki staff who they can interact with in real time, and have no way of knowing who is truly capable regarding translations.
There is not even a consistent system of writing subtitles and checking them so that English-language subs go up with accurate spellings, all necessary punctuation and formatting, and word choices that are typical and natural.
Who knows how the Viki organizational chart is put together? Who knows where Viki volunteers who are allowed to make binding decisions fit in in that chart? And who in the Viki organizational chart who is being paid a salary decides which Viki volunteers get to be in charge of things?
I have no idea whatsoever. Do you?
I have never seen a photo of anyone I work with or heard her (or his) voice. I have never talked on the phone with anyone on a regular basis, never had a monthly or weekly Zoom conference. I have never been asked for a résumé with three people as references.
And sorting out the Viki subbing and segging functions so that there is clear accountability and good communication in real time (or close to it) is NEVER going to happen.
It’s so obvious, year after year, that Rakuten doesn’t want to spend money it definitely has on a tiny part of its huge organization. Viki adds a coolness factor to a huge, boring conglomerate without Rakuten having to spend anything beyond occasional upkeep to the server farm that is the virtual storehouse of its entertainment assets.
So what if life for dedicated seggers and subbers is stressful and unsure and people who are not dedicated keep trying to dictate how things should be run?
Channel managers who are striving to keep the segging/subbing process headed in the right direction should announce a cessation of all projects until Viki creates a simple accountability structure, either one coming down from the corporate level or one that is based on standards set by the community.
And when I say simple, I mean simple. Look at all the complaints about how things don’t get done, find the common elements, and come up with a list of ten things that need to be done to make things better, five ways to those things, and twenty people in the community who are the most experienced, respected, and trusted who could form an oversight board.
Yes, there is always the possibility that Rakuten folks would say, “That’s bothersome; we don’t need Viki that much,” and it gets shut down.
But more likely, I think, is the possibility that Rakuten folks would say, “Sure, go for it. Less trouble for us.” People in suits like it when somebody else does all the work, and they get all the credit.
Anyway, it’s sad that egotism and high-school immaturity have to be the main characteristics of some projects.
