That’s not a person. It’s the account from which they upload subs from whichever source, be it their own paid subbers or whatever the content provider hands them.
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I’m guessing there might be multiple persons or uploads as you say using it for that purpose, it’s just reading the subs on the profile I see that it’s not following the subtitling rules in the editor and I don’t mean the language… I talking about breaks in short sentence, space bar before/after - and after breaks… there is a space after / in ending italics…
A sample:
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xiaofengcanyue A character said literally, "You just threw a stone over a wall and killed two people."What was presubbed/“TE’d” by Viki was that “You killed two birds with one stone.”
I haven’t encounter this so far, but I have heard this is happening here a lot lately; which it doesn’t surprise me since I believe pre-subbed dramas are mainly done with translation tools (AI or vikibot, maybe?).
I’m not saying that eliminating the TE was the correct thing to do, but there’s not much we can do or say about it since it seems they are now doing things their own way. I think we need to keep pointing things here (in Discussion) like (imo) you excellently did here. Those explanations you gave here so well written is what we need to do in order for them to see what mistakes are being done in the drama’s subtitles/translations etc. The communication they are not having with us, but we can have with them directly or indirectly.
I don’t think a company that for years and years had their share of great volunteers here want to lose them over a low Quality pre-subbed work done; which paying customers will only complain about, and it’s only fair. That in my opinion will be the dumbest move they would ever make in here. Paid subbers in every [OL] will be too costly, so they still need those great good Quality work volunteers to continue doing their magic in here, and attract more [OL] paying subscribers.
But I do believe we have to agree that we were being bombarded by too many abusers and controlling groups that were doing more harm than good to this site. In my language for example (Spanish) the situation was so out of control, it was driving me insane, and now… so far, I’m very pleased that things are improving so much more, and that makes me very happy. So I feel that with time they will also work things out in every OL sector.
I always love these saying: ‘‘While the difficult takes time; the impossible just take a little longer.’’
‘‘When there’s a will, there’s always a way.’’ They will find a way to make things right, and fair for all of us in general. I have no doubt about it. I surely hope I’m not only making assumptions based on the faith I have on: ‘‘Do good and good will always come back to you.’’ The many faithful, good quality volunteers, working here for years and years, deserve that much.
PS. Sorry… also the new volunteers that give quality work here, and may not have been here for years and years, but deserve to be appreciated, too.
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Regarding the topic I created at the Help Center, I got a reply, I wouldn’t call it an answer.
So maybe some of you can help me out, if you write a post openly at Viki, and it is made into a request (yes, I know keep it private, if it is not a simple question strategy, avoid open discussions or so it seems to me at last …) is it normal, that the one from the back desk will address the staffer from the front desk … Not that I already feel kind of ignored, but getting that feeling two times in one “request” is hard to swallow.
So to make it clear
I am A the writer of the post,
B is the staffer at the front helpdesk
and C is the staffer at the back desk.
So C is thanking B for her feedback.
Hello Viki! Is what I want to shout over the ocean, I know there are many requests every day. But addressing the wrong person on a sensitive matter and ignoring that matter all in all … Makes one feel like Don Quixote …
The only part of the answer I got that I want to share with you is this one.
While paid subtitlers aren’t available for now, we really appreciate your input and proposal.
This seems out of context, but believe me when I say this is the only point the problem was slightly touched.
Does it refer to all languages? Who knows? Can I even consider this as an answer to problems of finding a project for English translators that is not only editing these days? I don’t know?
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To be honest, I’m not sure this so called TE is doing any editing at all. Things translated so off that even someone that doesn’t know the language can see it. Others are not translated at all. A very long line and only two words translated. I have a feeling they are just uploading the full translation at once and not even watching what is going on in the scene. I’m in 3 projects with staff doing TE. Two of them are fairly good, but one is so so so bad it made me cry a couple of times. And I can’t even see who did it because it only says Viki. That’s the worst part. We can’t even talk to the person to ask questions. Not cool. Not cool at all.
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They are definitely not watching the scene.
Not only they ignored to answer your questions, they even closed the post, and gave you the run around of a ticket that will stay in limbo or marked as solved. How disappointing it is to see this happening here…
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They think it might be only me and 4 others who upvoted the post. So with thousands of volunteers, no worries. (This is not even sarcasm.)
Since subtitles/segments are still coming, they don’t see when another “wave” of pillars in the volunteer community is leaving.
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It does not seem that they’re interested in talking to the volunteers.
And if they think it’s just you plus few others a strike might be the only way to get some attention from them.
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I would not recommend a strike, we did one in the past, and it is hard going through with it with a hundred volunteers, but now the number is so much higher.
It will probably backfire as Viki is no longer a start-up streaming project but an actual company, if volunteers hurt the relationship with the customers it doesn’t help either.
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You’re right but then there’s no option at all because volunteers accept everything and the company follows its own priorities anyway.
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I already discussed this with someone in p.m. and we agreed that nowadays a strike is not a useful weapon, because they already can do the job without us. So they can just shrug and say “okay, you don’t want to do it? Fine by us, we have the paid subbers anyway”. All that will happen is that we’ll lose our viki pass, and have no tangible result.
I was thinking the other day … If the situation comes to the worst, and we cannot contribute to Viki anymore, would I stay as a regular subscriber here? Paying to watch dramas? My answer was no.
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I might watch whatever I could watch for free… and maybe not even that because of the bitter taste that scenario might leave me with. Paying, though? No way.
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Are you sure that they’d pay for all languages?
And are you watching so many shows here?
There are so many interesting shows at different places that I barely have time to watch long Asian shows here so…
On the other hand if I really want to watch something 5$* is easy paid compared to the amount of work the volunteering needs… Especially with certain bugs that caused me again to write the same subs 3 times because they were not saved…
*In case that the subs finally get correct syntax in my language because that’s still the main issue and reason why I avoid subs in my native language here
I’m watching movies or shows elsewhere with subs and there (official streaming sites) there’s no such severe issue with the syntax.
Yes, I know, however it’s not about the money. I don’t know whether I can explain it. Although … the money too… paying even one dollar would seem a joke, after all the hours of unpaid labour I gave here. But, forgetting about the money, it’s also (maybe mainly) I would not want to come to Viki at all, you get what I mean?
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Yes. You should get a free lifetime subscription for all the time and work you’ve done here.
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Okay, to keep you updated. I got another reply, after complaining about - one, that I wasn’t addressed as the recipient. I got an apology for that, so in old K-drama-style - “it’s in the past” and about the second one …
About volunteers related to English subs, because that was the main point and the one from the help-desk will contact the team from the back-desk to send a reply soon.
Now, I am starting to get just a little curious. I will keep you updated.
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Is a translation editor needed for viki, the subber? What do you think?
Here is my review of just FIRST FIVE MINUTES of Reborn Rich Episode 1.
3:59 “Equity security is another word for stocks.” “equity security” is another TERM (not one word)
4:18 sub: “Manipulation of stock, misconduct and embezzlement”
Accurate and complete: “manipulation of stock prices, breach of fiduciary duty and embezzlement” What the heck is stock manipulation? No such animal in the criminal code!
4:21 “probation” should be replaced with “suspension of sentence”
4:24 “probation” should be replaced with “suspension of sentence”
4:29 “Was there really no connection?” Complete subtitle “ Was there really no connection between the manipulation of Soonyoung Chemical stock prices and the succession of management?
4:50 “probation” should be replaced with “suspension of sentence”
In the prior scene with the reporters and this scene instead of “probation” they should say “with the sentence suspended for 5 years.”
This means the execution of the sentence of 3 years in prison is suspended for five years. The convicted chairman doesn’t have to go to jail during those five years — and if he behaves during those five years, he will never have to serve the three year prison sentence. https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/blog/suspended-sentence/ “A suspended sentence and probation are two different things” but the subber obviously does not know that.
4:52 “As long as you’re wealthy enough” — should be the literal “If you have “chaebol” stamped on your forehead, (leave in the literal for the Korean “flavor” of the drama)
4:52 “a gracious chairman can get away with professional misconduct, embezzlement and even tax evasion”
Should be: “a noble chairman can get away with breach of fiduciary duty, embezzlement, and even tax evasion. “
“gracious” is not the correct word — it should be “noble” gracious means “ courteous, kind, and pleasant.” The chairman is “noble” — that is High ranking because of his position as head of a conglomerate.
sub uses “professional misconduct” which in English is professional malpractice (like a doctor leaving a sponge in the patient’s body during an operation) - but here it should be the breach of fiduciary duty that the chairman owed to the stockholders of the company
5:10 Because there can’t be probation if the sentence if over 3 years. Not Probation again – suspension of sentence
What do you think? When the viki subber leaves out so much in the sub “Was there really no connection?” viki is taking advantage of the fact that most channel managers, other language subbers and viewers don’t understand enough Korean to know that the subtitle is incomplete and inaccurate.
When the word “probation” is used rather than “suspended sentence” or “professional misconduct” rather than “breach of fiduciary duty” it shows that being fairly fluent in English and Korean may not be enough. That often being a good editor or a good subber requires the willingness to do a google search to be sure you are subbing correctly.
For 11 years I’ve worked with other editors who spent a lot of time on Google on technical matters. This is not a legally complex story so far. Just routine white collar crime. I’ve seen similar errors in medical dramas, criminal stories, business stories, etc. and even high fashion.
27:38 Financial gobbledygook here: The subtitle says “Soonyang Group will be restructured as a holding company to improve asset quality, which is an issure the group has been called out on multiple times.”
Why would becoming a holding company improve asset quality? What is the issue?
Per the script, what was said is " “We will cut off the practice of subsidiary cross-investing, which is a chronic criticism of the company, which will improve asset quality.” (Explanation – the asset quality is to compare a company whose assets consist of shares of affiliated companies, profitable or not, versus a company whose assets consist of shares which hopefully were bought because the shares are from sound businesses)
A later subtitle refers to the cross-investment which is an indicator the statement about a holding company is incorrect. The later subtitle, however, is nonsensical.
Subtitle says: " In that sense the huge amount of profit that will be levied as a result of shares traded by all subsidiary companies during the transition will be paid faithfully and accurately." Why would profits be paid faithfully and accurately? This is in fact what is said: “The huge amount of TAX generated by stock trading between affiliates will, without any exception, be paid legally and faithfully.”
I guess the ordinary viki fan just wants to look at Song Joong Ki and to heck with whatever the subs say! But I think we should NOT dumb down the subtitles nor tolerate nonsensical subs.
What do you think? Is a translation editor needed or not on viki subbed K drama?
How about the pre-subbed Chinese and Japanese dramas – are you seeing similar mistranslations?
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Wow, what a difference, I realize it’s not worth it watching dramas that have been subbed by Viki… you never know what you might have been missing in meaning, that could completely change what’s being sad. I should rather wait until episodes are released by the volunteers. - It’s indeed a pity, that Viki (as it seems) has no control or knowledge about the quality… of the paid subtitles. @vikicommunity
Having no control is in some cases more accurate. I am not that up to date with the new dramas, so when I watch most of the time editing already happened only at one drama so far I noticed when it was mentioned that “subtitles have been provided by the broadcast company”, I think it was KBS, but I am not sure.
Sometimes it already “angers” me, when an aunt is aunt “but per subtitle”, they will use the name. After a thousand dramas, my ears somehow feel annoyed, and my eyes insulted, and my brain feels like it “accidentally fell in the mixer” as sound and visual subtitle just won’t match, and I wouldn’t say that I know Korean, just that some phrases are familiar …
That drama also often had subtitles with room for interpretation, when I am sure there isn’t any. The poor OLs, if they do not have someone they can ask …