3 Reasons Why Translators Love Netflix

May 22, 2017 | Translation

translators love netflix

Everyone loves Netflix, right? The streaming provider of movies and TV content has quickly become an international media-viewing phenomenon, available in 190 countries. The company produces so much high-quality original content that you could binge non-stop just to keep up with it —  and some of us do!

One subset of people who especially love Netflix are translators.

You may be wondering why this is so. What is the secret link that connects translators to a movie and TV streaming service? There isn’t just one reason we translators love Netflix – there are three!

Subtitles Are Fun for Language Geeks

Many Netflix shows come with language subtitle options, as well as a myriad of audio options. If you’ve ever watched a Netflix Original in its entirety, you may realize the credits can get pretty long. Observant watchers will realize this is because the credits also list the names of the additional foreign language dubbing and subbing staff.

If you’re a burgeoning translator, I actually recommend you use Netflix as a way to familiarize yourself with a language you’re not fluent in. Set the audio for a show to a language you don’t have fluency in, then set the subtitles to a language you’re comfortable with when it comes to reading fluency. Study the words and the subtitles. Do you recognize repeating words in both the dialogue and the subtitles?

This is also a great tool for those who are already fluent or semi-fluent in a language. This helps translators polish their language skills while also learning cool new words, synonyms, and slang terms. Perfect for language geeks, no?

Netflix Is Constantly Looking for Translators

Netflix’s appeal is that it’s global. If they want to serve content-consuming customers in a specific country, they need to have enough content translated into relevant languages in order to expand. Netflix will never run out of the need for translators because there will always be a new market to infiltrate, and new content always needs to be translated. This doesn’t even include existing content that needs translation packages!

If you’re looking for translation work that is simple yet prestigious, always look to Netflix. More translators for different languages cuts down on their subtitling time, and you get to see amazing shows before anyone else!

It’s a Cultural Smorgasbord

Because Netflix is global, it goes without saying that they have access to a lot of global content. You can find Bollywood movies, Korean dramas and Mexican telenovelas all available on Netflix, even if you reside in an English-dominated country like the United States or Canada.

There’s also the possibility for obscure translation crossovers, as well. Not every piece of content will be about switching from English to French, or from French to Spanish. What about Russian to Portuguese? Japanese to French? The possibilities are endless when you’re a global content curation platform like Netflix.

At the end of the day, media is about language, whether expressed verbally or otherwise. Language makes up how we consume most content — we read it, we listen to it. Netflix gives us a window into the world of media and makes it more accessible to a global audience.

Thus, Netflix is about an interconnected web of language barriers that are finally being broken. What translator wouldn’t love it?