Big Hit Entertainment Is Hiring Translators, Following Pleas For BTS Subtitles
International fans have been tirelessly calling for subtitled BTS content, and it seems that Big Hit Entertainment has finally responded!
Recently, I-ARMY trended #BigHitAddSubs to draw attention to Big Hit Entertainment’s ongoing dependence on fan translators for BTS, and why it’s problematic. Many ARMYs pointed out BTS’s ARMY.zip membership content (which costs between $80-$100 USD) is unsubtitled, but fans who provide translations for the content risk getting their membership revoked.
I bought army zip but can’t understand a thing. I’m so sad that it’s my first but don’t have means to know the content. Please provide subtitles for all BTS content. It’s the least that you can do @BigHitEnt
— JK Pics (@jeonggukpics) November 27, 2019
Brazilian ARMYs, in particular, were up in arms after discovering that BTS’s latest DVD, BTS WORLD TOUR: LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF SAO PAULO, doesn’t have Portuguese subtitles.
Korean, English and Chinese subtitles? is this a joke? Many do not speak English in our country, much less Korean and Chinese! We are a portuguese speaking country BigHit, we would like a little more consideration please. +
— Eoq Bangtan2? 🍀 (@Eoq_Bangtan2) November 27, 2019
Shortly after this subtitle issue made headlines, beNX (a subsidiary of Big Hit Entertainment) posted a recruitment notice for translators. The job description is as follows:
Deliver high quality, accurately translated media content to global fans. By competitively providing video content as part of the entertainment service, it contributes to enhancing the convenience of customers and expanding service. At the forefront of providing content for services that have not existed before, you can experience engaging with content creation and engaging with global users.
— beNX
Responsibilities for this position include: video content translation and subtitle production management, supervising the translation of foreign languages (English, Japanese, Chinese), reviewing, and examining video subtitles.
This job opening provides an opportunity for fan translators to finally be paid for their work, if they meet this list of main requirements:
- Academic
- Any major (preferably majoring in foreign languages, interpretation / translation)
- More than 3 years of experience in translating foreign languages (at least one of English, Japanese and Chinese)
- Those who have experience in translating / supervising popular culture contents or correcting translation and misinterpretation
- High-level Korean → Those who have the ability to translate and write foreign languages (using correct grammar and vocabulary)
- Excellent time / schedule management
- Highly interested in cultural arts and entertainment
There is also a list of preferred requirements that will give applicants an advantage over their competitors:
- Master’s degree or higher, including Graduate School of Interpretation and Translation
- Those who can translate two or more languages among English, Japanese and Chinese
- Those who have live broadcasting translation experience
- Those who have experience in translating entertainment / movie content
- Those who have experience producing video subtitles
- A person with a high level of understanding of the relevant language / cultural environment due to cultural residence or in-depth experience with the language.
The job comes with several perks and benefits, including company events, like tea time with the CEO!
- Quarterly Cultural Days to experience trends
- Townhall meetings and small tea times for direct communication with the CEO
- Random lunch, Big Hit Entertainment ladder event for staff exchange
For more on the subtitle issue, find out why some fans were upset by Bang Si Hyuk‘s remarks at ASEAN-ROK.
ARMY Criticises Bang Si Hyuk’s Stance On Fan Translators For BTS