[for Amara.org] [and for EurOpinion.is]
Helloo... my name is Riccardo.
And I just received an email about the "International Translation Day"...
and I do want to support it, as kindly requested:
"raise awareness about their importance" (subtitles)
The importance of subtitles, and with it...
for a wider global public...
well, important documentaries or messages (knowledge, wisdom...)
to make them available.
I do think that is very important.
And when I saw that videos were suggested as an option, I thought:
"What better than a video in Dutch and then subtitle it in English..."
[instead of always the other way around ;)]
because I think that, amongst other,
the distribution of languages should be supported as much as possible!
And that everybody should, actually, always start in their original language....
and then, if necessary, subtitle it.
My personal story...
I was born in Italy, in Milan. My father is Italian.
But I grew up in Holland, from my fourth year on.
My mother is Dutch, although she was born in Indonesia.
And so, from my youngest years,
I have had the priviledge, to manage more than one langauge.
It is enriching! You grow from it. Other languages... other cultures.
With, additionally, what we have here in Holland, the fact that at school...
you also learn the other 'great' languages that surround us: German, French and English...
with another advantage on top of that, yet another priviledge...
that here in Holland, just like in Scandinavia or Portugal,
everything on tv or movie...
is SUB-TI-TLED
so you can HEAR the other language!
Not like other countries where they are being dubbed
which makes you loose the richness of the original language.
Just by hearing the other language you get to know the other culture...
at least in a certain way. [and thus, understand it better]
And you loose that by dubbing.
HERE is where I see an important role of subtitling.
...not dubbing as do most 'great' nations,
the great powers of Europa, you know France, Germany, Italy, Spain...
There, on your TV, you hardly hear...
you don't hear anything else but your own language...
that is a limitation.
I think it is a HUGE loss for the distribution and richness...
of languages and thus culture as well, because they are closely linked.
So that's why "subtitling"...
I feel a great appreciation for it!
And it made me very happy...
when I happened to bump into Amara. (subtitling service - NON-profit!)
I learned a lot through the work I have done for Amara...
and now I am continuing it for my own project.
well... let's say, in the interest of Europa :)
I think Europa is THE continent where...
subtitling still has to play an important role.
Well... Humanity... In the end, what it's all about...
is SHARING! and understand each other.
And to understand each other communication is used...
and that communication... when it is in different langauges...
you need translations!
Subtitling...
Ik think that...
yeah, the exchange of languages is also an exchange of culture [and understanding]
It is my conviction, that simply everything that exists on film...
should be subtitled, to all (other) languages that exist.
Considering that the priority and the importance in fact lies with...
those languages of which there is little 'left'...
due to that 'internationalization' and well...
let's say after... 'globalization' after colonialism.
I think that precisely the languages
that are least spoken and least known...
most should be translated TO and FROM,
to safe guard that language and the corresponding culture...
and with it also the "Culturo-Diversity" in the world.
Culturo-Diversity for global human society...
is just as important as Bio-Diversity for nature and our planet.
I think that the exchange of languages and culture is essential.
I try to work on that myself for Europa,
where, of course, you have a high concentration of a variety of languages and cultures.
And this SHOULD be the strenght of Europa...
while all great forces seem to make efforts...
to turn Europa into some kind of (industrial and homogeneous) amorphous CHEESE.
This would be a deterioration of Europa, so it must be fought against! :p
To be able to exchange between the different cultures and languages...
requires translators and subtitlers as fundamental elements.
I think that MORE, much more should be done...
than what is being done now.
This would be an important contribution
be it to a better Europa ♥ be it to a better World!
And as I said, I am still thankful...
to have been able to learn this through Amara...
as well as the use of the infrastructure.
I think this is long enough now, so: hasta la vista! ;)
(subs other languages, welcome! :)