The importance of subtitles

[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...

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.