Do TED translators get paid?
TED does not pay for translations (just as we don’t pay speakers to present), but we will give you credit for your work by name on our website.
How long can I have to work on my translation?
We ask that you complete your translation within 30 days. If you’re unable to finish, there might be someone else in our translator community who can finish the work you began. If you want to relinquish ownership of a translation you were unable to finish, please contact us.
What if I don't agree with the changes the reviser made to my translation?
dotSUB automatically emails you and the reviser once a translation has been assigned for review. We encourage revisers to contact translators with suggested changes before they actually make them. Since both of your names will appear on the translation when it is published on TED, we want you to both be satisfied with the quality. You may contact us if a dispute arises.
Where can I get help with using dotSUB?
The dotSUB Help Portal is located at http://help.dotsub.com/
I've tried to translate a talk, but dotSUB is denying me access. What's wrong?
You must first request to translate the talk by clicking on the button on the talk page on dotSUB. Once someone at TED approves your request, you may begin translating. We try to respond as quickly as possible, but it may take as long as 48 hours.
Can more than one person work on a translation?
Yes. We prefer the process where one person translates and one person reviews, but you may work on a translation as a group if you wish. We can only give credit, however, to two people when the translation is published on TED.com
Why is TED offering subtitles instead of dubbing voiceovers in other languages?
Subtitling has the additional benefits of making our talks available to audience members who are hearing-impaired. Along with subtitles, we're also providing interactive transcripts for each talk, which allow users to select any sentence in the talk, and be taken directly to the appropriate moment in the video. The transcripts are fully indexable by search engines, revealing previously inaccessible content within the talks themselves. For example, someone searching on Google for "green roof" would find the moment in architect William McDonough''s talk when he discusses Ford''s River Rouge plant, and also the moment in Majora Carter''s talk when she spoke of her green roof project in the South Bronx.
Can I volunteer to transcribe talks in English?
Thanks for your interest, but we transcribe all talks in-house.
How do I find other translators working in my language?
For the time being, the best place to find other translators in your language is to check our Facebook group I Translate TEDTalks. You can also search the TED member pages.
Can I use other tools outside of TED or dotSUB to organize other translators working in my language?
Please do. We have purposefully taken a light-handed approach here in order to encourage the translators to find solutions that best fit the way they want to work. To determine whether a group already exists in your language, check the discussion board on our Facebook group I Translate TEDTalks. You can also send us a message using our contact form.
I already use other software to create subtitles. Can I upload an SRT file to dotSUB?
Yes. The link to do this is at the very bottom of the translation page for your talk on dotSUB. The dotSUB system is finicky about what it will accept, though. It doesn't like extra spaces or extra carriage returns. It also won't accept your file if you attempt to adjust the timecode. Download a completed SRT file from another talk to compare formatting.
Someone has checked out a talk I want to translate, but they don't appear to be working on it. What should I do?
Try posting to your language's thread on the discussion area of our Facebook group I Translate TEDTalks. If your language already has a self-organized group, check in with them. If that fails, you can contact us.
I want to link to my TEDTalks translation on my blog. Is that OK?
Please do!
I want to create a version of TED.com in my language. Can I?
You are welcome to embed TEDTalks or syndicate them in your language via an RSS feed. If you wish to do more than that, please see the guidelines for the TEDx program, which allows anyone, anywhere, to hold their own TED-style events.
