From the very first Hypergrid International Expo back in 2017, we have been using a unique system to allow our audience to follow the main points of the talks being given, even if they don't understand the spoken word. It's a Subtitle system using Group Chat. You join the inworld group for your language, and during the event, the group Chat will light up with paragraphs of text that reflect the things being said onstage.
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| Loru Destiny - our first speaker at HIE 25 |
Making these subtitles ahead of time involves a series of steps - getting the speakers to submit the main points of their talk, editing these for length, and then translating them into different languages. Of course, AI can help with that to some extent, but it takes the eye of a native speaker to check that idiomatic expressions, the jargon of virtual worlds, grammar, syntax, and the context of the talk are all respected. This year's team of translators and subtitleists included Rosa Alekseev for the Portuguese, LadyKa 007 for the French, Tosha Tyran for German and Spanish, plus Lux Tergeste and Snowbody Cortes. Thirza Ember worked on the Italian translations, as well as the editing, formatting, of the subtitles, and organized the team.
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| Subtitle Group joiners in the Expo Park. During the conference, subtitles appear in Group Chat. |
But what was the experience like from the point of view of these volunteers? Would they recommend it to others? Lux Tergeste has been helping with subtitles for at least three years now, and has often also helped with translating from Italian to English.
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| Lux Tergeste |
Lux Tergeste: HIE means a lot to people who rarely leave their inworld national community because of the language barriers - I wonder why there aren't more of them? For these people the subtitle system is the very reason they are there. Basically the task of the "subtitleist" consists of attending all lectures, copying subtitles into one chat or the other and interacting with people should the need arise. This year things went very smoothly, as I was appointed to assist the English-speaking group only. If things are well organized (they normally are) and the translations come in chunks corresponding the the slides that are being shown, anybody can help with subtitles. Speakers need to collaborate, though, because a lecturer that does not follow their slide sequence, or decides to ignore the draft sent to the organizing team in advance, can cause a panic attack in the poor subtitleist and annoyance in the audience who do not understand the language.
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| Snowbody Cortes |
Snowbody Cortes: It's a very unique experience. There is stress because you know people are counting on you to give them the subtitles, but the adrenaline kicks in, and it becomes fun, working with others. I found it helped a lot to just give the Italian subtitles - it was easier for me. It is always good to volunteer at a community event..
So, what did these volunteers have to do?
Star Ravenhurst: My role was to copy from prepared notecards and paste into the group chat so that people that speak Portuguese could understand what was being said by the speakers in all the other languages. It wasn't as hard as I anticipated, and I had a lot of support and encouragement.
Star Ravenhurst: Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and meet new friends and people you would otherwise never meet. The sense of satisfaction you get from being involved in something that is important to our community is priceless and a memory that will stay with you and enrich your virtual experience. I recommend it for everyone.
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| Minord and LadyKa at HIE |
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| Tosha Tyran |
Tosha Tyran: Subtitling is fun. With a bit of concentration, you'll find the rhythm, and I'd say it's even a way to follow the spoken text much more focused and accurately. Certainly if you're somewhat familiar with the language being presented. And if you only have to worry about one language at a time. If you take on subtitling more than one language, or in a language that's more or less unfamiliar to you, it can become rather tiring, so a larger team would mean that everyone could approach their job much more relaxed. I would definitely encourage people to take on some of this work. Not only would they be very close to the action, they would also get to know a great team as a whole.
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| Rosa Alekseev (left) |
Rosa Alekseev: The idea of translation is excellent in my opinion. The event is held in the virtual world where the magic is to unite people from all over the physical world. We speak different languages. We develop the works in our language and some in English. Many do not speak English and other languages. Being able to know about the works that are being developed by other people who do not speak our language and live on the other side of the world (RL) is wonderful. Translation makes learning easier and reaches the largest number of people. I have always thought that speaking different languages, I mean, if you are in a country where you speak the language, it is extremely rewarding because the experience - living and learning are complete. Today, with the help of technology and this translation, the festival is more comprehensive and enjoyable because you do not have to just watch what is being presented, or listen without understanding. It is pleasant if you do not speak the language to have the comfort of watching, listening and understanding. I learned a lot having the opportunity to translate the presenters' works. Thank you for the opportunity.
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| Star Ravenhurst |
Star Ravenhurst: The HIE is important to the community because it allows people from other countries and languages the opportunity to share what they are doing and creating in Open Sim by being able to speak in their native tongue. Because the event is translated into at least 6 languages, you don't have to know the languages spoken to be able to know what they are talking about, which allows more people to attend and participate without fear of a communication barrier. The opportunity given to everyone to create a booth for their region or grid is a fantastic way for everyone to share information and give out landmarks so people can be aware of what they are doing on their grids. It is something I look forward to doing every year. It is fun to go around and see what everyone else has done with their booths, and also a good community-building event in its own right. People may visit places they would otherwise not know about.
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| Thirza and friend, in the HIE park. |
Lux Tergeste: HIE feels and sounds like an old and honourable family gathering, celebrating each other's progress and successes. Its familiar tone should not suggest that it is the same every year, because the presenters have been developing new projects in the meanwhile – high-quality projects, in fact, most of them dealing with art, education or OpenSim technology/building. A bigger team for the subtitles would be wonderful – there should
be at least one person per language. How to encourage people to
join the team? I wonder! Maybe speaking of HIE at the OpenSim annual
conference?
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