The Cameroon Project
June 2010 - intensive subtitling course at ISTI, Yaoundé
In December 2009, Mr Charles Soh, founder of ISTI, Istitute of Translation and Interpretation, visited me in Haarlem, The Netherlands to discuss a possible subtitling course for ISTI students. Could we teach a group of ISTI students subtitling in three weeks? Yes, with an immersion course, but it would mean hard work for the students. "I want Cameroon to become a hub of subtitling," said Mr Soh.
Yaoundé
By the end of May I started with 50 students. After about a week with lots of computer problems, viruses and students without computers, a test marked the end of the basic course.
Basic course students
I then had to refuse many talented students because I could only continue with 15 students who had their own computers. So the 15 best students started with the certification part of the course, working very hard in subgroups. They subtitled a number of different videos, ranging from a nature documentary to episodes of "Dr Phil" and "NCIS". What struck me was how helpful they were towards each other.
The final test
On June 20, on my final day in Cameroon, the certification ceremony took place. The students held a speech, they had composed a song and decorated the walls, radio and tv reporters were there to cover the event et cetera.
The students' gratitude was the best possible reward.
Certification ceremony
The students started a forum for Cameroonian subtitlers that probably won't take long to evolve into an association of subtitlers. I also advised them to start working groups targeting issues like encoding subtitled video files with Virtual Dub, a rates page to prevent them from being exploited by international subtitling companies, and to help each other wherever possible.
The students will continue practising and may well start working for channels like Cameroon Radio Television and Canal 2, the Nigerian film industry Nollywood and international subtitling companies. Some of the students that did not make the certification course will enter my distance-learning course.
The people at ISTI were wonderful hosts and did everything to make my stay enjoyable. They organised some interesting trips in and around Yaoundé, a visit to ASTI, University of Buea and partner of ISTI, a fantastic benefit concert by André-Marie Tala and his band, as well as a number of dinner parties, at one of which we met Mr Tala.
It was a pleasure to work with the Cameroonian students. And it was quite an experience as well as a privilege to see how people live in Cameroon. I wish them all the best for the future.
June 23rd 2010
Haarlem - Netherlands, Bartho Kriek
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June 2009: Alphonsius Ategha's company
Communication Facilitators has started business:
An interesting new aspect may be the resemblance between Cameroon and Canada, both countries having French and English as the main languages.
An interview with Mr Ategha by the newspaper Le Jour
July 2008:
A group course has started with Alphonsius Ategha teaching and Bartho Kriek assisting and giving feedback on the assignments.
Material: the Comprehensive Subtitling Course
End of May 2008
Plans have been made for a Comprehensive Subtitling Course for a group of students in Cameroon. Their goal: employment by the new subtitling company of which Alphonsius is co-owner.
Alphonsius receiving his Certificate
At the beginning of May 2008 Alphonsius came to The Netherlands to complete his subtitling course:
December 2007
The set arrived in Cameroon, but thieves stole the video recorder, and the shuttle box was also missing.
Alphonsius Ategha is glad with the set, but we still have to get him an appropriate video recorder and a shuttle box.
November 2007
Tegha then came to pick up the set in Haarlem. Returning...
In Heidelberg, Tegha shipped the set to Cameroon.
September 2007
The connections can be rather complicated - so before unplugging, Sabine made a snapshot:
Next problem: the missing manual. After an appeal on the FFF site, another subtitling colleague offered a manual.
August 2007
A subtitling set starting a new life in Cameroon
Our subtitling student Alphonsius Ategha, who's been interested in subtitling since childhood, was preparing to start the first subtitling company in Cameroon.On the FFF website (organization of Dutch subtitlers) a Screen subtitling set was offered by Sabine Mutsaers
- after countless subtitling hours behind the keyboard.
Alphonsius in Cameroon heard about it and was interested. A cousin of his, Tegha, studying in Heidelberg, Germany, was willing to come and collect it So, we decided to drive to the southern Dutch city of Tilburg to pick it up at Sabine's place.
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