𝘖𝘳𝘦𝘰🦥

I know this is long haha but it's been a weird last week between my subs being leaked on sites, someone down thumbing videos on my channel lately and now this question, so I will address it in full detail. Someone recently asked me about the use of AI because of how quickly I sometimes release subtitles and the graphics I create, so I figured I'd address it publicly. I have absolutely nothing to hide about my process, and I'm more than happy to explain how I do things. 😊 First and foremost, the actual translating is 100% me. I do use AI to generate line timings when I don't have a Japanese SRT available to translate from. Drama-Otaku provides Japanese SRT files with many of their uploads, either separately or embedded in the MKV files, which I extract from the videos. Any subber will tell you that having the timing already set up is an incredible help and makes a huge difference in how quickly you can work. Timing can be one of the most tedious parts of subtitling, so having that foundation already prepared saves a tremendous amount of time. When a Japanese SRT isn't available, I use AI to generate one. It usually gives me pretty accurate timings, but the Japanese itself is often a mangled mess. 😂 Words are misheard, sentences are incorrect, and sometimes the transcript barely makes sense at all. So I go through it, correct the Japanese myself, and then translate it into English. The times the Japanese is actually correct though is a benefit no doubt. Having AI generate timestamps doesn't mean it's doing the translating. It simply gives me a starting point so I don't have to create every single subtitle line and timestamp from scratch. As for the rest of my process... I get the fonts for my subtitles from dafont.com. I use Aegisub while translating, correct inaccurate timings, position my subtitles, and adjust the fonts and their sizes. I then use Avidemux to combine my subtitles, fonts, and logos into the finished video. My styled hard subtitles are created in .ass format, and I also convert them to .srt for Drama-Otaku viewers who prefer softsubs. Now, about the actual translating. I'm not going to pretend I'm perfect. I've only been subtitling for about a year and honestly still feel like a rookie in many ways. However, I've been watching Japanese dramas since the 2000s, so I feel I've developed a pretty good understanding of certain things over the years. When I'm translating, there's a lot of watching, listening, pausing, and rewinding scenes as I type out the English dialogue. I actually do everything in real time rather than translating an entire episode first and then going back to watch it afterward. I prefer working directly alongside the video because I can hear the dialogue, see the characters' expressions, understand the context of the scene, and make translation decisions as I go. For me personally, this also cuts down on the overall time it takes to finish an episode or movie. Instead of separating the translation and video review into two completely different stages, I'm doing them together. Of course, that doesn't mean everything is easy or that every line comes to me instantly. Some scenes require multiple rewatches, especially when the dialogue is fast, unclear, emotional, or difficult to interpret. And movies? Movies are NEVER an easy task. LOL. They usually take me two or three days to finish, depending on the length and complexity. On the rare occasions when I've managed to finish one in a single day, I've really, really, REALLY pushed myself to the limit. And I'll be honest, I often end up feeling physically sick afterward because I've pushed myself so hard. Haha. 😭 It's definitely not something I'd recommend doing regularly, but when I'm focused on finishing something, I sometimes have a hard time pulling myself away from it and want to get it out for people. It's just part of my passion. I'll still make mistakes, and I hope people can understand that and enjoy my work regardless. I'm constantly learning, and I know there's always room for improvement. At the end of the day, my main goal is to make the story, emotions, and message as clear and understandable as possible for everyone watching. I want people to connect with the characters, understand what they're going through, and experience the story as naturally as possible. Sometimes that means thinking carefully about how a particular expression or line of dialogue should come across in English rather than simply translating everything word for word. Now, as for how I manage to work so quickly... As any of my friends will tell you, I'm an extremely focused and dedicated person when it comes to getting things done. I tend to push myself pretty hard to finish things quickly, whether it's my hobbies, personal projects, or my regular job. I've had some fans compare me to Mei and Nanoka in-terms of being hard working haha Something else people might not know about me is that I've been a writer for over 20 years, I'm a former journalism student, and I spent years running fansites and forums. Long before I started subtitling, I was already spending countless hours reading, writing, editing, organizing information, managing online communities, and creating content for people to enjoy. Reading, writing, editing, and typing quickly have been part of my everyday life for a very long time. These aren't skills I suddenly developed when I started subtitling. They're things I've been doing for more than two decades. When I'm looking at a screen, I can honestly take in three paragraphs of text and get a pretty good understanding of what I've read within a minute. LOL. 😂 My brain is simply used to processing large amounts of information quickly and retaining it for a long time. I can read something, understand the general meaning, and often remember it well afterward. I'm not saying I have some extraordinary ability or that I understand absolutely everything instantly. It's just how I've trained myself to work through years of reading, writing, and dealing with information on a daily basis. So while the speed at which I work might seem unusual to some people, it's completely normal for me. I also think people sometimes underestimate how much experience with certain tasks can improve your efficiency. When you've been doing similar things for years, you naturally develop your own methods, shortcuts, and routines that make the process faster. But there's also a big difference between working quickly and not putting in effort. I don't believe in doing anything half-assed. If I'm going to put my time and energy into something, I want to do it properly. That doesn't mean everything I create will be perfect, but it does mean I'm genuinely trying to produce something people can enjoy and appreciate. I'm also incredibly passionate about and loyal to my favorites. Anyone who has known me for a long time knows that when I become a fan of someone, I really put my heart into supporting them. That passion is a huge part of why I've spent so many years running fansites, participating in fan communities, writing, and now subtitling Japanese entertainment. I genuinely want to make people happy and help spread the talents of the people I admire to audiences around the world. ❤️ There are so many wonderful actors, actresses, idols, and entertainers whose work deserves to be discovered by more people. Unfortunately, language barriers can make that difficult. If my subtitles help someone discover a new favorite, enjoy a drama they otherwise wouldn't have understood, or appreciate a performance they might never have seen, then all those hours of work are worth it to me. That's really what motivates me more than anything. And finally, about the graphics and AI... I do use AI to help create graphics because that's an area where I know my skills are lacking. I've always been much more comfortable with writing, reading, and editing than I have been with graphic design. I can usually picture what I want something to look like, but bringing that idea to life visually isn't always something I can do on my own. So AI has been helpful in that area, and I have no problem admitting it. Because people have seen me use AI for graphics, I can completely understand why someone might assume I also use it for translating, especially considering how quickly I can release subtitles. That's a fair question, and I don't mind people asking. But I hope this gives everyone a better understanding of how I actually work, where AI fits into my process, and how much personal time, effort, and dedication goes into every release. I'm still learning. I'm still improving. I'm going to make mistakes, and there will always be things I could have done better. But I've never claimed otherwise. People are free to think what they want. Hate me, support me, want to watch my stuff, not watch my stuff, assume stuff, follow me, unfollow me, etc. I'm just someone who has spent more than 20 years writing, supporting fan communities, and sharing things I'm passionate about, and subtitling has become another way for me to continue doing that. AI helps me with certain tools and technical tasks, but the translations, decisions, and passion behind my subtitles are entirely my own. At the end of the day, I just want people to enjoy the stories, appreciate the talented people involved, and hopefully discover someone new to support along the way. That's what makes all of this worthwhile to me and I'm thankful for all of the nice words I've received over the last year. Some of you have been extremely loyal towards me and my releases ❤️