No Subs!

Everyone! I discovered something horrible!

When I ordered my copy of the film Such a Long Journey , the website said that there were English-language subtitles. I just received the film, and it has no subtitles!

However, there is always a silver lining in every rainbow, so what I’m going to do is get you guys to make the subtitle file. You’ll split into three groups, and each group will be responsible for about 35 minutes of subtitles. There’s free software, called Jubler, that you can use to do this, and working as a team, it should be possible to get this done pretty quickly, with two people listening, one writing, and one controlling the movie. You can download the Jubler software here. Or you can use other subtitle-authoring software instead, if you like. My only requirement is that you create the file using the .srt format. (It MUST be .srt format, or else we won’t be able to connect the different parts and make one file!)

UPDATE: I was told the link above wasn’t working, so please try here. You should get a Windows-compatible program there. If you can’t find it, Google around for Jubler for Windows…

Of course, to do that, you will need copies of the film, so I’m going to get some of those made for you at the A/V Center on Monday. (I hope they’re ready for you to pick up on Tuesday; I’ll let you know in class then.)

Once you email me your part of the subtitle file, I’ll give it a quick look and try to correct any errors I see, put the differen t parts of the file together, and provide the final completed subtitle file here for you to download. Then you can re-watch the whole film with subtitles. (And any students who want to volunteer, for bonus marks, can volunteer to work as a group and translate the subtitles to their mother tongue, ie. Korean or Chinese.)

So the plan for next week is this:

Tuesday: we watch the film from beginning to end. (With no subtitles, but that’s okay; you can still get a lot out of it this way, and it certainly won’t stop us discussing the biggest question I have for you, which is: How can we understand this as part of Canadian literature?)

Hopefully Tuesday, you will pick up the .avi file copies of the film, and begin making subtitle files with your partner or group.

Thursday, we will talk about Multiculturalism and Literature some more, especially trying to find a definition for Multiculturalism. I will also be assigning some reading from our Readings Package (which will be available soon, I hope!) for our class on Sept. 16th.

Your group’s part of the subtitle file is due on Tuesday, September 16th.

Remember, your homework for Sept. 9th is:

  • to spend some time with the class — go out and talk, possibly about literature, or just get to know one another.
  • to prepare the ID sheets, including information on your favorite writers and films.
  • to think about what “multicultural” means.
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