Professional subtitle creators face declining wages and job insecurity as artificial intelligence tools fail to match the creative decision-making required for effective accessibility services.
Subtitle writers specialising in content for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences report that AI automation has made their work more difficult rather than streamlined, reports The Guardian. The technology produces poor-quality output that requires extensive human correction, while companies reduce payment rates by reclassifying skilled work as mere “quality control.”
“SDH is an art, and people in the industry have no idea. They think it’s just a transcription,” explained Max Deryagin, chair of Subtle, a non-profit association representing freelance subtitlers and translators.
Subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH) viewers require complex creative judgements about which sounds to describe, how to convey emotional tone, and when audio descriptions might overwhelm visual information. These decisions demand understanding of narrative context, audience needs, and cultural sensitivity that current AI systems cannot provide.
Meredith Cannella, a Subtle committee member with 14 years’ experience, noted: “There’s an assumption that we now have to do less work because of AI tools. But I’ve been doing this now for about 14-15 years, and there hasn’t been much of a difference in how long it takes me to complete projects over the last five or six years.”
The technology struggles with contextual interpretation. Professionals must determine whether background music enhances or distracts from visual storytelling, how mysterious sounds connect to plot developments, and which emotional cues serve different audience segments within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Rachel Jones, an audiovisual translator, described the financial pressure: “SDH rates are not great to start with, but now they’re so low that it’s not even worth taking the work.”
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People emphasises the service’s importance. Associate director Teri Devine stated: “For people who are deaf or have hearing loss, subtitles are an essential service – allowing them to enjoy film and TV with loved ones and stay connected to popular culture.”
Netflix’s subtitlers for “Stranger Things” demonstrated the creative complexity involved, crafting descriptions like “[tentacles squelching wetly]” that capture both technical accuracy and atmospheric horror. Such work requires understanding genre conventions, narrative pacing, and sensory translation that extends far beyond simple transcription.
Many Subtle members report being unable to earn a living wage as rates decline, while quality demands remain unchanged.
