Welcome to the I’M NOT A BARISTA Volunteer Team! ☕
Thank you for joining us to share the incredible stories of coffee farmers with the world! Your help with subtitle corrections will ensure these tales of resilience and coffee culture shine brightly and accurately. Here’s everything you need to get started.
Why This Matters: The Global Coffee Alliance for Good (GCAG)
The Global Coffee Alliance for Good (GCAG) is an initiative by I’M NOT A BARISTA to support coffee farmers and their communities through education, resources, and storytelling. In February 2025, we held our first-ever course in Colombia at Café Hacienda Casablanca, where 18 farmers trained and 21 sets of TIMEMORE tools gifted, learning various skills, brewing techniques, and more. Our videos capture these young professional and farmers’ lives, dreams, and passion for coffee, showcasing the impact of community-driven support. By helping with subtitles, you’re ensuring their voices reach a global audience in Spanish and English, inspiring coffee lovers everywhere.
GCAG Colombia 2025 by I’M NOT A BARISTA
Why We Need Volunteers
I’M NOT A BARISTA initiated this coffee project to share the stories of farmers through our GCAG Colombia 2025 videos, a non-profit effort with no financial gain. We rely on volunteers like you instead of paid translators to keep this project alive. By joining us, you’re not just correcting subtitles—you’re building real connections in the coffee community, helping amplify farmers’ voices, and creating meaningful bonds that enrich lives.
The Problem: AI Translation Slows Us Down
We’re editing our videos in DaVinci Resolve Pro, but the AI-generated subtitles we rely on can be inaccurate—especially with Spanish dialects and coffee-specific terms. These mistakes stop us from adjusting the videos quickly and slow down our production speed. Without accurate subtitles, we risk losing the true meaning of the coffee stories. That’s where your skills come in to save the day!
How You Can Help: Easy Steps to Make a Difference
No experience? No problem! We’ve got you covered with a simple, collaborative process that’s fun and rewarding. Here’s how to join the coffee journey:
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Join a Volunteer Group
- You’ll be paired with a buddy (2 volunteers per team).
- We’ll send a welcome email with:
- A Google Drive link to your video (MP4) and subtitle file (.txt and .srt) with time codes.
- Your due date (e.g., 15 days).
- Your buddy’s contact info (Name, email, Instagram).
- A translation style guide (below) to ensure consistency.
- A link to sign a quick volunteer agreement via docusign—it takes just a minute! This protects both you and I’M NOT A BARISTA, keeping our coffee journey joyful.
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Check Your Subtitles
- Watch the video and review the subtitles in the .txt file.
- Look for:
- Wrong translations or missing words.
- Misheard phrases in Colombian Spanish.
- Timing issues (subtitles not syncing).
- Edit the file with your corrections and flag tricky parts for your buddy.
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Team Up and Review
- Swap files with your buddy via email or Google Drive once you finish the task.
- Review each other’s work, brainstorm translations, and fix errors together.
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Submit as a Team
- Agree on a final version and submit one .txt file to email info@notabarisita.org by the due date.
- Note any unresolved issues for us to tweak.
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Get Rewarded!
- Receive a GCAG Colombian wristband for your awesome work!
- Get credited in the video description.
- Meet a new coffee friend.
What You’ll Need
- A computer with a basic text editor (like Notepad or TextEdit) to tweak the .txt file.
- An internet connection to download from Google Drive and watch the video.
Troubleshooting Tips:
- Can’t open the .txt file? Try Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac).
- Google Drive issues? Ensure you’re signed into the correct account or email us.
Video won’t play? Use VLC Media Player—it’s free!
Translation Style Guide for GCAG Colombia 2025 Video Subtitles
Overview
Our GCAG Colombia 2025 videos feature heartfelt interviews with coffee people, capturing their stories, emotions, and coffee culture in Colombian Spanish. Subtitles must reflect their natural speech, preserve emotional tone, and be accessible to an English-speaking audience. As a volunteer, your role is to translate and correct generated subtitles, ensuring accuracy and authenticity. Here’s how to do it:
1. Tone and Style
- Conversational and Natural: Match the farmer’s speaking style—casual, heartfelt, and authentic. Avoid overly formal or literal translations.
- Emotional Fidelity: Capture the speaker’s emotions (e.g., joy, pride, struggle) in the translation.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Reflect Colombian Spanish nuances (e.g., slang, regional expressions) while making them understandable in English.
- Clarity for Accessibility: Keep subtitles concise (max 2 lines, ~40 characters per line) and readable (avoid jargon, use simple phrasing).
2. Industry Standards for Documentary Subtitles
- Timing: Subtitles should sync with speech (within 0.5 seconds). If timing is off, note the correct time code (e.g., adjust “00:01:23” to “00:01:24”).
- Line Breaks: Split sentences naturally at pauses or phrases, not mid-word.
Example:
Wrong: “I love coffee so much it’s my life every day.”
Correct: “I love coffee so much / it’s my life every day.” - Punctuation: Use standard punctuation (e.g., periods, commas). Add ellipses (…) for trailing thoughts or pauses.
- Sound Cues: Include non-verbal sounds in brackets (e.g., [laughs], [birds chirping]) if relevant to context.
3. Translation Tips for Beginners
- Avoid Literal Translations: Translate for meaning, not word-for-word.
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Example:
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Spanish: “Estoy muy orgulloso de mi finca.”
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Literal (Wrong): “I am very proud of my farm.”
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Natural (Correct): “I’m so proud of my coffee farm.”
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Capture Tone: Reflect the speaker’s emotion (e.g., excitement, nostalgia).
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Example:
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Spanish: “¡Qué rico es este café, me recuerda mi infancia!”
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Flat (Wrong): “This coffee is good, it reminds me of my childhood.”
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Expressive (Correct): “This coffee tastes amazing—it brings back my childhood!”
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Adapt Slang/Regional Terms: Use equivalents or explanations for Colombian expressions.
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Example:
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Spanish: “Es un café bien bacano de mi tierra.”
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Wrong: “It’s a cool coffee from my land.”
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Correct: “It’s an awesome coffee from my hometown.”
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Simplify for Clarity: Avoid complex phrasing; keep it natural for English readers.
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Example:
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Spanish: “Cultivamos con mucho esfuerzo para lograr este sabor único.”
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Complex (Wrong): “We cultivate with great exertion to achieve this singular flavor.”
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Simple (Correct): “We work hard to create this unique flavor.”
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4. Common AI Errors to Watch For
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Misheard Words: AI may mishear accents or slang.
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Example:
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AI Subtitle: “Yo tengo un café caliente.”
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Actual Speech: “Yo tengo un café calentano.”
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Correction: “I have a coffee from Calentano [region].”
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Literal Translations: AI often translates idioms poorly.
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Example:
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AI Subtitle: “Esto es pan comido.”
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Literal (Wrong): “This is eaten bread.”
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Correct: “This is a piece of cake.”
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Timing Issues: Subtitles may appear too early/late.
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Example:
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AI Time Code: 00:01:10 → 00:01:12
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Actual Speech: 00:01:11 → 00:01:13
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Correction: Adjust to match audio.
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5. Example Translation (Spanish to English)
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Spanish (AI Subtitle with Errors):
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00:01:20 → 00:01:23: “Mi café es muy bonito aquí en la finca.”
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00:01:24 → 00:01:27: “Trabajamos con mucha gente para hacerlo.”
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Corrected English Subtitle:
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00:01:20 → 00:01:23: “My coffee is so wonderful here on the farm.”
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Note: “bonito” corrected to “wonderful” for emotional tone; “finca” clarified as “farm.”
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00:01:24 → 00:01:27: “We work with my family to grow it.”
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Note: “mucha gente” corrected to “my family” based on context; “hacerlo” clarified as “grow it” for coffee.
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6. Final Tips
- Listen twice: First for understanding, second for timing.
- Keep sentences short: Max 40 characters per line, 2 lines per subtitle.
- Reflect the speaker’s emotion: If they laugh, add [laughs]; if excited, use “!”.
- Ask for help: Use our Discord group to brainstorm with your buddy or team.
You’ll Get Credit!
- Fun Incentives: Every volunteer who successfully submits accurate corrections will receive a GCAG Colombian wristband as a token of our appreciation!
- Recognition: Get credited in the video description.
- Community: Join a global coffee crew, make friends, and amplify coffee people’s voices together!
Why Your Help Rocks
- Accuracy: You’ll ensure the people’ words are spot-on, preserving their stories.
- Speed: Your corrections help us finish videos faster for the coffee community.
- Connection: You’re joining a global team passionate about coffee and change.
Let’s Get Started!
- Join Us: Follow @iamnotabarista on Instagram and hop into our group chat, send us your full name and email.
- Check Your Email: We’ll send the Google Drive link and due date soon.
- Dive In: Watch, correct, and send back the text file—it’s that easy!
Thank You!
Even small fixes make a big impact. Your love for coffee and language is helping us share these stories with the world. Thanks for being awesome! Have questions? DM us on Instagram (@iamnotabarista). Can’t wait to see your magic!
