I'm looking to hire translators to dub videos
One of my goals this year is to invest in translations for 3blue1brown. I’d like to hire translators directly, preferably with experience teaching, and who are willing to help experiment with some software tools which I hope can make the process less tedious.
For early experiments, we’re budgeting for five languages (Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Hindi). If you’re interested in helping out with other languages, feel free to apply, and if we have the capacity to hire more or coordinate volunteer efforts, we’ll let you know.
Other ways to help
Last year, my friend Ben Eater put together this site to help coordinate text translations for videos. YouTube used to have a feature like this, but it was discontinued. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has helped submit translations there, it’s not only directly useful for subtitles, but it’s a helpful first step for any dubs.
AI?
In light of the recent AI boom, and the technically impressive results with text-to-voice, a number of companies, including YouTube, have been pushing AI dubs. Many of which will generate a voice that sounds like the original narrator. I went down a rabbit hole of experimenting with them last year. In fact, one of the original goals of the community translation site built with Eater was to take community-curated text translations and use them to quickly create auto-dubs.
My conclusion right now is that once you get past the initial wow factor, AI dubs are simply not that engaging. I would much rather the voice of the channel in Spanish (or any other language) be a real voice that conveys the feeling of a friendly math teacher than have it be something that vaguely sounds like me.
Also, in a world where an increasing percentage of content online is AI-generated, I think the emotional significance of landing on a video whose translated voice is both human and genuine is not to be overlooked.
I believe there’s plenty of room for software to help with the process, which can often get bogged down in the tedium of editing, and one goal is to experiment with tooling to help streamline the process. But for the time being, I’m leaning away from AI dubs themselves.
I keep coming across uToob clips that have weird vocalisations, but otherwise seem to have human narrators. Oddly or incorrectly pronounced words throw my flow concentration off and aren't typically the sorts of mistakes that human narrators would make. The pacing, accents and general readings are quite convincing, but it only takes one slip to throw me off and cause a backtrack to pick up the thread again. Stick with humans Grant - we still have a purpose!
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your exceptional initiative! As a passionate high school math enthusiast, I am deeply committed to spreading the joy of mathematics to others. I regularly share the captivating problems and concepts you teach with my classmates and friends, in both English and Hindi, because I believe in the transformative power of math to inspire and enlighten.
The idea of offering Hindi translations for your videos is brilliant and truly impactful. This step would make your incredible content accessible to an even wider audience, particularly among students and young people in India. It offers them a unique opportunity to not only grasp mathematical concepts but also appreciate the inherent beauty of mathematics, which is far more about intuition and creative thinking than mere calculation.
I am thrilled to apply for the translator role—not out of any desire for financial gain, but out of a genuine passion to help promote this meaningful cause. I strongly believe that by making engaging, thought-provoking, and intuitive mathematical content available in Hindi, we can reach countless students who may not have yet encountered the elegance of math in its purest form.
I truly hope this initiative will bridge the language gap, helping to make this knowledge accessible to individuals who may not speak English, and fostering a global community of learners united by the universal language of mathematics. By doing so, we can spark curiosity, cultivate a love for the subject, and empower students around the world to embrace the beauty and wonder of mathematics.
Once again, thank you for the profound impact you are making through this initiative. I look forward to contributing to this extraordinary journey!