From Studying Law to a Career in Film and TV Subtitling with Stefanie Mellano, Freelance Subtitles Translator

In this episode, I chat with Stefanie Mellano, a UK-native now based in Northern Italy, who works as a film and TV subtitles translator.

Stefanie shares her journey from studying law to pursuing her passion for the Italian language and building a freelance career in subtitling. We explore the technical and creative skills required for subtitling, the importance of specialisation, and how she balances translating for large streaming services with working with independent producers.

Key Takeaways

• The Power of Specialisation: much like doctors specialise, translators are more effective when they focus on specific industries they know well, such as tourism, business, or in Stefanie's case, the creative industries. This ensures a deeper understanding of the subject matter and accurate use of terminology.
• The Subtitling Process is Both Technical and Creative: subtitling isn't just about direct translation. It involves a technical understanding of character limits and reading speeds, requiring translators to find creative solutions to convey the original meaning perfectly within these constraints.
• Pivoting to English: many large companies use English as a "pivot language" for translation. Content is first translated into English from the original language (like Italian) and then translated from English into many other languages, partly due to the availability of translators.
• Human Translators vs. AI: while AI is a growing trend, it currently struggles to capture the nuance, context, and non-verbal elements of language, particularly a language as expressive as Italian. For high-quality, culturally sensitive content, human expertise remains essential.

About Stefanie Mellano

Stefanie is a freelance subtitle translator specialising in the film, TV, tourism, and business sectors.

• Website: stefaniemellano.com
• LinkedIn: Stefanie-Mellano

About Sonia Kampshoff

Sonia is a translator turned multilingual digital marketer specialising in paid media, and now also a podcaster. Growing up bilingual, languages have been a constant in her life.

In 2025 she launched a podcast where together with her guests she explores the huge variety of jobs and career opportunities open to people with language skills. She is available to speak on podcasts and stages about marketing, languages, work and podcasting.

• LinkedIn: Sonia-Kampshoff
• Website: MorePerfect.Digital
• Instgram: @WorkingWithLanguages

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