WEBVTT
00:00:00.387 --> 00:00:03.086
♪ (playful music) ♪
00:00:03.851 --> 00:00:06.402
(laughter)
00:00:08.669 --> 00:00:14.887
Hi, I'm Jana, I manage
the Accounting and HR functions.
00:00:14.887 --> 00:00:16.869
My name is Margarita.
00:00:16.869 --> 00:00:20.985
I work as a Software Tester at Amara.
00:00:20.985 --> 00:00:24.202
[How do you spend your weekends?]
00:00:24.202 --> 00:00:30.350
Most likely table tennis or cycling
to one of our local beautiful beaches.
00:00:30.350 --> 00:00:33.518
I like cooking and also,
I do some volunteer work.
00:00:33.518 --> 00:00:34.386
Reading.
00:00:34.386 --> 00:00:35.119
Reading.
00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:37.736
Reading some interesting books.
00:00:37.736 --> 00:00:40.785
[Do you have any pets or plants?]
00:00:40.785 --> 00:00:42.635
I have six dogs,
00:00:42.635 --> 00:00:44.285
they're all rescued,
00:00:44.285 --> 00:00:46.619
so I play a lot with my dogs.
00:00:46.619 --> 00:00:49.252
I have a peace lily
that I've had for years.
00:00:49.252 --> 00:00:51.552
This is Lily Tomlin, no relation.
00:00:51.552 --> 00:00:55.787
[What do you love about
working at Amara?]
00:00:55.787 --> 00:00:58.435
Just connecting with our audience,
00:00:58.435 --> 00:01:01.836
just to make somebody's life
a little be easier
00:01:01.836 --> 00:01:06.237
just for that moment
that they're reading my support article
00:01:06.237 --> 00:01:08.486
or whatever it is.
00:01:08.486 --> 00:01:13.335
At the end of the project,
when I'm delivering,
00:01:13.335 --> 00:01:17.235
let's say a completed video
with some captions and subtitles,
00:01:17.235 --> 00:01:21.605
that actually makes me feel
really, really fulfilled,
00:01:21.605 --> 00:01:24.536
like, "Oh, now we have
more videos out there
00:01:24.536 --> 00:01:28.302
with captions and subtitles,
more people will be able to access it."
00:01:28.302 --> 00:01:29.869
Absolutely the people.
00:01:29.869 --> 00:01:34.118
Everyone's interest in
making the world better truly
00:01:34.118 --> 00:01:37.519
is just unbelievable.
00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:41.635
Everybody has this thing
that somehow is motivated
00:01:41.635 --> 00:01:44.835
by the overall mission of Amara,
00:01:44.835 --> 00:01:47.202
which is actually to provide accessibility
00:01:47.202 --> 00:01:52.068
and also use their skills
to share information with others.
00:01:52.068 --> 00:02:01.003
It's a special culture,
there's not much of a top-down hierarchy.
00:02:01.003 --> 00:02:03.951
It's really a cooperative effort.
00:02:03.951 --> 00:02:09.486
We're all very [inaudible]
to check graphically ending time
00:02:09.486 --> 00:02:13.286
but we always find time for each other.
00:02:13.286 --> 00:02:17.287
[What languages do you speak?]
00:02:17.287 --> 00:02:23.004
I'm only fluent in English
but I'm learning American Sign Language,
00:02:23.004 --> 00:02:27.920
Russian --my spouse's family
if from the former Soviet Union,
00:02:27.920 --> 00:02:32.652
so I'd like to be able to speak to
the other generations in that family.
00:02:32.652 --> 00:02:36.587
English, Spanish, as my native language--
00:02:36.587 --> 00:02:40.120
My native language is Russian
and I use English for work--
00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.319
Cantonese, a little bit of Mandarin--
00:02:43.319 --> 00:02:47.970
I have also learned some Spanish,
German and Chinese.
00:02:47.970 --> 00:02:50.937
French and a little bit of Arabic.
00:02:50.937 --> 00:02:58.170
English and about this much Spanish.
(laughter)
00:02:58.170 --> 00:03:02.319
[Pop Quiz: When was the first version
of Amara released?]
00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:04.803
Either 2010 or 2013...?
00:03:05.301 --> 00:03:07.035
2006?
00:03:09.204 --> 00:03:10.502
2001?
00:03:11.102 --> 00:03:13.253
Yeah, no, I don't know.
00:03:13.802 --> 00:03:14.970
2010.
00:03:15.586 --> 00:03:18.902
That's when the first prototype
was created.
00:03:19.311 --> 00:03:20.594
I witnessed it,
00:03:20.893 --> 00:03:23.608
I was volunteering with Amara back then.
00:03:23.728 --> 00:03:26.650
[What does accessibility mean to you?]
00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.329
That everyone has the same opportunity
00:03:30.184 --> 00:03:35.067
being able to understand
the world through video
00:03:35.067 --> 00:03:39.251
and through the captioning
and translation that we do,
00:03:39.251 --> 00:03:41.235
and that other people do--
00:03:41.235 --> 00:03:42.685
no limits.
00:03:42.685 --> 00:03:44.283
It means a lot.
00:03:44.283 --> 00:03:48.118
I have a cohlear implant
and they are hearing aid.
00:03:48.118 --> 00:03:54.367
Without them, I cannot hear
practically anything at home
00:03:54.367 --> 00:04:00.618
and with them is okay
in one-to-one conversations,
00:04:00.618 --> 00:04:06.186
but not so nice when you use
something technical,
00:04:06.186 --> 00:04:11.100
when you're watching videos
or talk over the phone,
00:04:11.100 --> 00:04:16.335
so subtitles mean a great deal.
00:04:16.335 --> 00:04:21.448
Accessibility to me starts with empathy.
00:04:21.984 --> 00:04:25.135
A lot of my friends, actually,
don't speak English,
00:04:25.135 --> 00:04:30.001
so being able to help
to make a lot of the information
00:04:30.001 --> 00:04:33.583
that I have helped
to subtitle into Spanish,
00:04:33.583 --> 00:04:37.268
if I can share it with some
of my friends back in Venezuela,
00:04:37.268 --> 00:04:39.667
or my family, or my mom...
00:04:39.667 --> 00:04:41.368
it feels really good.
00:04:41.368 --> 00:04:45.300
[What effect do you hope
Amara will have on the world?]
00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:52.433
Acceptance and, I mean, the world
is in such a difficult place--
00:04:52.433 --> 00:04:56.517
communicating, you know,
just communicating.
00:04:56.517 --> 00:04:57.401
When we work every day
00:04:57.401 --> 00:05:00.084
with so many people
from so many other countries,
00:05:00.084 --> 00:05:04.752
you just realized people are different
but the same, from all over.
00:05:05.201 --> 00:05:08.634
I think there's a lot of
untapped potential
00:05:08.634 --> 00:05:13.918
for this tool to be used
by other types of users.
00:05:13.918 --> 00:05:17.724
Transcription is a great opportunity
00:05:17.724 --> 00:05:22.183
for people who have vision problems
to find employment.
00:05:22.183 --> 00:00:03.079
I really hope to see this happen.
00:05:22.972 --> 00:05:29.205
Using AI to generate
subtitles and captions,
00:05:29.205 --> 00:05:33.089
you know, that has been on the rise
for the last few years
00:05:33.089 --> 00:05:36.905
and there has been a lot of humor
and a lot of mistakes,
00:05:36.905 --> 00:05:39.705
and that definitely highlights
00:05:39.705 --> 00:05:44.871
how important people are
to the process of language in any form.
00:05:44.871 --> 00:05:47.187
I'm hoping that the way we treat people,
00:05:47.187 --> 00:05:48.804
and the way how we put
00:05:48.804 --> 00:05:52.223
their experience first,
and their abilities first,
00:05:52.223 --> 00:05:56.188
will be noticed
and that that would inspire
00:05:56.188 --> 00:06:00.605
other people to say
that it's not impossible to do that.