Multi-language Subtitle Project

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Vanimedia is creating 1080 video clips of Srila Prabhupada's audio messages subtitled in multi-languages


Introduction

Welcome to Vanimedia's Multi-language Subtitle Project.

For the first time in history, a powerful acarya in the authorised disciplic succession has left behind live sound recordings of his bhajans, conversations, talks and lectures. From the lotus lips of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we now have the opportunity to hear directly the illuminating explanations and deep realizations of the pure devotee as he preaches and practices the science of Krsna consciousness.

The unique effects of hearing from the pure devotee are described throughout the Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Fourth Canto, chapter 20, verse 25, King Prthu prays:

"My dear Lord, You are glorified by the selected verses uttered by great personalities. Such glorification of Your lotus feet is just like saffron particles. When the transcendental vibration from the mouths of great devotees carries the aroma of the saffron dust of Your lotus feet, the forgetful living entity gradually remembers his eternal relationship with You. Devotees thus gradually come to the right conclusion about the value of life. My dear Lord, I therefore do not need any other benediction but the opportunity to hear from the mouth of Your pure devotee."

Srila Prabhupada elaborates in the purport:

"It is explained in the previous verse that one has to hear glorification of the Lord from the mouth of a pure devotee. This is further explained here. The transcendental vibration from the mouth of a pure devotee is so powerful that it can revive the living entity's memory of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In our material existence, under the influence of illusory maya, we have almost forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord, exactly like a man sleeping very deeply who forgets his duties. In the Vedas it is said that every one of us is sleeping under the influence of maya. We must get up from this slumber and engage in the right service, for thus we can properly utilize the facility of this human form of life. As expressed in a song by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Lord Caitanya says, jiva jaga, jiva jaga. The Lord asks every sleeping living entity to get up and engage in devotional service so that his mission in this human form of life may be fulfilled. This awakening voice comes through the mouth of a pure devotee.

A pure devotee always engages in the service of the Lord, taking shelter of His lotus feet, and therefore he has a direct connection with the saffron mercy-particles that are strewn over the lotus feet of the Lord. Although when a pure devotee speaks the articulation of his voice may resemble the sound of this material sky, the voice is spiritually very powerful because it touches the particles of saffron dust on the lotus feet of the Lord. As soon as a sleeping living entity hears the powerful voice emanating from the mouth of a pure devotee, he immediately remembers his eternal relationship with the Lord, although up until that moment he had forgotten everything.

For a conditioned soul, therefore, it is very important to hear from the mouth of a pure devotee, who is fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord without any material desire, speculative knowledge or contamination of the modes of material nature. Every one of us is kuyogi because we have engaged in the service of this material world, forgetting our eternal relationship with the Lord as His eternal loving servants. It is our duty to rise from the kuyoga platform to become suyogis, perfect mystics. The process of hearing from a pure devotee is recommended in all Vedic scriptures, especially by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One may stay in his position of life -- it does not matter what it is -- but if one hears from the mouth of a pure devotee, he gradually comes to the understanding of his relationship with the Lord and thus engages in His loving service, and his life becomes completely perfect. Therefore, this process of hearing from the mouth of a pure devotee is very important for making progress in the line of spiritual understanding."

Having Srila Prabhupada's audio available, with multi-language subtitles, facilitates all of his family members from around the globe to humbly and respectfully hear from him. In this way, no-one is barred from making their lives completely perfect. This project will surely prove to be one of the most uniting forces of Srila Prabhupada's multi-lingual family from all corners of the globe. It will also greatly help to increase the family members of Srila Prabhupada by making it easy to introduce Srila Prabhupada's messages to the people of each nation.

Languages of the World

Here is a sheet of 67 languages that we plan to subtitle. The total number of people speaking these languages is 6,860,000. This list comprises the most-spoken languages of the world, and also the smaller European languages. If you would like to translate in a language not listed here, please contact us and we will add it.

Getting Involved

Become a Vanimedia translator

  • You are familiar with translation from English into your mother language!
  • You are not so familiar but you are confident that you could make a translation!
  • You love to or would love to associate with Srila Prabhupada's audio!
  • You want to render some great service to Srila Prabhupada!
  • You want to see Srila Prabhupada's teachings distributed to every corner of the globe!
  • You have an hour or two of spare time!
  • You appreciate the power of collaborative efforts facilitating lots of people doing a little work to get a large result!

Here is a great opportunity waiting for you, no matter how much time you are able to offer. We are recruiting translators who want to be part of this historical initiative.

Contact us at [email protected] and we will add you to our list of translators.

Start a Prabhupada Vani Embassy

The language teams can evolve into Embassies for each language. When an enthused devotee comes forward to accomplish this service, he or she can become the Ambassador of that language, and inspire many people to participate.

1080 Videos

We want to offer to the worldwide followers of Srila Prabhupada at least 1080 of these 3 to 8 minute clips of Srila Prabhupada's classes - all subtitled with at least 32 and up to 67 languages. Please support this effort generously by joining one of the language teams.

108 Videos

Our initial goal is to have 108 pages translated, with 32 to 67 subtitles each, by Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja 2013.

How long will this take?

One clip takes about an hour to translate. 108 clips will take 108 hours and 1,080 clips will take about 1,080 hours. If we manage to do them in 50 languages then these are the time frames we are looking at.

  • 108 clips * 50 languages will take a collective amount of 5,400 hours of translating.
  • 1080 clips * 50 langauges will take a collective amount of 54,000 hours of translating.

Wow, that sounds like a lot, but actually it is not much for each person to do if we build up some teams.

Lets say we get an average of 5 translators for each language. Then, the individual service time to offer would only be 22 hours per person to complete the first 108 clips, and only 216 hours to complete the 1,080 clips.

If we have an average of 10 translators for each language, then the individual service time to offer would only be 11 hours per person to complete the first 108 clips, and only 108 hours to complete the 1,080 clips.

Now I am sure you are seeing where we are going with this. That's right! The more devotees blissfully involved, the less effort that has to be made by each individual.

Lets look at this scenario. An average of 20 translators per language works out to be less than 6 hours of service to complete 108 clips and 54 hours to complete the 1,080 clips.

A single language can be completed, with 1,080 clips, in just 9 weeks if we have 20 devotees offering 6 hours of service a week.

Through collaboration, wonderful things are possible. Let's enthusiastically get this glorious project up and running. Our goal is to complete the first 108 clips by Srila Prabhupada's Vyasa Puja festival 2013 (slow beginning), and the full 1,080 clips by Vyasa Puja festival of 2014 (really rocking)

Benefits

You Will Experience

  • personal communications between vaniservants!
  • user friendly process!
  • enthused results for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada!
  • satisfied translators who want to offer more vaniseva!

You Will Create

  • a never before created multi-language repository of Srila Prabhupada's classes!
  • a possibility for over 75% of the people of this planet to directly hear Srila Prabhupada!
  • the opportunity for Srila Prabhupada to personally (via his sound vibration) to enter into millions of peoples homes and hearts!

Results So Far

As of Gaura Purnima 2013 our project is just beginning. We have one video clip with 34 subtitles already. Our second one is in motion.

Here you can see the sheet of our results. Keep coming back to watch this grow, or better still become part of it and help it grow.

Methodology

Via collaboration difficult tasks become very easy. By building teams of translators it will be possible to achieve these goals for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and the benefit of the people of this world irrespective of the language they speak.

Coordinating Team

the coordinating team is:

  • sending out the work to be translated, receive it back, and render it in our subtitle program.
  • progressively adding the new subtitles, each time they are received, to the videos.


Starting the Seva

This is a collaborative service being offered by followers of His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society of Krsna Consciousness. If you want to help then please follow the directions here and with only 1 hour of service you will have translated a new language. If you know of devotees who can translate the missing languages then please share this link with them. Any questions can be asked to [email protected]

For more information please read the section "Starting the Seva" on this page.

Blessings Please

Praying for the blessings of the Vaisnavas, we are gearing up to make hundreds of small audio clips with multi-language subtitles, thus facilitating people from every corner of the world, speaking as many languages as possible, to directly hear and understand Srila Prabhupada's sublime message of truth and love.

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