Subtitler to lexicographer
A subtitler already meets 34% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.7/ 100
1 How much of what a lexicographer is expected to do is already part of a subtitler’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the lexicographer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A lexicographer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a subtitler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- consult information sources
- grammar
- linguistics
- spelling
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A lexicographer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a subtitler background worth leading with.
- already held translate foreign language communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held linguistics arts and humanities
- already held spelling arts and humanities
- already held use word processing software working with computers
- already held consult information sources information skills
- already held grammar arts and humanities
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the lexicographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create definitions required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held translate language concepts optional
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn search databases required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a lexicographer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create definitions practise this
- 02 copyright legislation study this
- 03 follow work schedule practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held linguistics knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held translate foreign language skill
- already held use word processing software skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- optional, not held translate language concepts optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
17 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
- not needed by the target role audiovisual products knowledge
- not needed by the target role captioning software knowledge
- not needed by the target role computer equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role condense information skill
- not needed by the target role create subtitles skill
- not needed by the target role describe scenes skill
- not needed by the target role hearing disability knowledge
- not needed by the target role make surtitles skill
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform video editing skill
- not needed by the target role speech recognition knowledge
- not needed by the target role transcribe dialogues skill
- not needed by the target role transcription methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate soundtrack skill
- not needed by the target role type at speed skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a subtitler become a lexicographer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A subtitler already covers 34% of what a lexicographer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the lexicographer role treats as required.
What skills does a subtitler need to become a lexicographer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create definitions.
How hard is the move from subtitler to lexicographer?
Its learning distance is 61.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.