The American Translators Association (ATA) called Tuesday for the entertainment industry to fairly compensate translators, heating up an ongoing debate about the localization workforce. The largest professional organization for translators and interpreters in the U.S., the ATA posted an open letter in response to a perceived shortage of translators and subtitlers. According to the ATA, the real problem is a lack of willingness to pay translators what they’re worth. “There is no shortage, but instead a disconnect between the value of this skilled work and the pay offered, leading to a perceived lack of qualified professionals available for these jobs and subpar subtitles in the world’s most popular titles in film and TV,” ATA President Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo stated in the letter. It’s the latest in an ongoing debate about fairness and work conditions within the entertainment localization industry, prompted in part by the explosive popularity of Netflix’s Squid Game. According to press coverage from Another World and elsewhere, Netflix paid $13 per minute for translation from Korean audio to English subtitles, with only a fraction of that going to the translators themselves. “The veritable explosion of international entertainment options is a positive development and producing high-quality subtitles is in the best interest of studios, streaming platforms, and viewers,” the open letter reads. “The professionals who work painstakingly to craft the multilingual versions of our favorite movies and shows should be able to share in the revenue generated thanks to their work.” With all the major content streaming platforms forging strategies over a globalized entertainment future, industry professionals are paying close attention. And many are noticing the quality issues that stem from alleged cut-rate localization. For instance, the Entertainment Globalization Association has already released an initial study regarding user satisfaction with localized content in France, Italy, Germany and Spain. “On behalf of the American Translators Association, I urge film and television production studios and the language service providers they contract with to refocus on a quality subtitling process, which starts with hiring professional subtitlers at professional rates rather than unskilled multilingual labor at pay that can work out to well below minimum wage,” Sánchez Zampaulo said.