Jobs on PeoplePerHour come in all shapes and sizes, something we’ve got used to but imagine our surprise when we saw the following in our daily Summary email: “I have a documentary in the Amazon Rainforest from last year and need the footage transcribed and translated from Spanish to English as well as Wao Terero (the language spoken by the Waorani tribe) to English.”
Amazon Rainforest documentary? Wao Terero-to-English translation? This clearly was no ordinary Job. We had to catch up with the film director behind it…
Please can you introduce yourself to the PPH community, who are you, what do you do etc?
I am Sarah Begum, a revolutionary filmmaker with a passion for danger, adventure and helping people throughout my work.
What was it about being a documentary maker that drove you to be one?
Sending positive messages to the world whilst making ground breaking, authentic content at the same time and through my character, I hope to entertain people along the way. To be honest, I had no idea I was a documentary filmmaker until I made “Amazon Souls.”
Fear is just a barrier to any achievement.”
Where has being a documentary taker taken you and what have been the highs and lows of these experiences? You’ve been in both Africa and South America…
It has taken me to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador where I have fulfilled my dream and made my first feature documentary and to Ethiopia where I have worked alongside an NGO to help people learn about entrepreneurship.
What are your tips for thriving or at least surviving in environments like Ethiopia or Brazil?
Fear is just a barrier to any achievement. As long as you have your courage as well as your jabs then you should be fine. Just make sure you make friends instead of enemies and respect other’s traditions and values. Get involved and instead of watching them survive, survive with them!
Can you tell us about “Amazon Souls”, what was the initial plan and how was filming it?
“Amazon Souls” is a documentary about my journey as a young curious filmmaker following my 9 year old dream to go to the Amazon, working with a charity to teach children English before entering the deep jungle to live and learn the way of life with the Waorani tribe. Through many challenges, I let go of my Western barriers and understand the life of survival in the rainforest as well as the tribes’ struggle against the oil and logging companies destroying their homes. Through the documentary, I bring the peoples message to the West.
Do you have plans to show it? Where do you hope people will be able to see it?
I hope to either broadcast it if anyone will invest in it or commission it. If not, then I will enter it into film festivals.
You’ve used PeoplePerHour to find a translator for “Amazon Souls,” what will the job involve and who will the successful applicant be translating?
The job will involve time coding and transcribing the dialogue in the footage as well as translating the Spanish. I am also looking for someone to help me translate the Waorani dialect Wao Terero which is pretty difficult to do so. The successful applicant will be whoever can do this work for the cheapest rate and they will be translating the journey with all the main characters if they are speaking English and/or Spanish.
You say: “I hope to make documentaries with ground breaking and authentic content whilst helping the people I document throughout my journeys.” I understand how you’d shoot authentically, being faithful to your sources, but how do you shoot documentaries to specifically help people too?
That is where the post production comes in. However, I have been given messages from the tribe and many other souls along my journey. These voices are waiting to be heard and then helped. I hope that when my documentary is complete, people will listen to these voices and understand them. This will encourage more awareness about what is going on in our world. Also, I want to open up a charity to help everyone in the documentary and then go back and show them that their message has been broadcast as promised and help them with development of the community, saving the rainforest, struggle against preserving the culture, etc.
What projects do you have coming up in the future we should know about and what would be your dream project?
I have many projects in mind and they all involve travelling around the world, searching for a unique story with adventure, challenges, entertainment as well as something people need to be aware of and learn about.
- Donate to help Sarah complete her documentary: Indiegogo.com/Amazon-Souls
- Check Sarah Begum on IMDB
Well done Sarah. This is the sort of initiative that deserves attention and support. A message worthy of support.
GOOD LUCK
I speak tribal but not Amazonian tribal language or dialect. I speak a tribal dialect in Borneo.
Hey Sarah,
Thanks for the excellent job , you are doing to help our Mother and the Amazon and those who live there.
I´ve already tweeted your indiegogo page and wish you very good luck in spreading the message.
Marisol
Sarah’s motivations and intentions in making this film seem to be positive but I think it’s pretty insulting to her Waorani friends that she’s now looking for someone who speaks “tribal.” What on earth does that mean? There are “tribes” of people living all over the world in latin america, asia, africa etc and they don’t all speak one “tribal” language – each has their own unique dialect, as do the Waorani people. Surely it would be more helpful and sensitive to their culture and existence if she specified that she’s looking for a translator who speaks Waorani instead of lumping them in together with other tribes around the world, which does little other than purport the existing “them and us” attitude to indigenous people that is contributing to their demise. I wish Sarah luck in her search but doubt that someone who’s had the privilege to live alongside the Waorani people and learn their language will be willing to sell their experience and skills so cheaply!
Sounds like you’re doing some good work Sarah. I have lived in both central and south America, working for NGO’s (I am an English native speaker). I am currently in Peru working as a freelance Spanish to English translator. I could help out with translation for you but as for the “tribal translation” as you put it, that will be an indigenous language of that particular area of the Amazon and it could be very difficult to find a translator for such a narrowly spoken language…..good luck though….keep me posted
Thank you for all of your comments so far. I did not think too much into how I worded my answers as I thought ‘tribal’ would be easy for the majority of people to understand before going into much depth. I now understand how some may view this and I want to thank you for making me aware of my words and its effect on other people. I have just requested that my words be changed on the blog as my intentions are pure as well as my words.
The language spoken by the Waorani tribe is ‘Wao Terero’ and I would appreciate if anyone can help me translate this dialect.
If you may be able to help me, please e-mail me: sarah.begum@hotmail.com
Thank you all.
I am very happy to know You Sarah and i am sure that your dedication and passion will pay off with a great Docu-Feature. Looking forward to the final product of your hard work. Good luck bringing more people on board.
Yes, I could definitely help you out. To be double sure, I’ll need at least a paragraph of the scripts to be converted, please.
Looks and sounds great Sarah keep up the good work trying to help others by making people more aware of people who are in danger of losing their habitat and more.
As for Finola why make a big deal out of nothing but simple miss worded statement? Do you think all the Waoroni people are going to be on here saying, “She said tribal, not Warobi, I’m insulted.” Hell they might be logging into facebook now making a web page too for such an insult and tweeting right now!
Go find something better to do with your time and try starting on someone like these oil companies, and loggers who are destroying their lands, not someone who is trying to help in the little way she can who mistakingly said tribal. Finola you’re a fool pure and simple, but theres always one like you whose got to try and put you down!!
Good luck Sarah in finding someone who can speak the “Waoroni Tribal” language D
Thank you so much all of you for your help. I appreciate it more than you can imagine.
Joshua, if you can help me out, I would love to speak with you about this further. Please email me: sarah.begum@hotmail.com
Hey Sarah,
Perhaps you should ask Joshua to bid on your job?
Martin, PPH team
Yes but I would need to see how he may be able to help me out. Joshua? Message me and let’s get in touch and take things from there.
hello sarah. good intentions needs extra attention.
i’m a screenplay script development consultant
living in RIo de Janeiro Brazil.
in 1980-81 i lived nearby in Cruzeiro do Sul in brazillian Acre. recently i’ve done some support to a doc for a academic group working in Oriximiná north amazon
in Para and the promo video (with rest of presentation docs) got them into a funding program.
if you want to discuss strategies for the storytelling
i’d like to offer you 2hs consulting free of charge.
best of luck & saluti, Romanbruni@gmail.com
http://www.paradigmadigital.net
Hello sarah, i live in Dhaka,Bangladesh.i am very pleasure of u that u ar made a documentary film.I support u for ur opinion which was publish in a newspaper in Bangladesh.
Hi Roman! I just saw this reply and I will email you shortly to discuss further. Thank you for showing interest and offerring to help with my project.
Hello Sarah
This is Himel from Bangladesh.I’ve tried a lot to contact with you. I know about you through an article on you and your work by a Bangladeshi newspaper. I am interested and trying to do something through visual way. However I have some idea or topic regarding Bangladesh. I want to share with you. Would you contact with me. My email=
Hallo Sarah, Would u have time to give a look on http://www.dyingrituals.manderang,com & http://www.mro.manderang.com – please let me know.
Hi Sarah i am Simeon, i live at Serengeti District Tanzania just close to the National park i do speak tribal but not Amazonian, mine is kikurya pls welcome
Hi guys! Nice articles and pictures Shameem! I would love to know more about Tanzania Simeon and you have all given me ideas for future productions. Thank you.