Subtitling Specialist

1) Background

The Self-Help Plus (SH+) program, is an evidence-based psychosocial support approach designed to strengthen coping skills and reduce psychological distress among adults facing adversity. In Lebanon, SH+ is being delivered as part of broader efforts to expand access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), including through digital and audio-based formats that can reach communities at scale.

As part of the SH+, the five-session content has been produced as podcast episodes to support wider dissemination and easier access for users who may face barriers to in-person services. However, audio-only content can exclude or limit access for certain groups—particularly persons with hearing/auditory impairments and users who benefit from text-based support for comprehension, language clarity, or learning needs.

In collaboration with the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and with IDRAAC as the implementing partner and in coordination with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), this activity aims to strengthen the accessibility and inclusivity of SH+ digital products.

To address this gap, IDRAAC seeks a qualified Subtitling Specialist to develop accurate, time-synced subtitles for the five SH+ podcast episodes, ensuring that the content is accessible, readable, and ready for dissemination across relevant platforms.

2) Objective

The objective of this assignment is to produce high-quality, time-synced subtitles for the five SH+ episodes to ensure clear comprehension, accessibility, and usability across platforms.

3) Scope of Work

The subtitling specialist will be responsible for:

• Reviewing the 5-episode audio files and confirming technical specs (length, format, language used, speaker characteristics).
• Producing verbatim or clean-read transcripts (as required) and converting them into time-coded subtitles.
• Ensuring language quality (grammar, punctuation, terminology consistency) and accessibility best practices (readability, segmentation, speed).
• Conducting revisions based on feedback from IDRAAC and partners.
• Supporting final integration checks with the edited/animated video outputs (when applicable).

4) Key Deliverables

For each of the 5 episodes:

1. A vtt file of each episode
2. Three round of revisions included (additional rounds as agreed).

5) Timeline & Level of Effort (indicative)

• Total duration: 4 weeks from contract signature (depending on episode length and review cycles).
• Milestones:
  • Episode 1 delivered as a pilot (to confirm style/format)
  • Episodes 2–5 delivered in batch after pilot approval

6) Coordination & Reporting

The subtitling specialist reports to IDRAAC, and attends coordination meetings.

7) Required Qualifications

• Proven experience in subtitling/captioning
• Excellent command of the required language for subtitles (Lebanese Arabic Dialect).
• Proficiency with subtitling tools, mainly Scribe Turbo.
• Ability to deliver consistent, sensitive, and accurate text for mental health content.

8) Ownership and Usage Rights

All produced material under this assignment will remain the exclusive property of IDRAAC and NMHP. IDRAAC and NMHP retains full and unrestricted rights to use the materials for donor and programmatic reporting, communication and visibility activities, websites, social media platforms, publications, and promotional materials.

The Subtitling Specialist shall not use, reproduce, publish, distribute, display, modify, or otherwise exploit any of the materials produced under this assignment, whether in whole or in part, for personal, commercial, portfolio, promotional, or any other purposes without prior written authorization from IDRAAC and NMHP.

All materials produced under this assignment shall be treated as confidential and may not be shared with third parties without prior written approval from IDRAAC and NMHP.