How can I translate subtitles effectively?

Translating video subtitles is an essential step in making your content accessible to a multilingual audience and gaining access to international markets. Our translation and language services agency, Alphatrad, can transcribe and translate all of your audiovisual production subtitles.

Subtitle translation: what is an .SRT or .VTT file?

Multilingual transcription allows you to display subtitle options in several languages within a single video. With these different viewing options, the content becomes accessible to a wide range of speakers.

During multilingual transcription, SRT or VTT files can be created for each language. These universal formats can be directly integrated into editing software and are synchronised to the nearest thousandth of a second with the speaker's timecode, making the editor's job easier.

In an SRT file, or SubRip Subtitle, each line of text is associated with a timestamp, which indicates the exact moment when the text should appear on the screen.

While the SRT format is the most universal, the WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) or VTT format gives you subtitles with specific styles, as well as segmenting the text into different blocks and supporting Unicode languages.

Other less well-known formats can be used:

• TTML (Timed Text Markup Language): useful for transposing text data to video, this format is frequently used in the television, streaming and VOD industries.
• SSA (SubStation Alpha): this format is a more advanced version of SRT. It is often used to subtitle karaoke videos.
• ASS (Advanced SubStation Alpha): this is an advanced version of the SSA format, with even more advanced features.
• STL (Standard Triangle Language): the STL or EBU-STL (European Broadcasting Union – Subtitle Data Exchange Format) format is often used for subtitles in the radio and television sector.

Why you should translate subtitles

The translation of subtitles should be considered whenever you want audiovisual content to be available to a multilingual audience. This can be the case for promotional videos, e-learning content (webinars, online courses, conferences, tutorials, etc.), or videos and films from the film industry or media sector.

Accessing international markets

Whether it's media content, movies, educational programmes, or promotional videos, subtitle translation is essential if you want to export your content across borders. It's a way of getting round the language barrier and making your content known to a wider audience. It is also an essential step in making content accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing.

Maximising your digital visibility

According to a study, 91% of companies use video as a marketing tool, particularly on YouTube. However, on this channel, using automatic machine translation of subtitles does not always guarantee a good or optimal result. Having your videos translated using subtitles is therefore a way of maximising your brand's visibility in a global market, via different communication channels (TV commercials, company websites, social networks, blogs, e-commerce platforms, YouTube channels, etc.).

Create a link with your audience in their mother tongue

Translating videos with subtitles is also a prerequisite if you want to reach an international audience. Prospects will be much more receptive to subtitled audiovisual material if the content is in their mother tongue. This helps to attract attention, generate commitment, and strengthen customer retention.

Strengthen your brand image

Providing a reliable, high-quality translation of your videos using subtitles is also a powerful way of standing out from the competition and improving your brand image. It demonstrates a company's ability to adapt and promote itself internationally.

→ Good to know: Subtitling translation rates vary depending on the service, languages, and the customers’ requirements.

Subtitle translations in over 100 languages with Alphatrad

With a network of 3,500 experienced professional translators, Alphatrad offers subtitle translation services in over 100 languages.

Our transcribers produce multilingual transcriptions of your audio and video files in a range of formats (SRT, VTT, ASS, TTML, SSA, STL, etc.), making the video editing process easier. Our translators translate the transcriptions into their mother tongue and are committed to delivering reliable, high-quality subtitle translations tailored to the target audience and the cultural specificities in force in the destination country.

FAQs on subtitle translation