Rates & FAQs: Subtitling

We offer subtitling and closed captioning in over 80 languages, handled by native-speaking linguists who understand the cultural and linguistic nuances that automated tools miss.

The full list includes: Afrikaans, Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bosnian, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, Estonian, English, Farsi, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, French, French Canadian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Kurdish, LA Spanish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malaysian, Marathi, Mexican Spanish, Moldovan, Nepalese, Norwegian, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Sanskrit, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Taiwanese, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh.

Don’t see your language? Get in touch and we may still be able to help.

They’re often used interchangeably, but there is a distinction. Subtitles are primarily designed for viewers who can hear the audio but don’t understand the language: they translate or transcribe the spoken word. Closed captions are designed for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, so they also include non-speech information such as sound effects, music cues, and speaker identification.

If you’re creating content for a general audience in another language, subtitles are usually the right choice. If you’re producing content for accessibility purposes or need to comply with UK or international broadcasting standards, closed captions are what you need. Not sure which applies to your project? We’re happy to advise.

Yes, and we’re happy to work this way. Particularly if you or your client already has approved translations in place. That said, translating for subtitles does require specialist knowledge. Text needs to be condensed and timed to fit the available screen space, at a pace that’s comfortable to read.

To make the process as smooth as possible, we’ll create a time-coded subtitle document template for your translation team to work from, along with clear instructions. Once we receive the completed translations, we’ll check the formatting, sync the subtitles to the video, and deliver in your preferred format.

Yes. We subtitle content for all major platforms including YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Vimeo. Each platform has its own subtitle format requirements: for example, YouTube uses .SBV, while most others accept .SRT or .VTT and we’ll make sure your files are delivered in the right format for wherever your content is going.

Adding accurate subtitles to social video also improves searchability and reach, particularly on platforms where video plays silently by default.

Burnt-in subtitles (also called open captions or hard-coded subtitles) are embedded directly into the video: they’re always visible and can’t be switched off. They’re a good choice for social media, digital advertising, and any platform where you can’t rely on the viewer enabling subtitles manually.

A separate subtitle file (such as an .SRT or .VTT file) sits alongside the video and can be toggled on or off by the viewer. This is the standard approach for broadcast, streaming platforms, and websites where the viewer controls their own experience. We can deliver either or both depending on what your project needs.

Yes. Accessibility is one of the most important reasons our clients come to us, and it’s becoming increasingly regulated. In the UK, Ofcom now requires video-on-demand platforms to provide subtitles, audio description, and signing for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Similar requirements apply across the EU and in many other markets.

We produce subtitles and closed captions that meet broadcast and accessibility standards, and our linguists are experienced in the specific requirements around reading speed, line length, and formatting that professional accessibility work demands. If you’re unsure whether your content needs to comply with specific standards, we can help you work that out before we begin.

However works best for you. We can deliver subtitles as a standalone text file, in over 30 subtitle document formats, or burnt directly into your video. We can also deliver subtitles as an alpha channel if you’d prefer to integrate them into your own edit.

The most commonly requested formats include .SRT, .VTT, .STL, .XML, .SCC, and .SBV. But if you need something else, just let us know.

We can work with all standard video file formats. The most common ones we receive include .MP4, .MOV, .WMV, .MPG, .AVI, and .WEBM. If you’re unsure whether your format is compatible, send it over and we’ll confirm before the project begins.

We deliver subtitles in over 30 formats. The ones clients most commonly request are .SRT, .VTT, .STL, .SBV, .SCC, .XML, and .TTML. If you need a less common format for broadcast, platform, or software compatibility, let us know and we’ll be happy to look into it.

If you already have an audio transcript, it can be a useful reference. Particularly for checking the spelling of names, products, or technical terminology. However, it must be time-coded with the hours:minutes:seconds:frames for both the time that the subtitle is displayed, and the time it turns off.

Example:

00:00:07:00 00:00:08:00 안녕하세요!

00:00:08:00 00:00:14:00 Amway Global 세일즈팀 밸러리 베튼입니다. 여러분께
ARTISTRY 최고신뢰 캠페인을 소개하게되어 기쁩니다.

We would also like to stress that your audio transcript won’t significantly reduce the time or cost involved in subtitle production.

Subtitling requires specialist time-coding software and expertise. Each line needs to be precisely timed to the video, condensed to fit within screen limits, and paced so that viewers can read comfortably. A raw transcript doesn’t include any of that, so our team will still need to work through the video in full.

If you’re confident you can supply a correctly formatted, time-coded subtitle document, let us know at the quoting stage and we can factor that in.

Yes. We work with content that’s been produced using AI voice over tools, auto-generated transcripts, or a combination of both.

Our linguists review and correct the output, ensure it’s properly formatted and timed, and deliver subtitles that are accurate and ready to use. If you’re using AI tools as a starting point, we can act as the quality layer that makes your content broadcast- or platform-ready.

Our subtitles are produced and reviewed by human linguists, native speakers with specialist subtitling expertise. We may use AI-assisted tools at certain stages of the workflow to improve efficiency, but every project goes through human review before it leaves us.

Accuracy matters because errors in subtitles affect more than just quality, they affect trust, accessibility, and in some contexts, compliance. We don’t cut corners on the review process.

This is dependent on video duration, language combination, and whether translation is also required. We’ll always give you a realistic timeline upfront.

For urgent requirements, faster turnaround is possible. Let us know your deadline when you get in touch and we’ll confirm what’s achievable.

If your video already has on-screen text or captions sitting in the subtitle area, we’ll work with you to find the best solution, whether that’s repositioning the subtitles, adjusting the on-screen graphics, or both.

We can also translate on-screen text, animated captions, and lower thirds as part of the project. As every video is different, we’d need to review your files before quoting for this work but it’s something we handle regularly.