Subtitling guides

These are reference pages rather than product walkthroughs: what is inside a subtitle file, how reading speed decides whether a line works, what the accessibility standards ask for, and where translated subtitles go wrong.

All guides

• What is an SRT file?SRT is the most widely supported subtitle format. What is inside one, how the timecodes work, and the mistakes that stop a file from loading.
• Subtitle timing and reading speedWhy subtitles feel rushed, how characters per second works, and the timing conventions broadcasters use to keep subtitles readable.
• Burned-in vs soft subtitlesHardcoded subtitles play everywhere but cannot be switched off. Soft subtitles are flexible but unevenly supported. How to choose between them.
• Subtitle formatting rulesLine length, line breaks, placement, punctuation, and the conventions professional subtitlers follow to keep text readable on screen.
• Subtitles vs captionsSubtitles assume you can hear the audio. Captions assume you cannot. What SDH means, and which one your video actually needs.
• Video accessibility and captionsWhat WCAG asks for, which laws reference it, and what a caption track has to contain to be genuinely useful rather than merely present.
• Translating subtitles wellRegister, names, idiom, and condensing. The decisions that separate a subtitle translation that reads naturally from one that reads like a machine.
• Subtitle file formatsSRT, WebVTT, ASS, TTML, and broadcast caption formats. What each one carries, what it cannot do, and when it is the right choice.
• Where automatic captions break downMachine transcription fails in the same few places on every video. What those places are, why they happen, and what to check before publishing.
• What makes a subtitle readableContrast, weight, size, and position decide whether a subtitle gets read or skipped. What holds up over a moving picture, and what does not.