German subtitles
Translate video to German with the subtitles built in
Upload a video in any language, pick German (Deutsch), and download it with the subtitles burned in. German runs longer than English and forms very long compound nouns, which is the main thing that forces extra lines.
What you get back
- Your video as an MP4 with the German subtitles burned into the picture, so they play everywhere without a separate file.
- A German SRT file you can upload wherever soft subtitles are supported.
- An SRT in the original spoken language, so you have both sides of the translation.
- Plain TXT transcripts of both, for show notes, blog posts, or search.
How German subtitles get made
Add your video
Upload an MP4, MOV, AVI, or MKV file, or paste a link from a supported source.
Choose German
The speech is transcribed in whatever language it was spoken, then translated into German.
Download the result
You get the video with German subtitles burned in, plus SRT and TXT files for both languages.
What is different about German subtitles
German runs longer than English and forms very long compound nouns, which is the main thing that forces extra lines.
- German writes compounds as one unbroken word. A long compound cannot be split across a subtitle line without a hyphen that changes how it reads, so it usually moves to the next line whole.
- Every noun is capitalised. That is correct German rather than a transcription error.
- ß is a real letter in Germany and Austria, while Swiss German writes ss instead. A font without ß substitutes something wrong.
- Umlauts change meaning outright. Losing ä, ö, or ü to a font gap turns one word into a different one.
Formality in German
du is informal and Sie is formal. Business and educational video almost always uses Sie.
German at a glance
| Native name | Deutsch |
|---|---|
| Word for subtitles | Untertitel |
| Writing system | Latin |
| Text direction | Left to right |
| Language code | de |
| Where it is spoken | Germany, Austria, and most of Switzerland. |
Start with 50 free credits and see what a German subtitle track looks like on your own video.
Continue with Google50 free credits. No credit card needed.Frequently asked questions
Can I get German subtitles on a video that is not in German?
Yes, that is the normal case. The speech is transcribed in whatever language it was spoken, and the transcript is translated into German. You do not have to tell it what the source language is.
Do I get a German subtitle file as well as the video?
Yes. Every job returns the video with subtitles burned in, plus SRT and TXT files for both the original language and German, so you can reuse the German text elsewhere.
Will Latin characters render correctly in the video?
Yes. Subtitles are burned into the picture after the text has been shaped and laid out, so what you see in the editor is what ends up in the MP4. Accents and special letters survive the burn-in.
Can I fix the German wording before I download?
Yes, on the Pro and Studio plans. You can edit the text and timings in the subtitle editor, trim the clip, and reburn before downloading.