Swahili subtitles
Translate video to Swahili with the subtitles built in
Yes. Upload your video, choose Swahili, and watch a preview of up to 20 seconds with Swahili subtitles before you pay. Buy the full video for $3 or subscribe. The original audio stays, and you get the MP4 plus SRT and TXT files in both languages.
Upload a video, pick Swahili (Kiswahili), and download it with the subtitles burned in. Swahili often runs longer than English, because prefixes for noun class, subject, tense, and object are built into one word.
What you get back
- Your video as an MP4 with the Swahili subtitles burned into the picture, so they play everywhere without a separate file.
- A Swahili 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 Swahili subtitles get made
Add your video
Upload an MP4, MOV, AVI, or MKV file, or paste a link from a supported source.
Choose Swahili
The speech is transcribed in whatever language it was spoken, then translated into Swahili.
Download the result
You get the video with Swahili subtitles burned in. Purchases include SRT and TXT files for both languages.
What is different about Swahili subtitles
Swahili often runs longer than English, because prefixes for noun class, subject, tense, and object are built into one word.
- Swahili builds long verbs from prefixes and suffixes (hatukuwaona, "we did not see them"), so a line can hold fewer words than its English source.
- Noun classes control agreement across the sentence. The class prefix on the noun repeats on adjectives and verbs, and the translation has to keep that agreement.
- Speakers often mix in English words, especially for technology and business. Names and product terms usually stay in English.
Formality in Swahili
Swahili has no separate formal pronoun. Politeness comes from greetings, titles, and word choice, so a business video sounds formal through its vocabulary.
Swahili at a glance
| Native name | Kiswahili |
|---|---|
| Word for subtitles | manukuu |
| Writing system | Latin |
| Text direction | Left to right |
| Language code | sw |
| Where it is spoken | Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and across East and Central Africa. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I get Swahili subtitles on a video that is not in Swahili?
Yes, that is the normal case. The speech is transcribed in whatever language it was spoken, and the transcript is translated into Swahili. You do not have to tell it what the source language is.
Do I get a Swahili subtitle file as well as the video?
Yes, on paid plans. You get the video with subtitles burned in, plus SRT and TXT files for both the original language and Swahili, so you can reuse the Swahili 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 Swahili 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.