Overview
One thing is to use AI for translation, and another is to know that AI cannot be trusted unconditionally. The trick that makes the difference is to be familiar with the movie content and to have our subtitle files proofread by a native speaker. We have our international outreach to do that.
Technical Background
Subtitles can be soft or hard. Hard subtitles are merged with the video image, while soft subtitles use more sophisticated technologies to appear when needed. In the early days, .spu subtitles were used in DVD authoring. These subtitles were bitmaps that were overlaid in real time with the video. They used a very low data rate but looked jagged at the same time. A more sophisticated overlaying is used with .srt subtitles. They are actually encoded text files, facilitating easy access to their modification by editing software.
Subtitle Editing Software
Several software options are available for subtitle editing and timing, catering to different levels of expertise and specific needs. Here are some of the most popular ones:
Common Subtitle Formats
Aside from .srt (SubRip Subtitle), there are several other popular subtitle formats commonly used today:
- .ass (Advanced SubStation Alpha)
- .ssa (SubStation Alpha)
- .sub (MicroDVD)
- .vtt (WebVTT – Web Video Text Tracks)
- .sbv (YouTube)
- .smi or .sami (Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange)
- .lrc (Lyric)
These formats cater to different needs and use cases, from simple text display to complex formatting and web integration.
