While each video subtitling project is unique, some general steps need to be followed to achieve high-quality subtitles. The video subtitling process includes:

1. Subtitling Project Scope Definition. 

Subtitle Language(s)

• Subtitles File Type
• Subtitle Type (Closed-Caption or Open-Caption)
• Customer Preferences
• Project Files (Videos, Reference, etc.)

2. Subtitling Quote/Estimate Creation. 

Your subtitling quote or estimate will vary depending on a lot of factors. As a reference, video subtitling is usually estimated on a per-minute basis.

3. Audio Transcription. 

After approval of the subtitling quote or estimate, the first step of the video subtitling process begins. This step involves creating transcripts of the video for subtitle use. (Note: These transcripts can come in handy if you wish to caption the video in the original language too.)

4. Subtitles Creation. 

When the transcripts are ready, the translation subtitling begins. While creating subtitles, subtitle translators consider standard subtitling practices, including:

Character limit. (Note: The subtitle translator may need to condense the translation to meet this limit.)

• Per line character limit.
• Target viewer reading pace.
• Glossary of keywords and references.
• Punctuation systems and syntax.

5. Subtitles Editing.

Once the subtitles are ready, the technical subtitles editing follows. The subtitles editing often involves:

• Synchronisation of the subtitles to the video.
• Burning subtitles OR (if no burn-in is needed) encoding subtitles file types. (Note: The most common subtitles file types are srt subtitles and vtt subtitles.)
• Implementing any stylistic options required.

6. Subtitles QA. 

After the video editing, a subtitles QA is next. This QA—which may need multiple rounds to ensure high-quality subtitles—involves:

• Validating the accuracy of the timing between the text and the audio.
• Verifying that the subtitle translation is complete, accurate, and error-free.
• Ensuring that the text is coherent and cohesive.
• Note: A professional subtitle translator should carry out this step. 

Enjoy the benefits of subtitling!

There are lots of benefits of adding professional subtitles to a video strategy. Some of the most important benefits include:

Search Engine Optimisation: 

• Improve your SEO position, as search engines index video transcripts. As a result, you will have greater visibility over your competition.
• International Audience Appeal:
• Start appealing to new wider audiences. As new audiences start to interact with your content, the content distribution will increase.

Video Accessibility: 

Create accessible content for deaf or hearing-impaired audiences.

Education: 

Increase the possibility of people using your material for studying. Video subtitles will serve as supporting information.

Translation and subtitling agencies work with trained professionals who can understand the target language context. This allows achieving professional subtitles that are assertive and meet the desired objectives. In addition, subtitle translators put their creativity and imagination into action to achieve texts, videos, and campaigns that preserve the intention of the original video.

Find out more about what is translation subtitling and how it can help grow your business.

As a rough estimate, 8-10 minutes of video takes about one hour to subtitle. But this estimate only accounts for the translation and does not include other necessary stages like transcription, subtitle editing, and QA. Furthermore, the time estimate increases if considering other subtitling-related tasks—like the insertion of on-screen text. 

In short, subtitling time estimates are project-specific.

There are a few steps to follow when implementing multilingual SEO for videos:

• Caption videos to make them accessible to search engines and broader audiences. (Note: YouTube’s auto-captions may not be indexed by Google. Also, they often present mistakes, which can create a bad impression of your brand.)
• Research keywords for each market.
• Add keywords to your subtitles. (Note: Remember to include keywords in titles, descriptions, tags, and captions too.)

Create separate landing pages for each video and each language. This will make it easier for search engines to find the new localised content.