Prepare a subtitling enquiry
The requirements for a subtitle project depend on the media and intended use. Provide the available source material and any instructions that affect how the output will be reviewed or delivered.
Include:
This list helps scope the request; it does not confirm support for every format, platform, accessibility standard, or production workflow.
Describe the deliverable you need
“Subtitles,” translated captions, transcription, on-screen text translation, and audio description are not interchangeable. Specify the output you need and share the recipient’s written requirements. Do not assume that voice-over, dubbing, closed captions, speaker identification, or video editing is included unless confirmed for the project.
Request an assessment
Send a project brief and a non-sensitive sample or media link where appropriate. Confirm any access restrictions before sharing source files. Globalize can assess the enquiry; the request does not itself confirm format compatibility, language availability, price, timing, or a finished media edit.
Request a Free Quote — `info@globalizetl.com` — WhatsApp: `+20 106 299 0808`.
Separate transcript, translation, captions, and edit files
A media project can involve several distinct outputs. A transcript records speech in its original language; translated subtitles render speech in another language; captions may also represent relevant non-speech audio; a timed subtitle file links text to timecodes; and a rendered video embeds the text into the picture. These are not automatically included together. Use the recipient’s terminology and state exactly which files you expect.
| Requested output | Clarify before work is scoped |
|---|---|
| Transcript | Language, speaker labels, and whether non-speech sounds are included |
| Subtitle translation | Source and target languages and whether a transcript exists |
| Timed subtitle file | Required extension, timecode convention, and technical specification |
| Captioning | Accessibility or platform instructions and sound descriptions required |
| Edited video | Whether a separate edit/render is requested and who supplies the source project |
Provide the final cut or identify expected changes; timecodes may be affected if the media changes. Share a short representative sample and any style or terminology guidance. Check names, on-screen text, speaker labels, numbers, and synchronization against the approved source. Do not assume that a subtitle translation also includes transcription, captioning, dubbing, audio description, or video editing.
Prepare the media and subtitle brief
The assessment should start with the final or clearly identified video version, the source script if available, the target language, intended audience, platform, and requested deliverables. Say whether the assignment covers translation, transcription, speaker labels, on-screen text, captions for sound effects, subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, or more than one of these. “Subtitles” can refer to different outputs, so define the file type, whether a burned-in version is needed, and who will provide the final video edit.
Provide terminology for names, recurring phrases, product references, and series-specific language. Identify any content that must remain unchanged, such as a registered name or interface label. If the dialogue overlaps, a speaker is unclear, or a phrase is obscured by music, mark it for review instead of assuming the words. Include the video frame rate or technical delivery settings only when supplied by the production team; do not guess at encoding requirements.
| Brief item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Final media version | Prevents subtitle timing from drifting after an edit |
| Audience and platform | Helps define tone, reading context, and file delivery |
| Names and glossary | Keeps recurring terms consistent across segments |
| Sound and visual cues | Shows whether non-speech information is in scope |
| Deliverable format | Distinguishes a subtitle file from a rendered video |
Review meaning, timing, and screen context
A subtitle must preserve the point of the dialogue while remaining understandable in its display context. Review tone, speaker changes, references to objects on screen, humor, idioms, and culturally specific wording. Do not remove a qualification or warning simply to make a line shorter. If a line cannot fit comfortably without losing meaning, revise the phrasing or ask the production owner about timing and layout options.
Check that each segment corresponds to the correct spoken passage and that the sequence follows the edited media. A late cut, inserted shot, or replaced scene can make an otherwise accurate subtitle misleading. Review punctuation and line breaks in context; a break should not separate a name from its title or a negation from the words it changes. Captions that describe meaningful sound should distinguish a sound cue from spoken dialogue where the selected format requires that distinction.
Before delivery, compare the subtitle file with the final video and confirm file encoding and platform-specific requirements supplied by the publisher. This review checks the linguistic and timing relationship; it does not guarantee accessibility compliance, audience response, or acceptance by every platform.
Manage revisions against the final edit
Agree how subtitle corrections will be collected and who can approve changes to names, terminology, or meaning. When the video editor changes a cut, send the new export and identify the affected time range; a subtitle file cannot be checked reliably against an unspecified revision. Keep the approved script, glossary, subtitle file, and final media version together. For a series, record recurring speaker names and terms so later episodes do not introduce unintended variations. Ask the publisher for any platform-specific format rules before final export.