We specialise in video subtitling in English and in French, and transcribe spoken English and French video and audio, to provide written transcripts in the source or target language. A transcript may be an intermediate product of video subtitling.
Video subtitling involves adding text to a video to transcribe spoken dialogue and relevant audio information, making content accessible to a wider audience. The process includes reviewing the video, transcribing the dialogue, segmenting and time coding the text, translating (if necessary), and formatting according to style guidelines, to ensure readability.
Subtitles are then edited, proofread, and synced with the audio before being embedded into the video or exported as separate files. Effective subtitling uses specialised software and adheres to best practices to maintain accuracy, readability, and contextual integrity across different devices.
Video subtitling projects
Herewith is an example of our video subtitling work. This video discusses the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Assess) management method, which we recorded in English and subtitled in French.
We have done video subtitling for producers of documentaries for Netflix and France TV.
In an international corporate, we transcribed a presentation given in English. The francophone public wanted a subtitled video to ensure that, internally, the message was clearly understood.
Video subtitling is now much more common, increasingly for use by visually impaired or hard-of-hearing users, and video subtitles are often added to ensure compliance with EU legislation.
See examples of our video editing projects and translation and video subtitling prices
Transcription and video subtitling services
We accept source for video subtitling in French or English. We may transcribe in one or two steps. If in two steps, we can supply the intermediate source language transcript and its translation. We can supply either the fully edited video with embedded subtitles, or just the SRT file.
Transcription for subtitling
We transcribe French or English videos to text and create subtitles either in an SRT file, or embedded back into the video.
A source video in French can therefore be directly transcribed into English (one-step transcription), or first transcribed into French and then translated into English (two-step transcription).
One step French to English transcription
One-step transcription, therefore, is to transcribe French video transcription directly into English. The output is an English transcription, time-coded or not.
Two-step Transcription:
- Step 1: Transcription of French video to French text, (time coded or not).
- Step 2: Translation of the transcript into English.
Subtitling a Video
There can be two outputs of video subtitling, depending on whether we do just one or two steps. If transcription is done in just one step, then we supply only the target transcription (time coded or not).
If we do both steps, then we can supply both the intermediate French transcription (time coded or not) and the English translation of the transcription (time coded or not).
Time coding transcriptions
Transcriptions may be supplied time coded or not. Either may be of use. A non-time coded transcription is simply a written output of the speech, and may be useful just to understand the content.
Transcriptions may be time-coded either to allow a reader to follow, and refer back to the source. So a time code will be included at say the beginning of each paragraph.
Full time coding however is to prepare a text for video subtitling. Or rather, the time code is added to the transcription as part of the video subtitling process. Here, each phrase is time coded up to certain limits, set by the target market.
Such limits will be:
- Number of characters per line to set readability.
- Characters per second (cps) which effectively sets the speed at which subtitles are displayed on screen.
Subtitling software usede
Below is part of the video subtitling interface from Aegisub, but we now use Subtitle Edit, which has better functionality, more shortcuts and a more intuitive interface.
Other video subtitling software includes EZTitles and Titlebee, but these require quite expensive licences.
Sources and output formats
We accept video or audio in any format on hard disk, key, optical, by transfer or FTP. Subtitles are normally delivered in SRT format or embedded into the video. Transcriptions can be supplied in source language, target language, with either basic, standard or full time coding.
The value of subtitles
Production companies more and more wish, or are required, to produce their material with subtitles. This is advantageous for viewers in the home country, but subtitles also allow production companies to export their material to non-French-speaking or anglophone countries.
Areas of speciality
We translate documents in the following areas:
- Supply Chain and Management
- Information Systems
- Technical Translation
- Translation of machine tools documentation
- Tourism translation for a specialist Paysdoc