Translate subtitles and keep every timecode in sync
Your video has English captions, and you want viewers in Brazil or Germany to follow along. Pasting an SRT file into a translator breaks the numbering and timecodes, and translated lines often run too long to read. Your todo.is agent translates the file, keeps the timing exact and shortens lines so they are easy to follow.
The prompt
- Translate the attached subtitle file [ATTACH THE SRT OR VTT FILE, OR THE VIDEO] from [SOURCE LANGUAGE] into [TARGET LANGUAGES]. If I attach a video without subtitles, transcribe it first. Keep every number and timecode exactly as it is. Keep each subtitle to 2 lines of about 42 characters, and shorten the phrasing rather than cutting meaning. Keep names, and translate jokes or idioms naturally. Deliver one .srt file per language, named like the original with the language code, and [EXTRA, E.G. BURN THE SUBTITLES INTO THE VIDEO AS AN MP4].
What to change
- [ATTACH THE SRT OR VTT FILE, OR THE VIDEO]: A subtitle file, or the video itself (up to 50 MB) if it has no subtitles yet.
- [SOURCE LANGUAGE]: E.g. "English", or "detect it".
- [TARGET LANGUAGES]: One or more, e.g. "Brazilian Portuguese and German".
- [EXTRA, E.G. BURN THE SUBTITLES INTO THE VIDEO AS AN MP4]: Or "also give me VTT files", or "nothing else".
Example result
- Subtitle translation: webinar_en.srt
- English → Brazilian Portuguese and German · 312 subtitles · 24 minutes
- Original (English)
- 14
- 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,920
- So here's the thing nobody tells you
- about pricing your first product.
- 15
- 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,300
- You're probably charging too little.
- Portuguese (webinar_pt-BR.srt)
- 14
- 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,920
- Vou contar o que ninguém fala
- sobre o preço do primeiro produto.
- 15
- 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,300
- Você provavelmente está cobrando pouco.
- German (webinar_de.srt)
- 14
- 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,920
- Das sagt dir keiner, wenn du
- dein erstes Produkt bepreist.
- 15
- 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,300
- Du verlangst wahrscheinlich zu wenig.
- Quality check
- • All 312 numbers and timecodes match the original
- • 27 lines were shortened to stay under 42 characters
- • Reading speed kept under about 17 characters per second; 4 subtitles got shorter wording
- • German uses "du", matching the speaker's casual tone
- • Files saved as UTF-8 so accents (ç, ã, ü, ß) show correctly in players
- Files
- • webinar_pt-BR.srt
- • webinar_de.srt
- • Optional: webinar_pt-BR.mp4 with Portuguese subtitles burned in
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in the languages and whether you want subtitles burned into the video.
- Attach the .srt or .vtt file (or the video, up to 50 MB) in todo.is.
- Download one subtitle file per language and upload it to YouTube, Vimeo or your video editor.
- Ask for another language or a burned-in MP4 later in the same chat.
Tips for a better result
- Upload separate .srt files to YouTube instead of burning them in. Viewers can switch languages, and the text can help people find the video.
- Aim for 2 lines of about 42 characters and roughly 17 characters per second. Longer lines are hard to read before the subtitle disappears.
- Give your agent a short glossary of names and product terms so they are spelled the same in every language.
- Keep files in UTF-8. Older players may show broken accents or Arabic letters if another encoding is used.
translate subtitles: FAQ
- How do I translate an SRT file? Attach the .srt file and name the target language. Your agent translates only the text lines and keeps the numbers and timecodes exactly the same.
- Can I get subtitles for a video that has none? Yes. Attach the video and your agent transcribes the speech, creates the original subtitles and then translates them.
- What is the difference between SRT and VTT? Both are text subtitle formats with timecodes. SRT is the most widely supported; VTT is used on the web and can include simple styling. Your agent can convert between them.
- Can the subtitles be burned into the video? Yes. Your agent uses ffmpeg to add them permanently to an MP4, which helps on social media where many people watch without sound.
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