Subtitle AI

How to subtitle a video with AI, translate it and export SRT files

The short answer

Upload your video to Subtitle AI and pick the language spoken in it. Open the finished project, translate it into the languages you need, then use Export to download SRT files. To export many projects at once, tick them on the projects page and click Download there. You get one zip.

By Subtitle AI · Updated

Time
About 10 minutes, plus processing time
Before you start
  • A Subtitle AI account. You can start free.
  • A video or audio file.
  • The list of languages you need subtitles in.

  1. Step 1 of 5

    Upload your video

    Open the projects page and click Upload.

    Drop your file in the window.

    Under Spoken language, pick the language people speak in the video. If you are not sure, leave it on Autodetect.

    Click Upload.

    Spoken language means the language in the file, not the language you want subtitles in. You add those next.

    Drop the file, pick the spoken language, then upload.

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Check the subtitles

    When the project says Ready, open it.

    Read the subtitles while the video plays.

    If a word is wrong, click it in the subtitle list and type the fix.

    Fix mistakes before you translate. Every translation starts from this text, so one fix here carries into all languages.

  3. Step 3 of 5

    Translate into more languages

    Go back to the projects page.

    Open the menu on your project and choose Translate.

    Tick every language you want.

    Click Translate selected.

    Each language becomes its own version of the project. You can edit any of them.

    Tick the languages, then click Translate selected.

  4. Step 4 of 5

    Export one project in every language

    Open the project and click Export.

    Under Languages, tick the versions you want. This list appears once the project has translations.

    Choose SRT as the format.

    Click the download button. With four languages ticked, it reads Download 4 languages (.zip).

    With more than one language ticked, you get one zip with a file for each language. With one, you get a single SRT.

    Tick the languages, choose SRT, then download.

  5. Step 5 of 5

    Export many projects at once

    Go to the projects page.

    Tick the box next to each project.

    Click Download above the list.

    Choose SRT and click Download subtitles.

    You get one zip with an SRT for every finished language of every project you ticked. For very large batches, export in smaller groups. An export that takes too long stops and asks you to try fewer projects.

    Tick the projects, then click Download.

Why not paste an SRT file into a translator?

An SRT file is text plus numbers: a count for each subtitle and a start and end time. A general translator treats all of it as words. It can scramble the numbering or change the timestamps, and then the file stops loading in your player.

In Subtitle AI, you translate the subtitles inside a project. You then export a new SRT from that project, so the structure of the file is built fresh each time.

Tips for large batches

Translate first, export last. Fix mistakes in the original before you translate, so you fix them once.

If you export dozens of projects at once and the export takes too long, it stops and asks you to try fewer projects. Export in smaller groups.

Common questions

How do I get SRT files for several videos at once?

Tick the projects on the projects page and click Download. Choose SRT and click Download subtitles. You get one zip with an SRT for every language of every project you ticked.

Can I download SRT files in every language in one go?

Yes. For one project, open it, click Export and tick the languages you want. For several projects, tick them on the projects page and click Download. Either way you get one zip with a file for each language.

Can I translate subtitles into several languages at once?

Yes. In the Translate window, tick every language you want and click Translate selected. Each language becomes its own version of the project, and you can export them together.

Can I change the subtitle text before I translate?

Yes, and it is the best order. Translations start from the original text, so fix names and wrong words first.

Which language should I pick when I upload?

The language people speak in the file. Subtitles in other languages come from the Translate step afterwards.

What other formats can I export besides SRT?

The export window lists the other subtitle formats, and it can also make document exports and video. SRT is the one most video platforms accept.

Try these steps on your own file

Start freeOpen the demo project

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