Free tool
Subtitle translator
This free subtitle translator puts an SRT or VTT file into another language: every subtitle keeps its number and its times, so the translated file still lines up with your video. Download it as SRT, VTT or bilingual subtitles.
- Free
- Same numbers and times
- Nothing is stored
Drop your subtitle file here, or Choose your subtitle file
SRT or VTT. Up to 30,000 characters of each file, about 30 minutes of speech, 3 free files a day.
Making subtitles from your own recordings? NoteOwl transcribes them on your Mac with unlimited transcription and saves SRT subtitles with each speaker’s name. Nothing is uploaded.
How it works
How do you translate a subtitle file?
Drop the SRT or VTT file on the translator, pick the language to translate into, and press Translate. The subtitles’ text is translated in batches, so a sentence split across two subtitles is read as one, and each subtitle gets its own translation back.
- 1
Add the subtitle file
An .srt or .vtt file from a video editor, YouTube Studio or a subtitle site. It’s read in your browser.
- 2
Pick the languages
Leave “From” on Detect automatically, or choose the language the subtitles are in. Then choose the one to translate into.
- 3
Download the translation
SRT, VTT, or a bilingual SRT with the original line above the translation. The file is named after yours.
What stays the same when subtitles are translated?
Everything that keeps them in sync: each subtitle’s number, its start and end time, and how many subtitles there are. What changes is the words, and the line breaks, which are made again so the translation fits the screen in its own language.
- Numbers and times
- After translationKept exactly
- Why it mattersThe translated file lines up with the video, cue for cue
- Number of subtitles
- After translationKept
- Why it mattersNo subtitle is merged, split, added or dropped
- Line breaks
- After translationMade again for the new language
- Why it mattersAt most 2 lines, of 42 characters where the translation fits (16 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean)
- Italics
- After translationKept on a subtitle that was all in italics
- Why it mattersOff-screen voices and signs stay in italics
- Speaker names
- After translationKept as written, not translated
- Why it mattersA “Name:” before the line stays in front of the translation
- Positions and styling
- After translationLeft behind
- Why it mattersPlayers show the subtitles in their usual place
| Part of the file | After translation | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers and times | Kept exactly | The translated file lines up with the video, cue for cue |
| Number of subtitles | Kept | No subtitle is merged, split, added or dropped |
| Line breaks | Made again for the new language | At most 2 lines, of 42 characters where the translation fits (16 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean) |
| Italics | Kept on a subtitle that was all in italics | Off-screen voices and signs stay in italics |
| Speaker names | Kept as written, not translated | A “Name:” before the line stays in front of the translation |
| Positions and styling | Left behind | Players show the subtitles in their usual place |
What if the translation is longer than the original?
It still fits the same subtitle, in at most 2 lines. A subtitle’s time on screen can’t grow, so a longer translation gets slightly longer lines rather than a third line or an extra subtitle. In our test, Spanish ran about 15% longer than the English it came from.
- 1
Line length follows the script
Lines aim for 42 characters in alphabetic languages, 16 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean, 35 in Thai, and are balanced when the text runs over.
- 2
Breaks fall in natural places
After a comma or between phrases, and never right after a short word such as “the” or “de”.
- 3
Right to left stays right to left
Hebrew lines start with a right-to-left mark, so players put the punctuation on the correct side.
Why translate a whole file rather than one line at a time?
Because sentences don’t stop where subtitles do. Half a sentence translated on its own often comes out wrong: the verb may sit in the next subtitle, or a pronoun may need the noun before it. The translator reads consecutive subtitles together and still gives every subtitle its own line back.
SRT, VTT or bilingual: which download do you need?
SRT for almost anything: video sites and every video editor read it. VTT for a player on your own website or course platform. The bilingual SRT puts the original line above each translation, which helps when you check a translation or learn a language.
- SRT
- What’s in itThe translated subtitles, numbered, with times written 00:01:02,500
- Where it goesYouTube, Vimeo, video editors, VLC
- VTT
- What’s in itThe same subtitles as WebVTT, times written 00:01:02.500
- Where it goesWeb video players, course platforms
- Bilingual SRT
- What’s in itEach subtitle’s original line, then its translation
- Where it goesLanguage learners, checking a translation, dual-language screenings
| File | What’s in it | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| SRT | The translated subtitles, numbered, with times written 00:01:02,500 | YouTube, Vimeo, video editors, VLC |
| VTT | The same subtitles as WebVTT, times written 00:01:02.500 | Web video players, course platforms |
| Bilingual SRT | Each subtitle’s original line, then its translation | Language learners, checking a translation, dual-language screenings |
How good is AI subtitle translation?
Good enough to publish after a read-through. We tested translation into each language on the list and send each one to the model that did best in it. Full sentences come out natural; jokes, slang and names are where a human check pays off.
Is there a page for your subtitle format or language?
Yes: each page below is this same translator. A format page leads with that download; a language page is set to translate into that language and explains how subtitles in it are written.
By subtitle format
By language
- English
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
- German
- Japanese
- Polish
- Russian
- Dutch
- French
- Turkish
- Swedish
- Ukrainian
- Norwegian
- Finnish
- Vietnamese
- Thai
- Slovak
- Greek
- Czech
- Croatian
- Danish
- Korean
- Romanian
- Bulgarian
- Chinese
- Hungarian
- Hindi
- Estonian
- Latvian
- Slovenian
- Hebrew
- Lithuanian
- Indonesian
- Catalan
- Malay
- Tagalog
- Galician
- Bosnian
- Macedonian
- Azerbaijani
- Tamil
Making subtitles from your own recordings?
Use NoteOwl on your Mac. It transcribes recordings there with unlimited transcription, labels each speaker and saves the transcript as an SRT file with every speaker’s name, ready to translate here.
- Video translator
No subtitle file yet? Drop the video itself and get translated subtitles.
- Subtitle generator
Make SRT or VTT subtitles in the spoken language from a video or recording.
- Subtitle shifter
Move every subtitle earlier or later when a file runs out of sync.
- Subtitle editor
Fix a word or a time in any subtitle before you publish.
FAQ
Questions about translating subtitles
Is this subtitle translator free?
Yes. Translate 3 subtitle files a day, up to 30,000 characters of each, with no account and no watermark. SRT, VTT and bilingual downloads are all included.
Is my subtitle file uploaded?
Your browser reads the file on your device. Only the subtitles’ text is sent, in batches, over a secure connection to a cloud AI translation service, which translates it and discards it. The translated file is put together in the page, and NoteOwl stores neither file.
Will the translated subtitles stay in sync with the video?
Yes. Every subtitle keeps its number and its start and end times, so if the original lined up with the video, the translation does too. Only the words and the line breaks change.
How long a file can it translate?
Up to 30,000 characters of subtitle text per file, about what 30 minutes of conversation produces. A longer file, such as a whole film, is translated up to that point, and the page tells you how many subtitles it covered.
Can it translate a video that has no subtitles yet?
Not on this page: it needs a subtitle file. The video translator takes the video itself, transcribes the speech and gives you translated subtitles. Or make subtitles first with the subtitle generator, then translate them here.
Which subtitle formats does it read?
SRT and VTT, the two formats most video sites and editors use. An SBV file from YouTube works too. For an ASS or SSA file, convert it to SRT first with the subtitle converter.
Does it translate from any language?
It works out the language of the subtitles by itself, or you can choose it, which helps with very short files. When a file is plainly in English, the page picks English for you.
Keep exploring
More free tools
- Online voice recorderRecord your voice in the browser with a level meter, timer and pause, play it back, and save it as MP3 or WAV; nothing is uploaded
- Mic testA free online mic test: a live level meter, a microphone picker and a 5-second recording to play back, in your browser
- M4A to MP3 converterConvert M4A to MP3 in your browser, iPhone and Mac voice memos included, at 128, 192 or 320 kbps; nothing is uploaded
- SRT to VTT converterConvert SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, or either to clean text with each speaker’s lines merged, in your browser; Zoom and Teams transcripts work
Related
- Video translatorA free video translator: drop in a video and download subtitles in another language, timed to the speech, as SRT or VTT; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitle generatorA free AI subtitle generator: drop in a video or recording and download SRT or VTT subtitles timed to the speech, two short lines per cue; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
- Online subtitle editorEdit an SRT or VTT file in your browser: change text and times, add and delete captions, catch overlaps and over-fast captions, download
Transcripts and subtitles from every recording, on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
Last updated