Smartcat Subtitle Editor: Guide for Organizations

For a guide on creating projects and managing video and subtitle files, be sure to check our article.

You’ve just translated a subtitle file using Smartcat’s AI.

Click Open Editor to review and refine the translation and ensure it meets your standards.

Another way of opening your file is to click on the needed one in the “Files” section of your project.

There are both languages in two parallel columns in Subtitle Editor, the source text on the left and the corresponding translation on the right shown in so-called “cues”.

In the Subtitle Editor, we prioritize dividing text into cues with specified durations rather than full sentences. This approach ensures that subtitles are optimized for readability, synchronization, and audience engagement.

Note that the source text is non-editable and serves as a reference for your translation.

To manage multiple target languages, click the “Language selector” and switch between versions.

The preview area lets you see how subtitles align with the video, while the timeline panel shows how subtitles are distributed over time, providing a clear visual representation of their placement and duration.

Below the preview and timeline panels you will see the Settings section. Use this section to configure limit parameters for all cues. This helps to enhance consistency across the subtitle file.

All your work takes place on the right side of the editor. In this area, you will review and edit translations. To make edits in the cue, simply click on its text and apply the necessary changes.

If the subtitles are not aligned with the video, you can easily adjust their start and end times to control their duration.

Each cue has a CPS (characters per second) value, which indicates whether the reading speed is too high and whether the subtitles may not match the timing and need to be modified. CPS limit value can be changed in the Settings tab.

To split a multi-line cue, click the 'Split by lines' button. Press 'Enter' to create multiple lines within a cue.

To merge, delete, or add cues, click the 'Dots' button and choose your desired option.

For an even faster experience, simply hover over a border and click the 'Insert cue' button.

When you’re satisfied with a cue translation, mark it as processed so you and your colleagues know the work is complete. Don’t worry — you can continue editing the cue if you spot areas for improvement, right up until you click the “Mark Processed” file button in the control bar.

Track your progress by clicking on the 'Progress' button, which will show how much of the file you have completed working on.

When you believe that the translation of the file is ready click the “Mark Processed” button in the control bar to finish working on the subtitles. Note that you can use this button even if no cues have been marked as processed.

If you’re not ready to finish the task, you can export the subtitle file by clicking the 'Download' button above the language version and choosing your desired file type. Subtitle files can be exported in two file formats: SRT and VTT.

To get a video in another language (one of the target languages of the project) or dub with AI voice, simply select the desired language in the selector under the “Preview section”.

After that preview AI voices and select the appropriate one. Select another AI voice and preview your video with it.

Once you're happy with the result, click the 'Download' button above the video preview, and our system will generate the new language version of your video.