Discover the World of Media Localization.
Insight
If you think multilingual subtitling is just a simple translation, that automatic tools can handle it all, or that it’s a rule-free zone, this article is for you. Subtitling is a craft with its own set of challenges, constraints, and yes, it has rules that can vary from one language to another. There is a lot more going on behind those little lines of text than you might think. Let’s get right to it.
Subtitles must follow certain ground rules. There are standards in place to ensure viewers can keep up with what’s being said without missing a beat. It’s all about being able to read, understand and follow the story at the same time, leaving no room for confusion. Here’s an overview that applies to every language.
➡️ Striking the right balance between CPL and CPS is key to making your subtitles effortlessly readable. Their range differ from one language to another; we'll see the details later on.
* CPL (Characters per Line) determines how much text the audience can read at once.
* CPS (Characters per Seconds) indicates how much time viewers have to read the text.
➡️ Depending on the CPL and CPS combination, as well as the pace of the dialogue, subtitles are displayed on screen for a specific duration—usually between 1 and 6 seconds.
➡️ Line breaks should follow grammatical and syntactic structure. Avoid breaking lines in the middle of phrases, names, or closely connected verbs or objects. Punctuation is often a good place to break a line; if none is present, break at a logical point.
➡️ Depending on the screen size on which the subtitles will be displayed, the number of CPL/CPS can vary, keep the final format in mind.
➡️ Subtitles should use a large enough font (usually Arial) and appear at the bottom of the screen. Keep the same font and style throughout the video. The use of a black background, letter shadows, or sometimes the color yellow is acceptable.
➡️ In some languages, italics are used to indicate specific types of non-standard speech or audio, such as off-screen dialogue, inner thoughts, songs, or speech coming from a phone, TV, or radio.
➡️ All caps are often used to represent on-screen text, such as storefronts, book titles, signs, road signs, or credits.
➡️ If the subtitles cover important on-screen information such as title credits, text notes, signs, or storefronts, etc. You can temporarily move them to the top or corners of the screen.
➡️ Accurate timing is essential in subtitling, not only to maintain clarity and the flow of conversation, but also to preserve the emotional impact of the story.
➡️ Subtitles should appear and disappear as the spoken line begins and ends. Occasionally, a subtitle may be timed to appear with a reaction, in order to enhance the viewer’s experience and align with visual cues. However, the delay does not have to exceed 0.5 to 1.5 second.
➡️ Don’t mix the speakers: one character, one line—keep it clean. When there are two voices in the same frame, start a new line and use a dash to differentiate them.
➡️ Avoid subtitle overhang. Subtitles should disappear when the speaker finishes. Leaving text on screen too long can confuse the viewer.
➡️ Don't subtitle breaths or filler words. Sounds like “uh” or “um” should generally be left out unless they carry a specific narrative or emotional weight.
➡️ Sync with pauses and silence. If a character hesitates or pauses dramatically, the subtitles timing should reflect that natural rhythm.
To achieve the right balance between readability and synchronization, professional subtitlers must make careful choices when translating. Dialogue may vary in pace—sometimes fast, sometimes slow—and word counts can increase or decrease from one language to another.
When subtitling, the most important thing is to be easy to read and sound natural as a viewer should never need to reread subtitles to understand them. To make sure of that, an adaptation work, called “condensation”, is needed. It refers to the process of shortening spoken dialogue to fit the constraints of subtitle reading speed, screen space, and timing, without losing the essential meaning. The verbs can be simplified, the words generalized, a compound sentence can be divided into simple sentences, a sentence in the passive voice can be changed to the active voice—and vice versa. This allows subtitles to be shortened, rephrased, and simplified but without being dumbed down.
Let’s take a simple example: “I just wanted to let you know that everything’s going to be okay in the end.”
🐆 Fast sequence - 1 second of screen time → needs maximum brevity:
“It will be okay.”
Core message only, easy to read quickly. Viewers get emotional reassurance, which is the key takeaway.
🐕 Normal sequence - 2–2.5 seconds of screen time → allows slightly more detail:
“Just so you know, it will all be okay.”
Keeps the tone and intent while trimming extra words. This version preserves the speaker’s reassuring intent and slight formality.
🐌 Slow sequence - 3–4 seconds of screen time → allows near-full expression:
“I just wanted to say everything will be okay in the end.”
Subtle simplification consists of replacing "to let you know that" with "to say," and shortening "is going to be" to "will be."
To respect the on-screen display time, subtitlers really need to master the ability to condense meaning. And of course, if the on-screen time or the speaker’s pace allows for a complete, uncondensed translation, the subtitler may choose to preserve the full structure of the sentence and stay entirely true to the original.
Condensation is important, but what if you get the meaning wrong? Your shortened version may convey a message that doesn’t reflect the original intention. That’s why understanding the speaker’s emotional state is also a determinant factor for successful subtitles—because one sentence can carry a completely different meaning depending on the context.
Let’s take a simple example: “Oh, I see you finally made it."
😊 Happy / Relieved → “I’m so glad you’re here.”
😠 Frustrated / Annoyed → “You took your time getting here.”
😤 Disappointed / Upset → “I wish you hadn’t come.”
😒 Sarcastic → “Well, that took forever.”
😢 Worried / Concerned → “I was really anxious you wouldn’t make it.”
😮 Surprised → “I didn’t expect you to show up.”
😐 Indifferent → “Ok, you’re here.”
😡 Angry → “About time you showed up.”
To create effective subtitles, a subtitler must immerse themselves in the story and empathize with the characters. Missing the speaker’s original intention can lead to subtitles that misrepresent the meaning. Understanding the emotions behind the dialogue is crucial, especially when fast-paced speech requires condensing the text. Without grasping the emotional context, the subtitles risk losing the true meaning entirely.
Readability. Synchronization. Condensation. Emotion.
These are the Fantastic Four that prove great subtitling is still a human craft. It’s not just lines of text; it’s a path to what’s happening on screen, in real time. That’s not something you can automate. Subtitlers need to be the viewer’s guide, breathe with the scene, refine without omitting, and catch the feeling behind the words. That kind of work can’t come from AI. It might be faster, but it’s still guessing and faking it. We’re not.
Now that you’ve mastered the basics and the linguistic challenges, it’s time to travel a little. When working on multilingual subtitles, it’s crucial to keep in mind the differences in subtitling norms across languages. You don’t want to disrupt the viewing experience just because you didn’t take local conventions into account.
When subtitling from one language to another, two elements are key: the writing system (alphabet, characters, direction of writing, etc.) and grammar (sentence structure, verb conjugation, word order). However, cultural context is also important. Each region of the world has its own average reading speed, which influences CPL (characters per line) and CPS (characters per second). Subtitles must be adapted to match the reading habits of the target country's population.
Here is an overview of the different norms among the world's main audiovisual languages, ranked from fastest to slowest readers.
- Korean is typically read faster than Chinese and Japanese, allowing for higher CPS rates. In South Korea, it's even acceptable to display up to three lines of subtitles, as viewers are known to read quickly.
- Japanese is the only Asian language where italics may be used—typically for on-screen text, inner thoughts, or voiceover. Subtitles in Japan are extremely concise, as the image is considered sacred and must not be disrupted.
- In France, subtitles tend to be more condensed, with a strong emphasis on fluidity. French subtitlers focus on creating smooth, natural-sounding lines that flow effortlessly.
- In Brazil, oral language is emphasized; subtitles aim to be emotionally resonant and relatable.
- In Germany, subtitles often exceed up to 43 characters per line to preserve meaning, especially because of the word composition called: “Wortzusammensetzung”. Yes, it illustrates the phenomenon very well.
- In China, it is not unusual to see three lines in Chinese content but in such cases, each line displays different information: Mandarin/Cantonese characters, Pinyin, and English.
Do you know any other language-specific subtitling rules? Let us know—we’re always curious to learn more.
Subtitles are governed by constraints and conventions. However, new formats and ways of displaying audiovisual content are shaking up the structured world of subtitling.
- For example, on social media platforms, dynamic subtitles enhance engagement by syncing word-for-word with the audio to capture the attention of fast-scrolling viewers.
- In virtual and augmented reality or video games, subtitles can be spatially anchored to characters or objects, seamlessly blending into the scene to boost immersion and readability.
- Multilingual audiences and language learners are asking to have the possibility to display subtitles in multiple languages simultaneously or offering easy toggling between them.
- Recently, a notable innovation appeared in the original version of 'The White Lotus' Season 3, featuring double subtitles. The original Thai subtitles were burned and faded behind the other language subtitles—a clever and immersive technique that enrich the local aspect of the story.
The art of subtitling is not something you can improvise. There are norms to follow—not only do they vary from one language to another, but they can also differ depending on the type of content. It’s essential to pay close attention to what you write: even a small translation error can change the entire meaning, ruin a joke, or pull the viewer out of the story.
We hope this article has helped you better understand the subtleties of subtitles. Yes, we saved that paronym for the very end. Subtitling isn’t just about transcription or translation. It demands mastery of both the source and target languages, a clever sense of timing, strong audiovisual literacy, and the ability to localize with empathy and finesse.
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