The most frequently requested format for supplying our English subtitles is SRT. SRT stands for SubRip Text and is perhaps the most basic of subtitle formats.
In the simplest terms, SRT files record the beginning and end times and text for each subtitle in the output text .srt file. It is the most basic and easiest subtitle format, and provided the encoding is set appropriately will support multiple languages.
Probably the next most popular subtitle or caption format is WebVTT. The main practical difference between the two formats, WebVTT and SRT, is that WebVTT can include metadata and SRT files can’t. The existence of metadata in your subtitle file helps promote online visibility. Metadata could include information such as the language of the subtitles for example, but it should not be used for promotional text.
The way that time-codes or time stamps are displayed are also different. Whereas SRT files separate seconds from milliseconds with a comma, WebVTT files uses a full-stop instead. Part of your decision on which format to request will depend on the platform you are planning to use.
English SRT subtitle files are simple in format:
1
00:00:00,680 –> 00:00:06,600
Five, four, three, two, one. Go!
2
00:00:06,800 –> 00:00:08,920
What’s the best bit about your job?
3
00:00:09,480 –> 00:00:11,160
Meeting unbelievably
interesting people
4
00:00:11,880 –> 00:00:14,320
and thinking about
some of the world’s
5
00:00:14,440 –> 00:00:18,040
most interesting problems
every hour of the day.
There is no metadata information, each subtitle is numbered sequentially and the timings denote the start and end time of each block of speech.
If you would be interested in learning more about our English subtitling service, do please get in touch and one of our project managers will be happy to help. Do please note we don’t just offer our subtitling service in English, but in many different languages.Â
