How to Translate an SRT Subtitle File Without Breaking the Timestamps

You have subtitles that work. The timing is right, the lines are clean. Now you want the same subtitles in another language, so you paste the file into a translator, and the result doesn't load anymore. Or it loads, but the subtitles appear at the wrong moments.

This happens a lot, and it's easy to avoid. This guide explains why SRT files break during translation, how to translate one safely for free with Spokly's translate tool, and what to check before you publish.

Why timestamps break during translation

An SRT file mixes two kinds of content: text that should be translated and structure that must not change. Here's one cue:

12
00:01:04,250 --> 00:01:07,800
This is the part most people skip.

Only the last line should be translated. But a general-purpose translator sees the whole file as text, and it can damage the structure in several ways:

Changing the numbers. Some languages format numbers differently, so 00:01:04,250 can come back with a different separator, or with the comma turned into a dot.
Touching the arrow. The --> between the times can be changed, spaced differently or removed.
Merging cues. The translator may join two short cues into one sentence, so the count no longer matches the original.
Moving line breaks. The empty line between cues is what separates them. If it disappears, two cues become one broken cue.
Translating the cue numbers. In some languages, digits can be written in a different script.

Any one of these makes the file invalid, or shifts the text so it no longer matches the speech.

The safe approach: translate the text, keep the structure

The reliable way to translate subtitles is to separate the parts:

Read the file and split it into cues.
Translate only the text of each cue.
Rebuild the file with the original numbers and timings, putting each translated text back into its own cue.

That's exactly what Spokly's translate tool does. The numbers and timing lines are never sent to the translator, so they can't be changed. The translated file has the same number of cues, in the same order, with exactly the same times.

Step by step: translate an SRT file for free

The free translation runs in Chrome 138 or newer on a computer, using the translator built into Chrome. The translation happens on your device; your file isn't uploaded.

Open the translate tool on the Spokly home page.
Choose Upload file and drop your .srt file onto the box. VTT files work the same way. Spokly reads the file in your browser and shows how many subtitles it found.
In From, choose the language of your subtitles. If Chrome can detect languages, "Detect automatically" is also available.
In To, choose the language you want.
Click Translate for free.
The first time you use a language pair, Chrome downloads a language pack. This can take a few minutes; keep the tab open. Next time, it starts right away.
When it's done, check the result on the page, then click Download SRT.

The downloaded file keeps the original name with the language added, for example my-video.fr.srt. That makes it easy to keep track of several languages for one video.

Files can be up to 10 MB and 150,000 characters, which covers subtitles for very long videos.

If the language pair isn't available

Chrome's built-in translator doesn't support every pair of languages. If a pair isn't available, Spokly tells you when you click Translate. Try another pair, or translate through a common language, such as from your language to English and then from English to the target language. Each step can lose a little meaning, so review the result carefully.

If you don't have Chrome

The free translation depends on Chrome's built-in translator, so other browsers can't use it yet. You can install Chrome just for this task; you don't need to use it for anything else.

What to check after translating

Machine translation gets the meaning across, but subtitles have their own rules. Before you publish, read the translated file while you watch the video.

Sentences that span two cues

Speakers often start a sentence in one cue and finish it in the next. Because each cue is translated on its own, the translator doesn't see the full sentence at once. In languages with a different word order, this can make the two halves read oddly. Fix these by hand: make sure each half makes sense on its own, or move a word from one cue to the other.

Line length

Translated text is often longer than the original. A cue that fit on two short lines in English can become much longer in German or French. Long lines are hard to read and can cover the picture.

A common guideline in subtitle style guides is about two lines of around 40 characters each. When Spokly makes subtitles, it wraps lines at around 42 characters. After translating, look for cues that grew much longer, and:

shorten the wording (subtitles don't need every word that was spoken);
split the text into two lines at a natural break;
if a cue still has too much text, split it into two cues in a subtitle editor.

Reading speed

Viewers need time to read each cue. A practical way to check: play the video with the translated subtitles and read along. If you can't finish a cue before it disappears, the cue has too much text for its time. Shorten it. This matters more in translation, because longer text has to fit into the same timing.

Names, numbers and terms

Translators sometimes translate names or change units and numbers. Check product names, people's names and anything technical.

Right-to-left languages

If you translate into Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Urdu, the text is written right to left. Most video players handle this well, but punctuation at the end of a line can sometimes appear on the wrong side. Check a few cues in the player you'll use before you publish.

A quick review checklist

Before you publish a translated subtitle file, run through this list while watching the video:

The file opens in your player or platform without errors.
The first and last cues appear at the right moments.
Names, brands and numbers are correct.
Sentences that span two cues read naturally in the new language.
No cue is too long to read before it disappears.
Right-to-left text, if any, shows punctuation in the right place.

It takes one viewing of the video, and it catches most problems worth fixing.

Upload the translated file

Upload the translated SRT to your platform as a separate subtitle track in its own language. On YouTube, that means adding a new language in YouTube Studio's Subtitles page and uploading the file there; see how to add subtitles to a YouTube video for the steps.

If you don't have subtitles yet, start with the subtitle maker: it makes an SRT or VTT file from your video, in the language that's spoken. Then translate that file.

Spokly is also preparing AI translation for subtitles, which will work in any browser; it's coming soon. The free Chrome translation works today.

FAQ

Will the translated file have exactly the same timings?

Yes. Only the text of each cue is translated. The numbers and timing lines are copied from your original file unchanged.

Does it work with VTT files too?

Yes. VTT files are translated the same way and downloaded as VTT, with the same timings. See SRT vs VTT if you're unsure which format you need.

Is my subtitle file uploaded?

No. The file is read in your browser, and Chrome's built-in translator runs on your device. Chrome downloads a language pack the first time you use a language pair.

Why does the first translation take longer?

Chrome is downloading the language pack for that pair of languages. It's a one-time download per pair; later translations start right away.