Friday, August 7, 2009

how to add subtitles to youtube videos

adding subtitles to a video can be a cumbersome task, but thanks to this new website – dotsub.com – it’s free and easy:

1) download the original video and convert it to avi format [how to download / convert videos from youtube to your iPod]

2) go to dotsub.com website and start a free account:
how to add subtitles to youtube videos
- click on “my film” tab / “post a new film”
- fill out the fields (title, file, etc)
note: “primary language” is the language the video is currently in (eg. German) – later on, you’ll be able to submit other languages (eg. English translation) subtitles / captions.
- once the video is uploaded, you’ll have to transcribe it in the original language first (link box, on the very right portion of the screen)
transcribe youtube videos

| use the slider under the video to play/stop/move the video timeline
| chose the start minute/second and finish time from drop the drop down in the middle of the screen
| type in the subtitles/caption in the gray box on the right side of the screen

- after you done with transcribing, you’ll be able to “translate this film” (same box) to any language you wish (eg. from English to German)
note: although this is not automatic, one of the great options of this website is allowing other users to translate this film for you!

although time consuming, this is the only free option available at the moment without having to save, write up the subtitles in a particular file format and the encoding in via virtualdub.