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Comparison of automatic, manual and mixed subtitling solutions

Automatic, manual or mixed video subtitling allows you to create subtitles. And, the task seems complicated just talking about it. So, what choice should you make to quickly and easily subtitle a video you have edited and want to broadcast or share on social networks or internally in your training center or company? Indeed, many solutions have appeared on the subtitling market. So which software should you choose? To optimize your time and patience, should you choose a fully automatic solution, a fully manual solution or should you mix the two and opt for a hybrid subtitling solution? Find your answers in this comparison!

In summary

  1. Why choose a subtitling solution?
  2. Which subtitling solution to choose?

 

1. Why choose a subtitling solution?

The choice of a solution is a matter of pragmatism. Indeed, subtitling is a delicate and time-consuming task. It requires the ability to transcribe, to synchronize words with image and sound, to translate dialogues into several languages, etc. So, it’s a painstaking and exhausting job.

1.1. Optimizing your processes

Nevertheless, to optimize your processes, solutions exist:

  • Manual softwares ;
  • Automatic solutions ;
  • Hybrid online collaborative platforms.

And, they have a common point of interest.

1.2. What these solutions have in common

The common point to these devices is that your work is made easier, the transcription is done without typos or forgotten words. Moreover, time synchronization becomes intuitive thanks to an interface that displays and allows direct editing of the video’s subtitles. Finally, depending on the solution, you have some really interesting features to make your life easier, such as automatic translation or translation by professionals if you don’t do it yourself. Then, you optimize your natural referencing thanks to a technical help and you convert your subtitles and videos in the blink of an eye to SRT format, VTT or with a title overlay.

So, depending on your resources and the time you have available, choose one of these solutions. To do so, discover below a comparison between them in order to make an informed decision.

sous-titrer.jpeg

2. Which subtitling solution to choose?

Here is a summary table of this comparison requiring manual, automatic or mixed subtitling.

2.1. Pros and cons

Discover the advantages and disadvantages of each type of subtitling solution, manual, automatic or mixed.

 

COMPARISON

SUBTITLING SOLUTIONS

 Manual

Automatic

Hybrid:

online subtitling editor

Pros

  • Open-source software
  • Subtitle synchronization
  • Spell checker
  • Customization
  • Compatibility with Windows, Linux and Mac
  • Extensive features
  • Automatic backups
  • Customizable and scalable generated formats
  • Translation wizards
  • Automatic subtitle generator
  • Intuitive interface
  • Wide range of translations
  • Speed
  • Active collaborative online work
  • Pleasant and intuitive interface
  • Very easy to use
  • Voice recognition
  • Speed thanks to automatic translation
  • Professional proofreading
  • Professional subtitle quality
  • Formats adapted for each social network (Tik Tok, Insta, Facebook, etc.)
  • Large number of languages translated (up to 120 languages with EoleCC)
  • SEO friendly transcription

Cons

  • Complex for beginners
  • Expensive solutions if the task is outsourced (transcriber or translator)
  • Very time consuming
  • Customizable and scalable generated formats
  • Voice recognition not always perfect
  • Subtitle quality often very average
  • No human proofreading
  • Some bugs
  • Possibility of customization to be improved
  • Possibility of customization to be improved

 2.2. Verdict of the best subtitling solution

All-auto subtitling Vs manual Vs mixed solutions, so which one is your heart? So, if you are looking for excellence, have time and a comfortable budget, choose a manual solution with which you will perform subtitling adapted to your needs. And, if you are in a hurry and don’t care about quality, choose automatic translation. Nevertheless, some translations will not fit the cultural reality between the original country and the one for which the video is translated. So, be aware of these inconsistencies. On the other hand, if you choose an hybrid solution that has the advantage of automatically translating an online video and checking it just as quickly, either by yourself or with the additional services of professional translators, you are choosing to save time and be pragmatic!

Last but not least, a hybrid solution like EoleCC is clear, intuitive, easy to use and above all, it is not expensive! Discover it quickly!