TL;DR: Subtitling and translation for video content costs £8–£15 per finished minute for SDH subtitles (same-language, accessibility-focused), £12–£25 per minute for translated subtitle scripts, and £30–£60 per minute for AI-assisted human-reviewed translations. Dubbing scripts run £12–£25 per minute before recording costs. Budget per language — a 5-language subtitle rollout of a 10-minute film will typically cost £600–£1,500.
What Are Translation and Subtitling Services?
Video translation and subtitling is the process of converting spoken audio content into readable text — either in the same language (for accessibility) or in a different language (for international audiences). The field splits into 3 main service types: subtitling and closed captions (on-screen text timed to the audio), dubbing script translation (a transcript rewritten for lip-sync recording), and full dubbing (re-recording the original audio track with new voice talent in the target language). Each has different cost structures, quality considerations, and use cases. For most brand videos, subtitles and translated subtitles are the most cost-effective access route to international audiences.
What Drives the Price?
- Service type: SDH (same-language subtitles) is cheaper than translated subtitles, which is cheaper than dubbing scripts, which is far cheaper than full dubbing with studio recording.
- Language pair: Major European languages (French, German, Spanish, Italian) are competitively priced. Less common languages (Tagalog, Bengali, Swahili) have fewer qualified translators and cost more per minute.
- Content complexity: Technical, legal, or medical content requires specialist translators who charge a premium over general corporate content translators.
- Turnaround time: Standard turnaround is 3–5 working days. Rush (24–48 hours) attracts 25–50% surcharges.
- Transcription requirement: If you don't supply a verbatim script, the translator must first transcribe the audio — add £2–£6 per minute for transcription.
- File format: Delivering an SRT or VTT file for web use is simple. Delivering a broadcast-spec SRT, EBU-TT, or a burnt-in subtitle render adds complexity and cost.
- Human vs. AI-assisted: Fully human translation is slower and costs more. AI-assisted with human review ("MTPE" — machine translation post-editing) is faster and 30–50% cheaper for high-volume work, but quality varies by language and content type.
Service Types and UK Rates Per Language
| Service | Rate (per finished minute) | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| SDH subtitles (EN only) | £8–£15/min | SRT/VTT, timed captions, accessibility compliant |
| Translated subtitles (per language) | £12–£25/min | Translated SRT/VTT, human translator, 1 revision |
| AI + human review subtitles (per language) | £30–£60/min | MT base, human editor QC, faster turnaround |
| Dubbing script (per language) | £12–£25/min | Lip-sync adapted script only, no recording |
| Full dubbing (per language) | £120–£300/min | Script + studio recording + sync + mix |
| Transcription (EN source) | £2–£6/min | Verbatim or clean transcript, timed or untimed |
Note: AI-assisted subtitles (e.g. Rev, Kapwing, Zubtitle) cost £0.25–£2/min for an unchecked output. The £30–£60/min figure above reflects human QC on top of AI. Unchecked AI output is not suitable for external brand content or accessibility compliance.
Per-Language Cost: What to Expect for 10 Minutes of Content
| Language | Estimated Cost (10 min translated subs) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| French | £120–£200 | Large translator pool, competitive rates |
| German | £120–£200 | High accuracy standards, moderate pool |
| Spanish (Castilian) | £100–£180 | Most competitive European language |
| Japanese | £180–£300 | Smaller UK-based professional pool, complex character set |
| Arabic (MSA) | £160–£280 | Right-to-left subtitle rendering adds technical cost |
| Mandarin Chinese | £160–£260 | Simplified vs. Traditional adds variant cost |
Dubbing vs. Subtitles: The Decision Framework
Subtitles are cheaper, faster, and preserve the original performance. They are the correct choice for most B2B brand content, documentary film, and web video. Full dubbing costs approximately 8–12× more per minute than subtitles and requires re-recording, sync, and re-mixing in the target language. Dubbing is appropriate for children's content, consumer-facing products in markets with low subtitle tolerance (France, Germany, and Italy historically prefer dubbing to subtitling), and for content that will broadcast on national TV in those markets.
For most MKTRL production clients distributing corporate and brand content internationally, subtitling is the right choice for 95% of projects. The remaining 5% — high-volume consumer video, OTT platform originals, or films specifically targeting French or German broadcast — may justify dubbing budgets.
When to Pay More
- Your content is legal, medical, financial, or compliance-related — specialist domain translators reduce liability risk and are worth the higher rate.
- The content is going to broadcast or a streaming platform — platform-spec subtitle files (EBU-TT, TTML, SCC) require specialist tooling and QC.
- You're targeting markets where dubbing is culturally expected — not investing means lower engagement and potentially lower brand perception.
- You need accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 AA, Ofcom guidelines) — SDH subtitles must meet specific quality standards including speaker identification and sound effect description.
- You have a large multilingual rollout (5+ languages, 30+ minutes) — volume pricing from a specialist localisation agency will be significantly more cost-effective than booking individual translators per language.
Red Flags When Buying
- No native-speaker QC on translated subtitles: Machine translation without human review will produce errors that range from mildly awkward to reputationally damaging. Always confirm a native speaker has reviewed the final output.
- SRT files with no timing review: Auto-generated timecodes from AI tools are frequently misaligned to the audio, especially around music, pauses, and overlapping speech. Timing review is not optional.
- No mention of character and line limits: Professional subtitles comply with reading speed guidelines (14–17 characters per second) and line limits (2 lines, 42 characters per line). Files that exceed these will either not pass platform QC or will be unreadable.
- Per-word pricing for video subtitles: Translation agencies quoting per word may not include timecoding, file delivery, or revisions. Per-minute pricing is cleaner and more predictable for video work.
- No source transcript provided: If you don't give the translator a script, they must transcribe from audio — this adds time and cost. Always prepare a script first.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
What is the difference between subtitles and closed captions?
Subtitles typically include only spoken dialogue and assume the viewer can hear the audio. Closed captions (and SDH subtitles) also describe non-speech audio elements — music, sound effects, speaker identification — for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Closed captions are required by law for broadcast content under UK Ofcom guidelines. -
What file format should I request for subtitles?
SRT (SubRip) is the most universally accepted format for web and social platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn). VTT (WebVTT) is preferred for HTML5 web players. Broadcast platforms use EBU-TT or TTML. Always confirm the platform spec before delivery. -
How long does subtitle translation take?
A 10-minute video with an existing script can be translated and formatted in 1–2 working days per language. Without a script, add 1 day for transcription. For 5 languages simultaneously, expect 3–5 working days for a properly managed project. -
Do I need a separate translator for each region of Spanish or Portuguese?
Ideally, yes. Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish have vocabulary, spelling, and cultural differences that matter for consumer content. European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese differ significantly. For corporate content, a single variant is often acceptable; for consumer campaigns, regional localisation improves performance. -
Is AI subtitle translation good enough to use without human review?
For rough internal review purposes, yes. For any external-facing content — brand videos, social media, client deliverables — no. AI errors in translated subtitles are not always obvious to non-speakers and can cause significant reputational damage when caught by native-speaking audiences. -
What is MTPE and is it worth it?
MTPE (Machine Translation Post-Editing) uses AI as the first pass and a professional human translator to correct and refine it. It is typically 30–50% cheaper than full human translation and 70–90% faster. For general corporate content it provides a good quality-to-cost ratio. For highly nuanced, creative, or sensitive content, full human translation is still preferable. -
Do subtitles affect SEO?
Yes, significantly. Video subtitles on YouTube and other platforms are indexed by search engines. A full transcript uploaded as a subtitle file gives your video substantially more indexable text, improving discoverability. This is a material SEO benefit that justifies the cost of SDH subtitles on all public-facing video content. -
What's included in an "accessible subtitle" file?
An accessibility-compliant subtitle file (SDH / closed caption) includes all spoken dialogue, speaker identification where relevant, non-speech sounds ("[applause]", "[music]"), and must comply with reading speed and line-length guidelines. It should be reviewed against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria for timed media.