Prepare your Mac for subtitle work without internet

Rehearse the job before you lose the connection

To prepare an offline subtitle session, make the recording and reference files available on your Mac, finish the required model downloads, check your processing access, then try the intended workflow with internet access disconnected. Include translation and export if you will need them. Successfully opening the app does not establish that the rest of the job is ready.

Polyglot transcribes and translates locally after the required models are installed. That describes where the processing happens. Initial downloads, requested video-link imports, purchase and activation, online documentation and destination uploads still need a connection. User-controlled update checks, content-free usage analytics with an opt-out, and license status checks are separate network functions; local processing does not mean the app never connects to the internet.

Download for the operation you actually need

For new subtitles from speech, prepare the speech model. For translation, prepare the translation model. A session that creates subtitles from a recording and then translates them needs both. Translating an existing SRT or WebVTT starts from timed text and does not require transcribing the audio again.

Editing existing subtitle text, adjusting timing, converting between supported subtitle formats and exporting text do not require AI models. Optional video-enhancement models are separate. Downloading one model is not evidence that every processing feature is ready, and there is no reason to prepare an enhancement model for a subtitle-only session.

Polyglot requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14.4 or later. Its installation guidance calls for at least 8 GB of memory and approximately 2 GB for the speech model, plus 5 GB for translation. Leave additional storage for your media, working files and exports. Wait for installation to finish; a partly downloaded model cannot be completed after you disconnect. Check that the spoken language is supported for recognition, separately from your intended translation languages.

Make the input available, not just its filename

Use recordings you own or are authorized to process. Save the final media edit, existing subtitles, terminology notes and any review references you will need. Open the recording and check its audio while still connected. If it lives on an external drive, include that drive and its cable in the plan; if it lives on a network share, arrange an authorized local copy before leaving.

A file visible in Finder may still be stored only in iCloud Drive. Apple documents downloading such items before working without an internet connection. Download the required items and verify that they open after disconnection. Do not assume that Desktop or Documents is outside cloud storage: those folders can be included in iCloud Drive. Follow your own storage and confidentiality requirements when choosing a working location.

A video URL is not a local media file. Complete any permitted video-link import while connected, and check the resulting recording. Likewise, save the recipient's format requirements and the glossary locally if you need them during review. A browser bookmark will not supply a page that has never been downloaded.

Check access before starting a long offline session

The seven-day trial starts with the first processing job. A preparation run can therefore start the trial; downloading the app is not the same milestone. If you plan to work later, check whether the trial will still cover that session. Disconnecting does not pause the trial. New AI subtitle jobs require Pro after it ends, while editing, conversion, timing and exports remain free.

If you use Pro, complete purchase, email verification and activation or restoration on the Mac you will take while you have internet access. An activated Mac retains signed offline access. A purchase associated with an email address does not by itself establish that this particular Mac is activated. Confirm its state before departure rather than relying on a receipt you cannot restore offline.

Keep that distinction in your fallback plan. You may be able to review and export an existing track even when a new AI job is unavailable. That is useful continuity, but it does not create missing transcription or translation results.

Run a small but complete disconnected rehearsal

Choose a short authorized recording representative of the work: the same spoken language, media format and intended output. Save any unrelated work before temporarily disconnecting this Mac from internet access. Turning off Wi-Fi alone is not a disconnected test if Ethernet or another connection remains active. This is a practical readiness check, not a network-security audit.

Open the local input, generate a subtitle draft if needed, and process each target language you intend to use. Review the text, save the project, export the required SRT or WebVTT, then close and reopen the project and exported file. Play the export with the matching media in a compatible local player. If your task is only editing an existing subtitle file, rehearse that smaller path instead of starting an unnecessary AI job.

Record what actually worked and what failed. A short successful run establishes that the selected path worked on this Mac with those inputs; it does not establish full-length processing time, battery endurance, accuracy on every recording or acceptance by an online destination. Reconnect while you still have time to resolve a missing file, incomplete model or activation problem.

Example: an existing track changes what you need to pack

Suppose you have an approved English SRT for your own workshop recording and want to prepare Dutch subtitles while travelling. This fictional planning example is not a reported app test. The starting point is the reviewed timed file, so prepare translation rather than a fresh speech-recognition job. Keep the matching video locally if you need to check context and reading pace.

Before departure, rehearse importing that SRT, translating a short representative track, reviewing the Dutch text, exporting it and reopening the saved work. Keep the English reference, Dutch export and media edit identifiable. If the final destination is an online course player, leave its upload and playback acceptance pending until you can connect; local success does not settle that final check.

Use a compact readiness note rather than an unqualified tick beside “offline.” Leave unperformed steps blank. Revisit the note if you change Macs, remove models, move media or change the intended operation.

Offline session note
Mac and app version: ______
Operation: ________________
Media / subtitle edit: ____
Local references: _________
Models ready: _____________
Trial / activated Pro: ____
Disconnected run date: ____
Languages checked: ________
Export reopened: __________
Unresolved steps: _________
Online delivery: pending

Separate readiness from finished captions

If the rehearsal fails, identify the missing dependency before repeating it: can the media open, is the required model installed, is the new AI job allowed, and can you save to the chosen location? Reconnecting may allow a download or activation to finish. It will not resolve an unsupported spoken language, wrong media edit or unclear dialogue. Keep originals and completed work while diagnosing the issue.

Once the full recording is processed, review the entire subtitle track. W3C's caption guidance explains why automatically generated text needs correction and why meaningful sounds and speaker information matter alongside speech. Offline availability does not make an unreviewed transcript accurate or complete. Use the linked caption and translation guides for that editorial pass.

Finally, retain the reviewed project and exported files locally. When internet access returns, perform the intended handoff and check the actual receiving player, selected language and final media version. Polyglot exports separate subtitle files; it does not upload them or burn captions into the picture. Mark the work delivered only after that destination check, not merely because the offline rehearsal passed.

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