Update translations after correcting source subtitles

A source correction is a new review task

When you correct a subtitle after translating it, review the affected passage in every delivered language, then export and replace the affected files. Keep the earlier approved files until the correction is checked. A saved project change does not update an SRT already sent to a colleague or a caption track already published on a website.

This guide is for recordings and subtitle text you own or have permission to edit and distribute. It covers a correction to an existing, reviewed set of subtitles. The useful deliverable is a short change record that connects the corrected source to each translation and destination, so an old file cannot quietly remain the public version.

First establish what actually changed

Replay the recording around the disputed cue. Decide whether the problem is a misspelling, a change of meaning, or a mismatch with a newer video edit. W3C’s caption guidance warns that automatic captions can omit a negative and reverse the spoken message. A small text change can therefore require more attention than its length suggests.

For a text-only correction, keep the same media revision and timing unless playback reveals a separate timing problem. A renamed person, corrected quantity or restored “not” needs a fresh meaning check in every target language. A punctuation change may leave a translation correct, but a reviewer still needs to make that decision in context.

If the speaker actually said the wrong quantity, silently changing only the subtitles would misrepresent the recording. Resolve the correction with the content owner: a revised video or a clearly identified editorial correction may be needed. If the video was recut, treat that as a new alignment task. Cue numbers alone cannot establish correspondence after inserts, deletions or reordered scenes.

Keep a baseline and map the affected outputs

Before editing, retain the approved source and translated exports in a dated or numbered folder. Note the exact media filename and the passage start time. Keep a separate working copy or recoverable project backup according to your normal file practice; this guide does not assume Polyglot provides a version-history system.

List every output that contains the passage: individual language tracks, a combined bilingual review copy, a plain-text transcript and any published caption versions. Include translations made through an intermediate language. For example, correcting a Dutch version used as the input for a French version creates another review dependency even if the original English is unchanged.

Use both the cue identifier and the surrounding time and wording in the change record. Identifiers help within an unchanged project, while time and context help a recipient find the passage in an exported or platform-edited track. The log is an ordinary note you maintain; it is not an automatic audit report from the app.

Understand what Polyglot preserves

Polyglot preserves existing translation text when you edit the original source and marks the corresponding completed translation cues for review. It does not silently overwrite the earlier wording. Correcting an intermediate translation also marks the corresponding cues in completed downstream translations for review when that relationship is recorded in the project.

For each affected translation, compare the corrected source with the existing target and the surrounding cues. Keep the existing wording if it still conveys the right meaning, edit it if you can make the correction competently, or explicitly regenerate the affected material and review the result. Preserve useful manual edits instead of replacing a whole approved track just because one cue changed.

A review flag is a reminder about a known project change, not a judgment that the sentence is wrong. Clearing it is not an independent quality certification. Likewise, valid cue IDs, counts and timing establish structure, not accurate meaning. Changes made to separately exported files or a website are outside this project review mechanism.

Example: one quantity, several deliveries

In this fictional paper-workshop recording, the speaker says “Set aside twenty sheets.” The source subtitle mistakenly says twelve, and the Dutch translation faithfully repeats that error. Correcting the English alone would leave two audiences receiving different instructions. The short record below keeps the Dutch output on hold until someone who understands both languages approves it.

The example is original editorial text, not a transcription benchmark or a record of a real reviewer. The cue’s time interval stays unchanged because the video and spoken passage have not changed. Suggested filenames distinguish the media revision, caption revision and language; they are not claimed app defaults.

Media: paper-workshop-v3.mp4
Caption revision: r2 → r3
Cue: 18
Time: 00:01:12–00:01:15

EN before:
Set aside twelve sheets.
EN after:
Set aside twenty sheets.
NL before:
Leg twaalf vellen apart.
NL proposed:
Leg twintig vellen apart.

Change: quantity fixed to audio
Timing: unchanged
EN: corrected; playback pending
NL: language review pending
Bilingual: rebuild after review
Transcript: update after review
Published EN/NL: replace later

Planned approved files:
paper-v3.r3.en.srt
paper-v3.r3.nl.srt

Review the passage beyond the marked cue

Play the cue before and after the correction as well as the corrected line. A changed name may affect a later pronoun; a quantity may recur in a recap; a restored condition may change the interpretation of the next sentence. Search the working tracks for repeated terms where relevant, but do not apply a global replacement without checking each occurrence.

For a translation through an intermediate language, first resolve that intermediate wording and then review its dependent versions. If you cannot judge a target language, leave it pending and obtain a competent review. A fluent model output or a translation back into English is not evidence that the correction is complete.

Recheck reading length and line breaks after changing the text. The corrected translation may be longer even though the timing is unchanged. If the passage now needs different cue boundaries or individual timing adjustments, use a tool that supports those changes and review the new alignment. A whole-track shift does not make one cue longer.

Re-export the approved set and inspect it

Once each affected language is approved, create new exports without overwriting your retained baseline. Compare the corrected passages and verify that unrelated manual edits remain. For a text-only correction to the same cut, confirm the cue count, order and start/end times still match the intended baseline. Investigate any unexpected timing or missing text before delivery.

Rebuild any combined bilingual file from the reviewed tracks, and update a transcript separately if it contains the old wording. Open the actual exported files with the final video, check the corrections in context and watch the complete intended track before release. Check that no earlier file is also selected and showing duplicate text.

Record the approved filenames and which checks were completed. An export existing on disk only proves that a file was created. The pass condition is that the intended correction is present, the surrounding meaning and timing remain right, and each requested language has a clear approval state.

Replace the destination copy and close the loop

YouTube’s official guidance describes caption editing by language, publishing edits, and downloading, editing and uploading caption files again. Its upload guidance distinguishes files with timing and separate language additions. Use the destination’s current procedure for each affected track; do not assume a local source correction automatically changes another language or a previously uploaded file.

After replacement, open the viewing page and select each affected language. Check the corrected passage, the first and last cues, wrapping and language labels. Confirm the caption track viewers actually receive contains the approved wording, rather than relying only on an upload confirmation. Polyglot prepares exports; it does not perform this publishing step for you.

Finish the change record with the destination, exact replacement file, verification date and any remaining hold. Retain the earlier version as superseded so it cannot be mistaken for the current delivery. If one language is still unresolved, make that status explicit to the recipient instead of describing the entire set as corrected.

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