Grant work-sample subtitles. Match the submitted cut.

Prepare the sample the panel will actually watch

A grant application may link to a current scene, a rough cut and a previous directing sample. They can have similar filenames while serving very different purposes. A subtitle file from the full film can be perfectly accurate and still fail on an excerpt that starts twelve minutes later.

Polyglot can create timed subtitles from your authorized recording, translate reviewed text locally on an Apple Silicon Mac, and export SRT or WebVTT. Use the exact sample video as the timing reference. Keep a short acceptance sheet beside the application so the description, video version and language file all refer to the same material. This is a manual review document, not a grant-management feature.

Start with the recipient’s current instructions

Check which sample the application asks for: work from the proposed project, a complete scene, a rough cut or evidence of previous directing work. Record its permitted length, language requirements, streaming host, caption format and access period. Follow the current application instructions if they differ from an older checklist.

For example, Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund guidance distinguishes sample stages, recommends captions and requires English subtitles for non-English speech. It specifies streaming delivery and sustained link access. That is one recipient’s guidance, not a rule for every grant. Check the linked source for the current cycle; this page does not announce an open call or imply affiliation.

Confirm whether a selectable subtitle track is sufficient or whether the recipient needs text permanently visible in the picture. Polyglot exports separate subtitle files and does not burn them into video. If the required delivery needs a rendered captioned copy, finish it in a suitable video tool and review that actual output.

Give each sample one clear identity

Record the sample’s role, source cut, excerpt boundaries, final exported filename, duration and spoken languages. Keep previous work separate from material for the proposed film. Place explanations of unfinished sound, temporary images or missing context in the application’s permitted description field; do not add them to dialogue as though a participant spoke them.

Use only footage you own or are authorized to process, translate and submit. Check the agreed use of participant recordings, collaborators’ work, archive extracts and music. Permission to show a private review copy does not automatically establish permission for public distribution. Choose access settings that respect the agreed audience while allowing the panel to watch.

The fictional sheet below is an internal production aid. Do not include passwords in a public document; keep access details in the recipient’s designated field and your private handoff records.

Fictional sample sheet
Project: Harbour light
Role: current scene
Source: rough-cut-v6
Window: 12:40–16:10
Sample: harbour-scene-v2.mp4
Length: 03:30
Speech: Dutch
Delivery: reviewed English
Track: harbour-scene-v2.en.srt

Source speech at 12:49
Sample speech at 00:09
Only for this continuous cut:
no leader, no internal edits.

Viewer link: recorded privately
Caption/access check: pending

Review timing against the exported sample

Import the finished sample into Polyglot and review the source-language draft alongside playback. A full-film transcript can help check names and wording, but its timestamps are not a substitute for the sample’s timeline. Check the first spoken line, each transition and the last cue before the sample ends.

In the example, removing the first twelve minutes and forty seconds moves a spoken line at 12:49 to 00:09. That relationship only holds for the uninterrupted extract described. A title leader, reordered scene or internal cut changes the mapping. Do not apply one offset to a montage and assume every cue now fits. Prepare subtitles from the exported sample or review each affected section in an appropriate editor.

Keep subtitles faithful to the recorded speech. If an excerpt drops the sentence that explains “they” or “that decision,” ask the filmmaker whether the sample needs more context. Do not manufacture an explanatory quotation. Resolve unclear words with the source speaker or trusted production references, and keep unresolved readings out of an approved translation.

Review the language track for its actual purpose

Check source-language support before generating a draft. Polyglot recognizes speech in 25 European languages; translation targets are separate and do not expand recognition coverage. Mixed-language footage needs explicit review. An accurate, authorized SRT or WebVTT can also be imported for translation when you already have timed text.

Give a fluent reviewer the sample, corrected source text and relevant context. Preserve qualifications, speaker intent and names. Do not polish a hesitant interview into a more confident claim because the application would sound stronger. Processing retains source timing; longer translated lines still need playback review and, where necessary, explicit timing edits for that language.

A translation of foreign-language lines alone may leave other speech and meaningful sounds uncovered. W3C distinguishes translated dialogue from an accessibility caption track and stresses human accuracy review. Check the intended track’s coverage throughout the sample. If a missing sound needs an individual new cue, use an editor that supports creating it. Speech recognition does not automatically deliver complete accessibility captions.

Accept the link, the picture and the captions together

Export the reviewed file with the exact sample version and language in its name. Upload it through the chosen host’s own caption controls. YouTube documents uploading a supported subtitle file with timing; use that route only when the recipient accepts the host and your sharing permissions allow it. Polyglot does not upload media or submit applications.

Open the actual submitted viewing link in a viewer session that does not rely on your uploader login. Confirm that the panel can access the video, find the required language and see captions from the opening line through the ending. Watch the whole sample, including cuts and quiet passages. Check readable text and essential picture detail on a narrow screen; caption positioning is controlled by the player.

Record the tested URL, video version, track and review date on the acceptance sheet. Keep links and permitted access details valid for the recipient’s review period. If the film changes, follow the application’s update rules before replacing anything; a new video may need new subtitles and another viewer check. Export success alone does not establish recipient acceptance or grant eligibility.

Polyglot requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14.4 or later. Media and text processing stay local. Requested downloads, user-controlled updates, default-on content-free analytics with an opt-out, and Pro licensing have separate network boundaries. New AI subtitle jobs use a seven-day trial and require Pro afterward; editing and exports remain free.

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