YouTube subtitles. Review locally, publish the right track.

Prepare the track for one finished upload

For a video you own or are authorized to publish, Polyglot can create and review timed subtitles locally on Mac, then export a file for YouTube. The useful handoff is a reviewed track linked to one final video and one language. Keep the local master so you can correct the text without losing your approved wording.

Start after the edit is finished. An intro added after captioning shifts everything that follows; a shorter promotional cut needs its own timing. Record the local filename and the destination video identifier in a delivery note. The same title on two uploads does not make their subtitle files interchangeable.

Decide which language track you are replacing

YouTube supports adding language tracks and uploading files with timing. Its file-format documentation recommends basic UTF-8 SRT for a straightforward caption handoff. Polyglot exports SRT and WebVTT; upload the format you have chosen and reviewed through YouTube Studio yourself. Polyglot does not publish to your channel.

Check whether the video already has an automatic track, an edited source-language track or a translation. Record the intended change before you upload. Do not assume that uploading a translated file relabels it correctly or replaces the source track. Keep the old approved file until you have checked the new track in playback.

This fictional manifest shows a language-label mismatch that a text-only review would miss.

Illustrative upload record
Video: desk-demo-v04.mp4
Track: English / reviewed
File: desk-v04.en.srt

Translation: Dutch
File: desk-v04.nl.srt
Upload language: Dutch

Reject: Dutch text uploaded
as the English track.

Review the complete caption experience

Listen through the source track, checking names, negation, numbers and words under background music. YouTube itself cautions that automatic captions can misrepresent speech. Correct uncertain lines against the recording rather than accepting a fluent-looking sentence. Include meaningful non-speech audio when needed; speech transcription is only part of caption preparation.

Translate from the reviewed source. Have someone who understands the language and subject check the result, including jokes, product names and text that refers to something on screen. A valid file and preserved cue timing do not establish translation accuracy. Do not advertise recognition support for every language YouTube happens to support.

Check the actual viewer controls

Open the uploaded video as a viewer and turn captions on. Choose the intended language, then inspect the beginning, a middle section and the ending against your local master. Check the menu label, accented characters, line wrapping and words near a cut. Test on a phone as well as a desktop display.

A successful upload confirms file acceptance, not that viewers see the desired track. Automatic translation, automatic captions and your reviewed uploaded translation are different outputs. Name the approved files in your handoff note and verify the chosen viewer track instead of relying only on the editor preview.

Use only cleared video, music, performances and subtitle translations. When a correction is needed, update the appropriate local master, export again, replace the intended track and repeat the player check. Keep a dated note of the file and video version that passed review.

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