Caption Guides
Caption Timing and Reading Speed Guide
FreeTextoSpeech Team Machine translation draft
This translated draft is available for review and is not indexed or included in hreflang until a native-language editor approves it.
Good captions are synchronised, readable and faithful to the speaker. A valid SRT file may still be difficult to follow when cues overlap or disappear too quickly.
Check timing
Every cue must start before it ends. Review overlaps and use one to seven seconds as an initial duration range.
Measure readability
Begin with 42 characters per line and 20 characters per second for Latin scripts. Treat thresholds as warnings that require context.
Fix safely
Automatic cleanup may repair numbering, spacing and timestamp separators. A person should approve every timing or wording change.