Translate Japanese subtitles into Chinese: How to process SRT files

Key points of this article

Japanese SRT first confirm whether the encoding is UTF-8. If the encoding is incorrect, the garbled characters that appear after uploading will invalidate all subsequent translations.
If you only want to understand the general meaning, select only the translation; if you want to compare it for proofreading or keep it as a backup, select bilingual translation.
The number of Chinese characters after translation is different from that of Japanese. You need to load it with the player and check whether it exceeds the screen or the stay time is too short.
People's names, titles and proper nouns are prone to inconsistencies. When checking, you should check multiple lines of the same character.
There are errors in machine translation. Please check the original text for important content and honorific tone.

When watching Japanese dramas, animations or interviews, I often have a Japanese subtitle file in my hand in SRT format, but I cannot read Japanese. If you want to turn it into Chinese subtitles, some people will first go to an online conversion website. As a result, the converted files are either garbled or the timeline is misaligned. The problem is often not with the translation itself, but with the order in which the files are processed.

This article is for those who already have Japanese SRT subtitles and want to get the Chinese version. After reading, you will know what to confirm before uploading, how to complete the translation in OmniDoc, and how to check the results before they are usable. It should be noted that OmniDoc processes subtitle files, not live subtitles, nor can it generate subtitles for the video being played in real time.

How to translate Japanese SRT subtitles into Chinese? One sentence conclusion

If you just want to understand the main idea, choose translation only; if you want to keep the original text for checking, or if you want to make changes in the future, choose bilingual comparison. Japanese subtitles themselves often have speaker marks and onomatopoeia brackets. Cleaning up the file itself before translating will make the result much more stable.

your situation	Recommended practices	reason
I just want to understand the plot and no longer modify it.	Translation only, download directly after uploading	The file is concise and can be loaded directly into the player
Need to compare sentence by sentence with the original Japanese text	bilingual comparison	Conveniently detect missed translations, mistranslations and tone deviations
Lots of lines and complex relationships between characters	Select a literary style and turn on terminology consistency	Names, titles and spoken expressions will be more unified
Subtitles need to be reviewed by others	Bilingual comparison, retain the original timeline	Reviewers can see both the original text and the translation
The file is a styled subtitle such as ASS	Upload according to subtitle format and check whether the style is retained	Fonts, colors and positions need to be checked individually

Before you start: Confirm these points first

Spending two minutes checking before you start can prevent most rework.

Confirm that the file is an SRT subtitle, not video or audio. OmniDoc processes subtitle text and does not recognize video images or dictate lines from audio. If you only have the video, you need to get the corresponding subtitle file first.
Confirm encoding is UTF-8. Japanese subtitles are commonly encoded in Shift_JIS or UTF-8. When the encoding is wrong, the Japanese text will be displayed as garbled characters, and the translation results will be unreliable. You can open it with a text editor to see if the Japanese text is displayed normally, and save it as UTF-8 if necessary.
Confirm timeline is complete. Each subtitle should have a serial number, start and end time and text, all three are indispensable. The time format is usually written like "00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:04,000". If the format of the document is disordered, it will be difficult to match the image after translation.
Reserved for changes in the number of Chinese characters. After Japanese is converted to Chinese, the number of words usually changes, and some sentences become longer and some become shorter. If the subtitles are originally attached to the bottom of the screen, the translation may extend beyond the screen or not stay long enough, and needs to be adjusted during the verification stage.
Confirm usage and copyright. If subtitles are from someone else's work, they are only used for personal understanding or internal learning, and have different requirements from those used for public communication. Thinking about the purpose before translating will make it easier to decide how much of the original information to retain.

Steps to translate Japanese SRT subtitles in OmniDoc

Organize original documents. Confirm that the encoding is UTF-8, delete the description text at the beginning of the file, and ensure that the serial number and timeline of each subtitle are continuous.
Open omnidoc.top. Find the file upload entrance on the web page and select the SRT file you want to translate.
Confirm that the source language is Japanese and the target language is Chinese. If you choose the wrong source language, the translation result will be obviously unsound. Do not skip this step.
Select a translation style. For ordinary dialogue or animation lines, you can choose a literary style; if it is a documentary or interview, you can choose a style closer to spoken language, and turn on terminology consistency to keep names and proper nouns consistent throughout the text.
Select the output method. Determine according to the previous table whether it is translation only or bilingual comparison.
Start translation and wait for completion. The longer the file, the longer the wait time. Once the page is complete, do not close the window until the results appear on the page.
Download the result file. Save as an SRT file, and try to indicate "Chinese" or "bilingual" in the file name to avoid confusion with the original text.
Use the player to load the test. Put the translated subtitles and the original video in the same directory, load them with a common player, watch them from the beginning for a few minutes, and then decide whether they need to be modified.

Check each item after completion

After getting the translation, do not use it directly. Please read it item by item according to the table below.

Check item	What do you think?	What if there's a problem?
Is the timeline complete?	Open it with a text editor and check whether the serial numbers and times are consecutive and whether there are any missing lines.	Make it up against the original file, or export it again
Whether the text is garbled or not	See if Chinese and punctuation are displayed properly, are there any squares or question marks	Confirm to use UTF-8 encoding when saving, and then reload it with the player
Is the subtitle out of the picture?	When playing, see if the long sentence is truncated or squeezed out of the picture.	Shorten the translation manually or split it into two lines
Is the length of stay appropriate?	See if the short sentence flashes by and whether the long sentence stays too long	Adjust the corresponding timeline, or merge adjacent short sentences
Is the name and title of a person unified?	Search for the name of the same role to see if the translation is the same	Replace it uniformly and write down the fixed translation name of the role
Is the honorific and tone accurate?	Spot-check lines with honorific, joke or irony and compare them with the original text	Rewrite it according to the original intention and ask someone who understands Japanese to check it if necessary

There will be errors in machine translation, especially sentences, puns and dialects that omit the subject. Important occasions, such as teaching, revision, or public publication, should be read through by people who understand Japanese against the original.

# frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. Only Japanese videos, no subtitle files, can you translate directly?

No, I can't. OmniDoc handles subtitle files such as SRT, does not recognize video images, and does not dictate lines from audio. You need to get the corresponding Japanese subtitle file before translating it.

2. Should the onomatopoeia in the translation and the sound effect in parentheses be retained?

It depends on the use. If you just want to understand the plot, you can simplify or delete instructions such as "(laughter)". If you want to use it for proofreading, it is recommended to keep it so that you can check the original text.

3. The Chinese translation is obviously longer than Japanese. How should it be compressed?

Priority is given to deleting repetitive words and modal particles in spoken language, and keeping names, numbers and key information. When you are still out of the picture after compression, consider splitting it into two lines, or adjusting the timeline to give enough reading time.

4. Can subtitles translated into Chinese be published directly to the public?

It depends on the copyright and license of the original subtitle, which is different from the quality of the translation. The requirements for individual learning to use and public communication are different. Before release, you should confirm whether you have the right to use the original subtitles and ask people who understand Japanese to review the translation.

# Summary

When Japanese SRT subtitles are translated into Chinese, the key is to sort out the code and timeline before uploading, and then choose only translation or bilingual control according to the purpose. After getting the result, use the player to actually load and check, focusing on the items beyond the screen, the length of stay and the unity of the person's name. Only in this way can the translation be really used in watching and learning.

Open OmniDoc, upload the document and start translation.