What an SRT file contains
1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500
هذا مثال على ترجمة عربية.The blank line separates one cue from the next. Times use hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds, with a comma before the milliseconds. The text can contain Arabic, Latin words, numbers and punctuation. SRT has no field for fonts, position or text direction, so the player or editor decides those.
SRT, WebVTT or TTML?
Use the format your destination asks for. The three carry the same cues, so you can download another one from the same project without repeating your review.
| Format | What it looks like | Where it is usually asked for | What Arabic Subtitles writes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRT | Plain text: a cue number, then 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500, then the text. | Video editors, media players and YouTube. | UTF-8 with a byte-order mark. Each Arabic line starts and ends with an invisible right-to-left mark. |
| WebVTT | Plain text that starts with WEBVTT. Times use a full stop before the milliseconds: 00:00:01.000. | Web players and HTML5 video. | The same cues and the same right-to-left marks, in a .vtt file. |
| TTML | XML timed text, with the language and text direction declared in the file. | Some streaming and broadcast delivery workflows. | A .ttml file that sets the Arabic direction in the file instead of using marks in the text. |
In the editor, choose the format beside the download button. When the destination accepts several, SRT is the usual default for editors and players.
Troubleshooting Arabic subtitle files
Start with the symptom. First open the same file in a second player or editor: if it looks right there, the file is fine and the first destination’s font or direction handling is the problem. To find broken timing lines, empty cues, stray direction marks or lost characters in the file itself, run it through the Arabic SRT checker. It works in your browser and does not upload the file.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Empty boxes where letters should be | The player or editor is using a font without Arabic letters. The file can still be correct. | Choose an Arabic-capable font in its subtitle or caption settings, then reopen the file. |
Odd Latin characters such as Ù…Ø±Ø | A UTF-8 file was read as Windows-1252. | Open or import the file again and choose UTF-8. How to recognise and fix it. |
| Rows of question marks | The Arabic letters were lost when a copy was converted to an encoding that has none. | Go back to the original file. A damaged copy cannot be repaired. |
| Full stops, question marks or dashes at the wrong end of a line, or mixed Arabic and Latin text in the wrong order | SRT carries no text direction, so the player lays out each line itself. | Keep the invisible direction marks in the file and try another player. How direction works. If the destination accepts TTML, test that format too: it declares direction in the file. |
| The subtitle track does not appear | The player has not loaded the file. | Add the file from the player’s subtitle menu. Some players load a file by themselves only when its name matches the video’s name. |
| Every cue is late or early by about the same amount | The video was trimmed or re-edited after the subtitles were made. | Compare the file with the exact cut it was made from. If the cut changed, make the subtitles again from the final video, or retime them in your editor. |
| Subtitles drift further out of step as the video plays | The file was made for a version with a different speed or frame rate. | Use the version the file was made from, or retime it in your editor. |
| An editor or platform refuses the file | Malformed times, a missing blank line between cues, or the wrong file type. | Open the file in a text editor and compare it with the example above: a comma in SRT times and a blank line between cues. If the destination accepts WebVTT or TTML, try the same cues in that format. |
| Cues vanish before you can read them, or lines look crowded | A cue is short for its text, or its lines are long. | The Arabic Subtitles editor flags cues with more than 2 lines, lines over 42 characters, very short or very long cues, and cues that read too fast. Fix the flagged cues, then check the result on a phone-sized screen. |
Before you send a file to someone else
A file can open correctly and still be the wrong deliverable: it may match an earlier edit of the video, or misplace a name. Work through the Arabic subtitle delivery checklist before you hand it over.
Where to use the file
| Destination | Typical workflow |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Studio → Subtitles → Add language → Upload file → With timing |
| VLC | Open the video, choose the subtitle track, and select the SRT |
| Premiere Pro / DaVinci Resolve | Import the SRT as a caption or subtitle track, then style it |
| CapCut Desktop/Web | Import captions from the current desktop or web workflow; mobile support differs |
| Burn-in with an editor | Import SRT, choose an Arabic-capable font, and export a new video |
Separate subtitles or burn them in?
A sidecar SRT is editable and can be turned on or off. Burn-in makes the words part of the image and works everywhere, but corrections require a new video export. Keep the SRT even after burning it in.
Need a file now? Create an Arabic SRT, or read how to upload Arabic subtitles to YouTube.
FAQ
Which format should I choose, SRT, WebVTT or TTML?
Choose the one your player, editor or platform accepts. SRT is a plain-text format that many editors and players import; WebVTT suits web video; TTML is an XML format that some delivery workflows ask for. Arabic Subtitles can download the same reviewed cues in any of the three.
What encoding should an Arabic SRT use?
UTF-8 is the safest default. If Arabic appears as boxes or gibberish, check the file encoding and the player’s Arabic font support.
Can YouTube accept an Arabic SRT?
Yes. Upload the file with timing in YouTube Studio, then review the published track.
Why do Arabic subtitles look reversed?
The player, editor, font, or text-direction handling may be wrong. Test the same UTF-8 SRT in another destination and choose an Arabic-capable font.
Can an SRT contain translation as well as transcription?
Yes, the format can contain any subtitle text. The Arabic subtitle generator transcribes Arabic speech; the separate translation workflow turns other languages into Arabic, and Arabic into English, French or Spanish.
How do I make an SRT from a video?
Choose the video in the Arabic SRT generator, review the cues, and download the SRT. The video itself can remain on your device while only prepared audio is processed.
Sources and notes
What Arabic Subtitles writes was checked against the product on 7 October 2026. Other tools change their menus and supported formats; check the destination’s own documentation.