Supplementals & Marketing Assets Timed Text Style Guide
I. General Requirements
1. Duration
- Minimum duration: ⅚ (five-sixths) second per subtitle event (e.g. 20 frames for 24fps; 25 frames for 29.97fps).
- Maximum duration: 7 seconds per subtitle event.
2. File Format
- Text assets must be delivered in TTML (.dfxp, .xml, .ttml) format.
- Please refer to the most recent Netflix delivery spec documentation for more information.
3. Frame Gap
2 frames minimum (regardless of frame rate)
4. Glyph List
Only text/characters included in the NETFLIX Glyph List (version 2) can be used.
5. Line Treatment
2 lines maximum
Always keep the text on one line, unless it exceeds the character limitation. Follow these basic principles when the text has to be broken into 2 lines:
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The line should be broken
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after punctuation marks
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before conjunctions
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before prepositions
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The line break should not separate
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a noun from an article
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a noun from an adjective
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a first name from a last name
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a verb from a subject pronoun
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a prepositional or phrasal verb from its preposition
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a verb from an auxiliary, reflexive pronoun or negation
6. Positional Data
Should be expressed in generic terms (textAlign, displayAlign, etc.) or percentage values. Do not use pixel values. All subtitles should be center justified and placed at either the top or bottom of the screen.
7. Timing
Please closely follow the Netflix subtitle timing guidelines for all supplemental and marketing assets.
8. KNP Consistency
Please seek available KNPs to ensure consistency with localized show content. Please reach out to your Netflix representative if there are questions.
9. Netflix Credit Translations
Do not subtitle Netflix credits unless instructed otherwise. If subtitling these is specifically requested, please refer to the Originals Credit Translation document.
10. Main Title Cards/Dedications
- For Supplemental Marketing Tasks: Do not subtitle any main titles or on-screen text unless it is specifically requested.
- For Supplemental Product/Service Tasks: Do subtitle main titles if the main title translation is available in the KNP. Do not subtitle the main title if a translation is not available in the KNP.
- For Supplemental Product/Service Tasks: Do subtitle all plot-pertinent and otherwise relevant on-screen text that is not covered in dialogue and/or redundant in the target language such as: “Based on True Events”, “In Loving Memory of Jane”, etc.
11. Currency
Currency should not be converted in the subtitle files. Any mention of money amounts in dialogue should remain in the original currency.
12. Translator Credits
Please do not include translator credits for supplemental and marketing assets with runtime under 5 minutes. For assets with runtime over 5 minutes, please reach out to your Netflix representative.
II. Stylistic Requirements
1. Acronyms
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
2. Character Limitation
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
3. Continuity
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
4. Documentary
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
5. Dual Speakers
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
6. Font Information
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
7. Narrative Subtitles
- FN translation should match the localized graphics.
- Any instance of on-screen text relevant to the plot (whether set element or text added in post) should be included. When on-screen text and dialogue overlap, precedence should be given to the most plot-pertinent message. Avoid over truncating or severely reducing reading speed in order to include both dialogue and on-screen text.
- Please ensure forced narratives are positioned accordingly to avoid overlap with onscreen text. In cases where overlap is impossible to avoid (text at the top and bottom of screen), the subtitle should be placed where easier to read.
- Forced narratives should be in ALL CAPS. In order to improve readability, mixed case can also be used for long passages of on screen text (e.g. long written passages used as prologue or epilogue).
- Never combine a forced narrative with dialogue in the same subtitle.
- When a forced narrative interrupts dialogue, follow the language specific guidelines.
8. Foreign Dialogue
- Foreign dialogue should only be titled if the viewer was meant to understand it. When in doubt, please check with the production and/or appropriate Netflix representative.
- Please follow the usual treatment for foreign words or phrases for your language (italics, translation, transliteration).
- When using foreign words, always verify spelling, accents and punctuation, if applicable.
- Unfamiliar foreign words and phrases should be italicized, if applicable for your language. A foreign dialogue exchange should not be italicized.
9. Italics
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
10. Quotes
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
11. Numbers
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
12. Reading Speed Limits
Follow your language specific guidelines according to the respective Timed Text Style Guide.
13. Repetitions
- Do not subtitle words or phrases repeated more than once.
- If the repeated word or phrase is said twice in a row, time subtitle to the audio but subtitle only once.
14. Songs
- Do not subtitle song lyrics.
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For SDH:
- Use a generic ID to indicate and describe ambient music (e.g. rock music playing over a stereo).
- Please use song title identifiers when applicable - song titles should be in quotation marks: e.g. ["Forever Your Girl" playing]
15. Titles
- For Supplemental Product/Service Tasks: For main titles and episode titles, please refer to the KNP to see if the main and/or episode title(s) should be included for your language. If the translation is not available, please leave the main and/or episode title out of your file.
- Titles of published works, existing movies and TV shows: use official or well-known translations. If none are available, please follow the usual treatment for your language (leave in the original, translation, or transliteration).
16. Special Instructions
- Dialogue must never be censored. Expletives should be rendered as faithfully as possible, unless specifically instructed to create a “safe” (expletive-free) trailer for all audiences.
- Plot-pertinent dialogue always takes precedence over background dialogue.
- Deliberate misspellings and mispronunciations should not be reproduced in the translation unless plot-pertinent.
- Do not translate onomatopoeia (sound words) that the general audience would understand (e.g. wow, ouch…) when used in isolation.
17. SDH Guidelines
- Include as much of the original content as possible.
- Do not simplify or water down the original dialogue.
- Truncating the original dialogue should be limited to instances where reading speed and synchronicity to the audio are an issue.
- Use brackets [ ] to enclose speaker IDs or sound effects.
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Only use speaker IDs or sound effects when they cannot be visually identified.
- If the linguist is not 100% positive on who is speaking off-screen, lean toward the safer side, and use a generic speaker identifier, i.e. [man], [male voice], etc.
- When it comes to making a judgment call, reach out via Zendesk to get a PM’s input.
- Use a generic ID to indicate and describe ambient music (e.g. rock music playing over a stereo).
- Sound effects should be plot-pertinent.
- Never italicize speaker IDs or sound effects
Change Log
2022-12-22
- Revised section 12 Reading Speed - section renamed as Reading Speed Limits
2022-10-07
- Revised section 9 Netflix Credit Translations - rule edited
2021-07-09
- Section 2 File Format - updated with confirmation to always refer to the Netflix delivery spec documentation
2020-10-28
- Timing guidelines removed, please refer to the main subtitle timing guidelines article
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