This document covers the language specific requirements for German. Please make sure to also review the General Requirements section and related guidelines for comprehensive instructions surrounding timed text deliveries to Netflix.

1. Abbreviations

• When abbreviations are used, apply standard German spelling and punctuation rules. See Duden - Spelling Rules
• Only abbreviate titles when used in combination with a name, for example:
  • Dr. Schmidt.
  • Der Doktor möchte Sie sprechen.
• When the original dialogue is in English, Mr./Mr, Mrs./Mrs and Miss can remain in English, however apply German punctuation without a period: Mr, Mrs

2. Acronyms

• Acronyms should be written without periods between letters: BBC, CIA, DVD

3. Character Limitation

• 42 characters per line

4. Character Names

• Do not translate proper names (e.g. Peter, Suzanne), unless Netflix provides approved translations.
• Nicknames should only be translated if they convey a specific meaning.
• Use language-specific translations for historical/mythical characters (e.g. Santa Claus).
• Transliterate uncommon or unfamiliar letters/characters which appear in names or proper nouns when working from a Roman alphabet language into German if they may cause confusion or be hard to understand or pronounce. Note that diacritics should be kept in proper nouns and names. For example: If the Icelandic name Þór appears, please transliterate as Thór (following relevant KNP and guidance about handling character names).

5. Continuity

• When including ellipses in subtitles, please use the single smart character (U+2026) as opposed to three dots/periods in a row.
• Do not use ellipses or dashes when an ongoing sentence is split between two or more continuous subtitles.

Subtitle 1   Ich sage dir Bescheid,

Subtitle 2   sobald er da ist. 

• Use an ellipsis to indicate a distinct pause or an abrupt interruption. If, after a pause, the sentence continues in the next subtitle, use an ellipsis without a space at the beginning of the second subtitle.

                 Subtitle 1  -Klar, machen wir.

                 Subtitle 2  -Und zwar…

                 Subtitle 3  …in Gang 51.

Subtitle 1   Ich habe mich gefragt…

Subtitle 2  …ob du mit mir kommen möchtest.

Subtitle 1   -Ich wollte dir gerade sagen…

Subtitle 2   -Ich will es nicht wissen!

• Use an ellipsis without a space to indicate that a subtitle is starting mid-sentence. 

…haben einen Vertrag unterschrieben.

6. Documentary/Unscripted

• Speaker’s title: In fast-paced content when there is little time/space to include all information such as a speaker name, character name, company name etc. the speaker’s title should be prioritized.
• Only translate a speaker’s title once, the first time the speaker appears.
• When ongoing dialogue is interrupted by a speaker’s title, use ellipses at the end of the sentence in the subtitle that precedes it and at the beginning of the sentence in the subtitle that follows it. As per general FN rules, dialogue should always take precedence. If FNs coincide with fast dialogue, it may be better to omit them (see 9. On-screen Text).
• Dialogue in TV/movie clips should only be subtitled if plot-pertinent and if the rights have been granted.
• News tickers/banners from archive clips do not require subtitles unless plot-pertinent.
• Avoid going back and forth between italicized and non-italicized subtitles when the speaker is on and off screen. If the speaker is on-camera for at least part of the scene, do not italicize. Leave italics for off-screen narrators.

7. Dual Speakers

• Use a hyphen without a space to indicate two speakers in one subtitle, with a maximum of one speaker per line.

-Tut mir leid, dass ich zu spät bin.

-Schon gut.

• In dual speaker subtitles, each line should ideally be a self-contained sentence and should not carry into the preceding or subsequent subtitle. However, depending on the given context, dialogue flow, shot changes etc. this may not always be possible or advisable. Please apply best judgment.

For example:

Subtitle 1
-Hat jemand irgendein Kunstwerk geliefert?
-Nicht dass ich wüsste,

Subtitle 2
aber lass mich mal Irene fragen.

Should be reformatted as:

Subtitle 1
Hat jemand irgendein Kunstwerk geliefert?

Subtitle 2
Nicht dass ich wüsste,
aber lass mich mal Irene fragen.

8. Font Information

• Font style: Arial as a generic placeholder for proportionalSansSerif
• Font size: relative to video resolution and ability to fit 42 characters across the screen
• Font color: White

9. On-screen Text

• Forced narrative titles for on-screen text should only be included if plot-pertinent.
• 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.
• The duration of the FN subtitle should as much as possible mimic the duration of the on-screen text, except for cases where reading speed and/or surrounding dialogue takes precedence.
• Forced narratives that are redundant (e.g. identical to onscreen text or covered in the dialogue) must be deleted.
• Forced narratives for on-screen text should be in ALL CAPS, except for long passages of on screen text (e.g. prologue or epilogue), which should use sentence case to improve readability.
• Never combine a forced narrative with dialogue in the same subtitle.
• When a forced narrative interrupts dialogue, use an ellipsis at the end of the sentence in the subtitle that precedes it and at the beginning of the sentence in the subtitle that follows it. 

Subtitle 1   Ich glaube, wir sollten nicht…

Subtitle 2 (FN)       BETRETEN VERBOTEN

Subtitle 3  …weitergehen.

10. Foreign Dialogue

• Foreign dialogue should only be translated if the viewer was meant to understand it (i.e. if it was subtitled in the original version).
• When using foreign words, spelling, accents and punctuation must be verified.
• Nouns in foreign words and the first word in multi-part foreign phrases are capitalized, even if the words would be written in lowercase in their original language.
• Foreign words should be italicized unless they are part of regular usage, i.e. included in the Duden or with a high number of Google search results (e.g. bon appétit, rendezvous, persona non grata) and when proper names appear (e.g. a company name, names of foreign dishes or foods).
• Honorifics may be retained in the source language, especially when they match with dubbing. For example, in French (Monsieur/Madame/Mademoiselle), Spanish, (Señor/Señora/Señorita) and Italian (Signore/Signora/Signorina).
• The original form of names should be retained or, if combined with a German honorific, the original order should be respected. For example, the Korean name Son Heung-min should stay as is or be converted into Herr Son.

11. Italics

• Italicize the following:
• Names of publications, legal case names
• Foreign words (see 10. Foreign Dialogue)
• Dialogue that is heard through electronic media (e.g. phone, device, television, computer, loudspeaker, AI, AI assistants, voice of a GPS, other digital devices, non-sentient robots, robotic voices, etc.) if the speaker is not physically present in the scene. For instance, if a character speaks into a microphone and their voice is heard through a loudspeaker but they are physically present, italics are not needed. Use good judgement when applying italics, ensuring there is consistency throughout the film or series.
• Only use italics when a speaker is not in the scene(s), not merely off screen or off camera
• Poetry and song lyrics (if rights have been granted) as well as prayers sung/recited off- or on-camera via inner monologue or via electronic media (see 19. Songs/Poetry); exception: poetry/lyrics read aloud OR short, quoted lines by on-screen characters as part of the dialogue (see 15. Quotes)
• Voice-overs
• Do not use italics to indicate emphasis on specific words.
• Do not italicize the following
  • Proper names of companies, newspapers, magazines or means of transport such as aircrafts, trains or ships
  • Text read out loud (see 15. Quotes)
• Italics may be used when a word is obviously emphasized in speech and when proper punctuation cannot convey that emphasis (e.g. It was).
• Special instructions for supplementals: In trailers, where dialogue rapidly switches between off-screen characters, on-screen characters and narrators
  • Only italicize narration
  • Do not italicize any dialogue from the characters and speakers

12. Line Treatment

• Maximum two lines.
• Text should usually be kept to one line, unless it exceeds the character limitation or covers plot-pertinent parts of the image.
• Line breaks should be placed in a way that keeps grammatical or semantic units intact. If possible avoid having just one or two short words on the top line. If multiple line break options present themselves, prefer a bottom-heavy pyramid shape.
• Avoid using more than three sentences in a single subtitle.

13. Numbers

• From 1 to 12, numbers should be written out.
• Above 12, numbers should be written numerically.
• Units of measurement and mathematical concepts can be written out in full or abbreviated (e.g. “Kilometer” or “km”, “Grad Celsius” or “°C”, “Prozent” or “%”).
• For consistency, numbers, units of measurement and mathematical concepts should be treated uniformly throughout a film or episode, and in particular within a subtitle (e.g. "die Schüler waren 5, 8, 13 und 14" and not "die Schüler waren fünf, acht, 13 und 14").
• Note that the above rules can be broken due to space limitations or reading speed concerns, as well as for consistency when listing multiple quantities.
• Measurements should be converted to the metric system, unless the original unit of measurement is plot relevant.
• Currency symbols should follow the number, not precede it (300 $). Currency symbols should only be used in combination with digits, not with spelt out numbers (e.g. 178 $, 3 Millionen Dollar, 4 Mrd. Dollar).
• Always use a space between a number and an abbreviation or symbol (6 km, 5 ºC, 14 %).
• Use a period as a separator in numbers of 4 or 5 digits or above (4.000, 50.300).
• Times, hours and minutes are separated by a colon (e.g. 8:30 Uhr, 19:30 Uhr). For time designations without minutes, the colon as well as minute digits should be omitted, (e.g. "7 Uhr" not "7:00 Uhr").
• Time durations can be written either in words or - if needed for reading speed and line limitations - with numbers and the abbreviations Min. und Std. (e.g. “Ich komme in anderthalb Stunden”, "Ich komme in 1,5 Std.”, “In 30 Min. bin ich fertig.”).

14. Punctuation

• Official German punctuation rules apply. See Duden - Spelling Rules.
• Do not split words with a hyphen over two lines via a line breaks, unless the word is hyphenated. Always split titles instead.
• There should not be a comma after interjections unless there is a clear pause after the interjection (e.g. “Oh nein!”, “Ach du meine Güte!”, and “Oh mein Gott!” versus “Oh, mein Gott!”).

15. Quotes

• Use quotation marks to enclose quoted words, phrases and sentences. In the case of sentences, use quotation marks at the start and after the last line of the quotation, marking the beginning and end of the quotation (rather than the beginning and end of every subtitle within the quotation), for example:

Subtitle 1

Sie sagte zu mir: "Du hast gut reden!

Subtitle 2:

Filme gucken können alle,

untertiteln aber nicht."

• Use double quotation marks (" ") without spaces for regular quotations with both the opening and closing marks appearing at the top of the line.

Er sagte: "Komm morgen wieder."

• Use single quotation marks (' ') for quotes within quotes, but the closing single quote should be before the period.

Er sagte: "Mein Lieblingslied ist 'Singing in the Rain'."

• Punctuation should be included within the quotation marks if the quote is an independent clause and outside if it is not.
• Use quotes to highlight/mark titles of albums, songs, books, films, games, programs, theatre plays, etc.
• Use quotation marks if a character is seen to be reading aloud.
• If an on-screen character does “air quotes” when speaking, please apply quotation marks to the equivalent word in the target language in order to retain creative intent and to help ensure clarity about which word or part of the sentence the air quotes apply to.

16. Reading Speed Limits

• Adult programs: Up to 17 characters per second
• Children’s programs: Up to 13 characters per second

17. Repetitions

• Do not translate words or phrases repeated more than once by the same speaker.
• If the repeated word or phrase is said twice in a row, time subtitle to the audio but translate only once.

18. Songs/Poetry

• Only subtitle plot-pertinent songs if the rights have been granted.
• Opening and ending theme songs should only be subtitled if clearly plot-pertinent (e.g. for children’s content when the lyrics tell a story) or if instructed by Netflix. Normally, adult programs should not have the opening songs subtitled, except for SDH.
• Mark song lyrics and poetry, as well as short excerpts or lines, with either quotes or italics depending on whether they are being read out aloud (see 15. Quotes) or otherwise (see 11. Italics).
• Use an uppercase letter at the beginning of each line.
• Use ellipses when a song or poem continues in the background, but is no longer subtitled to give precedence to dialogue.
• Punctuation: only question marks and exclamation marks should be used at the end of a line – no commas or periods. Commas can be used within the lyric line, if necessary.
• Album titles and song titles should be in quotes (see 15. Quotes).

19. Spelling

• Official German spelling rules apply, see Duden - Spelling Rules.
• When the adjective “schwarz” (EN “Black”) appears in reference to someone’s ethnicity, origin or skin color, capitalize it as “Schwarz”. For example, “die Schwarze Hautfarbe”, “eine Schwarze Person”, “als Schwarze Deutsche”, “das Schwarze Kino”.
• “Dir” and “Du” should not be capitalized.
• When capitalized, the letter “ß” should be spelled “SS”. Do not use the uppercase ẞ (unicode 0x1E9E) as it is not supported by many devices.
• The -e ending of verbs in the first person singular may be omitted when used in standard language (see Duden - Omitting the -e ending) and if appropriate in the context (e.g. colloquial language). In the imperative form, the ending -e can be omitted unless it is mandatory (see Duden - Forming the Imperative). When the -e ending of verbs is omitted, do not use an apostrophe (e.g. “ich hab das” instead of “ich hab’ das”).
• When using contractions use them with the apostrophe (e.g. “ich bin’s”, ich hab’s”, “noch so 'ne Frau", "das hab ich auf'm Schirm").

20. Substitutions

• In the case of words being deliberately bleeped or muted in the original audio (e.g. for comedic purposes or in trailers due to profanity):
  • If it is possible to identify the affected term, include the initial letter of the word followed by three asterisks (e.g. "…du kleiner S***!").
  • If the affected term is not identifiable, include three asterisks in place of the bleeped term (e.g. "…du kleiner ***!").
• See also Globalization and Dubbing Guidelines for Living Room Friendly Trailers > Guidelines for Subtitlers and Voice Talent: Handling Bleeped Terms in Product Trailer Subtitles and Dubs

21. Titles

• Main titles: Subtitle the on-screen main title for branded content when the approved title for German is available in KNP/Terminology and it does not match the title which appears in the card. Do not translate the main title from scratch: always use the approved title provided.
• Do not subtitle when the on-screen main title and the approved title for German are identical and fully match. (e.g. the on-screen title is already in German, both read with the exact same words and spellings etc.)
• Subtitle when the approved title for German contains a part that is transliterated/translated/transcreated/edited and does not fully match the on-screen main title, e.g. when the on-screen title is Convergence: Courage in a Crisis but the approved title for German is Convergence: Mut in der Krise.
• When the provided translation of the main title does not work with a line break in a way that fits within the limit, the maximum character count per line or maximum line limit can be exceeded. Do not split the provided translation into multiple subtitle events.
• Do not italicize the main title event.
• Episode titles: do not subtitle episode titles if they do not appear on screen/are not voiced-over. If on-screen (either as part of the principal photography or burned into video) or voiced-over, please reference the KNP tool for approved translations.
• Titles of published works, existing movies and TV shows: use official or well-known translations. If none are available, leave titles in the original language.

22. Special Instructions

• Plot-pertinent dialogue always takes precedence over background dialogue.
• Deliberate misspellings and mispronunciations should not be reproduced in the translation unless plot-pertinent.
• Always match the tone of the original content, while remaining relevant to the target audience (e.g. replicate tone, register, class, formality, etc. in the target language in an equivalent way).
• When brand names or trademarks appear, you may either; use the same name if it is known in the territory you are translating for; adapt to the name that the brand or product is known by that the territory you are translating for; or use a generic name for that product or item. Avoid swapping out names of brands, companies or famous people for other names.

23. Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH) Guidelines

• Include as much of the original content as possible.
• Do not simplify or water down the original dialogue.
• Where content has been dubbed into German, please refer to the dubbing script or dubbed audio as the basis for the SDH file and ensure that the two match as much as reading speed and timings allow.
• Reading speed limits can be increased to:
• Adult programs: Up to 20 characters per second
• Children’s programs: Up to 17 characters per second
• Truncating the original dialogue should be limited to instances where reading speed and synchronicity to the audio are an issue.
• For TV/movie clips, all audible lines should be transcribed, if possible. If the audio interferes with dialogue, please give precedence to most plot-pertinent content.
• All same-language audible songs that do not interfere with dialogue should be subtitled.
• Use song title identifiers when applicable - song titles should be in quotes: [Musik: "Forever Your Girl" von Paula Abdul]
• Song lyrics should be enclosed with a music note (♪) at the beginning and the end of each subtitle.
• Add a space between the music note and the preceding or subsequent text.
• When a dual speaker subtitle appears in a song, e.g. when there is a duet, each line of sung text should have a music note at the beginning and end to clearly indicate that both characters are singing.
• Use brackets [ ] to enclose speaker IDs or sound effects.
• Identifiers/sound effects should be all lowercase, except for proper nouns.
• Only use speaker IDs or sound effects when they cannot be visually identified.
• When a speaker ID is required for a character who has yet to be identified by name, use [Mann] or [Frau] or [Arzt], [Ärztin], [Pfarrer] so as not to provide information that is not yet present in the narrative. Use [Mann 2] and [Frau 2] and so on when additional unidentified speakers appear.
• Use a generic ID to indicate and describe ambient music, e.g. [Rockmusik], [sanfte Jazz-Musik im Radio], [Musik über Kopfhörer]
• Plot-pertinent sound effects should always be included unless inferred by the visuals.
• Subtitle silence if plot-pertinent. For example, when plot-pertinent music ends abruptly.
• Be detailed and descriptive, use adverbs where appropriate when describing sounds and music, describe voices, speed of speech, volume of sounds. For example, [lacht schallend] instead of [lacht], [schreit schmerzerfüllt] instead of [schreit], [stöhnt lustvoll] instead of [stöhnt]
• Describe the sounds and audio as opposed to visual elements or actions.
• Sound effects that interrupt dialogue should be treated as follows:

Subtitle 1: In letzter Zeit habe ich…

[hustet, schnieft]

Subtitle 2: …das häufiger gesehen.

• Speaker IDs and the corresponding dialogue should ideally be on the same line.
• Never italicize speaker IDs or sound effects, even when the spoken information is italicized, such as in a voice-over.

[Erzähler] Es war einmal…

• In instances of foreign dialogue being spoken:
• If foreign dialogue is translated, use [in language], for example [Spanisch] or [auf Spanisch]
• If foreign dialogue is not meant to be understood, use [speaking language], for example [spricht Spanisch]
• Always research the language being spoken – [spricht fremde Sprache] should never be used

24. Reference

For all language-related issues not covered in this document, please refer to:

• Duden: http://www.duden.de/woerterbuch

 

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Change Log:

2025-07-07

• Revised section 1 Abbreviations - section heavily edited, please review closely
• Revised section 5 Continuity - 3rd bullet edited, new example added
• Revised section 6 Documentary/Unscripted - 1st and 3rd bullets revised, example removed
• Revised section 7 Dual Speakers - 2nd bullet revised
• Revised section 10 Foreign Dialogue - section heavily edited, please review closely
• Revised section 11 Italics - section heavily edited, please review closely
• Revised section 12 Line Treatment - 2nd, 3rd, 4th bullets revised and expanded
• Revised section 13 Numbers - section heavily edited, please review closely
• Revised section 14 Punctuation - section heavily edited, please review closely
• Revised section 15 Quotes - section heavily edited, please review closely
• Revised section 18 Songs/Poetry - section renamed and edited heavily
• New section added 19 Spelling - subsequent sections renumbered accordingly
• New section added 20 Substitutions - subsequent sections renumbered accordingly
• Revised section 22 Special Instructions - rules in bullets 4 to 9 removed and folded into other sections

2025-04-17

• Revised section 21 SDH - 7th bullet point edited to remove "if rights have been granted"

2024-10-07

• Revised section 11 Italics - 4th bullet edited to new standard wording about italics, electronic media/speakers and on-screen/in-scene characters

2022-12-22

• Revised sections 16 Reading Speed and 21 SDH - sections edited to mention "reading speed limits" and "up to"

2022-11-03

• Revised section 19 Titles - "for branded content" added

2022-10-07

• Revised section 19 Titles - rules added/edited to include main title translations

2021-10-22

• Revised section 4 Character names - 4th bullet point added regarding transliteration of unfamiliar characters in proper nouns/names
• Revised section 15 Quotation marks - 2nd bullet point rephrased for clarity

2021-07-09

• Revised section 12 Line Treatment - 3rd bullet point added
• Revised section 15 Quotes - 8th bullet point added
• Revised section 20 Special Instructions - 11th bullet point added
• Revised section 21 SDH Guidelines - 10th and 11th bullet points added

2021-02-24

• Revised section 21 SDH Guidelines - localized examples added

2020-10-30

• Revised section 7 Dual Speakers - 2nd bullet and examples added
• Revised section 11 Italics - 7th bullet added regarding poetry
• Revised section 12 Line Treatment - 2nd bullet added 
• Revised section 15 Quotation marks - 1st and 7th bullet points added
• Revised section 20 Special Instructions - 10th bullet point added  

2020-07-24

• Revised section 5 Continuity - 1st bullet point clarifying which type of ellipsis is permitted
• Revised section 21 SDH Guidelines - 3rd bullet point reworded

2020-05-08

• Revised section 20 Special Instructions - 3rd bullet point added
• Revised section 21 SDH Guidelines - 3rd bullet point added

2018-06-04

• Revised section 9 On-screen Text - section header revised for clarity

2018-03-09

• Revised section 1 Abbreviations - 7th bullet point revised
• Revised section 6 Documentary - 4th, 5th and 6th  bullet points added
• Revised section 9 Forced Narratives - 2nd and 3rd bullet points added, 5th bullet point revised
• Added section 12 Line Treatment
• Revised section 13 Numbers - 4th and 5th bullet points revised, 6th bullet point added
• Added section 15 Quotes - rewritten for clarity
• Revised section 16 Reading Speed - words per minute removed
• Revised section 17 Repetitions - 1st point revised for clarity
• Revised section 18 Songs - 2nd bullet point added
• Revised section 19 Titles - 1st and 2nd bullet points revised
• Revised section 20 Special Instructions - 4th bullet point added
• Revised section 21 SDH Guidelines - renamed and expanded for clarity

2016-05-15

• Revised section 17 Songs - 5th bullet point revised
• Revised section 18 Titles - 1st bullet point revised, 2nd bullet point added
• Revised section 19 Special Instructions - 3rd bullet point removed, 6th bullet point revised

 

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