English FAQ
From Wikisubttiles
What is wikisubtitles?
Wikisubtitles.net is a web site that intends to give the necessary tools for the translation and correction of subtitles online, with the several advantages that come with working online, like the cooperative work of a lot of users. It aims to transfer the "wiki philosophy" in which everyone can edit the content (like in Wikipedia) to the world of subtitles, allowing it to perform multiple corrections and translations simultaneously. The goal is to get the best subtitles possible, with the collaboration of all users of this web site.
How is it possible to translate a subtitle without watching a video?
The subtitles are edited and translated online, but it is always necessary to have an original subtitle from which to work, which must be an SRT file. The web interface also offers tools for the elaboration of SRT files by "pieces", in such a way that the work can be done by several people.
For creating the SRT file you can use, for example, Subtitle Workshop under Windows or Subtitle Editor on Linux.
Is a new file generated with each modification done?
No. Once a SRT file is uploaded, it ceases to exist as such. When someone downloads the subtitle, this is generated dynamically with every modification made, but you could always download the "original version" or create the file using advanced options.
Ok, but if i upload a subtitle made by some people, someone can edit them and take credit for the subtitle.
No. The person that uploads the initial SRT file, has the right to block some lines to prevent it from being edited, like the name of the original subtitle creators.
What if a "troll" comes along and messes up the subtitles?
Yes, it can happen, but the interface gives ways to eliminate all the modifications made by an user over a subtitle. If someone detects this behaviour, he can easily eliminate the modifications. But someone has to detect this, and that is unavoidable for every wiki system...
Other sites
This site is a copy of the XXX site!
When I started this project, I thought that it was an original idea, but soon after its release, I got emails telling me that there where sites like this, like :
- La ponto. Site of translation of subtitles with Esperanto as the bridge language.
- Subtitles community. Site of SRT file translation.
As I sad, before launching the project, I didn't know of the existence of other sites, so in my conscience remains a "i did not copy". However, I think that wikisubtitles at this moment gives much more tools than the above sites, an therefore I think that I have made a "contribution".
Other subtitles storage? For that we already have subDIVX/opensubtitles/etc.
Wikisubtitles have ways to become a good "subtitles storage", like the sorting of episodes by show. And it is true that it is intended to gather the largest number of subtitles from other pages. But no other sites have the functionality of correction and translation of wikisubtitles. Of course the databases of subDIX, Asia-Team, Opensubtitles and many others in this moment are much larger than wikisubtitles' database. So if you can't find a subtitle here, we advise to look on those pages. The objective of this site is really different from those sites, and looking only a little, you would realize that.
You are taking advantage, you have taken the subtitles from my site so that you could have more visitors.
Personally, as a "user" of the site, I have asked permission from the sites from with I get the subtitles, and always i was kindly responded. If you are the webmaster of a site that makes subtitles, and you don't want them to be here, send a mail to webmaster@wikisubtitles.net, and we will try to take them out, but if the sites keeps on getting this grow rate it will be a little difficult to control....
Who made this site?
There is no corporation or group behind this site. Only a programmer, nick smalleye. If you want to know my name for any concrete motive (or if you what to offer me job as a programmer, that I'm jobless :P), you can write me to webmaster@wikisubtitles.net.
Troubleshooting and FAQ
I use Internet Explorer/Opera and the downloaded files are file.srt.htm
This is a problem of the Internet Explorer/Opera, because they don't have registered the MIME type text/srt and they put the htm extension. Solution: rename the file. With Firefox there is no problem.
Sometimes when I get in the site, a message appears that says "This account has exceeded its CPU Quota"
That's the server dying :P. Usually last for 10 minutes. We have the hosting that we can afford.
I was finishing a translation and has begun to "test it". Then shows that it's 9x% done
The test is something normal when a translation is been finished. It checks that there are no repeated lines, nor in white. The test is fired when the site thinks that the translation is finished, but if the test has to erase repeated lines then the translation is not finished and probably will get to a 9x%. Once the test is over, click on "Join Translation" and you can finish the remaining lines. Once again the test with launch, but only checking the new lines, so it will be much faster.
Why the test? We are a lot of people translating and duplicate lines will happen
The existence of duplicate lines in a translation made by many users, could be a problem on mySQL transactions. It's for this reason that the test is made, it will erase the duplicate lines (letting "in" the first version). There is an algorithm to minimize this phenomenon, but still something can happen.
While translating, some sequences have been "taken" by other users that are not making progress
This is the tokens rules that allow to make a translation available to many users. If a user abandons a translation, the sequence that was taken, will remain that way. But when there is no more sequences, this rule will note apply, for which the translation can be finished.
Can I upload a subtitle in a format different form SRT: SSA,SUB,etc?
No.
And how can i change from a format to another?
On Windows, with the Subtitle Workshop.
I have subtitles in two languages for the same version, can i upload them so that they show together and not as two different versions?
No. You can upload two languages for the same version, because if one of the two had fewer sequences that the other, it will never show as finished. They will be uploaded as two different versions, and in such case, a moderator can check if they have the same number of sequences and merge them.
Why there it is a Español/Español(España)/Español(Latinoamerica)?
Theoretically, Español is neutral Spanish, in which we will try not to use slang from every country, thus making it as neutral as possible.
What can a moderator do?
As a start, the same as the "owner" of the subtitle; erase it, change the name, the initial language, etc. Besides it has another possibility's as to merge versions, erase a language, etc....
